While Seisetsu was the master of Engaku in Kamakura he required larger quarters, since those in which he was teaching were overcrowded. Umezu Seibei, a merchant of Edo, decided to donate five hundred pieces of gold called ryo toward the construction of a more commodious school. This money he brought to the teacher.
Seisetsu said: “All right. I will take it.”
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Dr. Don Haberdey wanted success more than anything. That’s why he became a doctor. He would do anything to afford the outward show of prosperity. It wasn’t the wealth he wanted … it was the respect.
As he was growing up, his father would belittle and berate him, crushing his self-image, causing him to feel awkward and to stutter, which increased his father’s embarrassment. Throughout college he studied hard to make good grades so he could show his father that he had worth. But his father…
