From: “The Art of War” Translated by Thomas Cleary
“According to an old story, a lord of ancient China once asked his physician, a member of a family of healers, which of them was the most skilled in the art.”
“The physician, whose reputation was such that his name became synonymous with medical science in China, replied, “My eldest brother sees the spirit of sickness and removes it before it takes shape, so his name does not get out of the house.”
“My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremely minute, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood.”
“As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe potions, and massage skin, so from time to time my name gets out and is heard among the lords.”
Among the tales of ancient China, none captures more beautifully than this the essence of “The Art of War”, the premiere classic of the science of strategy in conflict. A Ming dynasty critic writes of this little tale of the physician: “What is essential for leaders, generals, and ministers in running countries and governing armies is no more than this.”
The healing arts and the martial arts may be a world apart in ordinary usage, but they are parallel in several senses: in recognizing, as the story says, that the less needed the better; in the sense that both involve strategy in dealing with disharmony; and in the sense that in both knowledge of the problem is key to the solution.”