Learning the principles, experimentation, and mastery.

Originating from martial arts, this practice comes in three stages:

• Shu: protect or obey. It is the initial stage of learning the rules through imitation without question. As children, we absorb everything around us and learn from our parents or guardians. We adhere to what they teach us and follow their lead.

• Ha: detach or digress. As we develop a foundation instilled in us, we begin to experiment and test the rules that we observed and learned. We explore other approaches and refine our understanding of the rules.

• Ri: leave or separate. During this final stage, we go beyond the rules and create a unique style of our own. We take the learnings and experiences to become a master and develop an approach that is special and extraordinary.

Some may also have learned about this concept in the software development industry when applying an agile methodology. This practice can also be used in our daily lives to expand our mastery. We can take what we’ve learned, experiment by breaking the rules, and become masters in our craft by creating something exceptional and unique to ourselves.

A perfect example and application of Shu-Ha-Ri is Salvador Dali. Born in Catalonia, he received his formal education in fine arts. Every Sunday, Dali visited the Prado Museum to study the works of great masters. “This was the start of a monk-like period for me, devoted entirely to solitary work: visits to the Prado, where pencil in hand, I analyzed all the great masterpieces, studio work, models, research.” (Salvador Dalí, André Parinaud, The Unspeakable Confessions of Salvador Dali, William Morrow, New York, 1976, p. 52.)

Through experimentation and his continued passion for art, he went on to create works in various fields, including theater, sculpture, fashion, photography, architecture, graphic arts, and, most notably, painting.

Rain learns mountain’s curve,
forms streams and builds new valleys —
now it shapes the land.