The Stone Mason 1 North Creek Temple needed a stone wall rebuilt. Soaring Crane and other monks joined in the construction. Workmen brought in loads of stones and added them to rocks found on the cleared land. The pile promised nothing. It was simply a rough heap. Pegs were driven into the ground and string was stretched to define the areas where the wall was to be built. “It’s such a large area,” Soaring Crane had said. “How will you know that the corners will be square?” The foreman, a skinny man with a bent back but huge hands and tightly muscled forearms, looked up in surprise. “3-4-5,” he said. When Soaring Crane looked blank, the foreman explained that measuring a triangle to that ratio guaranteed a right angle. It was simple geometry. Soaring Crane thought: “I’ve just learned something about the practicality of knowledge.” 2 The masons brought their equipment: string, plumb bob, levels, hammers, shovels, pick-axes, wheelbarrows, and levers. All that was unseen was the ingenuity and experience of the men. The Taoists provided raw manpower, but the masons directed all the construction. The foreman could look at a stone and fit it to the course. If a stone didn’t sit exactly as he wanted, he chipped stones to wedge the larger rock into place. Once the two faces of the foundation were laid, smaller stones and dirt were packed tightly between them. The very jagged nature of the bigger stones allowed other stones to be locked in the remaining, smaller spaces, until the entire base was tightly packed. “This is as if forming a road for the rest of wall,” Soaring Crane commented when seeing the foundations. The foreman said: “If the foundation is right, then the wall must be right. If the way is wrong, then the wall will be wrong.” Soaring Crane thought: “I’ve just learned something about direction. Without a way, later success is impossible.” 3 Using temporary wooden frames as guides, the men laid out strings to guide each course. “How do you know the angle?” asked Soaring Crane. The wall was to be wider at the bottom than at the top. The foreman looked surprised again. “It’s a simple formula: 1-6. For every six-inch we rise, we move inward one inch. Once we build the frame and stretch the string, we can concentrate on building the wall.” Soaring Crane thought: “I’ve just learned something about planning. By using a template, one can concentrate on the details without worrying about the whole.” 4 The face of the wall emerged as practically a single plane. How did the foreman know how to do that just from rocks he picked up, examined, and placed into the rising wall as if it had always been meant to be there? Was it as simple, he asked, as just two wooden frames and string? The foreman laughed. “Yes. It’s that simple. You saw it yourself. The sages laid down our way of life and we only need to follow. How much more easy building a wall should be!” Soaring Crane thought: “I’ve just learned something about wisdom.” 5 Part of the wall was finished with capstones and was perfect in its geometry. “It’s impressive that such an even and regular wall can be made out of thousands of irregular pieces.” “We accept every single stone,” said the foreman. “Every stone is different, but we use its individuality to lock it to others. Instead of the differences becoming weaknesses, they become the reason that the wall is strong. So, great master, you’ve learned how we humble workmen build a wall.” “No, master craftsman. You spoken about building walls, but I’ve learned about life itself.”
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 03:04:35 +0000
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