What does it mean to study a traditional art? Well, of course there are traditions. That means things are passed down from teacher to student, generation to generation. There is a way to do things based on many people refining and perfecting the craft. Like playing classical music, ballet or other traditional art, learning the basics takes time and practice. Until you can understand basic vocabulary, do the basic moves, and have the discipline to train your body as well as your mind, it can be limiting and frustrating.
Sometimes there is a tendency to shortcut the training, skip steps and move ahead before techniques are mastered. This results in essential teaching and learning getting lost and limits to furthering ability that leads to mastery.
Some people try to make training easier and more comfortable, but as top athletes know, an easy, comfortable workout doesn’t help you progress and get better.
In tea, we train in temae. Not only are we training our bodies to do the procedures in the correct order, but we are also training our minds not to wander and to be present with each step. We are also training to make it look beautiful and effortless. We are training our awareness of what else is going on in the room and we are training our hearts to think not only of ourselves but others, too. And of course, we are training to make a good bowl of tea for our guests.
“If you wish to break with tradition, learn your craft well, and embrace adversity”
― Soke behzad Ahmadi
On the other hand, study of traditional art can be bound up in doing exactly the same things over and over again for the sake of form. Innovation gets stifled and we repeat the same things because it is what we have always done. Meaning is lost as going through the motions without thought becomes normal.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
― Gustav Mahler
A tradition is kept alive only by something being added to it.
– Henry James
When traditions get internationalized, there is always simplification. It is difficult to transmit cultural contexts and there are language translation difficulties. Many times, when the cultural context is lost, there is substitution of values or meanings. I was reading the other day about a kintsugi workshop. One of the materials required was that participant bring a bowl or plate that would be broken so that it can be repaired. There was to be a meditation on fixing the object as a means for fixing the broken things in the participants’ life. With the newly repaired object, the participants could proudly display that they had healed the brokenness of their life.
Unlike my understanding of kintsugi, it is a cherished object that is well loved that has been broken, rather than a throwaway object that we deliberately break to repair. In traditional kintsugi, the repair is visible and highlighted by gold, not hidden so that the break becomes part of its history and essence, and the piece could continue to exist and be cherished.
Sometimes traditional arts are adapted to the non-native culture and the context and values of the tradition are done away with as the new culture has no connection to them. I joined a chado group online once where they were discussing how to adapt Chado to American culture. One of the aspects of the discussion was how to make Chado more accessible to Americans by making it more comfortable. They decided to eliminate seiza and do it cross legged at a coffee table, no need for a tea room. Kimono was too complicated and uncomfortable, so yoga pants was designated as appropriate dress. Matcha was too bitter and contained caffeine, so it was also eliminated in favor of herbal blends that could be steeped rather than whisked, therefore eliminating the need for a chasen. And because nobody in America bows, they did away with bowing.
There was no discussion about the deeper meanings of Chado, the spiritual development, or the hospitality of the host. It was somehow lost in context of the comfort of the participants. At what point then, can we say that this is still Chado? By innovating, changing, or eliminating aspects of the form because the context, essential learning, and values have been lost or not transmitted, we can completely change the meaning of a traditional art.
Americans are great at taking aspects of other traditions, eliminating context and substituting other values. Yoga, martial arts, Tibetan philosophies, ancient Mayan and Native American traditions can be all smooshed together to create new ”healing arts” exemplified by the New Age movement.
Many people think that they can learn a traditional art by viewing videos online. While you can learn a lot about a traditional art, it is like learning to play the violin online. Would you train in ballet by watching videos? Traditional arts are best passed on teacher to student. So find a teacher and train with them if you really want to learn a traditional art.