I have no words to express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to stay at Wu Xian Miao for some time this winter. Living everyday life with a teacher who loves you, cares about you, and has insight and wisdom is very rare, very precious. What else can I say besides “thank you”? Yet, that still feels insufficient.
I came to the temple after finishing some projects back home. I had a window of open time in-between work, and I had no doubt in my mind that the place I wanted to be out of all possibilities was here. It is an incredible opportunity to be here when there aren’t classes, and there is more time for speaking and experiencing temple livelihood.
One of my aims for my time here has been to work on my Chinese, to be able to increase my ability to understand and speak with Shifu. An idiom came up on Pleco before I arrived at the temple which was fitting for my state of mind regarding Chinese: “jíyú-qiúchéng” or “impatient for success”. The night I arrived, I understood very little of what Shifu was saying. After a month of listening to conversations with Shifu with my Pleco open, studying flashcards, I’m not as lost. I am still very far from the level of proficiency which I wish for, moving much slower than I would like, but, like all things, it is a process. As I practice listening and speaking Chinese, I feel as though there are things in my mind moving in ways they haven’t before. Every language has its particular perspective on articulating, of thinking; it’s both difficult and exciting. I endeavor to be patient with myself while putting in efforts to continue my studies.
I arrived here from across the globe as new year’s preparations started, just in time for a running start to return to temple livelihood. By the end of new year’s, I was more exhausted than I had been in years. However, within that bitterness was sweetness as well. To be able to provide service to the temple and visitors after all that this second home has provided me is an honor, nothing less. Exhaustion as well has its treasures; as Shifu says, being tired to death and eating bitterness reminds us of the point of existence.
During this last week, I have been learning the water taiji form as well. After only a few days of practice, I already feel my body changing and regulating. My joints are opening and rediscovering spaces of rotation. I’ve just barely scratched the surface of the content of this form, yet its effects are tangible. I look forward to going deeper into it and one day being able to share this with others along with the qi gong from Wu Xian Miao. The content that I’ve learned here has profound effects, and I hope to be able to share at least some of it with others so that it may benefit more people and help us simultaneously elevate.
There is much more to being here besides specific content, but, again, I’m at a loss for words. How does one speak about feelings of love and gratitude? I pray that I am able to live up to the teachings, the love, the treasures I’ve received from here. Thank you.
