Spring 2008
02/05/08 17:43 Filed in:
News
It has been just over three years that Cloud
Mountain Martial Arts and Wellness Centre has
been at this location. As predicted, it seems
that is about the length of time it takes for
people to start acknowledging the existence of a
new business. People are now coming in and asking
how long we have been here, invariably to be
surprised that they didn't notice us sooner.
When people do come in, however, they realise
that they know more about us than they thought.
Word of mouth advertising has been working far
better than anything we could have paid for.
People who know about us do talk about us and
recommend us to their friends and family. After
three years in one location, the neighbours might
not know exactly where we are. But they know what
we do.
The word isn't just spreading around town,
either. It is spreading around the world. We have
already had visitors from the USA, Europe, Japan
and Australia come by to visit and to train. And
with the online classes allowing us to teach
around the world, making an appointment for a
private lesson is almost as easy for a European
as it is for an Orillian.
I find the international interest in what I do to
be very flattering. We all know that there are
many masters out there more famous than I am,
with better skill and experience than I have. But
for some students, my teaching method and
knowledge base seems to work for them. I know
that not every teacher is right for every
student, and not every student is right for every
teacher. But when there is a functional rapport,
it is like destiny. (緣分
yuánfèn)
I
am learning to trust destiny. It has been working
out well for me so far. Some students will not
like what I have to offer, and I turn some
students away if I think there is a better
teacher for them. I trust that they will find
what is right for them, and I will find the right
students for me.
For, when a student does find that this school is
for them, I take it as a solemn responsibility to
be as generous and fair with them as my teachers
have been with me. Masters Liang and Masich, in
particular, were never shy about giving me the
best teaching at the appropriate time. I was
sometimes a terrible student, and sometimes
disrespectful, selfish and lazy. But they never
gave up on me. And while I may not have done all
that I could to earn the respect they have shown
me, I can certainly try to learn from their
example.
So, Cloud Mountain Martial Arts and Wellness
Centre enters a new phase. I re-affirm my
dedication to my students. I will do the best I
can to gain knowledge, to share knowledge, and to
be the best teacher I can be. I will continue to
teach not just to pass on the physical, mental
and emotional skills of the internal arts, but to
seek internal and external balance, harmony and
peace. I will do what I can to make the World a
better place, one person at a time.
