The Chinese Wisdom

Back in the third century A.D., the Chinese king sent his son Prince Tai to a temple to get education from great master Pan Ku. Prince Tai was a succeed his father as king. Pan Ku was to teach the boy the basic of a good ruler .When the Prince arrived at the temple , the master sent him alone to the Ming-Li forest with the advice to meditate and discover the various sounds in the forest . After one year the Prince was to return to the temple to submit his findings of sounds before the great master.
When Prince Tai returned , Pan Ku the great master at the temple asked the boy to describe all that he had seen or had heard during his stay in the forest.
‘’Respected Master,” said the Prince,”Icould hear the cuckoos’ song, the leaves’ rustle, the humming birds’ hum, the crickets ‘ chirp, the grass’ blow, the bees’buzz, and the wind ‘ whisper’.When the Prince had narrated all that he had experienced the master ordered him go back to the forest again. He told him to stay for another one year to listen to what more he could hear. The Prince was puzzled by the master’s new order. “Had he not discerned every sound and explained everything to the master already ?” Thought the Prince to him self.
He went back to forest again for one more year with the advice to meditates and discern the various sounds in the forest.
For days and night , the young prince sat alone in the forest listening to the sounds more attentively . But he heard no sounds other than those he had already heard . Then , one morning , as the prince sat silently beneath the trees, he started to discern faint sounds unlike those he had ever heard before . The more closely he enlightenment enveloped the boy.”These must be the sounds the master wished me to discern! “ He reflected.
When Prince Tai returned to the temple, the master asked him what more he had heard.”Respected Master.” Responded the prince reverently ,” when I listened most closely, I could hear the unheard sound of flowers opening , the sound of the sun warming the earth and the sound of the grass with the morning dew.”
The master nodded approvingly:
“To hear the unheard,” remarked Pan Ku, is a Necessary discipline to be a good ruler. For , when a ruler has learned to listen closely to the people’s heart, hearing their feelings uncommunicated , pains unexpressed and complaints not spoken of, only then he can hope to inspire confidence in his people. He can understand when some things is wrong, and meet the true needs of citizens.
The demise of states comes when leaders listen to superficial words and do not go deeply into thesouls of the people to hear their true opinions, feelings and desires.