A nun came puzzled to master Banzen.

“I heard we should keep things simple. Yet we pride and feed ourselves by dealing with complexity.”

Said Banzen: “Indeed, we should deal simply with our customers’ complexity.”

Said the nun: “I have seen customers ask simple things, deeming them complex, and complex things that seemed simple to them. How can we not lose our heads?”

The master replied: “Complex needs not be complicated. What is simple to the herder is confusing to the smith ; What is obvious to the smith is unknown to the herder.

“If the nun wishes to speak about any craft, including and especially her own, she has to learn the language of her customer, talk to each one with his own words, and make sure the code explicitly reuses those words.”

At that moment, the nun envisioned how her knowledge of the customer would be sealed in the code, for every later monk to grasp both code and the customers’ trade when opening the file, whatever length of time would pass.

Overjoyed at the idea, she kissed the master goodbye.