In the same village where Master Gento lived, there was a villager known for his quick temper and constant frustration. He would often be seen arguing with his neighbors, grumbling about his work, and generally finding fault with everything around him.

One day, in a fit of anger, he stormed to Master Gento’s house. “Master, I am fed up with this life! Everything irritates me. I can’t find peace anywhere. How do you stay so calm in this chaotic world?”

Master Gento invited the villager to sit with him under a large, leafy tree. “Let me tell you a story,” he said.

“There was once a dog that would chase its tail, becoming increasingly agitated and exhausted as it never could catch it. One day, the dog asked a wise old hound, ‘How can I catch my tail? I’m tired of running in circles.’ The old hound replied, ‘I too chased my tail once. But I realized that when I just go about my day, doing what I need to do, my tail follows me wherever I go.’”

The villager listened, perplexed.

Master Gento continued, “You, like the dog, are chasing after peace and contentment. But the more you chase them, the more they elude you. Peace is not something to be caught; it is what naturally follows when you stop chasing and start living in harmony with your surroundings and within yourself.”

The villager pondered Master Gento’s words. In the following days, he began to change his approach to life. He stopped focusing on what bothered him and started appreciating the small joys of daily life. He spent more time in nature, helped his neighbors, and learned to find contentment in simplicity.

Gradually, the villager’s frustration diminished, and he found the peace he had been seeking not by chasing it, but by allowing it to follow him in his new way of living.