zondag 20 december 2015

From my mind to your mind

Those familiar with the Star Trek series will most definitely recognize this phrase. It is the Vulcan mind-meld technique which enables the user to merge his or her mind with the essence of another's. It is a telephatic link to exchange thoughts or to "become one". Although the things in science fiction movies seem far fetched they are still a product of  the human mind. So at this point I will not render it completely ridiculous.

The human mind is very powerfull and capable of creating it's own world. The things we vision in our mind, are they really new? Things that can never be? Or are they part  of this collective universal wisdom that has been there from the start and to hich the mind is the key to tap into? In Buddhism, the teachings aim at discovering the true mind, the true self, and has developed many tools for that purpose one of them being "quan fa", the Way of the Fist. But that is not what I want to talk about. I woud like to talk about the student-teacher relationship and how the teacher gets through the student...or not. From my mind to your mind....

I have been teaching martial arts for some time now and during that time have seen students come and students go. In the beginning it was hard getting used to seeing students leave after having spent so much time and energy in them. Feeling used, betrayed and anger where some of the feelings but inretrospect it served a purpose and was all to teach to teacher a lesson: of non attachment, of letting go, start over with a clean slate and focus on those that are still there.

The teacher student relationship is a special one. I have had, and still have many teachers and although they are far away, it is as if they are very near. I have been away from them longer than the time spent together but the bond is as strong as ever and I have heard that in some ways I have  even started to look like them, resembling speech, movements and the way of teaching. So how can this be when they are not here?
To me this proves that there must be some sort of mind to mind transmission, us sharing universal wisdom, knowledge that is “there” and waiting to be shared and tapped into. This connection can only come to fruition when there is trust between student and teacher. This trust takes time to
develop  and sometimes it is there from day one. So how does this mind to mind teaching work? 

I feel, by closely watching the teacher, with an open mind, no judgements and no ego. This way of 
taking in knowledge can only come when there is trust and that is when the "mind-meld" works. 
This doesn’t mean one understands immediately and that execution is perfect from the start, but rather that the seed of understanding has been planted and all one has to do is work hard. This may take years, I am still learning, tapping from that same source instilled in me. 
I guess I was lucky to eventually run into the right masters and if this is what resembles a “mind-meld” than this explains how a teachers values continue to live on through his or her students.


When students quit, for whatever reason, it is always unfortunate. Win some, lose some. The thing that keeps the teacher going is the love of teaching and the spirit and bond instilled by previous masters.
And sometimes you see a student that reminds you of yourself, one that needs few words and is on the same wavelenght. From my mind to your mind....

Omituofo!

6 opmerkingen:

  1. "from my mind to your mind" I guess that's the same as "collective consciousness - I think of it as a big universal bowl where our minds meet and where we can share ideas, thoughts and feelings even if miles away, or even if we've never met ;-)

    I've always been a student, never a teacher, so I never gave any thought to how a teacher perceives me and feels when I leave his school. Personally, I need a teacher who can see my passion and helps me to tap into my potential. I've had many many teachers, some I had to leave because I moved away, but some I left because I couldn't connect with my teacher. I believe the student-teacher relationship is important, especially in martial arts as it's more than just some sports.

    Thank you for the blog - interesting and thought-provoking! Really enjoyed reading it. Amituofu

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    Reacties
    1. Thank you for your comment Leila. The student teacher relationship is very very important. A teacher could just teach and go home and think money earned. But that is not so easy when you work with people, himan beings. Spend time together and a bond will form even if only for a short period of time. Even having met some people once can leave a lasting impression. I always tell my students, when they come to class it is a two way street. It is you, the student, that gives me the energy to teach and the more you give the more you get in return from me. Students gotta be lucky to run into right teacher but same for the teacher, he or she must also have that luck to run into right students. You must heard this saying :"Mama happy, everybody happy". A house where mama is not happy, things dont go smooth and the taste of the cooking drops ;)
      Wish one day you could come train with us 😊

      Omituofo!

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    2. Ah I'd love to train with you! By the way nice pic of you and Philip :)

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  2. There really is a mind to mind connection with our teachers, and it is one that hopefully connects to our students as well :) If you think about it, we're also connected to those instructors who came before our own teachers. Read up on these people and you see elements in them that your own teacher has. Elements that you are also expressing in your own expression of your art. This connection you are also passing on to your own students. Well written, Erika! ^_^

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