A long time ago there lived a great Tea Master. He was an elderly, small and frail man. He was known throughout the countryside where he lived for his beautiful Tea Ceremony. His work was so good that one day the Emperor heard about him and summoned him to the Palace to perform this special ceremony.
The sensei said, 'First, in the morning, you are going to die.'
The quiet, little Tea Master received this invitation from the Emperor. He packed his belongings, placed them on his back and started on a long journey by foot to the Imperial Palace.
After many days traveling, the little man arrived and performed the ceremony for the Emperor. The Emperor was so impressed! He presented the Tea Master with the highest honor that he was allowed. He presented him with the two swords of the Samurai.
Proudly, the Tea Master accepted the swords. He bowed to the emperor, placed the swords on his back, picked up his belongings and started his journey home.
On the journey back to his home, the little man walked through a small country village when he was spotted by the Samurai that protected that area. He was a great and powerful Samurai. At first, when he saw the swords in the Tea Master's satchel, the Samurai could not believe his eyes. What was this little frail man doing with them?!
The Samurai confronted the little man. “How dare you make a mockery of all Samurai! I can not stand for this dishonor. We will meet here in the morning and correct this!”
The Tea Master bowed, and the Samurai turned quickly and left. The Tea Master, of course, was in a panic. What should he do? He would surely be no match for the great warrior.
That evening he sought the advice of an wise, old Samurai teacher. The sensei said, “First, in the morning, you are going to die.” Then he went silent.
The Tea Master asked, “Is there nothing I can do?”
The sensei replied, “Yes. Make tea.”
In the morning, the Tea Master and the Samurai met in the village. They bowed to each other, and then each drew their swords. The great Samurai stared down the gleaming blade of his sword at the Tea Master.
The Tea Master, steely eyed, stared down the blade of his own sword with all the focus, confidence and determination...of making tea.
The great Samurai stepped back, sheathed his sword, bowed and said, “Please excuse me, I have been mistaken.”
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Confidence can often be a great equalizer. We all face difficult challenges in our day to day lives, whether they are in our martial arts training, in our school work or at our jobs. If we strive to develop confidence (to believe in ourselves), we can face those challenges and defeat them. Pil Sung!
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