*Ceni svog učitelja borilačkih veština*

* Sifu Wong Kiew Kit*

Veština se najbolje uči u okrilju pripadajuće kulture. Jedna veoma značajna razlika između kulture Istoka i Zapada je način kako se pokazuje da ceniš svog učitelja. Vezano za ovo mogu da kažem da ja lično nemam primedbi, jer moji studenti i sa Istoka i sa Zapada pokazuju da me veoma cene. Ali sreo sam mnogo majstora sa Istoka koji se žale na nedostatak pažnje, ponekad čak i nepažnju koja im se iskazuje.

Često je to zbog toga što učenici ne poznaju dovoljno Istočni način razmišljanja, a ne zbog toga što svesno iskazuju ono što njihovi učitelji Kung fua, Ćigonga, Taiđićuana smatraju kao da ih ne cene. Sledi nekoliko jednostavnih pomoćnih tačaka koje i učenici sa Istoka i sa Zapada mogu da slede da bi pokazali koliko cene svog učitelja.

Ispravno obraćanje učitelju

Na početku treba da znate kako da se obraćate svom učitelju na pravilan način, a to je nešto što mnogi učenici sa Zapada ne znaju. Nikad, nikad, baš nikad ne zovi svog učitelja po imenu, a posebno ako dolazi sa Istoka. U nekim zapadnim društvima može se smatrati ličnim i poželjnim da starije ili čak svog šefa zovete prvim imenom, ali u Ćigong ili Kung fu kulturi, to se smatra izuzetno nepristojinim.

Važno je da se zapamti da učitelj nije tebi ravan ili jednak. Učitelj je najmanje jedan, ali obično mnogo nivoa iznad tebe, inače ne bi mogao i ne bi trebalo da bude tvoj učitelj. Ispravan način da se obraćaš Ćigong ili Kungfu učitelju je „Sifu“. To je Kantonski dijalekt kineskog jezika za „Učitelj“. Mandarinski izgovor je „Šifu“.

U stvari, ako se veliki učitelj odazove kada ga pozoveš sa Sifu, ti si a ne on, izuzetno počastvovan. To znači da te on prihvata kao učenika. Ako je prezime tvog učitelja Čen, trebalo bi da ga zoveš „Sifu“, ili „Učitelj“ ako želiš da zvučiš zapadnjački, ali precizno govoreći nikako „Sifu Čen“ ili „Učitelj Čen“, jer je to obraćanje kako bi ga okolina zvala, ali ne njegovi učenici. Ako ga zoveš „Sifu Čen“ ili „Učitelj Čen“, onda se ti udaljavaš (distanciraš) od njega.

Iskazivanje pristojnosti

Sem što iskazujete pristojnost u obraćanju, treba da pokažete i pristojonost u ponašanju. Nemojte na primer, da stavljate ruku oko ramena, da ga tapšete po ramenu, ili ga grlite – ostavite to njegovoj ženi, a to se sledeći istočne društvene običaje samo čini kad ste nasamo sa nekim.

Ako stojiš ili sediš ispred njega ili pored njega, drži se pravo. Ne treba da stojiš u uspravnom stavu kao redov ispred svog narednika, ali ne treba ni da se obesiš sa rukama koje landaraju ili su u džepovima. Kada sediš, ne prekrštaj noge tako da je stopalo istureno prema njemu, ili da su ti prepone izložene, čak ako su one sakrivene pantalonama.

Jedino je razumno da slušaš kad tvoj učitelj govori, posebno ako objašnjava neke stvari. Ipak, nije neobično da vidimo da neki stariji učenici, muški ali i ženski leže na podu, ponekad sa rukama ispod glave, sa zatvorenim očima i sa široko raskrečenim nogama u izazovnoj pozi (pozi koja zove – rđ.)! To ne samo da pokazuje prezir prema učitelju, već i potpuni nedostatak dobrih manira prema učenicima.

Dolazak na čas i napuštanje časa

Isto tako, loše je ponašanje da zakasniš na čas. U prošlosti, učenici koji kasne su bili zamoljeni da se vrate kući, ili da se udalje sa časova ako stalno kasne. Logika je jednostavna: učitelj ima nešto neprocenjivo vredno da pokaže, ako stigneš kasno, ti jasno iskazuješ da ne smatraš njegovo učenje vrednim. Ali ako postoji dobar razlog što si zakasnio, onda ga prvo pozdravi sa vrata, tiho ali odsečno dođi do njega, sa puno pažnje čekaj ako je tada zauzet, a tada objasni svoje razloge i izvini se.

Sa druge strane ako učitelj kasni, treba da čekaš strpljivo – pa i satima! Ako smatraš da on nije fer prema tebi, onda ti verovatno nisi zreo za velike veštine. Ima priča o velikim majstorima koji su namerno stizali sa zakašnjenjem, i to ne nekoliko sati već nekoliko dana i nastavili da prenose svoje tajne nekolicini mudrih i strpljivih učenika. Iako se danas to retko dešava, to bi odražavalo vanredno poznavanje Ćigong i Kungfu kulture ako bi ti i tvoji drugovi prestali da radite šta god radili, da ustanete sa puno poštovanja, naklonite se i pozdravite učitelja kad on uđe.

