| In the "Shime" chapter of the Shobogenzo, Zen | | | | in their skill level and are very motivated. When they |
| Master Dogen Zenji discusses the "four horses," | | | | reach that ultimate first plateau where they do not |
| which is a metaphor used by the Buddha in the | | | | improve despite hard practice, most gifted students |
| Samyuta-Agama sutra. This metaphor of the four | | | | get discouraged. |
| horses speaks about how we are when we practice | | | | Gifted students are used to seeing fast progress, so |
| the game of golf- four, one could say, classes of | | | | they may blame the instructor or something else just |
| students. | | | | so they don't have to put in the hard work that is |
| The first horse, the superior class, is like a horse that | | | | needed to attain mastery. Many superior students will |
| runs fastest by merely feeling the whip's shadow. | | | | then give up the game due to frustration. |
| The second horse, the good class, runs fastest when | | | | Superior athletes who never make it big are seen in |
| the whip brushes its hair, the hair of its mane. The | | | | ALL sports. We all have heard countless stories |
| third horse, the poor class, runs fastest where the | | | | about gifted athletes who never made it big because |
| whip has actually touched its flesh. And the fourth, | | | | they weren't willing to put the time in needed to |
| the lowest kind of horse, is the one who runs | | | | reach their innate potential. |
| fastest only when the whip can be felt to the | | | | The fourth class of student will see slow |
| marrow of its bones. | | | | improvements, much time spent on plateaus in their |
| At first glance we all want to be like the first horse in | | | | skill level. If the fourth class of golf student stays |
| the superior class. These are the fast learners...the | | | | with it and practices hard they will learn the golf to |
| ones who seem to be a natural. Dogen Zenji says | | | | the marrow of their bones, like the fourth horse. |
| this may not be so desirable. A study of master | | | | Before you can master ANY skill, you need to learn |
| golfers has shown that it is not the students with | | | | the skill to the marrow of your bones. To learn golf |
| innate natural abilities who have achieved golf | | | | to the marrow of your bones you need to stay at |
| mastery. The golfers who have achieved mastery | | | | each skill level for however long it takes. Most first |
| are mostly the students with average to below | | | | class students never learn the skill to the marrow of |
| average natural abilities...the ones who have practiced | | | | their bones because it comes easy to them. The |
| their craft diligently. This is very interesting...why is | | | | time spent on plateaus for students who learn fast |
| this so? | | | | are shorter than the ones who learn slower. |
| The road to mastery for all students has many | | | | The paradox of the four horses parable is we must |
| plateaus in skill levels interrupted by brief spikes in | | | | practice like the fourth class of horse to become like |
| improvements. When the first class of student takes | | | | the first class of horse. |
| up golf they see an immediate spike in improvement | | | | Hit 'em Long and Straight! |