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A Kung Fu Lesson
buschmaster
Member Posts: 14,229 ✭✭✭
It was the year 620, at the very beginning of the Tang dynasty, when Yuan went from his home near Shuang-Ya-Shan to the mountains of Pataling to live in the monastery where the great master Jang resided. Yuan arrived late in the day, when the sun was setting a golden red among the hills. He was shown by one of the monks to a small room which was to be his and given two buns stuffed with noodles for supper. Then the monk left Yuan and silence descended on the monastery for the night. He ate one of the buns and drank some cool water he found in a jug in the corner of the room. Then, hearing no sound and knowing how late it was, he at once curled up on the straw mat he found against one wall and went to sleep.
He awoke the next morning very early, for his family had been in the habit of rising with the sun. Going into the corridor of his room, he saw monks walking by, all silent and apparently with some place to go. No one spoke to him. He waited in his room for almost an hour, but no one came to look after him. Finally Yuan went back into the hall again and, taking his cue from the monks, set off down the hall to the great room he had been brought through the night before on first entering the monastery.
There were lighted torches in the great hall, for the few windows seemed to let in very little light. The monks stood in groups of two or three, talking in low tones so that not even the murmur of so many voices filled the hall with any sound.
Yuan saw how the monks approached each other. One walked up to another, each gave a small bow of the head, and then they began to talk. Yuan saw a monk leave a group of three and head in his direction. Yuan approached him and, stopping in front of the monk, he bowed his head and spoke in the lowest tone he could muster.
"Excuse me, sir, my name is Yuan and I know not what I am to do."
The monk, an older man with a colm face, looked down at Yuan and did not speak for a moment. Then he said, "For today, just walk around and see where you have come." With that he walked off, leaving Yuan on his own.
Yuan remained in the hall for a while, watching the monks come and go, but no one else came near him or spoke to him. So he set off down the hall to see the rest of the monastery. He came to a sunny garden full of flowers and a great lawn that stretched off toward the hills. On the lawn were young men, a few years older than Yuan, practicing kung fu excercises with great precision. Near them were some boys, Yuan's own age, squatting on the ground and watching.
Yuan made his way through the garden and went to where the boys were sitting. He too squatted and watched the older boys at their lessons. The older boys finished and started back toward the moastery and the younger boys followed them. Yuan didn't know if he should go with them, and, the garden being so beautiful, he decided to stay a while and enjoy the fragrance of the flowers. As he walked through the garden, he noticed that the monks often came into the garden and went to a particular spot where they knelt for a moment, then went back inside. This made Yuan curious, and when there was no one around, he went to the spot and knelt in imitation of the monks. In front of him was a tiny jade statue. He did not know what it meant, but he found the object almost glowed with the perfection of its carving and the love that had gone into rubbing it by hand to its brilliant luster. Yuan had noticed that the monks did not stay long at the spot, so he stood up and once again began to walk in the garden.
He noticed the sun was now high in the sky, and he was thirsty and hungry. Remembering the bun in his room, he started back for it. On his way he saw several monks, and now that he was more accustomed to the sight of them, he noticed how they all walked with quick, short steps, moving very rapidly toward their destinations. Yuan tried walking that way, and found that it was not so easy as it looked. Once in his room, he found a cup of tea that had been set in one corner with a plate of raw noodles. He sipped the tea, enjoying the sharp jasmine flavor, and ate the noodles.
The afternoon was spent again walking around. He followed the group of monks, practicing their quick step, and found many peaceful placed where men sat in contemplation. These monks did not move, but sat very still, their eyes almost closed. Yuan wondered what they could be thinking about that kept them in such a silent pose. He tried to sit as they did and closed his eyes. But he became uncomfortable after a while and thought to himself that it would be many years before he could think of such great things that he could keep as still as the monks.
Very late in the day everyone seemed to disappear and, judging from his stomach, Yuan thought it must be suppertime. He went back to his room and found a plate of food awaiting him. There was not a sound in the hall, it was quiet as the night before, and soon he fell asleep.