Ne odlazi sa pola časa. Ali ako moraš da ideš ranije iz bilo kog razloga, objasni to svom učitelju pre časa i ljubazno zamoli za dozvolu.  U nameravano vreme ponovo potraži dozvolu, nakloni se i zahvali pre nego što odeš. Na kraju časa učenici treba da izađu nakon učitelja, nikako pre njega. Ipak ako se učitelj zadrži neočekivano dugo u objašnjavanju nekih stvari učenicima koji su nešto pitali, drugi učenici mogu da odu pre, ali nakon naklona učitelju.

Na Istoku je običaj da učitelj stigne poslednji i napusti čas prvi. Interesantno, ali često je na Zapadu obrnuto. Učitelj, ako ne po rođenju (rasi – rđ.) onda po kulturi, često stiže prvi, čisti pod i sprema kolačiće i pića kojima će poslužiti učenike za vreme pauze, a koji će se smejati i zbijati šalu. Na kraju časa učitelj će stati na vrata, rukovati se sa svakim učenikom i zahvaliti što su došli. Onda će, ako mu je ostalo još malo snage, baciti đubre koje su njegovi učenici ostavili i, pre nego što zatvori vrata  proveriti da su svi otišli kući.

Nuđenje šolje čaja

Na Istoku, uvek je učenik taj koji nudi učitelja čajem. Kada nudiš čaj svom učitelju, lepo je da to činiš sa obe ruke. U istočnim društvima prihvatanje šolje čaja i njegovo ispijanje ima dublje značenje nego samo gašenje žeđi. U prošlosti, ako ti je neko učinio nešto veoma loše, pa bi ti ponudio šolju čaja, obično klečeći i potom udarajući svoju glavu o pod, a ti pred svedocima prihvatio šolju čaja i popio je, to je značilo da si prihvatio njegovo izvinjenje, spreman si da zaboraviš sve loše što ti je uradio i da nećeš ništa protiv njega raditi u budućnosti.

Učenici treba da ponude mesto za učitelja, i to mesto bi obično trebalo da bude najbolje. Ako učitelj ne sedi, učenici treba da ostanu da stoje ukoliko ih učitelj ne zamoli da sednu. Ako obeduju zajedno, učenici treba da sačekaju dok učitelj ne načini prvi pokret da jede ili pije.

Nemojte da se ponašate uvredljivo

Kada ti učitelj nešto objašnjava ili pokazuje, slušaj pažljivo i sa puno poštovanja. Nemoj odmah da kažeš da ti već znaš ono što on pokazuje, čak iako to znaš. U kulturi Ćigonga i Kungfua, to ne znači biti direktan, to je uvredljivo, ti u stvari podvlačiš da učitelj ne zna šta radi.

Sećam se nekih slučajeva kada su me učitelji učili nečemu što sam već dobro naučio. Zahvaljujući mom ranijem poznavanju istočne kulture, sledio sam njihova uputstva predano iako su izgledala veoma jednostavna i tada ispod mog nivoa. Tek mnogo kasnije sam shvatio – da nisam tada očigledno jednostavna uputstva sledio ne bih naučio osnove koje su potrebne za napredni trening.

Nemoj nikad da napraviš fatalnu grešku da kažeš svom učitelju šta ili kako da te uči. To ne samo da nije dobrodošlo, to je i veoma budalasto, jer time sam sebi poništavaš samu svrhu zbog čega ti je potreban. Ako je on učitelj, on najbolje zna šta i kako da ti pomogne da ostvariš najbolje rezultate, on je sposoban da vidi tvoje potrebe i razvoj, na način koji je daleko van tvoje ograničene perspektive.

 Sve u interesu učenika

Neki zapadnjaci mogu da kažu da je goreopisani odnos učitelj-učenik čudan, isto kao što bi oni koju su prihvatili istočnu kulturu smatrali ponašanje nekih učenika sa zapada neverovatnim. Moglo bi da bude iznenađenje, posebno za one koji misle da čine uslugu učitelju time što mu plaćaju da ih uči, da shvatiti da su svi ovi običaji kako se ceni učitelj u stvari na korist učenika, a ne učitelja.

Ako te neko uči Kungfu ples ili neku nežnu vežbu i od toga živi će verovatno više brinuti o svom prihodu nego o tome koliko ga poštuješ, ali učitelj čija veština ti donosi dobro zdravlje, vitalnost, mentalnu svežinu i duhovnu radost u stvari i ne mari da li ti više ceniš njega ili svog psa. Ali učenici koju su doživeli veličanstvene koristi prave Kungfu i Ćigong, vežbe će razumeti da to kako cene svog učitelja nije samo iskreni dokaz priznanja učitelju da on sa njim deli svoju veštinu, već to predstavlja i savršeno psihološko stanje da bi nešto i naučio.

izvor:

From: Richard Dunn <tai-chi@supanet.com>To: energeticsart@yahoogroups.com

Date: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 7:06 PM Subject: [energeticsart] Teacher Respect

 prevod sa engleskog jezika: Radiša Đorđević

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English version:

*Martial Arts Teacher Respect* *By Sifu Wong Kiew Kit* 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 willful discourtesy that their eastern masters of chi kung or kungfu (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 chi kung or kungfu 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 chi kung or kungfu master is „Sifu“, which is the Cantonese dialect of the Chinese language for „Master“. The Mandarin pronunciation is „Shifu“. Actually if a great master answers you when you call him „Sifu“, you are, not he is, honored; it shows he accepts you as a student. (I always felt greatly honored 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 behavior. 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 chi kung and kungfu 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 chi kung and kungfu 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 behavior of some western students unbelievable. It may be more surprising, especially for those who think they are doing the master a favor 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 kungfu 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 kungfu and chi kung 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.