I don’t really know how you can measure internal quality either. The Chinese Wushu Organization does testing for masters and gives out upper level rankings very slowly. Masters must also do activities to promote their arts as part of the requirements. Not having seen a master level test, I can’t say how it’s done.

I have however gotten a 1st person account of being used as a demonstration subject for the masters at one time. Many years ago a good friend of my Master’s helped him by being the subject and said, ‘While I didn’t really hurt, I felt the effect of the impact for several months.’ Maybe the other masters can see or feel what is happening. I’ve had other experiences myself that lead me to believe it’s possible to see and feel this from a distance.

Thanks for sharing the book links too.

John

One way is by analogy, using a subject like “craftsmanship” to help us think about it, as you did in your post. A book I found very useful along those lines is The Unknown Craftsman, by Soetsu Yanagi. The author discusses the qualities of beauty and insight in relation to Asian pottery and tea, but the principles are relevant to martial arts, and especially regarding “mastery.” It will also add to your opinions about a so-called “disposable society.”

Another is Mastery, by George Leonard, who is an Aikido teacher, and the things he says about the subject are applicable to tai chi as well.