Concentration

Value: Awareness

Sub-Value: Concentration, Humility

The audio version of the story is available on the podcast Sai Prem: 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1498462/episodes/11342972

After winning several archery contests, the young and rather boastful champion challenged a Zen master who was renowned for his skill as an archer.

The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull’s eye on his first try and then split that arrow with his second shot.

“There,” he said to the old man, “See if you can match that!”

Undisturbed, the master did not draw his bow but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain. Curious about the old fellow’s intentions, the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep gap spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log. 

Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous bridge, the old master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow, and fired a clean, direct hit. 

“Now it is your turn,” he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground.  Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless and beckoning abyss, the young man could not force himself to step out onto the log, no less shoot at a target.

“You have much skill with your bow,” the master said, sensing his challenger’s predicament, “but you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot.”

Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.

Learning 

Concentration is the key to success.  Ego is that which destroys everything on its path. Talent and concentration go hand in hand because the talent we possess can bring success or victory only when we perform the act with concentration. Therefore, when we perform a task let us do it with concentration which is the secret of our strength to achieve the goal.

Concentration is the secret of strength – Ralph Waldo Emerson