Chapter Thirteen: On the Order 21

When a disciple was leaving to accept an appointment as a minister of a regional branch temple, the Founding Master said, “I have a sense that I may not have taken as close care of you as I did of others and left you alone to your own devices. Did you ever feel neglected? Generally, a field that has poor soil and is overgrown with weeds will produce a good crop only if you work hard to tend it, while the opposite kind of field will yield a good harvest even without exerting much effort. In the same way, there are some people who require frequent attention and guidance and others who need only the occasional admonition. This is why I have been this way with you, so don’t for a moment feel that you were neglected.”