37 to talk about it to his friends whether they are Buddhist or not. When he is died,
some of his friends give their testimonies at his funeral. “… As you know, Geoff was an extremely approachable and
friendly man, who loved to talk - especially about Buddhism. And I personally learned much from him about his faith, which I
promised him I would definitely embrace - in my next life.” 264
The quotation above is a testimony from one of Geoff’s friends. In her testimony, she mentions that Geoff is friendly and religious. His commitment to
Buddhism inspires her to embrace Buddhism. Geoff likes to talk about Buddhism to all people. “… and to everyone he talked about Buddhism - some directly,
some just through encouraging them to believe in themselves” 278. Not to all people does he talk about Buddhism explicitly. To common people, he talks about
Buddhism implicitly by encouraging them to be confident.
g. Encouraging
Geoff is also an encouraging person. It is seen through his speech. As stated previously, Geoff likes talking to people and encouraging them to be
confident. He treats Ed in the same way. He encourages Ed to get a new job when his company, ItsTheBusiness.com, goes bankrupt.
“So, first step,” said Geoff, “is you go back to Dora and get a job. Not just any old job. It’s got to be exactly what you need for your
life at this moment.” “I can’t.”
“Why not?” “I walked out on her. It’s embarrassing.”
Geoff smiled. “There’s a Buddhist saying, Ed.” I groaned
38 “If you can’t cross a ditch ten feet wide, how are you going to cross
a ditch that’s twenty or thirty feet wide?” “And in English…?”
“Are you seriously going to let a little embarrassment stand between you and ultimate fulfillment?” 58
Ed feels ashamed to see Dora again because he leaves her when she is trying to explain about Buddhism to him but Geoff asks him to forget about it and
see Dora to find another new job. Geoff realizes that it is hard to find a new job and he knows that Ed needs a job badly. So, when Ed gets a new job, he really
supports Ed and asks him to do the job seriously.
h. Caring
As Ed’s best friend, Geoff really cares about him. It is inferred from his mannerism and character as seen by others. After some time they do not meet
each other, Geoff feels a need to phone him. When he hears Ed’s voice, he knows that Ed is not in a good condition so that he decides to visit Ed the next day. Geoff
understands that Ed is depressed since he loses his job and his girlfriend. Geoff knows how hard it is so that he thinks that Ed really needs a new job to recover
his condition. Geoff is also worried when Ed does not appear at a meeting in which Ed has promised to come. He phones Ed because he wonders about him.
“Hi, Ed. Just ringing to make sure you’re OK. It’s 9.20 and some of us have gone on to The Chequers on Kentish Town Road, by the
station. We’ll probably be there till closing-time so come along if you get this in time. Great meeting, by the way. Anyway, maybe
see you later. Cheers, bye.” For a moment I felt a pang of guilt at standing him up, but then I
thought that I’d never have worked things out about Angie if I
