The 48 Laws Of Power

358 LAW 44

miter

ofthe

tea

ceremony

but

alsoaman

withavividsense

of

humor.

When

Rikyu

arrived

at

Hechigwan’s

home,

hefoundthe

gardengate

shut,

sohe

opened

it

tolookforthehost.Ontheothersideofthe

gate

hesaw

thatsomeonehadfirst

dug

a

ditch,

then

carefully

covereditoverwithcan-

vasandearth.

Realizing

that

Hechigwan

had

planned

a

practicaljoke,

he

obligingly

walked

right

intothe

ditch,

muddying

hisclothesinthe

process.

Apparently

horrified,

Hechigwan

came

running

out,

andhurried

Rikyu

toabaththat

forsome

inexplicable

reasonstood

alreadyprepared.

Afier

bathing,RikyujoinedHechigwan

inthetea

ceremony,

whichboth

enjoyedimmensely, sharing

a

laugh

abouttheaccident. LaterSenno

Rikyuexplained

toa

friend

thathehadheardabout

Hechigwan’spractical

joke

beforehand,

“But

sinceitshould

always

beone’saimtoconformto

thewishesofone’s

host,

Ifellintothehole

knowingly

andthusassuredthe

successofthe

meeting.

Teais

by

nomeansmere

obsequiousness,

butthere

isnoteawherethehostand

guest

arenotin

harmony

withoneanother.”

Hechigwan’s

visionofthe

dignified

Senno

Rikyu

atthebottomofaditch

had

pleased

him

endlessly,

but

Rikyu

had

gained

a

pleasure

ofhisown

in

complying

withhishost’swishand

watching

himamusehimselfin

this

way.

Interpretation

Senno

Rikyu

wasno

magician

orseer~—-hewatched

those

aroundhim

acutely,plumbing

the

subtle

gestures

thatrevealed

a

hidden

desire,

then

producing

thatdesire’s

image.Although

Sho—onever

spoke

of

being

en-

chanted

by

theroseofSharon

blossoms,

Rikyu

readitinhis

eyes.

Ifmir-

roring

a

person’s

desires

meant

falling

intoa

ditch,

sobeit.

Rikyu’spower

residedinhisskillfuluseoftheCourtier’s

Mirror,

which

gave

himthe

ap-

pearance

ofan

unusual

ability

tosee

intoother

people.

Learnto

manipulate

theCourtier’s

Mirror,

foritwill

bringyou

great

power.

Study

people’seyes,

followtheir

gestures—-«surer

barometersof

pain

and

pleasure

than

anyspoken

word.Noticeand

remember

thedetails-«the

clothing,

thechoiceof

friends,

the

daily

habits,

thetossed-outremarks-—

that

reveal

hiddenand

rarelyindulged

desires.Soak

itall

in,

findoutwhat

liesunderthe

surface,

thenmake

yourself

themirroroftheir

unspoken

selves.Thatisthe

key

tothis

power:

Theother

person

hasnotaskedfor

your

consideration,

hasnotmentionedhis

pleasure

inthe

rose

of

Sharon,

andwhen

you

reflect

it

backtohimhis

pleasure

is

heightened

becauseitis

unaskedfor.Remember:Thewordless

communication,

theindirectcom~

pliment,

containsthemost

power.

Noonecanresisttheenchantmentofthe

Courtier’sMirror.

Observance

Vll

YellowKid

Weil,

conartist

extraordinaire,

usedtheDeceiver’sMirrorin

hismostbrilliantcons.Mostaudaciousofallwashisrecreationofabank

in

Muncie,

Indiana.WhenWeilreadone

day

thattheMerchantsBankin

Munciehad

moved,

hesawan

opportunity

hecouldnot

passup.

Wellrentedoutthe

original

Merchants

building,

whichstillcontained

bank

furnitnure,

complete

withteller windows.He

boughtmoney

bags,