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That's not jade!
Dec. 10th, 2019 05:59 pmA man longs to become a jade carver. So he apprentices himself to a master jade craftsman.
Every day he comes to the workshop, and the master asks him to sit and hold a jade carving, a different one each day, while the master talks to him.
And every day the master tells him stories, about the great jade carvers of the past, and about the principles of jade carving, and about the particular piece of jade the apprentice is holding. Then he sends the apprentice home again.
This goes on for months.
The stories fascinate the apprentice, and the jade carvings he has to hold are beautiful, but he's getting impatient by this time. He wanted to learn how to carve jade, not to sit and get lectured!
Then, one ordinary morning, the master hands him a carving. As soon as the apprentice touches it, he blurts out, "That's not jade!"
The master says, "Good. Now we can begin."
Every day he comes to the workshop, and the master asks him to sit and hold a jade carving, a different one each day, while the master talks to him.
And every day the master tells him stories, about the great jade carvers of the past, and about the principles of jade carving, and about the particular piece of jade the apprentice is holding. Then he sends the apprentice home again.
This goes on for months.
The stories fascinate the apprentice, and the jade carvings he has to hold are beautiful, but he's getting impatient by this time. He wanted to learn how to carve jade, not to sit and get lectured!
Then, one ordinary morning, the master hands him a carving. As soon as the apprentice touches it, he blurts out, "That's not jade!"
The master says, "Good. Now we can begin."
