Venerable Jinyu, the Abbess Over All Clans And Concerns,
was always present when novices were given their performance
reviews—for these reviews would determine who would advance
in the Temple hierarchy, and how they would serve. Each
novice was made to wait alone in a conference room for the
senior abbots to enter, so the Abbess always left a pile of
wooden building blocks in the room for the novices to amuse
themselves with.
Jinyu’s abbot-apprentice noticed that when the Abbess
entered the room, she would immediately glance at the pile
and write something in her notebook. He resolved to learn
her algorithm.
On the following day, fourteen novices were interviewed.
Seven novices did not touch the pile at all. The
abbot-apprentice noticed that for each of these, Jinyu
wrote: No Promotion.
Four novices had drawn blocks from the pile to build simple,
sturdy little structures: a pagoda with a stepped roof; a
domed hut amid triangular pine trees; an ox-cart; a
reclining man. For each, Jinyu wrote: Developer.
One novice arranged all the blocks neatly and compactly, by
shape and size. Jinyu wrote: Configuration Manager.
Another novice laid the blocks out tangram-style to make a
beautiful mosaic of a swan. Jinyu wrote: Web Designer.
The day’s final novice had used all the blocks to construct
an elaborate tower, the very picture of elegance and
proportion. The senior abbots gasped when they entered the
room, yet Jinyu wrote nothing in her book. Her apprentice
wrote a small note in his own book and quietly slid it in
front of Jinyu. His note read: Architect?
Jinyu did not respond.
When the novice had answered all questions and was
dismissed, Jinyu walked over to the tower and breathed
gently on it. The blocks swayed, tipped, and clattered to
the table.
