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The Last shall be First.
One day, a king went to visit a Master, and attended, as an observer, the meeting chaired by the wise man. Later, during lunch, the king said to the Master, “Master of our age! When you preside over your assembly, your disciples sit in a semicircle, in an order that reminds me of that used in my court: does it by chance have any particular meaning?” He replied: “King of the world! How are your courtesans arranged? Tell me, and then I will describe how the rows of searchers are arranged”. “The first circle,” explained the king, “is made up of those who, for various reasons, enjoy my favour, so that they are the closest. The second circle is reserved for the most important and powerful dignitaries in the kingdom, and for ambassadors. The outer circle is for less important people.” “In that case,” said the wise man, “the order in which people are positioned here is far from corresponding with the criteria that you describe. The people sitting closest to me are the deaf ones, so that they can hear. The middle group contains all the ignorant ones, so that they can pay attention to my Teaching. Those furthest away are the illuminated ones, because this kind of closeness holds no importance for them.”
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