One of the the things that separates my martial art from many others is the idea of direct transmission.
The idea of direct transmission - that one learns directly from the head of the school is embedded in our school (as it is in other schools as well), even to the extent that it is included in our name. The concept is that transmission occurs best (and only) from the head of the school to the students, who then take it back to their own schools to transmit. Every training with the headmaster becomes an opportunity to recalibrate one's self against the standard (and believe me, I have had plenty of opportunities to "recalibrate").
The idea of distance learning - now made somewhat ubiquitous by the InterWeb - is not something that is considered as acceptable. It is only by the physical presence and observation that the true essence of the art is transmitted.
(Somewhat surprisingly to me, there are schools that offer online lessons in sword martial arts. I cannot attest to their effectiveness; I only know that this is not the teaching of my school).
How, you might be asking yourself, does this relate to humility?
Part of the concept of direct transmission is that the headmaster, as the transmitter, is directly providing me with the input on the correct technique and application of it. I, as the student, am to conform myself to the direct transmission.
By "conform", the expectation is exactly that. I am not to make it "my interpretation of the art", or "my take on the technique". I am to learn and execute the technique precisely as I am shown it.
Do not think this is an idle idea. We spent far more time that we should have during my most recent training on me doing a technique that I was clearly doing wrong, at least to everyone but me. I arrested the flow of class several times over the course of 5 days because I was simply not doing it right - I was doing how I saw the technique, not how the technique actually was to be done.
To do the technique precisely as shown - without my add-ons or interpretations - is to humble myself to the authority of my headmaster.
In a similar fashion, our relationship with God and His commands should be no different. God is not looking for personal interpretation or personal "flair" when He gives us His commands. He is expecting us to execute on them as written.
Yes, I know. God did not make us all the same, and the application of His commands can be very different for different situations. But "different for different situations" is a very different things from "I think that God really meant this when He said..."
Like myself and my training, God has given us direct transmission in the form of Scripture. And like my headmaster, I very much suspect His expectation is less "How did you interpret it?" and more "Did you do what I asked in the way I asked it?"
Beautifully said, TB. This is an important thing to understand. I fear that the concept of learning a concept or skill according to the teacher's or master's standard is somewhat of a lost concept. Our modern society has replaced the standard with relativism. Oh to have the humility to not argue our life lessons with the Almighty Master.
ReplyDeleteThank you Leigh.
DeleteWe have very much become a society and culture where "I" have become the sole arbitrator of tradition and understanding. The longer this continues, the more of the initial item - learning, technique, or ideas - is lost.
"To do the technique precisely as shown-without my add-ons or interpretations- is to humble myself to the authority of my headmaster." Bingo TB. How many were in the class?
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - it varied, but somewhere between 10 and 20 typically -so small.
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