What is Mastery

[wenwu]

Hello

 

Been away for a long long time, and have found my self back on the Daobums.

 

I would like to know what people on here think of mastery. what is it?

 

-is it something that is unreachable?

- is it something that is based on others people opinion?

- if doing martial arts is mastery based on physical ability?

- what masters have you met and how did you feel about them?

[windwalker]

"In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. How does Gladwell arrive at this conclusion? And, if the conclusion is true, how can we leverage this idea to achieve greatness in our professions?"

http://wisdomgroup.com/blog/10000-hours-of-practice/

[Mudfoot]

If mastery wasn't reachable, there would be no masters. 

 

But mastery is not and end point, development of skill doesn’t stop. 

 

If you are within a tradition, mastery as a level is usually judged by one or several seniors (masters)  from that tradition. That also implies that "mastery" isn't set in stone. 

 

And then you have your idealized masters. Bigger,  better,  worshipable. 

Some people need them. 

Edited October 17, 2017 by Mudfoot
Added sentence

[Marblehead]

Mastery of anything that is within the limits of our capabilities and capacities is possible.

 

However, you cannot do what you cannot do.

 

(This is a caution regarding our ego.)

 

[Stosh]

The only mastery is self mastery , the extent of it is what you can manage relative to what you may manage..

[Chá Rén 茶人]

Mastery is an overused word nowadays. 

 

Three of my friend's moms are "Reiki Masters" because it says so on their certification.

 

Mastery can be reached, but it takes a long time and a lot of love.

 

Hiro mastered sushi.

Bruce mastered martial arts. 

Zeppelin mastered rock. 

 

Most of us will never get above true amateur status even if we become professionals. Mastery is not a popularity contest. 

[windwalker]

Most Masters that I know do not consider themselves as Masters understanding the depths of their own training.

 

Masters generally are recognized by other Masters or other people that have achieved the same depth or by those striving to achieve the same depth or level.

 

Some have talked about mastering themselves, a lifelong process that not many achieve.

Edited October 18, 2017 by windwalker

[windwalker]

a taiji story.

 

Some of my teachers students asked him how to get it in Beijing

 

He said " come here and practice 3 hrs in the mornings and 3 hrs in the evenings.

Do this everyday for 20yrs and you just might get it"  

 

Or not, there is no promise that one will.

 

They stopped asking after this and just went back to practice. 

 

When I went to train with him and the group it was 3 hrs in the morning 3 hrs in the evenings 

every day.....as long as I was there...not so easy, very hard in the body...

 

 

 

Not my teacher but a taiji master

He mentions it took him 10yrs to understand what qi was, another 30 to figure out how to use it...

a true master of his craft

Edited October 18, 2017 by windwalker

[Mudfoot]

I just filled a thread in my PPD with quotes about what master and mastery might be.

[Gerard]

There is never mastery, even if you reach the Source in this very lifetime...then you'll be known as a humble finisher.

 

Keep doing the laudry afterwards!

[ljazztrumpet]

I just wrote about this on another thread. To me, a 'Master'  is one who has physically and emotionally healed themselves, and can help others do the same. One who exudes a palpable sense of love/kindness/compassion/benevolence/service. These are the type of people I truly respect and admire and who are inspirations to me...and who continue to help me. To me, these are the true Masters, and I find they are very, very few and far between. The two I have known/know have been Bruno Groening (haven't heard from him lately) and a lady I was just talking with earlier

Edited October 26, 2017 by ljazztrumpet

[Lost in Translation]

I have a diploma around here somewhere that says I'm a master of something. How 'bout that?

 

Seriously, though. Mastery is kind of like chasing water down stream. No sooner do you "catch" it that it flows away. So I suppose "mastery" really means something like "has lots of experience". But you can always go further.

 

Personally, I gave up studying martial arts long ago. It was fun in my 20's but that was then. When I talk about mastery now I am thinking as regards my profession. I work in technology and I can tell you if you stop for too long you won't recognize anything when you get up and start again. Such is life.

[Rara]

On 17/10/2017 at 4:13 AM, wenwu said:

Hello

 

Been away for a long long time, and have found my self back on the Daobums.

 

I would like to know what people on here think of mastery. what is it?

 

-is it something that is unreachable?

- is it something that is based on others people opinion?

- if doing martial arts is mastery based on physical ability?

- what masters have you met and how did you feel about them?

 

It's not unreachable. Can you wake every morning and be content with your existence and abilities? I can't, but hopefully one day. I know what needs to be done, but it's hard to apply because my mind gets in the way.

