For quite some Sundays, Master Yun has been meeting up with
followers, regularly. Over the warmth of Fortune Tea, fragrance of the
Lotus Incense, and the joy of Lotus Songs gently in the background, Master Yun imparts skills and philosophy of Chinese calligraphy.
Holding the arcane calligraphy brush upright, lifting the elbow off the
table, an hour or two of practicing strokes can be quite drilling. Yes,
the followers gather not to seek Master Yun's advice for their futures,
but to write Chinese calligraphy.
It can be a form of
meditation, it is a form of training, no doubt. And when executed
properly, writing Chinese calligraphy is an exercise of yin-yang. How to
balance the structure of the Chinese character, lighter then heavier
strokes, or the other way around...
And the followers have moved
on since practicing strokes and drawing circles. Their recent homework:
to complete a 8-meter long scroll of scripture. This is a daunting and
seemingly impossible task even for those who have attended more formal
courses for years. A couplet, maybe. But a 8-meter long scroll,
scripture-writing which requires (very) small font size and delicate
strokes, no.
If you asked the followers couple of months ago
when they first started familiarizing themselves with the
very-difficult-to-control writing brush, they would never have believed
they could accomplish something as grand as this. Remember, we are not
talking about school children, or people who signed up and paid to
specifically learn Chinese calligraphy. We are talking about a gathering
of adults, who are here voluntarily and perhaps for the fun of it, with
little or no (even negative) Chinese background. How is it possible
that they can write even just their name with the calligraphy brush?
And so the next question: why would Master Yun even bother his time and energy for this endeavor that might end no where?
But from all these years that I know Master Yun, I dare say such questions hardly crossed his mind.
Master Yun never doubted. He simply never thought that anyone can't make it.
I have known Master Yun for 20 years. Some of you are familiar, Master
Yun is the 6th generation fengshui master in his family, but it was
always a private practice. Generations of masters, they had a main
career, and they kept their fengshui art a secret. If you had read "The
Rise of the Fengshui Master 云龙子传", you would know that Master Yun was a
school teacher. And 20 years ago, I was his student.
Master Yun taught primary school. Perhaps a will of the heavens. Because the young has less doubt, and more faith.
Other than having primary school children write calligraphy and fall in
love with Chinese culture -- me being one of them, Master Yun already
moved some of them to write novels, in Chinese. 20 thousand word-count
novel.
How much is 20 thousand words? When I was in my last year
in Peking University, the criteria for my bachelor degree graduating
thesis was 15 thousands word-count.
Some people are spectacular
performers. They are better than others, they climb fast, they become
the high-flyers. Master Yun is a little bit more than that. It is not
just about what he does. Not just about how good he gets. The beauty of
his work manifests in the achievements of the people he inspires.
He never doubts the potential of those who follow him. He innocently assumes greatness in people.
The fashion of society now expects the least of people. Standards are
rearranged to allow the majority to pass, to feel good. And people speak
of the minimum: what's the minimum criteria, what's the most basic, oh I
just want to be ok, oh I don't expect much...Master Yun walks the other
way. He didn't intend for it. Some people rebel for the sake of
rebelling. Master Yun does not belong to this "hip" group. He is
naturally so. It is in his character. He naturally assumes others to be
great.
When Master Yun was doing his honors, one of his
classmates was fearful and was satisfied if she can get just a
second-lower honors. Master Yun told her: no, you can do better than
that. He shared his notes, he explained difficult concepts, he asked
tough questions. In the end, his classmate achieved second-upper honors.
Master Yun attained first-class honors.
And greatness comes from
consistent improvement. Perfection is a path. Improve a little bit here
today, improve a little there tomorrow. Such has been the personality
of Master Yun, since he was a child.
There are side effects to
such a peculiar disposition. One of them, Master Yun has little close
friends. Friends often come together for comfort. But Master Yun offers
no rest.
Such is the spirit of the Lotus. In its time, the
founding Lotus gallery was glorious. Never was there another fengshui
gallery bright with chandelier, fit for a king. But it wasn't as
glorious as today. It got better. It got more glorious by the day. It
got more glorious, anniversary by anniversary.
And so is expected
of Lotusons. The Lotus advisors must embody this spirit. In our recent
recruitment advertisement, stand these 3 pre-prerequisites:
1.
This is no common retail-assistant/shop-attendant job. If you are
looking for a mediocre job that requires the least of you, do not waste
time applying -- you won't even last the first week.
2. This is more
of an apprenticeship career. You will be mentored, challenged,
educated and groomed for years. You will be consistently forced to
break out of your comfort zones. You will learn and relearn. If you
cannot let go of your existing perspectives, don't bother applying.
3. You will go through training after training. It will be tough.
Initially, you will be paid reasonably lowly. You will be assessed every
few months, which might lead to your promotion, then gradually, you
will be paid reasonably, higher, and depending on your performance,
highly. If you are shortsighted, lack of vision for your own future and
fortune, or simply looking for a simple basic pay for the rest of your
life, don't apply.
You can start lowly. But you cannot always be lowly. Once you are part of the Lotus, greatness is assumed of you.
Clients and followers of the Lotus? When Master Yun was speaking to
clients actively, he often thrust them into unimaginable
possibilities. Master Yun would tell them: you can do this, you can get
this house, you can move your business in this direction...the most
common response was: oh no, I can't!
Master Yun would then ask,
why not? And go on to analyze and breakdown the seemingly colossal
impossibilities, simplifying the steps and ways. Improve a little here,
take a step there. Of course, whether the clients took on the advice, it
was definitely in their hands, and reflected in their future. Till
today, we continue Master Yun's ways. Till today, to blessed Lotus
clients: Oh, you can be better than this. Oh, you can be better than
what you are now. You can be way better than just minimum.
And
so for the past 10 years, blessed clients have been growing along with
the Lotus. Some move from a rented place to owning a bungalow, some from
jobless to promotions, some from one-man-show to employer of 300
strong...what they are today, they dared not dream of it yesterday. And
what they shall be tomorrow, is not what they can imagine today.
And today is yet another day to believe, to be great.
-- Kan Ying Loong, Executive Director
