eastern/zen/gongfu and XP

 A quick thought while I have a chance (sorry for the
incoherence)

Ron Jeffries wrote:
> 
> I become more and more sure that XP is /not/ "do
> these N things all the
> time". Yet I remain strong in the feeling that there
> is a "thing" that I'm
> doing.
> 
> 
  Back to things that get more often expressed in
things eastern, this line is related to something I
will be writing comparing skill at s/w developement
w/development of gongfu and how XP ties in closely.

I have a direct parallel in trying to teach a certain
aspect of neijin.  There is something called "zhong
qi" (lit. central qi), that in fact is a certain state
of the body.  When you first learn it, you get a set
of guidelines to follow.  However, there are always a
number of things that happen that hinders the
development.

  - folks focus on the guidelines as the goal, not
realizing that 1) the guidelines are there to bring
about a certain result 2) they're just guidelines
  The guidelines also usually apply in most
situations, but not all, certain movements seem to
flagrantly violate the guidelines, which they do, but
the body state of zhong qi is there.  This is
exacerbated by the fact that folks don't see how such
a posture can maintain that body skills.

  I see this related to the shu ha ri thing,
beginner's need the guidelines, skilled practioners do
not.  Thoughts at the skilled level can be not
applicable to the beginner and sometimes confusing.

Forrest

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