How does Practice=Perfect work?

[JayG84]

I was just contemplating Intelligence and was wondering how consciousness turns practice into knowing?

Why does doing something repetitively "solidify" knowledge. 

I play guitar, it takes me days of practicing something to get it "perfect". Same with spiritual practice. Like a path being carved out in Intelligence itself.

Does anyone have any insights?

[JayG84]

Intelligence isn't YOURS. But in material reality, It takes a lot of DOING to master something. Tapping into Infinite Intelligence can make you more creative and ideas can flow. But skills have to be carved out. Why don't skills form like ideas. You would think that becoming aware of something once would "download it" to your being. And knowing would be effortless.

Edited June 1, 2020 by JayG84

[Chakra Lion]

You train your Memory. Muscle Memory in your fingers, Memory of the Notes, Memory of the Sounds, of the Structure. The apprenticeship of beginning a new task, learning a new skill. It's important that it takes time and energy to master, or else every lunatic would be singing songs and playing their homeless heart out. 

Becoming Aware of how you play the guitar doesn't transfer the skills and understanding to me. The body needs time to learn. The mind needs to understand and develop techniques that are comfortable and authentic to each person. At least in a physical reality like this. 

[JayG84]

31 minutes ago, Chakra Lion said:

You train your Memory. Muscle Memory in your fingers, Memory of the Notes, Memory of the Sounds, of the Structure. The apprenticeship of beginning a new task, learning a new skill. It's important that it takes time and energy to master, or else every lunatic would be singing songs and playing their homeless heart out. 

Right. I get that. But on a metaphysical level, Consciousness already knows how to play the guitar, in infinite ways. Why can I have a creative idea for a song, but it's so hard to execute in physical form. It's almost like this is our "bandwidth" between the infinite realm and the physical realm. The "download progress bar" is the act of practicing.

[Max_V]

@JayG84 who says that you need to practice in order to become good at something?

[JayG84]

15 minutes ago, Max_V said:

who says that you need to practice in order to become good at something?

Exactly, Do you?

I love thinking about how humans interface with Infinite Intelligence. We pull things from Consciousness all the time right? The only way I have found to increase your intelligence is to open your mind, and do the work. Opening your mind is like increasing the the strength of your wifi antenna (tapping into Infinite Intelligence) , and doing the work is downloading the data (Being one with it) 

There seems to the be a Mainline to experience Consciousness, like Psychedelics, or simply Being.

But there seems to be a "downloading process" to Intelligence or Knowing. It takes repetitive experiences for it to be Understood.

Similar to any skill, repetition breeds deeper Understanding. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by JayG84

[ivankiss]

@JayG84 In a sense, you could look at it as adjusting to or tuning into the perfection that you already are.

You know how to nail every song right now. Trust me, I play too. The "time" that's passing until you master it is actually just you aligning with the version of you that nails the song every time, effortlessly and naturally.

- just a perspective. Works for me, might work for ya too.

Heart is key, that I know for sure 

[JayG84]

3 minutes ago, ivankiss said:

The "time" that's passing until you master it is actually just you aligning with the version of you that nails the song every time, effortlessly and naturally.

Interesting. So in a way this is trying to surrender the ego too. Like I'm trying to get rid of the belief that I don't know how to play this song. Just like a self-inquiry session, you sit and contemplate if this is true or not. And after some time you realize, you can play it. So muscle memory is just convincing the ego that you can do it.

I like this perspective. Thanks.

[Nahm]

Intelligence = consciousness = knowing = perfection. These can’t be created, realized, let alone found in music. Music is itself the imperfect expression of this. Music is where silence seeks itself, it’s where we look for this. The music itself is all we find, as music reminds us this can never be found, it is already this, a celebration of all of this. 

The work of doctors & lawyers is called a practice, in recognition there is no perfection in this place. There never will be. It already is. 

The beauty is that there is no beginning or end, and ‘in between’ is life & the art of living. Music says what silence can not, silence says what music can not. This is just how this is. What do you really want to say about this ‘middle’? Write it down. How does it really feel to you? Sadly minor & diminishing? Augmenting your way through the setbacks & sevenths? Realizing it is all major, and dominating as such? 

It’s all up to you. 

[ivankiss]

4 minutes ago, JayG84 said:

Like I'm trying to get rid of the belief that I don't know how to play this song. Just like a self-inquiry session, you sit and contemplate if this is true or not. And after some time you realize, you can play it.

Exactly 

Don't forget to enjoy the process. Including any possible frustrations 

At the end of the day, even if you never nail the song, what matters above all is that you enjoyed the crap out of playing your wonderful instrument 

[JayG84]

16 minutes ago, Nahm said:

What do you really want to say about this ‘middle’? Write it down. How does it really feel to you? Sadly minor & diminishing? Augmenting your way through the setbacks & sevenths? Realizing it is all major, and dominating as such? 

Beautiful. 

 

16 minutes ago, Nahm said:

Music is where silence seeks itself, it’s where we look for this. The music itself is all we find, as music reminds us this can never be found, it is already this, a celebration of all of this.

 Music really is a celebration isn't it. 

13 minutes ago, ivankiss said:

Don't forget to enjoy the process. Including any possible frustrations 

At the end of the day, even if you never nail the song, what matters above all is that you enjoyed the crap out of playing your wonderful instrument 

Took me a long time to let the pursuit of perfection go.

The book Zen Guitar really helped with that.  

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by JayG84

[Nahm]

@JayG84

It is. In trying to perfect the catastrophe we seem to miss it is already the masterpiece. I remember this stage. I sprayed lighter fluid on my guitar, went outside, and smashed it on a tree. Can’t say I regret it, released a lot of pain, and saw through the drama, but the important thing is your realizing of the hook at play in this place, even now as you’re reading this it is. It’s quicksand for a creator like you, and all musicians know there are no musicians. 

