Qualities of a Disciple

Qualities of a Disciple

I want to use this opportunity to recognize my Disciple Jeremy Roadruck. He started with me at 20 years of age. He was not athletic, and he was an introvert at the time. I remember that in the first class that he took he actually fainted. As a student he did the most important things that qualified him as a good student. For years he averaged five and six days per week in attending class. This is the first indication of a good student, regardless of their talent. The second sign that he was a good student is that he participated in all of the activities that the school had to offer. His consistency and perseverance caused him to pass many of his Sihing as he progressed through the ranks. He has taken advantage of all of the programs from the students, black belt, instructors, and finally becoming a disciple. Before he received his black belt he was already participating in seminars, competitions, and traveling with me doing research. In the meantime he won numerous championships and tittles as a competitor.

In fact he is the most traveled student that I have. We went all over America, South America and the Far East. He had a regular job, not a career, and he was barely making ends meet. He paid full tuition without the benefit of any discounts, and yet he made all of the Kung Fu trips. When we discovered Hung Fa Yi he was the first to have a paradigm shift, and without hesitation, he committed to discipleship. As he progressed he continued to strive to learn all that he could about the martial arts. I have emphasized the importance of the relationship of body, mind, and spirit in all of my teaching. Not only did he excel in the requirements of the curriculum but he went far beyond, and garnered much more knowledge of all of the related studies of the martial arts. One example would be that on his own he learned Chinese, and prepared the glossary that is contained in our book Mastering Kung Fu.

Jeremy took over the responsibility of supporting me in the day to day operation of the museum related business of the school. For the past few years he has committed himself to becoming a full time teacher. Even as a full time teacher he continues with his training, and still supports me with the office work. By no means am I inferring that he did not make some mistakes along the way, in fact I corrected him often. What make me proud is that he perseveres and improves upon his mistakes. Over the years he has demonstrated that he is a good follower, thus indicating that you must be a good follower before you can become a good leader. With the expansion of the Centerville school into a full time facility, I want the Centerville students to recognize that their Sifu is one of the best that I have.