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!