[JayG84]

@Nahm Did you stop playing music?

[ivankiss]

12 minutes ago, JayG84 said:

@Nahm Did you stop playing music?

Uh. Ouch. 

One does not simply...stop playing music. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by ivankiss

[JayG84]

1 hour ago, ivankiss said:

One does not simply...stop playing music. 

Agreed 

[Nahm]

14 hours ago, JayG84 said:

@Nahm Did you stop playing music?

@JayG84

That didn’t really happen. It’s an example, like that song, pointing to the other end of the spectrum from seeking perfection. It says something about thought attachment and the average attention span Good for a musician to know, if you will. Things might be easier & more effortless than they initially appear. 

[JayG84]

2 hours ago, Nahm said:

Things might be easier & more effortless than they initially appear. 

Right. Most of the time I think things are much harder than they turn out to be. But I wouldn't call it effortless. More like, I think it's impossible, but then it's doable, if you take it slow and do the right steps. I just don't know why our "muscles" won't listen to what Consciousness has already given us. 

Mozart could've heard beautiful music in his head from birth, but he still had to frustratingly learn piano technique just like the rest of us. 

[JayG84]

21 hours ago, Nahm said:

I remember this stage. I sprayed lighter fluid on my guitar, went outside, and smashed it on a tree. Can’t say I regret it, released a lot of pain, and saw through the drama, but the important thing is your realizing of the hook at play in this place, even now as you’re reading this it is. It’s quicksand for a creator like you, and all musicians know there are no musicians. 

Could you expand on these points if you can? I like what you said but I'm not sure I completely understand.

The Drama being that we are assigning false meaning to it? The hook meaning that we follow our thoughts of it? Is the quicksand the chasing of meaning. There are no musicians as in, the music is played by conciousness itself?

 

[James123]

19 minutes ago, JayG84 said:

Right. Most of the time I think things are much harder than they turn out to be. But I wouldn't call it effortless. More like, I think it's impossible, but then it's doable, if you take it slow and do the right steps. I just don't know why our "muscles" won't listen to what Consciousness has already given us. 

Mozart could've heard beautiful music in his head from birth, but he still had to frustratingly learn piano technique just like the rest of us. 

Just let the body do whatever it is supposed to and be just witness and aware. Just watch the movie and stay as nothing, play the movie.

[Nahm]

4 hours ago, JayG84 said:

Right. Most of the time I think things are much harder than they turn out to be. But I wouldn't call it effortless. More like, I think it's impossible, but then it's doable, if you take it slow and do the right steps. I just don't know why our "muscles" won't listen to what Consciousness has already given us. 

Mozart could've heard beautiful music in his head from birth, but he still had to frustratingly learn piano technique just like the rest of us. 

This might take a bit to be seen, but in the same sense thoughts arose about something being impossible, and then thoughts arose about it being doable...thoughts arise about there being a doer, and thoughts can arise about there not even being a doer. A way to point to the difference...if one is thinking there is the thought “thinker”, similar to “doer”. If one is aware of thoughts arising....it can not in truth be said one is “doing the thinking”. This could result in a heightened love & enjoyment of the experience of music and ‘playing’ guitar, free of the thoughts of a “doer”, a “musician”, and achieving “perfection”. Again, also, for one, achieving ‘perfection’ of a craft could be what one finds most exhilarating. I’m just saying there’s an apparent spectrum, many ways of seeing things. 

I don’t know if Mozart was frustrated learning piano, or relished in the thrill and beauty of it. Probably had a lot to do with how he thought of himself as a musician, if he did think of himself as a musician, and if he even identified, or thought he was a separate self at all. 

4 hours ago, JayG84 said:

Could you expand on these points if you can? I like what you said but I'm not sure I completely understand.

This will sound nuts until you directly experience it a few times, so to speak. But, try alternating thinking and understanding. Imagine it’s like a space that only one can be in at a time. Same with learning a song or a part of a song on guitar. Again, let that marinade. Insights might ‘pop’ outta nowhere. 

Quote

The Drama being that we are assigning false meaning to it?

Well, there’s no true meaning, though some concepts point to what is true. The term “drama” is (unless someone actually likes it or is using it in that manor) is inherently ‘false’. One could question, “what’s with this drama I’m experiencing?” And inevitably be without it for the duration. 

Quote

The hook meaning that we follow our thoughts of it?

God damn it I’m just gonna say it....lol...the average person’s attention span is not even close to the three minutes a hit song fills. It’s not even ten seconds. Most people are not even actually listening to the words really. ?

You can use this knowing of this to your advantage so to speak....”When I’m feelin stuck and need a buck I don’t rely on luck because - the hook brings you back”.  This applies much broader than just to music. There’s seven billion people. You cold do just about anything and hundreds of people will dig it. Put your heart into it, and a million or more is highly likely. 

So you might, sometimes, be overthinking music, in terms of songwriting, and other facets as well. Most people go for three chords, a hook, and some truth. There are some who can appreciate ‘perfection’ in musicianship and or song writing. In either case, it’s all The Perfection. So enjoyment is king, as it is the ‘connection’, to the very Perfection (of our infinite being). 

Quote

Is the quicksand the chasing of meaning. There are no musicians as in, the music is played by conciousness itself?

The quicksand it getting lost in the matrix of thought. “Chasing meaning” works just as well there imo. 

Yes, there are no separate selves. It’s only apparent, implied. Don’t take my word for it though. ?