(百尺竿頭須進步 or 百尺竿頭，更進一步)
If you ever wanted to describe the
pinnacle of
self-improvement, or to
encourage someone in
perseverance, this
Chinese saying would be the one to use.
This
statement was said to have
originated from the
Song Dynasty in
ancient China. During that time, there was a
revered monk, a
preacher familiar with the things of
Buddha. One day, he visited a
temple and stayed to
preach there, attracting a large
crowd. The temple, though
packed, was totally
silent except for the
voice of the monk.
Once the
holy man had finished, another monk
politely stood up, bowed and proceeded to ask
questions. They were
answered with the same courtesies
. The younger monk
thought about the answers given and
queried his senior about certain
points which he had not understood. In this
fashion they
conversed for some time.
The
audience realised that they were talking about
Nirvana and the
attainment of it. The elder monk then told the younger monk that even a hundred-foot
bamboo would not be considered as being
perfect. It should
strive to grow taller, as only Nirvana is the
height of perfection. Thus the saying 百尺竿頭，更進一步 (bai chi gan tou, gen jing yi bu) was born.
No doubt this saying would
apply in most (if not all areas) of our lives. May it
inspire us to
Node for the Ages.