Leadership story: The wise teacher’s test of integrity

Once upon a time on the outskirts of a big city in Japan there stood an old temple. From young age boys who wanted to study Buddhism would come to live in the temple and to learn from the master teacher, a Buddhist monk.

One day the Buddhist monk who ran this small temple decided to teach his young students a lesson about integrity. He gathered them around him, and spoke,” My dear students, as you can see, I am growing old, and slow. I can no longer provide for the needs of the temple as I once did. I know I have not yet taught you to work for money, and so I can only think of one thing that can keep our school from closing.” The students drew close with eyes wide.

“Our nearby city is full of wealthy people with more money in their purses than they could ever need. I want you to go into the city and follow those rich people as they walk through the crowded streets, or when they walk down the deserted alleyways. When no one is looking, and only when no one is looking, you must steal their purses from them. That way we will have enough money to keep our school alive.”

“But Master,” the boys chorused in disbelief, “you have taught us that it is wrong to take anything that does not belong to us.”

“Yes, indeed I have,” the old monk replied. “It would be wrong to steal if it were…