In January, my wife and I started taking kung fu class at the Boston Shaolin Kung Fu Center. Neither of us had ever taken any kind of martial arts before or even considered the idea. But after stumbling upon their website, we were fascinated by the prospect of learning anything from such an ancient, authentic source just a few miles from our house. Suddenly and out of the blue, we became kung fu students.
The school’s instructor, Shifu Hengzhen, is a 35th generation Shaolin warrior and monk, meaning the lineage of his training can be directly traced back 35 generations, 1500 years more or less. Shifu Hengzhen was trained in Henan, China at the original Shaolin Temple, the cradle of both kung fu and Chinese (chan) Buddhism. Though he is an unassuming young man in his late 20s, Shifu is the living, breathing embodiment of centuries of tradition. There is an aura about him that speaks to this, far more than any words in his bio could.
Learning kung fu from a Shaolin monk, from this particular Shaolin monk, is both humbling and inspiring. Taking stock of it all after almost 5 months, there are “take-aways” and “ah-hah moments” for me that go beyond the athletic endeavor itself. My mind is starting to analyze these realizations much like the process of recording Lessons Learned.
Since coming to the Dana-Farber, I’ve been impressed with how committed the organization is to capturing Lessons Learned. It’s such an important way to improve processes and develop an institutional knowledge base. More and more, the practice seeps into my thinking away from work too. So it occurred to me that I might share with you here some of my own lessons learned from a shaolin monk. They are about kung fu, but of course, they are not just about kung fu.
1) Anyone could be a Shaolin Warrior
During our introductory class, we watched the other 20 or so regular students in complete awe. They were men and women of various nationalities ranging in ages 14 to 72. Some appeared quite athletic, but several were slight and seemingly frail. Before the class began, I had dismissed some as awkward bullied teens or someone’s grandpa who was allowed to hang around after a sleepy Tai Chi class. That assessment could not have been more stupidly, patronizingly wrong. Each one was an accomplished kung fu practitioner. They leapt high, kicked the air fiercely, swung swords and bamboo rods with precision and lethality. Before this moment, seeing these folks outside of class in street clothes would have meant nothing to me. Gangly teenagers and grandmas and old skinny crazy uncles in ill-fitting clothes. But no longer. I know now, the most ordinary, meek looking person could be a total Shaolin badass.
Lesson: Do Not Judge Anyone’s Capabilities by Appearances.
2) The only barrier is your mind
Kung fu is hard. To be honest, I’m not very good at it. Some of it is the failings of the body. In the beginning, my legs ached for days after each class. My left Achilles tendon is a genuine point of failure. But the biggest challenge to learning kung fu is mental. It is taught through the repetition of segmented movements that make up an entire routine. We mimic body movements and repeat steps that Shifu spoon feeds us in gradual increments each week. It’s difficult. It’s not how my wife and I have been conditioned to learn. There is no syllabus, no textbook, no illustrated reference material. There is no explanation why. But this is how it’s been done for 35 generations. Who are we to question it? We sought out this experience because it was authentic. We took the leap of faith and continued on despite frustration and uncertainty. And slowly we got better. The routines eventually stopped being a sequence of disparate steps and are now a whole unit etched in our muscles. It’s working.
Lesson: Be Open to New Modes of Learning
3) The Pants of Penultimate Reality
The pants we must wear to class are orange. Very bright orange. You might think you’ve seen bright orange, but until you see these pants, trust me you have not. The orange jumpsuits worn by criminals working on the side of the road seem demure in comparison. The unrelenting orange-ness of these orange pants makes me cringe at first pulling them from the dresser every Saturday. Yet despite my pronounced embarrassment as I walk out the door, my attitude mellows during the drive to kung fu lessons. Walking into class, I catch a glimpse of myself in these monstrosities and I have to laugh. Whether by design or fluke, the orange pants compel you to check your ego. And that is an absolute necessity when learning kung fu.
Lesson: Embrace Humility
4) The Mystery Swordswoman
There is a small young woman who attends most of our classes who seems to be Shifu’s assistant. Or sister, or girlfriend, we’re not sure (can Shaolin monks have girlfriends? We are too afraid to ask). She comes dressed for class but wears a heavy coat over her black t-shirt and orange pants. For the longest time, she never participated in class as student or teacher. During breaks she will sometimes speak with Shifu in Mandarin, though I’ve also heard her speak perfect English. Mostly she just sits looking at her phone. Except once. One week during sword practice with the advanced students, she joined in. The display she put on was mesmerizing and terrifying. For maybe 10 or 12 minutes, this tiny woman and her sword merged into a single being of fluid menace. Slashing and piercing the ether, she transcended humanity, becoming a pure spirit of graceful malevolence. It was astounding. When she was done, she sat down and started fussing with her phone again. I just happened to be in a position to see a flash of gold on her screen. Looking closer, on the 3×5 display I saw C-3PO. She was watching “Return of the Jedi”.
Lesson: Embrace the Surreal
Last November our fifteen year old Sheltie passed, the last of many in the family over the last twenty-odd years. Though slowed from age, he was a big personality and his absence left a large void in the household.