Yuan was just waking up the next morning when a monk came into his room. He placed a bun and some tea on Yuan's plate.
"Come, eat this now, for you must be with master Jang very soon," said the monk, moving to the door and waiting. Yuan got up fropm the straw mat and ate his breakfast as quickly as possible, then went to the monk at the door. The monk turned and walked off down the hall, Yuan following close behind, once again trying to walk with the monk's quick step. They went through the great hall down anothe rcorridor parallel to the one Yuan lived on. Soon they came to a door where the monk stopped; he motioned for Yuan to enter.
The room was much like Yuan's, but in the middle of it sat an old man who seemed to have the same glow that the jade statue in the garden had. This was master Jang. Yuan entered and bowed his head. Master Jang motioned for him to be seated on the floor in front of him. Yuan looked at the master as he did so, and saw a face that looked old and wise as well as very kind. He wasn't afraid of the master, but felt a deep respect for him and hoped that he could serve him as well as learn from him.
"Welcome, Yuan, to your new home," said the master in a deep and warm voice. "What did you learn on your first day with us?"
"I have only seen where I am and what others do," said Yuan, not knowing how else to answer the question.
"Yes, that you have," said the master. "But you want to grow up too quickly."
"Master?" said Yuan in a questioning voice, not sure what the master had meant.
The master smiled and said, " Did you not go into the hall yesterday and learn how to bow before you spoke, did you not kneel in the garden in front of the statue, did yo unot try to walk like the monks in the hall?"
Yuan felt confused. "Yes, master."
The master nodded his head.
"Have I done wrong?" asked Yuan.
"No, you have done both right and wrong. It is good to be curious. Every good student must want to know what is around him. But you must not walk side by side with your elders. You must not imitate them for the sake of being like them. That is not to seek improvement; that is to grow up too quickly. You will grow up soon enough, so go now and spend your second day not trying to be like those around you, but trying to understand what you see."
With that the master stopped speaking. Yuan stood up and started to bow his head as he had seen the monks do the day before, but stopped. After all, that was not the way at home with his father. Instead, he moved quietly to the door and went out into the hall. As he turned, he caught sight of the master once more, and the master smiled. Yuan had learned his first lesson.
He awoke the next morning very early, for his family had been in the habit of rising with the sun. Going into the corridor of his room, he saw monks walking by, all silent and apparently with some place to go. No one spoke to him. He waited in his room for almost an hour, but no one came to look after him. Finally Yuan went back into the hall again and, taking his cue from the monks, set off down the hall to the great room he had been brought through the night before on first entering the monastery.
There were lighted torches in the great hall, for the few windows seemed to let in very little light. The monks stood in groups of two or three, talking in low tones so that not even the murmur of so many voices filled the hall with any sound.
Yuan saw how the monks approached each other. One walked up to another, each gave a small bow of the head, and then they began to talk. Yuan saw a monk leave a group of three and head in his direction. Yuan approached him and, stopping in front of the monk, he bowed his head and spoke in the lowest tone he could muster.
"Excuse me, sir, my name is Yuan and I know not what I am to do."
The monk, an older man with a colm face, looked down at Yuan and did not speak for a moment. Then he said, "For today, just walk around and see where you have come." With that he walked off, leaving Yuan on his own.
Yuan remained in the hall for a while, watching the monks come and go, but no one else came near him or spoke to him. So he set off down the hall to see the rest of the monastery. He came to a sunny garden full of flowers and a great lawn that stretched off toward the hills. On the lawn were young men, a few years older than Yuan, practicing kung fu excercises with great precision. Near them were some boys, Yuan's own age, squatting on the ground and watching.
