Hakuin looked carefully at the painted scroll as they entered the teahouse. It was, as would be expected, elegant, tasteful, and skilfully done. Painting was an integral part of Buddhist, and especially Zen tradition. The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures were a standard teaching tool, showing the student the various stages of searching for, attaining, mastering, and then forgetting one's true nature. (The forgetting was essential - otherwise one would suffer from one of the various Zen sicknesses.) One of the most prized accomplishments was the ability to draw a perfect circle by hand. It showed discipline, control, and balance of both halves of the body. Another favourite subject was a single stem with a leaf or two. The monk Gessen had been one of the greatest of the old-time masters. He had a reputation that preceded him wherever he went. Part of the reputation had to do with his skill. The other part, however, had to do with another aspect of his character. He was known as "The Stingy Monk." Gessen would paint anything at any time - provided he was paid for it. He was asked by a geisha to do a painting at a party she was holding for her patron. He asked how much she would pay and she told him that he could name his price. He did. It was the highest pay he'd ever received. After he'd completed his painting the geisha turned to her patron and said, "All this artist wants is money. His paintings are fine but his mind is dirty; money has caused it to become muddy. Drawn by such a filthy mind, his work is not fit to exhibit. It is just about good enough for one of my petticoats." With that she drew up her skirts and told Gessen to paint a picture on her petticoat. "How much will you pay?" he asked. "Any amount," she told him. He finished his painting and left, taking with him a great deal of money. It was some years later that people discovered the cause of Gessen's stinginess. It seemed that Gessen had three goals he wished to accomplish. His province was often ravaged by famine and Gessen kept a secret warehouse filled with grain just for those emergencies. The road from his village to the National Shrine was in very poor condition and many travelers suffered while traversing it. He wanted to build a better road. His teacher had passed away without realizing his wish to build a temple, and Gessen determined that he would complete this temple for him. Once Gessen had successfully completed all three goals he put away his paints and never painted again. It was a story of dedication and strong intention; the story of a man determined to do good regardless of what other people thought of him. He had suffered humiliation, dishonour, and shame in order to help those who needed it and to bring honour to his teacher. It was, thought Hakuin, the story of a self-righteous jerk.