The way hindu ascetics learned the vedas was by rote repetition to begin with. Saying stuff aloud again and again starts establishing that sound energy as much in your psyche as much in the external universe. Even without knowing the meaning initially, the sound gets charged and very potent. Imagine what would now happen if the preceptor adds meaning to the established sound patterns which a student/learner has been saying aloud for some time already. There would be an explosion of meaning, realization which would imbue the whole being of the learner. This could be one way of learning. The strategy of repetition without knowing the reason or the meaning seems to unclutter the potential learners mind, make him empty psychologically as it were, albeit for a limited time, perfect for the preceptor to pour in the knowledge. Remember the scene from Karate kid where the boy has been instructed to paint the fence in a exact right-left motion little knowing that this was training of the highest order which would stand him in good stead in the coming days. A modern perspective on repeating an action in the context of learning is learning of skill objectives or psychomotor objectives (learning objectives are of 3 types- knowledge/cognitive, skill/psychomotor and attitudinal/affective). Learning by watching , learning by doing and learning by repeating are established models of learning skills. Improvement of technique will need some cognitive or knowledge inputs to understand the why of the action. Some readers will remember the classical and romantic realities in the book- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance where classical represents internal form and romantic represents aesthetic external perceptual reality. It is not enough to practice riding a motorcycle mechanically but also important to know how the gearbox and transmission functions to have a superlative fulfilling ride. Don't we all want our learning to be like that? Wait for my next post. If you want to enhance your memory click here
�� very nicely explained, as why sometimes we don't need to figure out the meaning and listen it as it is so as to get its maximum benefits
ReplyDeleteSome essentials to this way of learning is to 'Surrender', the essential element of authentic respect for the Guru and then to decipher 'as is' rather than diluting it with similies or metaphors. The true intent realised is liberation but the quest is often endless.
ReplyDelete