Yuan made his way through the garden and went to where the boys were sitting. He too squatted and watched the older boys at their lessons. The older boys finished and started back toward the moastery and the younger boys followed them. Yuan didn't know if he should go with them, and, the garden being so beautiful, he decided to stay a while and enjoy the fragrance of the flowers. As he walked through the garden, he noticed that the monks often came into the garden and went to a particular spot where they knelt for a moment, then went back inside. This made Yuan curious, and when there was no one around, he went to the spot and knelt in imitation of the monks. In front of him was a tiny jade statue. He did not know what it meant, but he found the object almost glowed with the perfection of its carving and the love that had gone into rubbing it by hand to its brilliant luster. Yuan had noticed that the monks did not stay long at the spot, so he stood up and once again began to walk in the garden.
He noticed the sun was now high in the sky, and he was thirsty and hungry. Remembering the bun in his room, he started back for it. On his way he saw several monks, and now that he was more accustomed to the sight of them, he noticed how they all walked with quick, short steps, moving very rapidly toward their destinations. Yuan tried walking that way, and found that it was not so easy as it looked. Once in his room, he found a cup of tea that had been set in one corner with a plate of raw noodles. He sipped the tea, enjoying the sharp jasmine flavor, and ate the noodles.
The afternoon was spent again walking around. He followed the group of monks, practicing their quick step, and found many peaceful placed where men sat in contemplation. These monks did not move, but sat very still, their eyes almost closed. Yuan wondered what they could be thinking about that kept them in such a silent pose. He tried to sit as they did and closed his eyes. But he became uncomfortable after a while and thought to himself that it would be many years before he could think of such great things that he could keep as still as the monks.
Very late in the day everyone seemed to disappear and, judging from his stomach, Yuan thought it must be suppertime. He went back to his room and found a plate of food awaiting him. There was not a sound in the hall, it was quiet as the night before, and soon he fell asleep.
Yuan was just waking up the next morning when a monk came into his room. He placed a bun and some tea on Yuan's plate.
"Come, eat this now, for you must be with master Jang very soon," said the monk, moving to the door and waiting. Yuan got up fropm the straw mat and ate his breakfast as quickly as possible, then went to the monk at the door. The monk turned and walked off down the hall, Yuan following close behind, once again trying to walk with the monk's quick step. They went through the great hall down anothe rcorridor parallel to the one Yuan lived on. Soon they came to a door where the monk stopped; he motioned for Yuan to enter.
The room was much like Yuan's, but in the middle of it sat an old man who seemed to have the same glow that the jade statue in the garden had. This was master Jang. Yuan entered and bowed his head. Master Jang motioned for him to be seated on the floor in front of him. Yuan looked at the master as he did so, and saw a face that looked old and wise as well as very kind. He wasn't afraid of the master, but felt a deep respect for him and hoped that he could serve him as well as learn from him.
"Welcome, Yuan, to your new home," said the master in a deep and warm voice. "What did you learn on your first day with us?"
"I have only seen where I am and what others do," said Yuan, not knowing how else to answer the question.
"Yes, that you have," said the master. "But you want to grow up too quickly."
"Master?" said Yuan in a questioning voice, not sure what the master had meant.
The master smiled and said, " Did you not go into the hall yesterday and learn how to bow before you spoke, did you not kneel in the garden in front of the statue, did yo unot try to walk like the monks in the hall?"
Yuan felt confused. "Yes, master."
The master nodded his head.
"Have I done wrong?" asked Yuan.
"No, you have done both right and wrong. It is good to be curious. Every good student must want to know what is around him. But you must not walk side by side with your elders. You must not imitate them for the sake of being like them. That is not to seek improvement; that is to grow up too quickly. You will grow up soon enough, so go now and spend your second day not trying to be like those around you, but trying to understand what you see."
With that the master stopped speaking. Yuan stood up and started to bow his head as he had seen the monks do the day before, but stopped. After all, that was not the way at home with his father. Instead, he moved quietly to the door and went out into the hall. As he turned, he caught sight of the master once more, and the master smiled. Yuan had learned his first lesson.
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