Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on June 23, 2005.
Start With Stupid! I know what you are thinking, “What a horrible thing to say!” Everyone hates this word, “stupid.”
However, as bad as it sounds, this is the best place to start. Always start with "stupid." Do not take "stupid" in such a negative way but take it positively. If we start with “stupid," we can leave behind all pride, ego, stubbornness, selfishness, and greed and begin our practice with a clean slate with nothing at all to worry about. From the word, "stupid," we have nothing to defend or protect, we have nothing to stand up for, we have no care or worries in the world, we are free to do anything we like! Like cleaning the slate, it is the perfect place from which to begin.
Some students come to class with their own strong, self-image - "I am smart" or “I am better than others," or “I am great," and then spend all of their time trying to defend or conceal whatever their notion of themselves is rather than actually buckling down and learn what they need to learn and practice and be their real, true selves!
Often, in Japanese, they tell someone who is having difficulty making progress or at a standstill in their work, to "baka ni nare” or “to be a fool!" This means, "to stop thinking too much or "over thinking" (kangae-sugi) something and begin with a fresh start.
When we become a fool, we have no cares in the world and are free to do what we need to do without all of the heavy baggage of pride and ego.
Many, many years ago a great Karate teacher and good friend came up to me and said, "Hey, look at my feet!” I looked down and saw that he had on one red sock and one blue sock. He looked at me and started to laugh out loud. "Don't you think that is the funniest thing ever?" he asked. I smiled and thought to myself, "It's kind of stupid, what is wrong with him?"
He confessed to me, "I have to be so serious as a teacher every day, it is so nice to be stupid and do stupid things!" I understood this feeling perfectly. It is so hard to live up to my own standards when I think I am so smart and better than others, to be a fool - how wonderful and free of care!
We always think that "stupid" is a reflection on our tremendous, burdensome image of ourselves, not realizing that "stupid" is often the easiest, quickest way to freedom.
Watch Furuya Sensei demonstrate in 1990.