In the pursuit of the arts,
a student decides that he needs expertise in a particular field.
He decides to give it all
hes got, if he needs it that badly.
He decides to obtain the
learning from an institution or a teacher.
He selects the institution/teacher,
the best of all available choices
He decides to follow the
teacher till he learns to a level of competence, decided by himself and his teacher.
He forms an agreement in
principle, that he will follow the ethics of the Teacher student relationship.
The students priorities should
be as follows:
Teacher first, Teaching next,
Goal thereafter and Self last. Forgetting these priorities will result in disaster.
The unspoken ethics are those
of open mindedness, trust, obedience and commitment towards your own betterment..
The student has to be open
and keep aside his preformed notions.
Until the student is a novice,
he is to trust the Teachers word in the art, even if proved otherwise. (He is
in no position to judge right or wrong!)
The Teacher will always explain
the subject in great detail, often thinking out aloud, the associated insecurities and complications of every alternative.
The student may be put on
a pedestal sitting on the same level as the teacher in order to teach the student how to think.
The student should not think
less of such a teacher who treats him like an intelligent human being capable of understanding the reasons and the logic behind
every decision.
The teacher who allows questioning
of his concepts (which he follows with total reverence), is not uncertain or
hesitant, but has total conviction in his teaching and hence is open to debate.
The student should never
fail to agree on matters backed up by strong logic. In the advent of being unable to accept the facts as they stand, He should
confide in the Teacher, and confess his limitations and seek advice.
Then the student must simply
keep his mind aside and obey, as now the time for reasoning is over and the time for action is here.
Once agreed in mind, the
student must never act on impulse. This is a totally wasting the teachers efforts and is making a farce of the debate and
a joke of oneself.
If this occurs, the student
must apologize and at once correct his action. He is to realize that he, the student is the benefactor of the teaching and
not the Teacher.Such a student needs to clear his concepts, since he will not be able to progress without doing that. This
has to be done all by oneself, without the Teachers help.
At times, obedience and adherence
to the decided path might result in a loss to the student. It is to be realized that this loss is incidental or is necessary
for growth or for preserving ones loyalty to the teaching system.
The Teaching system is always
more precious than the present objective. Since without the Teaching there will be no goal at all.
The student must be totally
committed in his efforts towards betterment.
And Teaching should always
result in success fir the student and pride for the Teacher. A good Teacher can never be repaid, except by crediting the victory
to his teachings.
A Teacher who teaches with
his heart, body and soul is never to be hurt, for there can never be any thing more despicable in the student Teacher relationship.
The Teacher will always forgive,
no matter what , if the student is truly prepared to honestly follow the ethics of the relationship.
It is to be remembered that
no relationship can equate the Teacher-student relationship, as this is a selfless relationship
where the student stands
to win and the teacher only basks in anothers victory.
It is only when the Teaching
is over, and the student stands on his own, battling for victory, that the firm
and reassuring support of the sheltering and protecting Teachers hand is most missed,
That is when one tries his
best to rewind the casual words spoken with concern by his very dear Teacher.
For at one time, your battles
were his own. Then the realization dawns, You were carefully held and carried
through the then rough times!
And that is when you miss
him the most and you feel the loneliest..
Inspired by Dr Seema,
my ideal student of 20 years.