Customarily, the traditional Chinese skills available to us today were passed down within generations of family only – direct descendants and offspring, grandchildren, and nephews and nieces. ‘Outsiders’ were simply not taught at all. So, most skills remained “family skills” exclusively, and kept secret, away from the prying eyes of the general public, or the masses. For almost four hundred years, Taijiquan remained closely guarded within the confines of Chenjiagou (Chen family village), and Shaolin Kungfu skill remained solely within its temple walls.
The primary reason for this secrecy lay with survival – both of the keepers and the skill itself. If a unique skill belonged solely to one family, that family would retain a distinct advantage over rivals. In the case of the Chen family, their original Taijiquan skill enabled them to defend their village from raids and pillages by invaders on numerous occasions, and also earned them great renown as bodyguards and security details for transporting valuables and escorting individuals across bandit country. If all outside parties knew this skill, with the playing field leveled, advantage would be lost, both on the battlefield and in the market place.
Passing on a valuable skill demanded trust and loyalty. In teaching a son or daughter, this was never in doubt. Inheritors or standard-bearers were charged with shouldering the responsibility of carrying on the skill for the next generation, and took this very seriously. They had to work hard to preserve what the past generations had achieved, but also to improve upon, refine, and take the skill to the next level. Additionally, they had to find, select, and train the next inheritor. When Grandmaster Yang Meijun (of Kunlun Dayan Qigong), was chosen by her grandfather to be the 27th generation inheritor, at the age of thirteen, she was made to swear an oath not to divulge the skill to anyone before the age of 70 (!), as was the tradition within that lineage. And for many centuries, it was handed down only to one person.
Outsiders, on the other hand, with no genuine connection or sense of loyalty and responsibility to the family and ancestors, could not be trusted to work hard, to complete their studies, or care about maintaining standards. Once they had acquired what they wanted, they could not be trusted not to exploit the skill for their own gains – to teach disingenuously, without permission, authorization or certification. They could not be trusted to refrain from changing, modifying or diluting the skill to suit the physical condition or limitations of the general population, to accelerate the training process for those that lack patience and seek the easy path (avoiding to “taste bitter”), and teaching the very people that the ancients would never have permitted to learn or have accepted as students. Once a traditional skill becomes overly simplified (especially by those with only low-level superficial understanding) it loses its ‘essence’; that very quality that made it so valuable and important in the first place. Once it is disseminated among the masses then lineage and family no longer exist, or even matter. The revised simplified Chinese skills today would definitely not have passed scrutiny with masters from ancient times, and certainly not warranted any sworn oaths to protect them!
With the passing of time, and the need to find work, skilled masters began to travel away from family, and hometown, and when they settled, gradually they began to open up their skills to outsiders. They had a responsibility to pass on their knowledge, or else it died with them! But, still, they would not just teach anyone that just happened along. From centuries ago to the latter part of the past century, if one were not blood-related, he would have to have been known to the teacher (like a neighbor, close family friend, or even local tradesman). Failing to meet these criteria, he would need to have been personally introduced by a known and trusted connection, to vouch for the prospective student’s character. The person giving the recommendation could lose his reputation and good standing were he to recommend someone that proved to be disrespectful, arrogant, disloyal, dishonest, or brought shame to the teacher or family name. Without connections, then it was actually very hard for a person to come to study, though not impossible. (Where this is a will, there is always a way!) This would be a test of ingenuity. He would have needed to make a grand gesture or lasting impression, to stand out and convince the teacher that accepting him would be mutually beneficial. This might have included bringing gifts every class, without expecting to participate, or showing up to class after repeatedly having been told, “Come back tomorrow”, only to wait around again without being taught anything at all, until, at last, being invited to join the group. Even then, initially, the teacher would not likely teach the student himself – that task given to a senior, during a period of observation. The original ‘waiting period’ served to ‘separate the wheat from the chaff’, as the very qualities needed to be a student were being tested – patience, endurance, perseverance, hunger, passion, commitment, sincerity, generosity, humility etc. A student that failed to return after only a few rejections would likely abandon studies at the first obstacle, hardship, or disappointment, if he had been accepted too readily. This saved the teacher time and energy, which really was/ is too valuable to waste on weak-willed individuals that would undoubtedly and inevitably prove a futile endeavor. Contrast this with today whereby anyone can show up to a class with full expectation of being taught by merely paying the fee, without reservations, conditions or limitations. In some cases, they may even learn for free, as a service provided by their corporation, community center, fitness club, or local library, which requires even less sacrifice, value, and appreciation. Most, however, will not be learning any ancient or complete systems, but more likely just the modern, simplified and condensed versions of these. For example, the world’s most popular Taijiquan – Simplified Yang 24-Step Form – was, in fact, created in 1956 by the Chinese Sports Committee and promoted avidly by The People’s Republic of China, for general exercise. And, the most widely practiced Qigong form – Shibashi (or 18 Movement Taiji Qigong) – was actually created in 1979! Compare this with the Kunlun Dayan Qigong system that is almost 1,900 years old! Actually, there is no comparison.
In learning these modern versions, within more informal settings, the traditional relationship between teacher and student is diminished too, if not non-existent. Unlike the more paternal role of traditional Sifu, and close relationship between teacher and student, the modern teacher functions more like a group leader, class instructor, or coach at best, and the student tends to view the teacher more as an equal and friend, or paid servant, with no sense of respect, duty, obligation or loyalty. In the past (and still today), calling a teacher “Sifu” not only denoted respect, but also implied a closer relationship, like family. “Laoshi” is another word for teacher, and a respectful way to address a master, but it is a little more formal and distant. It was an honor to call the teacher, “Sifu”, not an obligation (as some no doubt see it) as it meant you had good fortune to have been accepted. The traditional teacher passed on all the traditions, philosophy, ethics, wisdom and culture that he had learned from his Sifu. This was a more rounded education and not just the instruction in the external form, which is all that many Westerners manage to acquire today, mostly because that is all their teacher may have been taught and know himself. And, surprisingly, that is all a great many people want to learn! A lot of the deeper knowledge (not found in books or shared in forums on-line) is often exchanged outside of class time, during informal gatherings such as over meals and tea. The teacher, seeing good potential in certain students, has a vested interest in those students’ development, ensuring that they acquire the skill correctly, in its entirety, and maintain the standard to pass on for the future generations, as they are the fruits of that teacher’s efforts and hold the key to the future of the family lineage.
– Adam Wallace