Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘There is no more visible sign of wisdom than humility. Humility is a rare and exceptional trait, one that very few of us truly embody. This is so because nothing characterizes our lives more than the desire to be exceptional, a desire so common that it makes all of us who pracise it seem quite ordinary. Wisdom entails several realizations that render the wise person humble. First, wisdom is grounded in a realistic understanding one’s own limitations. The ability to engage in one’s endeavors in view of that understanding shows the skill and dexterity of this wisdom.’ (The Six Perfections)

I pulled this off the shelf again the other day to line up some posts for while I am away; of the passages I chose – though it would probably be true of just about the whole book – my immediate thought was that these qualities are the polar opposite of the incoming president. But, apart from the recently-deceased and mourned-for Jimmy Carter, perhaps it would be hard to pin any of the paramitas on a president.