Each Stroke is a Koan
or
Zen reflections on paddling
Over the spring and summer I have been reading Zen material. Some of the books were novels that had a Zen component and some were more of the “how to” variety. Don’t worry I’m not going to shave my hair, wear an orange robe and hand out free flowers for donations. My hair is receding fast enough. The only orange I routinely wear are Crocs. And I will never be opposed to taking out a pesky Mosquito or two. (The flower thing is negotiable.) Still, I find truth in what I perceive as the Zen way of discovery. The end of this process is an intuitive understanding that we’ll call enlightenment.
What I have began to understand while absorbing this information is that there are four steps of discovery. Before information is received there is unknowing. When the information has been passed to the student and the student registers the basics then he knows the lessons. When the student sees the reasons behind the lesson she understands. Seeing beyond the nuts and bolts, beyond the how’s and whys all the way to the indefinable truth of the lesson is enlightenment.
A paddler’s understanding proceeds in a similar way. We’ll get into the specifics in a little while but in the short term think of it like this- one first realizes that there may be a more efficient way to paddle. Then that person can mimic what they know to be more like what they want until they begin to understand why it is so. Then, perhaps at some point, parts of paddling reveal intuitive understandings that amplify the way the individual perceives the sport. An example outside of the paddling arena goes like this. I know what a football feels like. I have handled a football. I can throw a football. Compare my knowledge to that of a Professional Quarterback just before retirement. The amount of time receiving, catching, cradling, and passing a football has given him a relationship with a football that goes beyond the logical. This intuitive understanding would take me longer then I care to give in order to just begin that path of enlightenment. Fortunately, compared to football, kayaking accepts people of all types and ages. Paddling also gives an individual the ability to start a path towards an enlightenment that has less injuries then Football. It is human nature to seek the whole that is greater then the sum of its’ parts. That “whole” is an intuitive understanding (read also as enlightenment) which the quarterback in this example has and we all seek some outlet to find. Some people can work towards the greater dimension at work. Most people search for it in hobbies or religion. What would a Quilter be if that person did not look for the whole that is greater then the sum of its parts? We know how to read. But when an author makes references to other common writings it means more then the words on the page. For example if I call my fictional characters Eve and Adam for the next little bit you might suppose that these are a beginning of a new paradigm of kayakers. Or perhaps I have made their stories just so because they resemble my own. So I can stop rambling I’ll just say that, Paddling is one of many ways to seek the whole that is past the logical understanding- that intuitive understanding. And to drive home a point made in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by acting in accord with this intuitive understanding (enlightenment) one may be producing quality.
I am saddened to see paddlers get stuck in that second “knowing” stage. This is where they know how to perform the paddle stroke but they haven’t begun to understand the inner workings and get diverted. Just by knowing what “Adam” is supposed to do Adam is still not likely to do it. Most of times this reflects a lack of attention to the practice and form of the stroke in question that would bring the finesse of efficiency found in understanding and enlightenment. This inattention to skills can often come from technology and tricks, which often replace understanding. I know of what I speak. I was this person before I started training with H2Outfitters. I also work in a retail store in the off-season. Stores serve a necessary role of providing information and educating the paddler towards safety and enjoyment. Stores can also distract from enlightenment with gadgetry. I still have the stuff driven mindset. I see the gadget that is supposed to do something for me that I didn’t realize needed to be done and I want it. This way of thinking takes me from the path of understanding. Buying a surrogate for skills never leads to enlightenment.
“Perhaps,” Eve says, “an apple will give you the knowledge you need.”
Neither will fancy paddle stroke tricks advance a paddler towards understanding the essence. I have seen paddlers twist themselves up then unwind with one paddle in the water to stir themselves around in a turning maneuver. Neat trick, but why distract the mind from a more useable sweep stroke series? I also have seen beginners’ work all day on a sculling brace rather then try to work towards understanding the forward stroke. Obviously these beginners plan to hack into rough conditions and scull ‘till they drift out of trouble. These beginners certainly are not going to be able to produce an effective forward stroke to get out of trouble. Actions without intuitive understanding are not quality. Successes from this should be considered fortunate luck
Reliance on technology and tricks is a dangerous proposition. It’s like reading the same Dick and Jane text and just changing the picture or the font. While it seems like new and complex material it is not. Both technology and tricks have the tendency to fail at the worst time. Besides the mind knows what’s working towards understanding and what’s just rearranging the same pieces. Sooner or later the activity looses its interest because the mind wants to work towards enlightenment- “if not kayaking then how about shuffleboard.”
