suffering
I read a great quote today:
"The cause of suffering is desire."
I've been pondering it ever since. Anger, is usually grown from suffering, whether perceived or real. Thus, our desires are the cause of our anger as well.
So, when we are angry at something not working out the way we wanted, it can usually be attributed to our unfulfilled desires. The main problem with the desires of our existence is that we may rarely mention them aloud. Thus, no one really knows what we expect, and we don't know what they expect.
This is a a possibly bad state of mind to be in during the time in which I am testing my students.
I see their desires are clear: "I want to get my next belt"
Whether or not that means a stripe or a belt is up to the person involved. My desires as a teacher are usually different from theirs. I have thought long and hard over the subject after mulling over the quote a bit, and my desires are very simple, and probably not on par to my students. I wish to see them advance in skill, or have personal growth since the last test. I don't care about the belt. I just want them to be better than they were before. With such simple desires on my end, but such complex ones on theirs, I feel the two shall ne'er meet.
With the requirements to pass quite set, many students who show great growth, and even greater potential, may after awards experience suffering and anger, because while my desires are rarely not realized, their desires frequently are.
I know I don't express my desires for them frequently enough, but the way the society we live in is designed, they or their parents probably won't understand growth without a physical reward. The hardest thing for me in this "culture" is to deal with those who only understand the physical, or a reward. Those that don't understand that learning a lesson without following the path to learning isn't real knowledge, but something lacking.
Right now I am 10 pages into this book, and I'm anxious to read even more of it.
"The cause of suffering is desire."
I've been pondering it ever since. Anger, is usually grown from suffering, whether perceived or real. Thus, our desires are the cause of our anger as well.
So, when we are angry at something not working out the way we wanted, it can usually be attributed to our unfulfilled desires. The main problem with the desires of our existence is that we may rarely mention them aloud. Thus, no one really knows what we expect, and we don't know what they expect.
This is a a possibly bad state of mind to be in during the time in which I am testing my students.
I see their desires are clear: "I want to get my next belt"
Whether or not that means a stripe or a belt is up to the person involved. My desires as a teacher are usually different from theirs. I have thought long and hard over the subject after mulling over the quote a bit, and my desires are very simple, and probably not on par to my students. I wish to see them advance in skill, or have personal growth since the last test. I don't care about the belt. I just want them to be better than they were before. With such simple desires on my end, but such complex ones on theirs, I feel the two shall ne'er meet.
With the requirements to pass quite set, many students who show great growth, and even greater potential, may after awards experience suffering and anger, because while my desires are rarely not realized, their desires frequently are.
I know I don't express my desires for them frequently enough, but the way the society we live in is designed, they or their parents probably won't understand growth without a physical reward. The hardest thing for me in this "culture" is to deal with those who only understand the physical, or a reward. Those that don't understand that learning a lesson without following the path to learning isn't real knowledge, but something lacking.
Right now I am 10 pages into this book, and I'm anxious to read even more of it.
posted by Ev|Gen|us at 00:03
1 Comments:
Oh and I'm suffering and yes, it's because I didn't do as well as I wanted, so that's true (and of course, I can do that dang kata NOW). Of course, getting another belt is possibly from doing better than before. While watching the other belts test, I hope you feel your desires were met, because some of those class members did great, even if they did things wrong, they did them with confidence.
However, everyone wants rewards. I agree. I always hear, "If I do this, what do I get." Why do they need to get something? How about the feeling of helping a friend or the feeling of a job well done.
I like the quote, it's something to ponder.
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