i'd like to share my teacher-finding expeirence with someone who are still on the way to get a master's instruction. i don't know how this thing's going abroad, all my knowledge are limited in China.
i have two taiji masters,one can be called as sifu, one can't. because sifu and teacher are totally different. it's also the same difference between student and tudi. in common understanding, if you are a tudi, you have a chance to be taught the key parts of MA from sifu, but if you are not, you are not even accepted by your master. so in CMA, there are so-called "indoor" and "outdoor". in teaching outdoor student, masters like to teach as many as possible at the same time. but in indoor teaching, masters shall teach only one or two students hand-by-hand each time. chinese idiom says "being a sifu in one day is being the father for whole life".
being a tudi of my sifu is a long way. my sifu likes to spend his morning in public park and drink some tea. i have asked him to accept me as a tudi, he refused at first but allowed me to follow him learning taiji. so every time when i had spare time in the morning, i went to the park. i always arrived there at least 1hour before he arrived and did what he has taught me. when he arrived, most of time he didn't give me any instruction. he just sat and chat with others and drank tea. he only gave me some instructions once or two each time. several months later, he led me to his sifu who are the grandmaster in local area. no test, no push hand, just talk. i think i have passed that exam. but my sifu still closed his door in front of me. after 1 year's test, he accepted my Koutow and a cup of tea i hand over to him. at the time, i have the right to call him sifu. from then on, i started to know the internal parts of taiji. it's different from what i learnt before i became his tudi. i am still on the way to be accepted as a tudi by the other taiji master.
i wish you all could be accepted as a tudi of your master.
i have two taiji masters,one can be called as sifu, one can't. because sifu and teacher are totally different. it's also the same difference between student and tudi. in common understanding, if you are a tudi, you have a chance to be taught the key parts of MA from sifu, but if you are not, you are not even accepted by your master. so in CMA, there are so-called "indoor" and "outdoor". in teaching outdoor student, masters like to teach as many as possible at the same time. but in indoor teaching, masters shall teach only one or two students hand-by-hand each time. chinese idiom says "being a sifu in one day is being the father for whole life".
being a tudi of my sifu is a long way. my sifu likes to spend his morning in public park and drink some tea. i have asked him to accept me as a tudi, he refused at first but allowed me to follow him learning taiji. so every time when i had spare time in the morning, i went to the park. i always arrived there at least 1hour before he arrived and did what he has taught me. when he arrived, most of time he didn't give me any instruction. he just sat and chat with others and drank tea. he only gave me some instructions once or two each time. several months later, he led me to his sifu who are the grandmaster in local area. no test, no push hand, just talk. i think i have passed that exam. but my sifu still closed his door in front of me. after 1 year's test, he accepted my Koutow and a cup of tea i hand over to him. at the time, i have the right to call him sifu. from then on, i started to know the internal parts of taiji. it's different from what i learnt before i became his tudi. i am still on the way to be accepted as a tudi by the other taiji master.
i wish you all could be accepted as a tudi of your master.
