The Role of the Student
The role of the student is not always self evident, although many think it is. Students need to understand that their role involves actively using the system's mechanisms to comprehend the learning, operations and psychology of unarmed combat.
MECHANISMS
Learning Mechanism
The Learning Mechanism is used to create a contextual relationship between the students memory processes and the systems martial content. This relationship enables a person to question their encoding, storage and retrieval capabilities.
Operational Mechnanism
The operational mechanism is used to create a working contextual relationship between the student's combative processes and memory processes. This relationship enables a person to question their processes.
Psychological Mechanism
The Psychological Mechanism is about understanding the effects the learning mechanism and operational mechanism have on one's psychology - understanding how ones "non-actions" and "actions" are furthered or impeded.
OF MIND
In any other subject matter, especially where there are skills that involve the use of applied theory, it is implicitly understood that most of what happens is a result of what occurs in the mind of a practitioner. From auto mechanics to medicine, the day-to-day practices of these professions occur largely as a result of the invisible operations of what happens in mind of the people doing the work.
As an example, when a mechanic looks at an engine, the mechanic retrieves significant quantities of meaningful information from both short term and long term memory about the engine in relationship to a problem they are trying to solve. Without this operation - which is of mind - the mechanic would no longer be able to function as a mechanic. It is, in fact, this operation which is what allows them to refer to themselves as a "mechanic."
​
To the outside observer, these operations are invisible in the sense that no-one can read minds. Only the person doing the work has privy to what is occurring in mind. Being privy, however, does not necessarily mean "aware." Using the example of the the mechanic, the person may be self aware of being "skillful", but isn't necessarily aware of how they are able to realize the results they are achieving. These operations - again, of mind - are not always self-evident... even to the person doing the work.
​
In this field of study, that which is normally implicit must be made explicit, as it is necessary to ensure rapid progression while simultaneously realizing consistency in actual skill. It is by leveraging the mechanisms as designed by the White Lotus System that a practitioner becomes cognizant of their operations and the operations of others. The role of the student, then, is to work diligently and energetically to adopt and utilize the mechanisms of the White Lotus System.