As a performer of complex and dangerous feats, among the most common questions I hear is simply, "How do you do that?" More specifically: "How do you balance on a unicycle?" or "How do you not burn yourself?"
These are sincere questions that all have, more or less the same general answer. To explain it I'll bring in a parable: A story told a thousands times in in the realm of Zen philosophy is that of the Grasshopper and the Centipede.
The Grasshopper sees the Centipede for the first time and can not believe his eyes. "How do you control all those legs? I would trip and fall with the first attempt!" The Centipede replies, "I don't know." The Grasshopper is amazed. "Please tell me your secret!" The Centipede, now confused, started to think about the process of his legs so that he can communicate to the Grasshopper his "secret". After some effort with this, the Centipede found that his legs would not move at all! The Centipede asked the Grasshopper to help him figure it out. The Grasshopper soon became bored and left for supper.
This story is not meant to answer the question directly, but only to put the inquirer on his or her own train of thought. In real life I often have to make something up or fill the air with a clever come-back to scare away the awkward. An old stock line goes: "How do you do that?" And the performer answers, "Very well."
It seems, according to the story, that the "secret" was to never think in the first place and just to let it happen or go with the flow. This is part of the truth. The answer is not simply to not think; but to see the whole process. At first, learning a trick, you are confused like the grasshopper and that is normal. But remember that confused thinking, at some point, must go! To make any progress you must let go of your preconceptions. With physical feats such as riding a unicycle or spinning fire with out being afraid, the metaphor of the Centipede is most relevant.
It is impossible to stop thinking. There is always some kind of mental activity going on in the brain. It never shuts down. Your brain is open 24/7. The question was never, "Do I think or not-think?" but something more like, "In which direction will I think right now?"
From here you are stepping back from your self long enough to perceive your thoughts a little more objectively. We do it all the time. What we don't do all the time is conscientiously step back from ourselves stepping back. You are looking at yourself looking at yourself in the mirror. With this amount of awareness, you can see much more happening. You can see what works and what does not work, with out judgement. The Grasshopper was trying to step into the Centipedes conscience and hijack his awareness, there fore setting the Centipede off-track. The poor Centipede was fine until someone came along and pushed his little brain around.The Centipede wasn't aware of himself at all, let alone that what he was doing is amazing!
The Grasshopper got the Centipede to think about what he was doing. This shouldn't be a bad thing, except that the Centipede is not a teacher; he is only a doer and would be better off sticking to his plan of no plans. Unless you are a teacher, you don't need to think on "how to explain" but simply "how". You don't have to focus on the name of the trick but simply the doing of the trick. It's your choice. Sometimes you think critically; sometimes to step away objectively and relax while you watch yourself work. Which type of thinking works best for you?
If you're an artist, be an artist.
If you're a teacher, be a teacher.
If you're a mathematician, be a mathematician.
If you're a Centipede....
Ask yourself, what type of thinking do I need to embrace? We are often willing to work very hard, but not willing to sacrifice our own type of thinking to which we are most attached.
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It's important to realize that there are grasshoppers everywhere who will question your every move. Whether they are well-intentioned or not, they can send you into a downward spiral of self-doubt. Certainly, I hope that I'm not giving you too much self-doubt, which is only good in small doses.... Sometimes it's okay to say to the Grasshopper, "I don't know how I do it" or "I just do it!" ...and leave it at that! If you're good at what you do, own it! Don't let someone who is not willing to do their own thinking to make you think in a territory such as your art, where perhaps, you're better off not stepping back too far, too often. Often, you'll find that the Grasshopper doesn't really care. He's not willing to put forth the work to figure it out. If he was, he already would have. Only occasionally do you meet someone who truly wants to be taught.
Are you a Grasshopper? If you're not in a state of understanding, step back. Confuse yourself more. It gets worse before it gets better. Remember that it's a matter of a type of thinking. Maybe your body knows better than your mind. Sometimes your mind knows better than your body. Listen objectively to yourself to figure out who is right, then let it happen.
So, when people ask me these questions, it's not that I look down on them with condescension. The Grasshopper does not have bad intentions and is not less capable than the centipede. He is just in a different place in time/space. He usually is very nice and how could I expect him to be aware in the same ways as I?
When the Grasshopper asks how, just smile and tell him to watch closely. Tell him to pay attention. If he watches closely he may learn from you. Most grasshoppers lose interest and leave for supper, because they're true interested are elsewhere, noble or not. Are you the Grasshopper or the Centipede?
