If you
feel the teacher is a real teacher, give up your own ideas and learn.
I started learning Judo in 1969. Over the years,
I I have been very fortunate to meet great teachers who guided my way
and were role models to me. Their pictures are displayed in my Dojo.
I bow to them when I get in and out. I am very thankful for the
Sensei who came into my life.
What is a Sensei ?
The Japanese word Sensei literally means "one
who was born before". Your sensei was "born before"
you in the system you are studying. He is senior to you. This is
different from a coach. A Sensei can actually do what he teaches, he
or she embodies the art, while a coach can teach you how to do
something without necessarily being able to perform it himself.
In traditional Japanese culture, teachers are
seen as the only real way to progress. Without their instruction,
the student might make serious mistakes and be unable to master his
subject. The Sensei’s role is to create situations so that the
student learns by experience; he is not expected to explain the
intricate details of every thing. Training is a thing of the heart,
not of the mind.
Loyalty
The guidance of a Sensei being essential, once
you select a teacher and the teacher accepts you, you should accept
that this teacher does know what he or she is doing, that what really
matters is practice, and that some of the most important lessons
cannot be taught via spoken or written words. Most importantly you
should be loyal to your Sensei, and your Sensei should be loyal to
you.
Mutual trust and loyalty are the “sine qua non”
condition for a harmonious and fruitful relationship between Sensei
and disciple.
Experience proves, however, that the road can be
bumpy.
Some students have an idealized image of a
teacher who at times may not fit this image they created of him.
When this happens the Sensei may become subjected to a great deal of
criticism or abuse.
You should not idealize or identify with your
Sensei; because if he or she does anything which, in your eyes,
cannot be accepted or justified, the whole relationship comes
tumbling down and breaks into a thousand pieces.
On the other hand, when the loyalty pledged by a
student to a Sensei becomes blind obedience and belief a fraudulent
or unscrupulous instructor can manipulate this for his own ends,
financial or otherwise. A proper Sensei never requires or even
tolerates blind commitment from any student.
Mutual respect
Although you must believe and be loyal to your
Sensei, you should never surrender your right to think for yourself.
You should also remember that your teacher also
has rights and may choose not to live his life according to your
expectations of how things should be.
