A little more than 60 days and over 120 hours - that’s the approximate amount of time it has taken to learn 200 Taiji Chen moves. After about 15 minutes of discussion (in Chinese), my fellow student’s of Kung Fu and I had decided to take our Shifu to dinner. It was actually a very simple conversation that would have taken no more than one minute had we been able to speak the same language. Chinese people are very patient and if you have ever spent time trying to speak Chinese with them when you don’t actually speak Chinese, you know what I am talking about. Lucky for me, I have great friends and one in particular has been very helpful to me and her English name is Elle. Elle has decided to make an effort to develop a more strict sleep schedule which has resulted in joining me in the park a few days a week. She does not study the Taiji but has, little by little, gotten to know some of the people I meet with in the morning and she has been the most helpful in bridging a communication barrier between us all. I asked her to come the next morning to talk with the co-Shifu about the dinner we were to have that night and this resulted with her being invited to come to the dinner and help translate. Like I said, the patience is incredible. So is the care that Chinese people apply to their friends.
We arrived at the restaurant via taxi and were both quite amazed at the fanciful exterior of the place. It was quite palace-esque. We were greeted at the door by the co-Shifu whose name I’ll keep protected. We went up to a private room where the Shifu was with the three other students and we all exchanged gifts and took pictures. I must say I was so relieved that Elle was there otherwise the night would have been terribly awkward because none of these folks speak any English beside, “OK!” That is completely understandable too. Why should they learn any English, they are Chinese. To start the night, Elle asked the table if I could send up a blessing as part of sharing my tradition and they were more than willing to participate in a little grace. The night proceeded with toasts and lots of food. This is the most fancy dinner I’ve ever had in China…maybe the most fancy dinner I’ve ever had. Every step of the way Elle would quietly teach me traditional table etiquette seconds before execution - “Lower your glass”, “Stand up”, “Serve Shifu food before yourself”, “Now it is your turn to toast”, “Say thank you”, “Say thank you again”, “You really need to keep your glass lower than his when there is a toast.” At the end of the night everyone in the room complimented me for how respectful I am and expressed how impressed they were with my knowledge of Chinese table etiquette. Little did they know I was learning all of these things literally as they were happening so I think I must have looked quite awkward holding my glass high in the air at a toast and then immediately lowering it back down after a sharp murmur from Elle. I must have seemed like I was teasing my Shifu at times as I almost dropped food on my plate and then rerouted my chopsticks to place the food on his plate after Elle jabbed me in the side. From my perspective (and the hidden camera that should have been in the room), the evening was rather comical and a whole lot of fun and learning.
Throughout the night my Shifu and co-Shifu complimented me because I am the first foreigner to actually stick with them. They told me that they were honored and respected me for my commitment. Shifu said that it was destiny that brought us together because, in his own words, what are the chances of our two worlds colliding like this? He knows my faith and went on to say that this destiny must be the Father above. Shifu told me that we didn’t speak the same language but we understand each other very well because we both want to help people and share happiness with them… I think I hid it well, but I was fighting back tears. I wonder if I am any of these things. Am I a committed person? Do I really trust in the Father’s will? Do I truly want to help people and share happiness with them? I felt unworthy to sit in the seat of honor next to my Shifu. He doesn’t see all of my flaws and insecurities. I thought of these things as I tried to fall asleep last night and it occurred to me that if there are two people and they can only communicate through action without words, they are, in some little way, using the heart language. I believe that we will act on that which is truly in our hearts. So, perhaps the things that Shifu shared with me are true and I am just critical to accept some basics about who I am. Either way, I was very humbled to be respected by a person I have grown to respect so much.
