TO LEARN, YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND!

 By Phillip “Pete” Starr

My friend, Sensei Akira Hino, has written and spoken about understanding what he calls “the incapable self” and “overcoming consciousness”, particularly as they pertain to learning new skills. This is my take on it...

When undertaking the development of a new skill, there are two fundamental attitudes one can adopt; the “I can do this” position, or the “I can't do this” position. Many contemporary teaching theories insist that we must adopt the former but this is actually an error (especially when trying to learn a fine skill) because it sets us up for failure. You may say that you can do it but of course, in reality, you can't. You fail and this results in frustration, disappointment, and discouragement. It causes stress to appear as you continually strive to do what you believe you can do (but you can't).

On the other hand, if you begin with the awareness that you're not capable of doing it, then initial failure(s) is expected. There's no frustration. You can continue to pursue your goal (and, although you may be unaware of it, taking “baby steps” forward).

I experienced this (and still do) when I formally took up the practice of iaido (drawing and cutting with the Japanese sword). I darned well KNEW that I was starting out as wholly incapable! Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) I did was wrong...but I expected that, so I wasn't discouraged at all when my teacher kept making corrections (and most, if not all, of them many more times than once). I strived (and still do) to imitate him. I started out as a blank slate.

I began with no expectations of being able to do it and with full understanding that it was going to take a lot of time...sometimes I thought I was doing it right and (to me) it felt like it, but I was wrong. I felt like I could do it, but I couldn't.

Many people compare what they don't know or can't do with what they already know or can do. Thus, their understanding is in direct proportion to the amount of their knowledge (which may be flawed) and the level of their thinking. They tend to interpret new knowledge via their current knowledge and thinking habits. This prevents real development. It's well not to compare what you're trying to learn with what you already know.

I ran up against this problem when I began training under Master Chen. I had trained previously in a bit of northern shaolinquan and kyokushin karate. When he began teaching me xingyiquan, I automatically based what he was teaching me on what I already knew. And he would correct me by bellowing, “No! Not a karate punch!” Then he would demonstrate the xingyi method again. And again, and again...until I'd discarded the notion that I already knew how to punch and listened to him carefully. I had to become a blank slate upon which he could draw and write. There was no room for my own words or drawings.

I've encountered this problem countless times over the decades that I have taught. People came to me to study gong-fu or taijiquan and they often already had backgrounds in various forms of karate or taekwondo. They would inadvertently compare what they already knew with what I was trying to teach them (which, of course, they didn't know). They often THOUGHT they understood and could properly perform a given movement based on what they already knew. This only led to a lot of confusion and frustration for them (and me) because their movements were completely wrong. Some felt that because they held such-and-such grade of black belt, they could learn something like taijiquan rather quickly. Not so. Not at all. In fact, that kind of attitude held them back longer than if they'd never had any previous martial arts experience!

I had the same experience when I took up the study of taijiquan and baguazhang. I incorrectly ASSUMED bagua would, in some ways, be similar to xingyi. Not. That's like comparing apples to bicycles. So I had to become a totally blank slate again. Later I encountered taijiquan. Same thing. Certain principles were the same, but the ways of moving weren't similar at all. Xingyi was closer to shaolinquan in appearance – kind of like comparing apples and oranges; they both grow on trees and they're both fruits. But that's it.

Never being known as a quick study, I finally determined that I had to start from scratch with each of them. I became accustomed to living as a blank slate. But I learned and one of the most valuable lessons was that I must not compare what I already knew with what I was trying to learn. Even now – not being one to learn lessons quickly – I have to be careful not to bring my old knowledge to iaido practice. For instance, iaido doesn't use any of the stances found in karate or gong-fu but I tend to use them anyway. At the time of this writing, I'm still trying to correct that...