A Lesson from a Zen Master

A wrestler named O-Nami, "great waves", was immensely strong and highly skilled in the art of wrestling. In private he defeated his very teacher, but in public, his own young pupils could throw him. In his trouble, he went to a Zen master who was stopping at a nearby temple by the sea and asked for counsel. "Great Waves is your name," said the master, so stay in the temple tonight and listen to the waves of the sea. Imagine you are those waves, forget you are a wrestler, and become those huge waves sweeping everything before them. He tried to think only of the waves, but he thought of many things. Then gradually he did think only of the waves. They rolled larger and larger as the night wore on. They swept away the flowers in the vases before the Buddha, they swept away the vases. Even the bronze Buddha had swept away. By dawn, the temple was only surging water, and O-Nami sat there with a faint smile on his face. That day he entered the public wrestling contest and won every bout, and from that day no one in Japan could ever throw him. Creativity by Osho

The story is pregnant with hidden insights. Let's dissect and understand it bit by bit.

A wrestler named O-Nami, "great waves" was immensely strong...

You cannot see an atom with your naked eyes. Still, it has tremendous energy that is enough to destroy giant cities like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. You are made of infinite atoms. Imagine the energy and potential that lies within you. O-Nami means great waves. Waves are part of an ocean. They can't exist without the ocean. Similarly, you are part of a divine God. The entire ocean of wisdom is within you. Still, you consider yourself weak and worthless. You have identified yourself with a tiny wave and forgot about the ocean but the ocean still remembers you. His doors are always open for you.

Why do you forget the giant ocean within you?

Divine god is so close to you that you forgot about him. You are searching for him in the wrong places. An analogy of breathing will be a great help. Are you aware of your breathing? No, not at all. Why not? because it is close to you. You become aware of it only when you have a cold. Human beings value those things that are miles apart from them. The diamond that is so close to them, they take it for granted. Beware of this fact before it is too late. Seeking strength in fame, status, politics is like building a castle on the sand. All of them are impermanent. If you want to pursue, pursue something worthwhile. Be in search of a changeless, infinite source of divinity within you that will become the source of bliss, joy, and happiness of your life.

In private, he defeated his very teacher, but in public, his own young pupils could throw him...

A very deep statement. In private, he is conscious but not self-conscious. They are opposite poles of each other. In consciousness, you forget about the wave and become one with your inner center. In self-consciousness, you are identified with circumference and forget about the center. Why is it so? Yes, you guessed it right. The ego acts as a hindrance. It is a curtain that is separating you from the source of bliss(your divine nature). The core teaching of all religions is the dissolution of the ego.

Ego and God can't exist at the same time. There exists a xor operation between your ego and your divine nature. There is a truth in Kabir's statement, "When the seeker is there, sought is not and when sought is found, seeker no longer exists." In private, O-Nami forgot his ego and become one with his divine nature. Hence, defeated his own teacher but in public, his self-consciousness(ego) was the cause of his defeat.

You might ask where does the ego lie? Can you see it? Is it something tangible?

Having too many conflicts with others is an indication of ego. It is so subtle. Harmony is possible only when you destroy the bridge of ego.

In his trouble, he went to the Zen master who was stopping at a nearby temple by the sea and asked for counsel...

Master is very important to propel in any field. A great master knows the instrument that makes the best out of his disciple. Using his experience and wisdom, he helps his disciple to overcome their weaknesses and fortify their strength. Always follow your master's advice that is used to navigate unknown territory.

"Great Waves is your name," said the master...

O-Nami, you are the living embodiment of infinite strength.

So stay in this temple tonight and listen to the waves of the sea...

Zen master was suggesting O-Nami, learn the art of listening. Mouth and ears are in the ratio of 1:2 so that you can listen more and speak less. Listening means you have to become receptive, passive like a womb. You can't reach the kingdom of God through aggression and ego. The eyes are very aggressive. People get offended if you stare at them for more than a few seconds. You are trespassing into their private space. Aggression wastes your energy. Rest is needed to rejuvenate yourself. Ears are passive and receptive. They don't need any rest.

