Hear the Unheard

Back in the third century there lived a King named Ts'ao. He had a son name Prince Tai. Since Tai was to succeed his father as King, the King wanted the Master Teacher Pan Ku to teach the boy the basics of being a good ruler. When the Prince arrived at the temple, the master Pan-Ku sent him alone to the forest. After one year, the prince was to return to the temple to describe the sound of the forest.

When Prince Tai returned after a year, Pan Ku asked the boy to describe all that he could hear. "Master", replied the Prince, "I could hear the cuckoos sing, the leaves rustle, the humming bird hum, the crickets chirp, the grass blow, the bees buzz and the wind whisper and holler." When the Prince had finished, the master told him to go back to the forest to listen to what more he could hear. The Prince was puzzled by the Master's request. Had he not discerned every sound already ?

For days and nights on end, the young prince sat alone in the forest listening, but could not hear any sounds other than those which 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 most acutely he listened, the clearer the sounds became. The feeling of enlightenment enveloped the boy. “These must be the sounds the Master wished me to discern,” he replied.

When Prince Tai returned to the temple the Master asked him what more he had heard. “Master", responded the prince reverently, "when I listened more closely, I could hear the UNHEARD - the sounds of flowers opening, the sound of sun warming the earth, and the sound of grass drinking the morning dew." The Master nodded approvingly. "To hear the Unheard," remarked Pan-ku, "is a necessary discipline to be a good ruler. For only when a ruler (read also as leader) has learned to listen closely to the people's heart, hearing their feelings un-communicated, pains unexpressed, and complains not spoken of, can he hope to inspire confidence in his people, understand when something is wrong, and meet the true needs of his citizens. The demise of state comes when leaders listen only to superficial words and do not penetrate deeply into the souls of the people to hear their true opinions, feelings and desires."

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