A thought from a teacher
Writing is the best way of learning
Dear paid subscribers,
Just a quick note to share a thought.
I was recently corresponding with my dear teacher Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming. Although its been years since we’ve seen each other in person we keep up our connection through occasional emails.
In a recent exchange where I had shared some of my explorations with him, he finished the email by saying, “Writing is the best way of learning.”
“Writing is the best way of learning.”
I was so grateful for this comment and almost startle at how much these words moved me. Writing and researching involves many intense hours of work in solitude and really challenges one’s life balance. Sometimes the hours-in-chair catch up to me and I’m actually sore for days after a particularly intense session. But I love the process of learning and translating—and then creating.
I think what drives me most is my desire to see this material be intelligible for readers, especially those who have incorporated, what could be seen as, a somewhat arcane practices into their daily lives. The new dantian series is particularly rewarding and I’m currently working hard on ‘The Middle Dantian’ (zhong dantian 中丹田) which will come out sometime in March.
Dr. Yang is easily the most prolific author on the subject of Chinese martial arts in the world today—he has single-handedly revolutionized the genre and opened up a market for martial artists of all kinds. His many titles have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Bulgarian, Russian, Hungarian, Portuguese, Croatian, German, and Farsi. I feel I stand on the shoulders of a giant! Eventually, I will write more about Dr. Yang. (In the meantime, on March 7, a long piece on Grandmaster Raymond Chung will arrive in your mailboxes.)
Thank you so much for your support in my writing endeavours as I try to honour my teachers, my students, and my readership. I’d appreciate it if you’d re-subscribe and encourage others to subscribe as well.