Surrender and egolessness are necessary to attain the kingdom of God. Zen master was very wise. He instructed O-Nami to learn the art of listening. Ego is against surrender. You can't listen if you have an ego. A surrender is needed. All great artists have mastered the art of listening. They enter into solitude and listen to the chirping of birds, the sweet voice of the rain, and feels the sensation when a cool breeze kisses their cheeks. Their art reflects all these things.

Imagine you are those waves, forget you are a wrestler, and become those huge waves sweeping over them...

Listening breaks the shell of the ego. A new phenomenon arises in O-Nami, he became more creative and imaginative. He started getting a glimpse of his divinity. He imagined himself as huge waves. All these transformations were happening inside O-Nami. He forgot the distinction between reality and dreaming. He forgot his self-consciousness.

O-Nami remained. He tried to think only of waves, but he thought of many things. Then gradually he did think of waves...

Activity is the nature of the mind. Initially, O-Nami was restless. As he listened himself, the flame of awareness silenced his thoughts. He was getting more and more closer to his strength. Now he becomes bigger than his thoughts. He became one with waves. In fact, he became a huge wave.

They swept away the flowers in the vases before the Buddha, they swept away the vases. Even the bronze Buddha had swept away...

Wow! an insightful instruction. People are so attached to their religion, ideologies that it becomes so difficult to think beyond them. This was the rigorous test for O-Nami. He was a Buddhist by religion. To sweep the vase of flowers before Buddha seems like atheism. Not only the vase of flowers, but even the Buddha had also swept away. It signifies, O-Nami was not attached to anything.

By dawn, the temple was only surging water, and O-Nami sat there with a faint smile on his face...

He became enlightened and was overflowing with bliss and happiness. His smile was like the smile of Buddha which he attained during his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

That day he entered the public wrestling contest and won every bout, and from that day no one in Japan could ever throw him.

O-Nami realized that he was no longer a wave but an ocean of huge energy. How can someone defeat a man who knows the source of his infinite energy.

A Forgotten Model

In Greek mythology, Antaeus was the son of Posedion (God of Sea) and Gaia (Mother Earth). Antaeus fell in love with wrestling so whosoever passed through his city was challenged for the wrestling match. The goal of the players was to throw an opponent to the ground. Antaeus was invincible. A temple is built from the skull of his opponents which was dedicated to his father. One day he had to play the match with one of his laborers named Heracles. Heracles had the knack for deep observation. He noticed Antaeus gained strength from his mother Earth. The only way to defeat him was to break his contact with the ground. The moment Heracles lift Antaeus off the ground he lost all his strength which ultimately lead to his defeat.

Understanding the reality, the components it is made of and their interactions is the key to do an impossible feat which is the gist of the above story. Without proper understanding, Heracles won't be able to defeat the invincible Antaeus.

You might be thinking about how one should understand reality, its components, and, their interactions. What are the factors that are responsible for observing any phenomenon?

Let's uncover this mystery. You were dependent on your parents to fulfill all your basic needs in the initial phase of your life. As time passes, you were sent to school to gain the elementary wisdom that forms the foundation of your life. A wide array of subjects and strict discipline are taught to nurture your personality. After completing the formal education, you entered into the practical world to apply the knowledge you gained in your high school. You have taken a leap from the theoretical world to the practical world. Wisdom gained in elementary school and college is not enough to handle the complexity of the practical world. Skills are needed to thrive in the new environment.

The question is how to acquire those skills?

An apprentice model is needed to acquire those skills. It involves three steps:

1. Deep Observation (Passive Mode)

2. Skill Acquisition (Practice Mode)

3. Experimentation (Active Mode)

Deep Observation: Before starting any venture, deeply observe the experts who are already working on it for decades. Humans are highly imitating creatures. Consciously or unconsciously, you imitate the actions of others due to the presence of mirror neurons. According to the five chimps theory (a model taken from zoology), the mood and the behavior of one chimp can be predicted by observing the five chimps he hangs out with the most. Likewise, you are an average of five persons you hang out with the most. Choose your friends wisely. Observe your mentors and find out the strategies they were using to solve any critical problem. By and by, you will also start thinking like them.

