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The Quest for Truth
Mori Sensei
This was the story of his life, told to me by Mori Sensei.
His great grandfather was one of the most famous philosophers of his times and was appointed as one of the tutors to the heir of the throne. In turn, he formed his son on every path of knowledge available in his times and when the time came, this son also became tutor to the successor to the throne. This tutor's son followed this lineage's tradition and received the best education available and so did his son. He is the character of my story and this is the story of his quest for truth.His education was a matter of the utmost importance because his great grandfather, his grandfather and his father before him were tutors to the heir of the throne, neither in a small European kingdom, nor in a constitutional kingdom where the king was more a protocol figure than a ruler. They were all tutors to the heir of the Japanese Empire, where the emperor became God as soon as he took office.
Therefore Mori Sensei received deep knowledge on every existing discipline and such was his reputation that the prince he tutored appointed him as one of his main advisors in religious and philosophical matters of state. He was an authority in Shinto and Buddhism, and an excellent haiku writer (these being famous Japanese poems with difficult combinations of Chinese characters in 10 or 5 syllables).
By the time he was 40, Mori Sensei had married a lady chosen by his family because they had a similar social and economic backgrounds. His eldest daughter was 14 and his only son was 9. He had written several famous books and his advice was very much sought amongst the powerful clans of Japan.
It was in that time when the Emperor of Japan decided to open his country to the world. In came delegations from the most powerful countries. The British delegation was formed by members of the military and diplomatic corps, the American delegation was formed by businessmen and members of the military and diplomatic corps, the French delegation was formed by members of the diplomatic corps and famous scientists.
Mori Sensei had the opportunity to communicate himself -through an interpreter-with his colleagues and after a long week of ceremonies and meetings, he was left bewildered.
Suddenly his whole life became meaningless for what he had taken as the truth was not such. The divine nature of dictatorship was questioned by democracy, the karma, unavoidable destiny, could be subject to relativity and free will.
He respectfully took leave from the court and went to Karuizawa, in the Japanese Alps.
For 10 weeks he walked along the lovely mountains fiery in autumn's orange and golden brown tones. He meditated for days in a row and after his ideas were clear he wrote three letters: one to his Emperor, one to his lawyers and the other one to his family.
He then left for Yokohama and, under disguise, took a ship for France, working his sea fare as a sailor.
Four months later he arrived in Marseilles and found a job in a Chinese restaurant where he washed dishes and cleaned the place in exchange for food and shelter. In two years he had managed to learn some French and started a long and hard trip to Paris. There he survived working in very menial tasks until, after three failed attempts he finally entered La Sorbonne.
A couple of years later a Japanese student found out who he was, and despite being under oath of secrecy, recommended Mori Sensei to his professors. Mori Sensei was appointed a member of La Sorbonne's faculty and when I met him he was professor of Japanese philosophy at the School of Eastern Languages.
He was a most remarkable teacher and would make us laugh when he entered the class room in a cold winter day. He wore a hat, scarf, jumper, suit and a very heavy and warm raincoat. After taking off his hat and scarf he would only unbutton the first two buttons and then pull his raincoat over his head.
I met him often in the line for the restaurant tickets and we had lunch together several times. He could forget where he was and quite suddenly start to write, in beautiful Chinese calligraphy. His meal would get cold, and everything else disappeared from his mind
When I was to leave Paris I had my last lunch with him. He said he was going to miss me because he had no friends and seldom spoke with other people. He also added I reminded him of his daughter so I gathered enough courage to ask him how he had been able to leave his family.
His reply was: "In my life I had one responsibility and one mission. My responsibility with my family was fully provided for when I left them everything I had. My mission, however, is far stronger: it is the quest of truth."
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