February 2025 · Monthly Dharma Talk

During the construction of Senbon Shakadō — Kyoto's oldest temple hall, built 800 years ago — a carpenter accidentally cut one pillar too short. His wife offered an unexpected solution: rather than trying to lengthen the mistake, cut all the other pillars to match. The hall was built that way, and it still stands today.

We all carry a short pillar inside us — some lack of talent, some mistake we cannot undo. We spend so much energy wishing it were longer. But everyone, if you look closely, has one. The wisdom of Otafuku, the carpenter's wife, is not to force what is lacking into shape, but to find your own measure and make peace with it. That quiet acceptance, I believe, is where real contentment lives.