Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on June 9, 2005.
I think if the student has the time, interest and commitment to their training, they should spend as much time as possible with their teacher. There is so much to learn, to share and to hear from your teacher - but it can’t all happen on the mat. Training takes place both on and off the mat or wherever and whenever you are with your teacher.
I am not talking about teachers who simply want to show off their skill and knowledge nor those who are business people, but the true teacher.
Of course, a good teacher is not easy to get close to - most of the time they are running away from their students - especially those students who are not really interested in learning but want to show off to their teacher or just curry their favor. How does the teacher determine those who are earnest in their studies? It is how each student behaves on the mat and how earnestly they are trying to learn.
Today, we want the teacher and student to be equal or "good pals” but most people only interpret this in a self-serving way. Of course, the teacher and student are equal as human beings and as training partners on the mat. But, it is the student who seeks knowledge from the teacher and in this respect, it is not equal at all. We can't understand this in the way we live and think today in this modern world - we must understand this from the perspective of the age old quest of the those seekers of knowledge of so long ago.
Today, it was such a beautiful day that I realized that it is all a gift that we receive in this world. This is why we must be grateful for everything.