The Way of Learning: Practice

“It is not good to settle into a set of opinions. It is a mistake to put forth effort and obtain some understanding and then stop at that. At first putting forth great effort to be sure that you have grasped the bastes, then practicing so that they may come to fruition is something that will never stop for your whole lifetime”

Hagakure, Kindle ed. 1600

I learned this as an undergrad, forgot it, then remembered again in law school. It is one thing to read and memorize--one can get by in classes with decent grades using this method. But mastery comes from practicing problems. The Way of getting A’s in math classes: one must do the problems, must make the mistakes and see where one’s faults are. Only through doing will what you learn absorb into your fiber. Once the knowledge is in your fiber, you know it, and are well on the way to mastering it.

How To Learn Anything

“. . . . even a poor penman will become substantial in the art of calligraphy if he studies by imitating a good model and puts forth effort”

Hagakure, Kindle ed. 1661

This is a good example of applying the Way of all things to the goals one pursues. No matter what skills one desires to master, one can become very skillful by adopting a mentor and practicing hard.

In law school and legal practice, who is my mentor? Who’s model do I follow? Find a model and add hard work.

The Master Key: Question 18

What is the result of the operation of this law?

The Law of Attraction states that Mind is creative and will automatically correlate with its object and bring it into manifestation. Whatever thought one imparts on the subjective will manifest itself in the physical world.

Stop needing to keep up on the news

I found myself victim the weekend to closely following the Congressional drama involved in passing healthcare legislation. On the one hand, as a voting citizen of a democratic republic, it is my duty to be aware of the details of the actions the representatives from my state and district partake--plus, the political theater was awesome: witnessing how a historic, once in a generation piece of legislation works its way through Washington. On the other hand, does this duty really require me to revisit the NY Times, Politico, Washington Post, RealClearPolitics, Townhall, and The New Republic repeatedly throughout the day, sometimes just hitting the refresh button?

Yes, I must be aware, but let go of the need to be real-time current. To what end does instantaneous knowledge serve? What is the difference between knowing if the bill passed at 5:00 PDT or at 6:00 PDT? Could I have not found something more enjoyable to do, appreciated my time a bit more during this period? And how many blog feeds do I really need to follow?

The 4 Vows

1. Never be outdone in the Way of the Samurai.
2. Be of Use to your Master.
3. Be Filial to your Parents.
4. Manifest great Compassion, and Act of the sake of Mankind.

-Tsunetomo, Hagakure

The Master Key: Question 17

What will be the result from plainly stating to the subconscious mind the certain specific thing to be accomplished?

Forces are set in operation that lead to the result desired. Since the subconscious is part of the Universal Mind, it is creative mind and will automatically correlate with its object and bring it into manifestation.