THE STUDY CYCLE: PART FOUR:

Some folk, in fact many start off with a very sensible purpose for study. They actually are talking or rather aligning with the purpose of this fourth condition. So what is it? The purpose and thus name of this fourth condition is ABILITY. 

Most folk study because they want to be able to DO. Simple no? So the fourth condition leads to ability.

So now you are moving from understanding into PRACTICE. It’s time to apply your understanding for real and so you need to practice applying your understanding.

Let’s take Aikido for example. You reach a good understanding on the application of a technique. Now you have to grab hold of some partners to try and apply that understanding to the real world. This is practice, this is training. During this process you bump into many barriers which lead to knew understandings which can only be discovered and learned through practice, application, trial and error.

As you carry on with this DISCIPLINE you finally reach a point just as you did with Understanding. Remember, things finally clicked on level three and the light switched on and you achieved understanding. Well, at this level you too reach points where things finally click so what happens here? Well, your practice has just turned into ability. You have achieved being able to DO.

So let's review. You have moved from existence to orientation to understanding and now to what? To COMPETENCE. You have reached competence. So you can see from this that the first four stages should be covered by all academies and courses for the goal of these things or places is to turn out competent people.

A little bit of extra information here: What is an Artisan? When a person has mastered his art or profession he is called an Artisan. A Master of Arts.

Now look up the etymology of the word ART. Its root meaning is SKILL. So a true Master has reached a point where all of his learned skills suddenly click and all becomes simple and easy to him, He has achieved mastership and is now an artisan and watching him perform is magical.

This is a result of the next four conditions so I have just given you a taste of the potential and the completion of the true whole study cycle. A little peak at condition number Eight, Completion.

People look for CONFIDENCE and strive to be more confident yet true confidence which of itself is magical actually exists at level eight as a stable continuous thing. So realize that at level four you have reached COPETENCE not CONFIDENCE.

You may feel confident, that’s all good but it is not yet real confidence and subject to being affected by many things. All part of the journey.