A professor commuted from Tokyo to Nanin's temple in Kamakura many Sunday mornings to learn Zen. One morning Nanin served him tea. He poured the professor's cup full - and kept on pouring. The professor watched until he could restrain himself no longer. "Sensei!" he protested, "it is overflowing!" Then Master Nanin said, "Like this cup, you are so full of opinions and speculations that there is no room for anything further.
When learning something new, it's hard not to fall back on old ideas. Newer ideas might be better, but we may be reluctant to give up the ones we have. We tend towards that which we know, and shy away from the unknown. This is not a bad thing; it's just the way we work.
Like in the zen koan above, we must empty ourselves of preconceived notions, in order to fully grasp new ones. Otherwise, we will meet with resistance, and be unable to absorb as much as we possibly could. It will take us longer to grasp an idea, if we do not allow the idea to flourish on its own.
Empty yourself of preconceived notions, and learn things with a fresh mind, and you will be amazed at how quickly you can learn. Fail at this, and you will be dismayed at how slowly you learn.
Posted by John at October 5, 2004 10:37 AM | TrackBackStrangely enough, I've been told *not* to forget the old stuff. Rather, I should try it out, because there's value in trying everything. Just a flipside opinion.