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. Marilyn Vos Savant

Skill Acquisition: It forms the backbone of the apprenticeship model. There are some basic principles that need to keep in mind before acquiring any skill. Keystone species (a model taken from biology) helps to define an entire ecosystem. Without them, the ecosystem would be entirely different or ceases to exist. In simple words, keystone species form the backbone of an entire ecosystem. How can we use this idea here?

Keystone skills exist in every field. If you have successfully navigated your first phase, now you are in a position to define them. Practice those skills religiously which in turn helps you to gain mastery in the new field.

The initial stages of learning are very painful and boring. The pain and boredom toughen you mentally. Humans have an affinity towards pleasure and an aversion to pain. Instead of going through a painful process, you are in search of shortcuts that will deteriorate your skills. Change your mindset towards pain and boredom. The more you grow, the more psychological pain you will experience.

Transformation is inevitable if you are able to withstand it.

What do you want to choose?

Easy choices, Tough life Vs Tough choices, Easy life. The choice is yours. You are the creator of your destiny. Always choose the less traveled road. Fear is bound to come in the beginning but life is full of adventures. The latent potential will flower within you as you encounter tough challenges along the way.

The best way to describe is through an analogy of seed and flower. What do you want to become, a seed or a flower? When you become a flower, you can dance in the rain, in the wind, in the sun, and in the moon. Your divine fragrance will mesmerize whosoever comes near you. You are overflown with love. The downside is anything can happen to you. You are very delicate and innocent. A strong wind will blow away your petals. Any insane can destroy your delicacy. So you are in constant danger. A seed is very strong and secure but it is dead. There is no joy in it. Life means living in insecurity. Transformation is possible if you allow yourself to grow in the climate of insecurity.

Practice is the foundation of the second phase. Practice as hard as possible. Eventually, everything will turn out to be in your favor.

Experimentation: You are now in a position to navigate the unknown territory on your own. Start tinkering with the strategies you have learned from the experts. Develop your own style. Don't confine yourself to just one domain. It is detrimental to your thinking. The future of science doesn't lie in increased specialization but rather in combining and cross-fertilization of knowledge from various domains.

Don't think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible, and if it is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach. Marcus Aurelius

Checklist to keep in mind while pursuing an apprenticeship.

Value learning over money: Go through intense learning in the initial phase even if you are not well paid. Absorb as many ideas as possible. Be a constant learning machine. Say yes to every opportunity. Never think twice while spending money on books. Reading books are like drinking the glass of wisdom.

Keep expanding your horizon: Increase the surface area of your luck by learning a wide range of skills. Never be content with surface learning. Dig deeper to find out the mystery. Keep experimenting until you resolve an issue. Diversify yourself to look at the bigger picture. Develop the prowess to know where to look and what to avoid. Be selectively ignorant about certain things. Never waste your neurons to retain garbage information. Expand your skills by using your energy constructively.

Avoid the feeling of superiority: Accepting that you knew it won't let you learn anything. There is always a scope for improvement. Develop a growth mindset. Be brutally honest with yourself. Never fool yourself because you are the easiest person to fool. Fake confidence leads you nowhere. A person who asks a question will look like a fool for a minute and the one who doesn't ask will remain a fool forever. Never let the student die within you. Stay curious and keep improving.

Have faith in the process: Curate your environment that will push you towards your goal. Fear will definitely arise in the beginning. Take it as a sign that you are heading in the right direction. Action is better than no action. Even if you start from the wrong place, by and by you will correct yourself. Take criticism constructively. Observe your emotions. Bear them patiently. Develop more and more consciousness. The flame of your consciousness is enough to dispel the negativity.

Failures are your best teachers: Things will never work out on the first attempt. If it works out, you will feel that you have a golden touch. Failures make you humble and you stay grounded. It occurs when there is a gap in your knowledge. It is a sign that you have more to learn. There are two kinds of failures. One failure comes when you never try out your ideas because of the fear of looking like a fool. Another one comes when you try something audacious. The blot on your reputation will be outweighed by the things you have learned in the process. It gives you maturity.

To develop working ideas efficiently, I try to fail as fast as I can. Richard Feynman

A new revolution is possible at the intersection of art and science. An artist is obsessed with outward appearance and the scientist is interested in finding out the inner details. While building something unique, be a scientist by profession and an artist by heart.