 

But I don't give up. I have to hush that mind! As much as I can remember to do so...when it goes wandering.

 

Others' opinions, no. How can they know what lies inside you? Remember - those who speak, do not know. Those that know, do not speak.

 

I practice martial arts, but if I master them, how does anyone know? Is it because I make an academy and show off my skills on Youtube? I'd feel better going to my grave knowing that I learnt and expanded daily until death.

 

I don't believe summits are eternal. What goes up, always comes down, but you'll always be a master of yourself, if you stay true to the path.

 

Hope this helps!

Edited October 31, 2017 by Rara

[Rara]

On 17/10/2017 at 6:20 AM, windwalker said:

"In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. How does Gladwell arrive at this conclusion? And, if the conclusion is true, how can we leverage this idea to achieve greatness in our professions?"

http://wisdomgroup.com/blog/10000-hours-of-practice/

 

I do like Gladwell. Did a good book called "Blink"

[Starjumper]

A master is someone who creates masterpieces.  Are you a masterpiece?  No?  Well then your teacher isn't a master.

[Marblehead]

2 hours ago, Starjumper said:

A master is someone who creates masterpieces.  Are you a masterpiece?  No?  Well then your teacher isn't a master.

That's hard talk.  (I won't mention its truthfulness.)

 

[Emera]

When you can do something barely thinking about it ie. play a composition on piano with your eyes closed while you're thinking about the structure of the composition and maybe even how to change it.

 

Basically, the ability to have large amounts of control with minimum effort. But there are always greater heights.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Emera

[Starjumper]

On 11/1/2017 at 4:34 PM, Marblehead said:

That's hard talk.  (I won't mention its truthfulness.)

 

That depends on ... it's just part of the story.

[9th]

This one goes out to all you Old Timey Fellers out there...

 

 

[Marblehead]

I stopped it at 20 seconds.  I would have stopped sooner but my hand wasn't on the mouse when it started.

 

But thanks all the same.

 

 

[cold]

A video survey of last few seconds before the plow truck operator ended, or almost ended in the ditch, showed 99.8% of operators exclaimed "Oh Shite" while the much less common comment was "Wake up, hold my tea, and watch this".

 

The 0.2 percent were at or very close to the level of mastery.

It takes tremendous spatial awareness and a very perishable skill set to stay out of the weeds so to speak.

As soon as condition allow, first snow fall or icy conditions, I find an empty area and floor it, over brake and over steer to try and keep the skill level up. So as not to injure or kill somebody who isn't as skilled (or knowledgeable of their lack of skills).

 

A critical first step is in keeping your cool whilst all around you have lost theirs ...

 

 

[Wayfarer]

In a Daoist sense, mastery is an undoing and a returning to the simplicity of Original Beingness i.e. to be without contrived ideas and notions of this or that, and simply being natural. So, the very thought of mastering something, is the opposite of what it means in Daoism.

 

If for example, you become a master of Tai Chi, you have learned a practice that you had to study because of losing natural movement and naturalness.  We learn to move our body as one, whereas a wild animal does so without thought and consciousness of it - yet it does so.  Therefore, a deer or a wolf would be masters of Tai Chi without knowing a single move of it

 

I also want to add, that this takes no effort at all, because mastery is inherent in our nature, we are born with it already - it is our living unnaturally and our focus on doing rather than being that creates a lack of ease, and the belief we must "try" and "master" something to do it effectively - yet if you truly master something, it returns to the natural ease that was present beforehand.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Wayfarer

[C T]

The western psyche will probably find this hard to grasp, but in Eastern philosophy there are strong suggestions to indicate that the true master is always the lowliest, most faithful, most forbearing, and yet the most joyful servant. Taoist and Buddhist core tenets points to this very clearly - to always assume a lowly position. When probing old stories coming out from martial arts schools, zen and other Buddhist monasteries, and even some contemporary tales (like Chen Zhen, Star Wars, or Kato in the Green Hornet, all of which of course would have borrowed themes from various historical settings), it becomes clear why this is so. Sure, these stories depict the noble deeds of grandmasters doing their thing, but apparently he or she will always have a humble attendant close by at all times, not only to take care of the master, but more importantly, to serve as a constant reminder to the grandmaster that his or her position is first and foremost that of service to others, and to keep pride in check. He/she is also almost always the one whom the in-situ master will go to for counsel and to share secrets with. In desperate situations, he or she can be relied upon, and is usually seen as a last bastion of hope to keep the institution's integrity intact.