These are my opinions…
Zen Master is a somewhat vague concept in the English language that arose during the first half of the 20th century, sometimes used to refer to an individual who teaches Zen Buddhism meditation and practices. This usually implied a longtime study and subsequent authorization to teach the traditions to others. In reality, there is no title of Zen Master among buddist ranks, and there for could be the most “Zen” thing of all.
Within the Tableau Community, we see them as “the best of the best” and those who are masters of the platform, teachers of the platform and those who collaborate with other, and with Tableau, to raise the bar of the community and the product as a whole. They are also some of the most crtical voices, and those who are the first to point out when something isn’t right. To me, they are among the greatest resources of innovation and inspiration that a community could possibly offer.
So, the question arises, how does one become a Zen Master?
Let me get this out of the way, in my opinion, if you are setting yourself a goal of become a Tableau Zen Master, you’ve missed what I think is the most important trait that the best zen master’s have; humility.
If you were to get the phone call inviting you to the zen program, would your response truthfully be “YES, I DID IT!” or would it be “me? Seriously? Are you sure?”
Those who had the last response are those who contribute as masters, teachers and collaborators to raise others up, to make others better. That work, for them, is the reward and goal… the title of Zen Master for them is unexpected, and chances are they would point to others more deserving in their eyes.
Those who chase the goal, are those who generally cannot sustain “Zen Levels” because once you reach your goal, the journey is over. The true Zen Masters know that there is no beginning or end, there is just the journey of their own learning, and bringing other along on that journey is the goal. The beauty in that is that there are always others to bring along, so the goal is lofty and, in reality, unatainable.
With the upcoming announcement of the 2020 Class of Tableau Zen Masters, there are undoubtably those who are shocked, those who are disappointed and those who feel they “made it” and to all I say “Congratulations, make us proud!”
…but yet, here’s the million dollar question… if the title of Tableau Zen Master didn’t exist, would you still be doing all the things you do today?