Naturally, the deeper parts of my thoughts have been tying this experience to my faith. We can talk all day trying to convince ourselves that we are something that we are not. In the end, it doesn’t matter what you have been able to logically prove or disprove about life and about yourself. Action is the only real indicator of what one thinks. Action is the only thing that proves conviction. Action will always reveal the heart because the heart propels action. Sometimes it will be extremely difficult to get up out of bed everyday (especially if it’s at 4am), but you have to get up, you have to show up and you have to do what you believe is right and good. When the heart is convicted of truth the conscience will hold you to that standard and doing anything less is wrong. I have learned many lessons the past 60+ days, but none is greater than the one that the Father is teaching me everyday – have faith and all this getting up, practicing the steps and learning with others; all this commitment, it will all pay off in the end when you are sitting in the seat of honor and you are thought of, not for all your failures, but for your actions to do and be that which is right.
~Johnny Young
We arrived at the restaurant via taxi and were both quite amazed at the fanciful exterior of the place. It was quite palace-esque. We were greeted at the door by the co-Shifu whose name I’ll keep protected. We went up to a private room where the Shifu was with the three other students and we all exchanged gifts and took pictures. I must say I was so relieved that Elle was there otherwise the night would have been terribly awkward because none of these folks speak any English beside, “OK!” That is completely understandable too. Why should they learn any English, they are Chinese. To start the night, Elle asked the table if I could send up a blessing as part of sharing my tradition and they were more than willing to participate in a little grace. The night proceeded with toasts and lots of food. This is the most fancy dinner I’ve ever had in China…maybe the most fancy dinner I’ve ever had. Every step of the way Elle would quietly teach me traditional table etiquette seconds before execution - “Lower your glass”, “Stand up”, “Serve Shifu food before yourself”, “Now it is your turn to toast”, “Say thank you”, “Say thank you again”, “You really need to keep your glass lower than his when there is a toast.” At the end of the night everyone in the room complimented me for how respectful I am and expressed how impressed they were with my knowledge of Chinese table etiquette. Little did they know I was learning all of these things literally as they were happening so I think I must have looked quite awkward holding my glass high in the air at a toast and then immediately lowering it back down after a sharp murmur from Elle. I must have seemed like I was teasing my Shifu at times as I almost dropped food on my plate and then rerouted my chopsticks to place the food on his plate after Elle jabbed me in the side. From my perspective (and the hidden camera that should have been in the room), the evening was rather comical and a whole lot of fun and learning.
Throughout the night my Shifu and co-Shifu complimented me because I am the first foreigner to actually stick with them. They told me that they were honored and respected me for my commitment. Shifu said that it was destiny that brought us together because, in his own words, what are the chances of our two worlds colliding like this? He knows my faith and went on to say that this destiny must be the Father above. Shifu told me that we didn’t speak the same language but we understand each other very well because we both want to help people and share happiness with them… I think I hid it well, but I was fighting back tears. I wonder if I am any of these things. Am I a committed person? Do I really trust in the Father’s will? Do I truly want to help people and share happiness with them? I felt unworthy to sit in the seat of honor next to my Shifu. He doesn’t see all of my flaws and insecurities. I thought of these things as I tried to fall asleep last night and it occurred to me that if there are two people and they can only communicate through action without words, they are, in some little way, using the heart language. I believe that we will act on that which is truly in our hearts. So, perhaps the things that Shifu shared with me are true and I am just critical to accept some basics about who I am. Either way, I was very humbled to be respected by a person I have grown to respect so much.
Naturally, the deeper parts of my thoughts have been tying this experience to my faith. We can talk all day trying to convince ourselves that we are something that we are not. In the end, it doesn’t matter what you have been able to logically prove or disprove about life and about yourself. Action is the only real indicator of what one thinks. Action is the only thing that proves conviction. Action will always reveal the heart because the heart propels action. Sometimes it will be extremely difficult to get up out of bed everyday (especially if it’s at 4am), but you have to get up, you have to show up and you have to do what you believe is right and good. When the heart is convicted of truth the conscience will hold you to that standard and doing anything less is wrong. I have learned many lessons the past 60+ days, but none is greater than the one that the Father is teaching me everyday – have faith and all this getting up, practicing the steps and learning with others; all this commitment, it will all pay off in the end when you are sitting in the seat of honor and you are thought of, not for all your failures, but for your actions to do and be that which is right.
~Johnny Young