What Is The Difference Between A Mentor And A Master — And Why It Matters?

Masters have honed their craft to near perfection.

They are admirable and sometimes even formidable figures we put on a pedestal whether they like it or not. They are focused on their craft, not on you or anybody else.

On the other hand, mentors know their stuff and have reached mastery but are interested in your progress in life without making a fuss about themselves.

We can choose between those two, but the outcome is quite different depending on which one we choose to follow.

We cannot learn to walk unaided

A toddler can’t learn to walk without their parents’ helping hand.

The late afternoon summer was hot and filled with silent light. We were sitting on the floor in the hallway with my wife, and our son crawled between us. I remember clearly the first steps our son took.

He tried to stand up, reaching my hand and slowly dragging himself up and standing. His eyes were fixed on mine. Those clear, deep brown opal-like eyes radiated trust, excitement and love.

My heart melted. I still have teary eyes nineteen years after the miracle of his first steps.

Making transformative leaps in life requires courage, determination and somebody to trust. Unfortunately, often our life erodes the trust, and we fall without anybody to support us.

Nobody can achieve anything remarkable alone.

Giants were people who offered their shoulders to lean on

Every religion, philosophy and school of thought had mentors as essential vehicles to raise successors.

Jesus had his disciples, Muhammad, too. And Shakyamuni Buddha was not an exception.

In the arts, the idea of having mentors has also been instilled into the life of an artist.

Over time we mystify and glorify those people as giants. We should never forget that they had their mentors before they became one.

What makes a mentor?

As said, a master is interested in their own views, career and success. A mentor is there for you, the successor.

As a young theatre director, I was lucky to get Mr Väinö Vainio (a great and charismatic radio play director in Finland) as my mentor. I owe an incredible debt of gratitude to him.

Under his mentorship, I learned more than I could have ever done alone. He was there for me as long as I was committed to growing and learning.

A mentor cannot choose their mentees. The mentor, however, will signal their willingness to be available. It is up to the disciple to choose a mentor. It makes a huge difference.

An admired master can pick up adherents and build a tight and exclusive circle of fans, but it is always a one-way street. And it can quickly turn into a cult.

The fans reflect the brightness of the master but will not shine on their own.

When a mentor accepts to mentor somebody, it is because that somebody has chosen and is willing to be mentored.

A mentor does not try to mould the mentee but helps them to reveal their full potential and ultimately outgrow the mentor. A master, on the other hand, often is mimicked and flattered.

There is a strange unity between a true mentor and a disciple. It is camaraderie and mutual support.

A mentor can show the way, but they travel together.

A master is followed; a mentor is a travel companion who knows the terrain and can help to avoid perils.

Masters of cults or mentors of movements?

In Nichiren SGI-Buddhism, the concept of the oneness of a mentor and disciple is at the heart of the philosophy.

It is not an abstract handover of teachings to the next generation but a life lived together, sharing a common goal.

After thousands of years of the evolution of philosophy, the oneness of the mentor and disciple has proven to be the most effective way to keep the teachings alive.

It requires a contemporary adaptation of the teachings to make them accessible to modern seekers.

A modern example of the oneness of the mentor and the disciple

An excellent example of this relationship is how Mr Josei Toda accepted young Daisaku Ikeda as his mentee.

Daisaku Ikeda was a nineteen years old Japanese young man who saw the devastation of the war and lost his brother in the battle in distant Burma. In 1947 he went to a Buddhist study meeting where Josei Toda was lecturing Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings and explaining them to the Japanese people who had suffered the devastating war.

At that meeting, Toda spoke about one of the most important letters Nichiren Daishonin wrote in 1260, On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land.

“Lasting change starts with the resolve to secure peace for all. If you care anything about your personal security, you should first pray for order and tranquillity throughout the four quarters of the land, should you not?” — Nichiren Daishonin, 1260.

Young Ikeda felt he could trust this tall and slender man with thick glasses like magnifying glasses. Ikeda was open, ready and willing to learn more and put Toda’s wisdom to the test.

Toda’s message resonated with Daisaku Ikeda and made sense giving clarity and insights into the painful questions young Ikeda had. Ikeda knew he had found a genuine mentor, not a soft-spoken charlatan.

Even though Daisaku Ikeda was battling tuberculosis and ill health, he put his energy into learning more from Josei Toda and became his most trusted disciple. He immersed himself in Toda’s lofty goal: to get rid of nuclear arms and secure peace and prosperity for all, to enable people to become happy.

Ikeda vowed to fulfil his mentor’s dream.

To cut a long story short, Daisaku Ikeda became a world-renowned peace builder, philosopher and author.

Small start, global impact

The organisation he built from a small Japanese beginning into a global movement for peace, culture and education based on the Buddhist principle of respect and protection of life now has over 12 million active members globally.

Ikeda consistently refers to his mentor in every aspect of his activities. As the president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), he has shown what one person can achieve if they choose the right mentor and inherit the mentor’s intention, goals and aspirations, making them their own.

We have seen all kinds of cults and masters come and go, but globally SGI has proven to be the real deal.

It is a people’s movement to protect life and enable ordinary people to become happy.

It has grown into this massive organisation because, at the heart of it, there is the shared commitment of mentor and disciple.

What has this to do with us?

Individual growth starts by accepting that we are not perfect and entitled but need to grow, show our pains and gains and know when to seek wisdom instead of being arrogant and self-serving.

The internet has given us access to all knowledge but not the wisdom to use it well.

It overflows with self-help snake oil and cheap hacks that come surprisingly costly in the long run.

Unfortunately, getting lost and not found in the digital jungle is too easy. Loneliness, mental pains and frustration are the prices we pay for following these charlatans and fake makers.

Daisaku Ikeda wrote:

“We are coming to understand that, in our information-oriented societies with their explosion of knowledge, we urgently need a matching explosion of wisdom to use that knowledge properly.”.

To seek a sincere and genuine mentor is a lifelong quest to become happy and fulfilled. It is a quest and commitment to a goal bigger than individual aspirations.

Masters are interested in their achievements. A mentor is committed to the mentee’s progress because, in that way, the bigger goals can become a reality.

In that way, the giants are born, and we can climb to their shoulders — generation after generations. In this way, we can become giants for those we help to grow.