On Seeking Brilliance

“It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.” Charlie Munger

Everybody wants to live a happy life but only a few of us are content with our lives. Deep down we are unsatisfied with our present conditions which is the byproduct of the decisions we took in the past. The art of decision-making is the meta-skill one must pursue. Our understanding of the world around us impacts our decision-making.

What is preventing us from seeing the world as it is? Why are we not able to see the world objectively?

We only see what our mind is trying to see. We don't notice that we miss out on the important information available in front of us. Our failures to update from interacting with reality spring from three things: not having the right vantage point, ego-induced denial, and distance from the consequence of our decisions.

Not having the right vantage point: Looking at any problem from as many dimensions as possible will help us to find out the various factors and their interactions between them that cause the problem. Let's understand it by using an analogy. Assume you are going on a holiday trip on an airplane. The Airplane is moving with a constant velocity(neither changing its speed nor its direction). Suddenly you dropped a ball on the floor. According to you, the ball changes its direction vertically. A peacock is looking at the entire scenario from the earth. According to him, the ball changes its direction vertically as well as horizontally. Both of them are right according to their frame of reference.

As our perspective changes so do our understanding of reality. Be more humble and try to see any problem from as many perspectives as possible. Taste the water from as many sources as possible. It will broaden your horizon and enrich your life.

Ego-Induced denial: We have invested so much time in our beliefs that we fall in love with them. Any information contradicting them will cause cognitive dissonance within us. We are more likely to drop the contradicting information. In psychology, it is known as confirmation bias. Challenge your beliefs after regular intervals to find out whether they are serving you well or not. Verify a piece of information over and over before making any belief. Have good opinions over your beliefs but hold them loosely.

We are living in a rapidly changing world. Everything is in flux. Update your beliefs as the structure of an environment changes. Your ego won't let you change your long-held ideas. It forces you to disregard the contradicting information. The ego is our biggest enemy. It constantly tells you that you are right. Thus preventing you from seeing reality as it is. The ego is very subtle. Stay humble. Humility at the beginning ultimately leads to the purity of heart in the end. It's okay to make mistakes and to admit that you are wrong. It is only through our mistakes and the struggle of our problems that we grow and mature. If you haven't failed drastically in the last six months, it means you are not pushing yourself out of your comfort zones. Do lots of experiments, fail often, reflect on them and improve. Nothing gives more satisfaction than seeing yourself grow.

A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it is committing another mistake. Confucius

Distance from the consequence of our decisions: Every action has a cause as well as effect. Wisdom is in knowing the long-term consequences of your actions. Decisions are taken at two levels: Micro-level and Macro-level. At a micro level, we immediately see the consequences of our decisions. Getting instantaneous feedback will help us to update the information residing in our brains. Holding a hot stove is an example of a micro-level decision. Immediate feedback will help us to generalize that measure the temperature of any object before carrying it. Sometimes it is not effective to make generalizations based on a single event so take a very large sample space before forming an opinion about anything.

At a macro level, we don't immediately see the consequences of our decisions. Since the results are delayed so we don't know whether we are heading in the right direction or not. Ego steps in to tell us that we are always right. We stopped listening to feedback thus heading towards the direction of catastrophic failure. The physicist John wheeler observed that, as our island of knowledge grows so does our shore of ignorance. As we succeed in life, we are constantly bumped into situations that were never encountered before. The root cause of the stress is the fear of the unknown. We must be courageous enough to deal with the unknown.

Do you know the difference between a courageous person and a fearful person?

The difference is very subtle. A fearful person listens to his fear and follows it whereas a courageous person listens to his fear and goes against it. There is immense joy in living an adventurous life. Stay open-minded and be ruthless in absorbing the best qualities of all cultures. Be a constant learning machine, read widely, diversify yourself and stand upon the shoulder of giants.

Light enters you when you are in deep pain. Obstacles are very important for growth and self-improvement. An impediment to action always advances an action. Transformation occurs through struggle and pain. We are evolved in a way to avoid pain. Change your relationship with pain because the moment of pain is the moment of truth. At that moment, we are encountering reality as it is not the way we want it to be.