Dear Chet,

You have put me in mind of a little story I once heard about a young novice in a Zen Buddhist monastery whose first assignment was to sweep the fallen leaves from the garden path. Wishing to please the master, he not only swept, but got down on hands and knees to ensure that he had not missed a single stray particle of debris.

Upon the completion of this exercise, he reported to the master, awaiting what he hoped (expected?) would be some expression of satisfaction with the exactitude of his efforts. The master silenty walked the length of the path beside his new pupil. Then he reached into the neat pile made of the gathered leaves, bringing up a goodly handful, which, to the amazement of the novice, he proceeded to redistribute randomly along the path.

"Master, I beg you, what is the meaning of this action?" blurted the novice.

His master smiled tolerantly and shook his head. Speaking with gentle irony, he declared, "Too much virtue is a vice." It was the first of many lessons.


Shula