won't be up for hours."
Sensing my sincerity, he continued with the symbolic fable that
Yogi Raman had offered him to illustrate his wisdom on cultivating
a richer, more radiant life.
"I have told you that the garden represents the fertile garden
of your mind, a garden that is filled with delightful treasures and
boundless riches. I have also spoken of the lighthouse and how it
represents the power of goals and the importance of discovering
your calling in life. You will recall that as the fable continues, the
door of the lighthouse slowly opens and out walks a nine-foot-tall,
nine-hundred-pound Japanese sumo wrestler."
"Sounds like a bad Godzilla movie."
"I used to love those when I was a kid."
"Me too. But don't let me distract you," I replied.
"The sumo wrestler represents a very important element in
the life-changing system of the Sages of Sivana. Yogi Raman told
me that many centuries ago in the ancient East, the great teachers
developed and refined a philosophy called kaizen. This Japanese
word means constant and never-ending improvement. And it's the
personal trademark of every man and woman who is living a
soaring, fully awakened existence."
"How did the concept of kaizen enrich the lives of the sages?"
I asked.
"As I mentioned earlier, John, success on the outside begins
with success on the inside. If you really want to improve your outer
world, whether this means your health, your relationships or your
finances, you must first improve your inner world. The most
effective way to do this is through the practice of continuous selfimprovement.
Self-mastery is the DNA of life mastery."
"Julian, I hope you don't mind me saying it, but all this talk
about one's 'inner world' sounds more than a little esoteric to me.
Remember, I'm just a middle-class lawyer from the leafy suburbs
with a minivan sitting in the driveway and a Lawn-Boy in the
garage.
"Look. Everything you have told me so far makes sense. As a
matter of fact, much of what you have shared with me appears to
be common sense, although I know that common sense is anything
but common in this day and age. I must tell you though, I'm having
a little difficulty with this notion of kaizen and improving my inner
world. What exactly are we talking about here?"
