Shugyo and Education

While browsing the net last night, I came by a game designers website where he mentions his love for Shugyo. After reading his definition of it, I decided it would be a good thing to post here. More specifically I'm interested in the Shugyo education model vs our traditional western one.

According to his page, This is what Shugyo is:

Shugyo (Chinese: Xio Xin, 修行 ) is the Japanese pronunciation of a word which basically means deep mind-body training. I think that any kind of training could be described as shugyo... but it is more of the mindset that accompanies said training that is the defining characteristic. In general, we use the term shugyo for training done in the pursuit of higher (deeper) levels of consciousness, as well as the refinement of an ability. Thus, we typically refer to Buddhist training as shugyo... and it is usually quite demanding, requiring unlimited amounts of effort, mindfulness, and refinement. The training can, for example, take the form of Shaolin Kung Fu, seated meditation (Zazen, 座禅 ), archery, or artistic endeavors such as shodo (calligraphy) and ikebana (flower arrangement). Ideally, however, a Shugyosha ( 修行者 one practicing shugyo) should extend their efforts (energy, concentration, and mindfulness) to all aspects of their life. After all, even washing dishes and brushing your teeth can lead to enlightenment.

From: http://www.lion-gv.com/v08/shugyo/html/what_is_shugyo.html#01

You can see that some of the key features are Buddhism, Enlightenment, and Meditation. While I find the Buddhist culture interesting, you rarely hear about anyone practicing it. Regardless, I found it incredibly interesting what his site says about their education system. Given my rant about general education requirements a week ago, I find the Shugyo model much more interesting. I guess you could compare it to that of a tech school, except it's one that you've been building on for a much longer period of time. As they progress they learn a much deeper knowledge of their subject, perhaps this is why our school systems fall behind that of other countries.

Here's an excerpt from his article explaining the different models.
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1. The shugyo educational paradigm is characterized by an emphasis on the depth of knowledge, wisdom, experience, technical ability.
2. In the shugyo model, the student takes only a handful of skills or forms and repeats them time and time again. Each repetition refining the skill or deepening the knowledge.
3. The aim here is total mastery over one's object of study and oneself to the point where both subject and object disappear into the void of experience... enlightenment.

1. The western educational paradigm is characterized by an emphasis on the accumulation of knowledge, experiences, and skills.
2. In the western model, the student usually only touches the tip of many icebergs... almost never achieving mastery and rarely achieving proficiency.
3. The aim here is... well, it does help one to become well rounded, but I find that I have forgotten most of what I had learned in high school.

From: http://www.lion-gv.com/v08/shugyo/html/what_is_shugyo.html#01
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An interesting concept, it makes me wonder how I would've turned out had I been put into the Shugyo model rather than the western one. Now all I need to do is invent that damn time machine and get back there to move myself around.