A Tribute to Master Dong

Master Dong Bin passed away on Monday 23rd March 2009 at his home, he was 88 years old.

Master Dong had been suffering from lung cancer for well over a year, but despite being in obvious pain and discomfort, he didn’t want to go to hospital or seek treatment for the condition, preferring as he put it to wait for his time to go.

Master Dong, who originally hailed from Ning Bo, moved to Shanghai in his late teens to seek work and lived in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation.

He became interested in Taiji as a way to keep healthy during a tumultuous and chaotic time in China’s history and when ill health and a poor condition may literally have meant the difference between life and death or hunger for one’s family.
At that time in China (and across the world) good health was gold, it was a way to ensure survival for oneself and one’s family, and no one could afford to be ill.

Fate played a strong hand in helping Master Dong find some of the best masters of that era to study with and be his teachers, including Masters Yue Huan Zhi and Dong Shi Zuo, both of whom were top students of Dong Ying Jie.

Under their tutelage, Dong Bin very quickly made rapid progress in his martial arts practice; in fact he was somewhat aided by the unusual circumstances of those unstable times, when shops may not open some days or close early due to the prevailing economic uncertainty and instability of the political situation; thus he often had more free time than he otherwise would have had for studying with his teachers or for practice.
Master Dong also said he was helped tremendously by Dong Shi Zuo’s generosity; Dong Shi Zuo knew that Dong Bin came from a rather humble background, so would often invite him to come along to dinners with Dong Shi Zuo and other renowned masters of the time, where they’d discuss martial arts secrets and try applications out together or exchange ideas. Dong Shi Zuo never let Master Dong Bin pay for any of these meals and his teacher’s generosity and kindness impressed Master Dong immensely, as well as making him feel very embarrassed for never paying for his own teacher’s meals.
This spirit of Dong Shi Zuo’s stayed with Dong Bin throughout his life and he himself refused to take money from his students, or even accept gifts from them!

(I tried many times to take gifts to his home when I went there to study with him, only to be sent away with the gift back in my hands when I left!)
Master Dong said that thanks to his teachers’ generosity, openness and instruction, he made steadfast improvement in his understanding of Taiji principles; but I would say he reached such a high level also because of his own diligence and perseverance.

Master Dong also got to study with Yue Huan Zhi, Dong Shi Zuo’s elder Gongfu brother and teacher.
Yue was so impressed with Dong Bin’s skills and potential, which he felt surpassed most other students he had seen, that he invited him to come and live at his home full time as his disciple and devote himself entirely to his training.
Yue said he would take care of him and feed him etc, but it would mean giving up his factory job, but Yue saw in Dong Bin the potential to reach a very high level of skill and understanding, if he could just spend his time on training for a period of 2 years or so.

Unfortunately, Master Dong unwittingly fell foul of the politics of that time with his request to give up his job in order to train martial arts. And because his actions at that time seemed in contradiction to the teachings and doctrine of the Cultural Revolution, he was sent to a labour camp, where he remained for over 20 years.During that period, he was unable to practice Taiji openly or freely, as he would be subject to punishment and he was also often tested by guards or others as to his prowess in fighting or using Taiji.

I don’t want to dwell on this period of Master Dong’s life, but one thing he told me about his life and attitude to the time in the camp, filled me with more admiration and respect for another human being than I have ever felt before.

He said that this period of his life helped him to understand the principles of Taiji, about letting go, giving up the self, it helped him foster his idea of “No Me” and taught him about what was really important in life.

Like other great masters who suffered during those times, like Master Ma Yue Liang, these difficult circumstances actually helped their Taiji skill, as you couldn’t fight back, you just had to surrender the self and accept physically and mentally what was happening. It made them challenge the natural instinct to resist and therefore cultivated the true Taiji spirit of appearing to yield to force, whilst the spirit and energy still engage the “enemy”.

Master Dong learned to let go and give up the self, the very essence of Taiji’s principles: to accept and become in harmony with one’s surroundings – a real state of Wu Ji or Oneness.

