Awesomeness is often associated with being great something. Being a master of some topic, field, or domain. But how do we master something? Often the first step to being great at something is to learn as much and as well as possible. And this usually means learning from some source – whether that is a person or an experience, or often, both.
The following tale I first heard when I started training in the martial arts over twenty years ago. I read it in an IRC chatroom back in college in the 90’s (good grief I’m dating myself…). I read another version of it in a book some years later – Kensho Furuya’s book Kodo: The Ancient Ways. Either version will give you a new meaning to the phrase to “squeeze every drop of life/knowledge/wisdom/etc” from something. For often the difference between just knowledgeable and true mastery is not just learning the material, but the capacity for learning the material.
A long time ago, there was a master who was of an advanced age and began to plan for who would succeed him as the head of his school. Being that he had no children of his own, he’d have to choose one of his students as his heir. Now, what he was a master of is not so important. He may have been a master musician or a master martial artist or a master blacksmith. The important thing is that he was a recognized master of his art, someone who had tons of knowledge and experience to impart and in fact had students to whom he imparted them.
Of all of his students, the master narrowed down his choices to his three best students. These were the three amongst his many students who had excelled most in their studies and practices and had shown the most skill and progress.
Still, because they were so good, it was difficult for him to make a choice. So he devised a most unusual test to see who would be his successor. He spoke to the three students and asked them to meet him in his garden early morning for a very special training. The person who’d be able to successfully complete this training would be his heir. All three students were very excited at the prospect of being the designated successor and also curious as to what the special training would be.
Early the next morning, all the students showed up on time and were met by the master. He gave them each a bucket and were lead to another part of the garden where three huge water barrels awaited them. Each would be assigned one barrel, and their task was to fill it up with water from a nearby well. The first person to fill it up would be the winner and the heir to the school.
At the signal to begin, all three students rushed to the well, filled their own bucket with water, and rushed back to the barrel to pour the water in. Much to their surprise, the water rushed straight out through the bottom of the barrel the instant it was poured in. When the students looked inside the barrel, they found that they had no bottoms!
The students were annoyed and frustrated. What was the point of trying to fill a bottomless barrel? This was impossible. But they were reluctant to challenge the old master. Perhaps there was a reason to this madness? So all three made a go at filling up a bottomless barrel. Maybe the test was one of obedience and if they just did what they were told, their teacher would recognize them for it.
At the end of the day, the old master returned to inspect the students’ handiwork. Predictably, no barrel was full. The master expressed his disappointment and told them that they had all failed the test.
At this, the students protested, stating that the master was asking for the impossible. How could they fill up a barrel that could hold no water? Had they not all worked diligently and obediently towards an impossible goal?
The master appeared to contemplate their response and told them that he’d give them one more chance. He told them to come back again the next morning and try again.
To this, the student’s agreed and trudged home, exhausted from the days’ labors.
The next morning, the students came to the master’s garden once more to find three buckets and three barrels. The master told them to repeat the previous day’s labors – the first person to fill up the barrel would win. At this, the students rushed to check the barrel before beginning anything. They were relieved to find the barrel had bottoms this time!
The students then excitedly grabbed their buckets and ran to the well in the middle of the garden to collect their water. To their chagrin, when the students tried to scoop out water, they discovered that their buckets had no bottoms.
One of the students had had enough. What was the old man trying to do? This whole exercise was humiliating. Maybe the old master was going senile? He threw down the bucket he was given and stomped out of the garden.
The remaining two students looked at each other. This test was getting a little ridiculous. But both decided to make the best of the situation and use the buckets they did have to get as much water as they can. They improvised some kind of bottom for it using leaves and twigs and spent the remainder of the day toiling to transport as much water possible into their respective barrels. By night, neither was successful in getting more than a quarter of the barrel full.
The master returned and inspected the barrels. He shook his head again expressing disappointment. The two students protested again, but the master just said you did not fill it up, so you do not pass. Again, the students implored the master for another chance. The master relented and told them to come back the next day.
On the third morning, the students showed up tired, their bodies sore from two long days of non-stop labor. They saw their barrels and ran to check it. Yes! The previous day’s water was still there. The master came into the garden and told the students to begin. But where were the buckets? The master stated, “you didn’t like my buckets, so I took them away”.
One of the two remaining students had had enough. Two days of back-breaking work, with each day the condition of the assignment getting more ludicrous. The old man had gone mad! He turned away from the master, shaking his head and sadly walking out of the garden.
The master looked at the third and final student. This student looked at the master, then at the barrel, then at the well. He finally said, “I’m staying”. The master nodded silently and walked out of the garden.
This last remaining student walked up to the well. He had no bucket, but he had his hands. He cupped the water from the well and carried it to the barrel. He did this again, and again. All day he walked back and forth, transporting only what water he could carry in his two hands. He was still at work when the master came back at night to check on the student’s progress. The master noted the student hard at work, and then left him alone to continue.
It took the student straight through the night, but by the following morning, he was able to fill the barrel with water up to the top. He had done it with nothing but his two hands.
The master finally came to inspect the work. He noted the filled barrel, and the student standing next to it – tired, proud, and smiling. The master smiled back and gave him a nod. This last student who had stayed and completed the Special Training was chosen to be the successor to the school. And the old master knew he had left his school in good hands.
References:
Kodo: The Ancient Ways by Kensho Furuya
