"His art was perfect; he never missed a target. So the emperor was willing to declare him the champion of archery in the whole land of China.

"Just at that moment, his old prime minister prevented him saying, 'Wait a minute, because I know a man who lives far away in the mountains. Unless this archer goes to that old man, and that old man certifies that he should be declared the champion, you should wait. You should not be in a hurry, because that old man is not only the champion of this land, he is the champion of the whole world, although he's a non-competitive man, non-ambitious, and people don't know about him. Send this archer first to get a certificate from that old man.' And he gave the directions where the old man would be found.

"The archer could not believe that anyone could be better; he was one hundred percent successful in hitting the bulls eye exactly in the middle, he never missed the target. It was inconceivable for him that anybody could be a better archer! But there was no way. The emperor told him to go to the mountains, and bring a certificate.

"It was a difficult journey. The old man lived on a very high peak of the mountain, alone. He was really very old, almost ancient, and he had no bow, no arrows. He was just sitting under a tree. The archer asked, 'Are you the man who is the greatest archer in the world?'

"The old man said, 'Perhaps, because on this mountain nobody else lives. But I can't be certain because I have never been competitive. As far as archery is concerned, for twenty years I have not touched the bow, have not seen the arrows. In fact, I have lost track where they are. But what is the problem? Why have you traveled so far?'

"The young man said, 'I knew it before that this would be an unnecessary journey! A man who has not touched the bow for twenty years, and who has even forgotten where his bow and his arrows are.'

"Still, because of the emperor's requirement, he said to the old man, 'I want to be declared the champion of the art in the whole country, and the emperor has sent me to get your certificate.'

"The old man said, 'That is not difficult."