Master Dong had to face the constant challenge of outside forces, aggression, provocation, pain and deep disappointment, but instead of making him a bitter and hateful person, it opened his heart and made him accepting and understanding of all around him; he was truly one of the sweetest, kindest, humblest and loveliest people I have ever met.

Since I first met Master Dong in 2004, I was impressed not only by his great skill, but by his nature. He taught me much more than just Taiji form or push hands.

He taught me about acceptance of my situation and surroundings, he sought to help me understand Chinese culture, the family, the way their society works and how everyone is joined somehow together. He wanted me to become a better person, not just a better Taiji player.

And, although I sometimes didn’t understand or resisted some aspects of the culture which as a westerner or as a western woman I found hard to accept, or caused him problems, he remained patient and supportive and always welcoming and encouraging.

He tried to show all of us the real importance of living a good life; to not crave money or fame at the expense of doing what is right or good, or to try to do others down in order to raise oneself up.
His spirit and personality welcomed you whenever you came to the Shanghai Museum, where we used to practice every Saturday morning.

And although there was a large gathering of students who came to push hands and “play” together, most people just went there to see Master Dong, listen to his stories of the old masters and explain some Taiji theory and how it worked in practice.

In fact, just being around him made you feel happy, whether you practiced Taiji or not.

He welcomed everyone, Chinese or Western and from all styles, internal or external and he delighted in sharing “secrets of the internal arts” with us. He would play with practitioners two or three times his size and more than half his age, and amaze us with how he could crouch down with his face on the floor, his arm pinned to his back or on the floor and then just stand up and send them flying.

When we tried of course, we would remain pinned helplessly to the ground grimacing and he would laugh and say “Don’t use strength!” And with his guidance and sometimes with a bit of a helping hand he could “allow” you to do it too, as it literally required you to let go of your muscular and structural power and think of “outside of yourself” moving, to use your intention and mind and energy, not your physical body.

I will always remember those times at People’s Square, when it seemed like spiritually I was a child again with my favourite grandfather and you just simply felt loved and accepted.
He taught me so much personally, more than I can possibly express with mere words. His kindness and encouragement to me, especially when I suffered a great difficulty in my training and personal life, will always keep him in my heart.

And I regard him as not just the best Taiji teacher I have ever met, but one of the finest and most wonderful human beings I have ever known.
Although he has now left us, he made a lasting impression on everyone who met or studied with him, and I hope that we can all do justice to his teachings and advice.

He was a real treasure, not just in martial arts, but also as a person and an example for everyone to follow.
My final tribute to him is I think a life lesson for all of us, especially for those of us who have been practicing martial arts for a long time.
There comes a time I think for everyone, when we reach a plateau or a period where we feel disillusioned or frustrated with our practice, or even with our lives and the demands on our time by work and families.

Over the last six months or so, I’d hit just such a point, where work seemed to be encroaching more and more on my practice time and I felt there was no progress in my training. At this point, I’d become rather lazy and was neglecting my practice, seeking excuses not to go to the park and do the form or train.

However, the day after Master Dong passed away, I went to his home to pay my respects.
His family told me that in the last few weeks he’d been hardly able to breathe; in fact he was often gasping for breath and unable to talk, due to his illness. In a lot of pain, he was mainly bedridden, although his mind was still sharp and clear.

They said even in spite of this, up until his last day, he would still occasionally sit up in bed and trace a few Taiji movements, in particular “Single Whip”. When I heard this, I was so moved. It illustrated such a dedication to and love for Taiji that it’s hard to imagine. We often talk about making Taiji a part of our lives, but for me Master Dong truly embodied that principle.

It made me blush at my recent laziness and my teacher again inspired me as he has done so many times before to get on with life, see the positive side, stop complaining and stick to my practice.
Now more than ever, I realize how fortunate I have been to have met and studied with such a wonderful person, Taiji teacher and true master.

His spirit will always be a great source of inspiration and delight and no matter what level I may reach in my own training, I will endeavour to make my teacher proud and to persevere.
His advice to me was always “never give up, don’t be afraid and keep a good heart”.
For me, he typifies true courage, humility and the spirit of a real “teacher” and from him I believe we can all learn the true essence of what is “Taiji Quan”.

He will be greatly missed.