He never taught
a universal doctrine
only that
within the fourfold world
all men are brothers
(and so all women sisters)
thus a deep respect
a reverence for others
is the true expression
of our study
our self-cultivation

Once in my lifetime
I was blessed to witness
this teaching
this philosophy
in action
it was in Bogota, Colombia
my thirty-third birthday
my brother chose
a Chinese restaurant

After the meal we left
and walked maybe
three city blocks
when I remembered
the package I'd forgotten
books wrapped
in colored paper with a ribbon

As we turned to head back
an old man came running
a Chinese gentleman
who bowed before me deeply
both hands extended
as he offered me
the package I had left

There was something in this
gentleman's demeanor
that touched my soul
that I've never forgotten
as if he knew
the import of his gesture
in itself a teaching
worthy of the master
at once humble and dignified
and certain
in the knowledge
that the greatest virtue lies
in honoring the other
as one would be honored