SHOWING
RESPECT TO THE MASTER
An art
is best learnt in its culture. One remarkable difference between the
culture of the east and the west is the respect shown to a master.
In this connection I have little complaint because my students, from
both the east and the west, generally show much respect to me. But
I have met many eastern masters commenting on the lack of respect,
sometimes utter disrespect, shown to them.
Often
it is because of the western students' ignorance of eastern ways rather
than their wilful discourtesy that their eastern masters of Qigong
or Kung Fu (including taijiquan) regard as disrespect. The following
are some simple and helpful points both eastern and western students
may follow to show the respect deservedly due to their masters.
Addressing
the Master Correctly
First
of all you must know how to address your master correctly, something
which many western students are ignorant of. Never, never, never call
your master by his name, especially if he comes from a eastern culture.
In some western societies it may be considered personal and desirable
to call your senior or even your boss by his first name, but in Qigong
or Kung Fu culture it is considered extremely rude.
It is
worthwhile to remember that your master is not your peer or equal.
Your master is at least one, but usually many levels above you, otherwise
he cannot and should not be your master. The proper way to address
your Qigong or Kung Fu master is "Sifu", which is the Cantonese dialect
of the Chinese language for "Master". The Mandrin pronunciation is
"Shifu".
Actually
if a great master answers you when you call him "Sifu", you are, not
he is, honoured; it shows he accepts you as a student. (I always felt
greatly honoured whenever I called my masters Lai Chin Wah and Ho
Fatt Nam "Sifu", because they were two of the greatest masters I had
found.)
If your
master's surname is Chen, you should call him "Sifu", or "Master"
if you want to sound western, but strictly speaking not "Sifu Chen"
or "Master Chen" for that is the address the public, not his students,
would call him. If you call him "Sifu Chen" or "Master Chen" you are
distancing yourself from him.
Showing
Propriety
Besides
showing propriety in your address, you should also show propriety
in your behaviour. Do not, for example, put your hand around him,
pat him on his shoulder, or hug him -- leave that to his wife, which
following eastern social etiquette is also only done in private.
When
you stand or sit in front of or near him, hold yourself upright. You
need not stand at attention like a private in front of his sergeant
major, but you should not stand sloppily, with arms akimbo or hands
in your pockets. When you sit do not cross your legs with a foot pointing
at him, or expose your groins to him even though they are hidden by
your pants.
It is
only sensible that you should listen when your master speaks, especially
if he is explaining some points. Yet, it is not uncommon to find some
adult students (male as well as female) lying on the floor, sometimes
with their hands folded at the back of their head, their eyes close
and their legs open in an inviting position! This shows not so much
a disrespect to the master, but an utter lack of good manners on the
part of the students.
Entering
and leaving a class It is also bad manners to arrive at your class
late. In the past in the east, late students would be asked to go
home, or to leave permanently if they were late habitually. The logic
is simple: the master has something invaluable to offer; if you come
late you tacitly show that you do not value his teaching. But if there
is a valid reason for your being late, you should first greet him
from the door, walk quietly but briskly to him, respectfully wait
if he is pre-occupied, then explain your reason and apologize.
On the
other hand, you should wait patiently if the master is late -- even
for hours! If you think this is unfair, you are probably not ripe
for great arts. There are stories of great masters who purposely arrived
late, not for hours but for days, and then passed on their secrets
to the few wise, patient students. Although it seldom happens nowadays,
it will reflect a splendid grasp of Qigong and Kung Fu culture if
you and your classmates stop whatever you are doing, stand up respectfully,
bow and greet your master as he comes in.
Do not
leave your class half-way. But if you have to leave early for some
reason, explain that to your master before-hand and politely ask his
permission. At the appointed time, ask his permission again, then
bow and thank him before leaving. At the end of a class, the students
should leave after the master, not before he does. However, if the
master stays back for a considerable length of time, such as explaining
some points to some students who stay behind to ask him, other students
may leave first, after bowing to the master.
In the
east, it is customary for the teacher to arrive last and leave first.
Interestingly, it is often the reverse in the west. The teacher, western
in culture if not in race, often arrives the earliest, sweeps the
floor and prepares cookies and drinks which he will serve during recess
to his students, who will joke and laugh. At the end of the class,
the teacher will stand at the door, shake the students' hands and
thank them for their attendance. He will then throw away the garbage
his students have left behind if he still has energy left, and check
that everyone has gone home before he closes the door.
Offering
a cup of tea
In eastern
culture it is always the students who offer drinks to the teacher.
When you offer your master a cup of tea, it is preferable to do so
with two hands. In eastern societies, accepting a cup of tea and drinking
it has deeper significance than merely quenching thirst.
In the
past, even if someone had done you great wrong, if he or she offered
you a cup of tea, usually while kneeling down and then knocking his
or her head on the ground, and you, sitting down in front of other
witnesses, accepted and drank it, it meant that you accepted his or
her apology, were ready to forgive all the wrong, and would not take
any action whatsoever in future.
The students
should also offer a seat to the master, and the seat chosen is usually
the best one available. If the master is not seated, the students
should remain standing, unless the master asks them to sit down. If
they dine together, the students would wait until the master has made
his first move to eat or drink.
Don't
be Insulting
When
your master is explaining or demonstrating something to you, listen
attentively and respectfully. Do not bluntly say you already know
what he is teaching, even if you really know. In Qigong and Kung Fu
culture, doing so is not being straight-forward, it is being insulting
-- you are implying that the master does not know what he is doing.
I recall
some occasions when my masters taught me something that I already
had learnt quite well. Thanks to my training in eastern culture, I
followed their instructions faithfully although they appeared very
simple and below my level then. Only much later did I realize that
had I not follow these apparently simple instructions I would not
have acquired the foundation necessary for advanced development.
Do not
ever make the fatal mistake of telling a master what or how to teach
you. This is not only unbecoming, it is also very foolish, for you
will be denying yourself the very purpose why you need him. If he
is a master, he knows best what and how to help you attain your best
results; he is able to see your needs and development in ways far
beyond your limited perspective.
For
the Students' Interest
Some
westerners may find the above-described master-student relationship
odd, just as those accustomed to eastern culture would find the behaviour
of some western students unbelievable. It may be more surprising,
especially for those who think they are doing the master a favour
by paying him a fee to learn, to know that all these customs of respect
for the master are actually for the students', not the master's, interest.
Someone
who teaches Kung Fu dance or gentle exercise for a living will probably
care more for your fees than your respect, but a master whose art
gives you good health, vitality, mental freshness and spiritual joy
actually does not care whether you respect him more or your dog. But
those students who have experienced the wonderful benefits of genuine
Kung Fu and Qigong will understand that the respect given to the master
is not only a sincere token of appreciation to the master for sharing
his art, but also constitutes an ideal psychological state for the
training to take place.