Teachers, mentors, gurus, and guides can be the worst perpetrators of distractions. Guilty parties may come from anywhere. I have seen them on the local levels of clubs and will continue all the way up to the international stage too. Not only could they be hiding their lack of understanding behind technology and tricks, they may distract one from the path of understanding through dazzling displays. This can lead paddlers away from understanding the skills.
But that’s a whole other conversation. Let’s get back to Zen.
One method of teaching a Zen concept is through something called a koan (ko-an). A koan is often a brief story that the Zen master gives a student for them to work through understanding towards enlightenment. This is not a quick process. Some people will dwell on a koan for years before true understanding. As in all words spiritual in nature, a koan may mean something different to others but this is how I understand its use. I have read several of these short stories over the summer, some I get as explained, some I get an understanding separate of the explanation, and some are like polished blocks of black ebony- without any feature to ascertain comprehension. An example of those last ones is paraphrased like this.
A student asked his teacher “does a dog have the mind of a Buddha?” The teacher replied “no.”
I don’t really like this koan. It seems a little unfair to some dogs I have known. But, whether I like it or not, that is the koan that I reflect on. It is the one, out of many, that chose me to work on its riddle. At strange times I find my mind arguing for and against the dog’s ability as an enlightened spiritual mentor and philosopher. At some point in the future I might see past the words and argument and find enlightenment on some aspect of life. For now, I ponder.
I think of individual stroke categories as koans. Like koans, I will work a type of stroke on the water and reflect. As a teacher I have seen how the learning process from unknowing to understanding works out. The unknowing student (Adam) will learn the basics of the forward stroke, for example. Then Adam uses the knowledge of the forward stroke to gain understanding. Through practice, Adam processes the stroke by feel, thought, and reflection. Eventually the stroke itself disappears and what is left is the truth of the relationship between mind, body, boat, and world. This is enlightenment. It is different from trickery by how the paddler approaches the activity. I have seen some people who have reached that enlightened state and they motivate me to look deeper not only into the forward stroke but each of the strokes.
Each paddle stroke points toward individual truths. As in life, truths are built on truths. The understanding of one stroke is dependent on the visceral and intuitive success one has on other strokes. For example, to facilitate the Eskimo Roll one should truly produce a quality High Brace. To produce a quality High Brace one should understand the core of the lessons usually taught in the Forward, Sweeps and Back strokes. Can someone learn the Roll without knowing, much less understanding, any other paddle stroke? Sure. But to find the truths that are locked up in the water, boat and self She must learn, understand, and practice all of the strokes. I can’t tell how many time I found understanding about one stroke while working on a complete other stroke. I believe by uncovering the truths wrapped up in each paddle stroke one moves closer toward the enlightenment of the whole of the paddling experience.
The whole of paddling is greater then the sum of it’s paddle strokes.
An enlightened paddler is more efficient. They go beyond the thought of paddling to the pure experience of paddling. There is no distraction of stuff or self. Any activity is accomplished without consternation leaving the paddler liberated with the ability to absorb the surroundings.
When I started as a fulltime instructor in the spring of 2000, well before this summer’s reading material, I saw the difference in the paddle strokes between my teacher and myself. I could see the intuitive understanding that she still has with each stroke. I wanted to unlock those truths. My stubborn nature has caused my path to be long but the rewards so far have been great.
At the beginning of that first summer I knew what I was doing. Through practice and teaching I began to understand the activity by the end of the summer. But even today I find little bits of truth about paddling in every class I teach. These may come from seeing how water ripples from my bow during a stroke. Or perhaps a student’s question forces me to think in a different way. The vast majority of the truths I have glimpsed are beyond the prison of words. Each truth slams into my thoughts like the first breath of air after a long dive snorkeling. Each truth is a stepping-stone. Perhaps someday enlightenment will follow. Until then the koans await with each paddle stroke and I will work on the whole that is greater then the sum of its’ parts.
