I know, I know; I've been here more than two weeks now without posting anything. I apologize for that long gap, but it's taken me this long to catch the rhythm of life here, sort out my thoughts, and find the words.
So what exactly is Yang’s Martial Arts Association Retreat Center? A simple question, but don’t expect a simple answer. It’s a lot of things; you can check out their website for yourself by clicking the link embedded above. On one fundamental level, it is the residence of Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming, and that’s probably the most appropriate place to start any description of the center. Dr. Yang (or “Master Yang”, or most commonly at the center, “Shifu”) is the founder of Yang’s Martial Arts Association (YMAA), an internationally respected Chinese Martial Arts enterprise, built over an exhaustive 40 year career of teaching, research, writing and travel. This retreat center is in many ways the culmination of Master Yang’s lifelong devotion to traditional Chinese healing and martial arts. Part boarding school, part secular monastery, part Bed & Breakfast, the YMAA Retreat Center is the new locus of Dr. Yang’s life’s work, to (as stated on the center’s website); “…restore and preserve traditional Chinese martial arts and culture to their original level of high quality and standards.” It’s hard to imagine anyone better suited to the task than Shifu Yang, Jwing Ming.
Master Yang with the center's taijicat, Mr. Meowgi.
Located in Humboldt County, California, on a 2000 ft. ridge in the middle of the Northern California coastal mountain range, the center’s location and position has excellent Feng Shui, as Master Yang eagerly explains to anyone who asks; the waterways bounding the center on the north, east and west (Salmon and Blue Slide Creeks) and the surrounding higher peaks (Kerri Peak, Bear Butte and Gilham Butte) result in ideal conditions for a strong qi energy flow around and through the center grounds. I’ll take his word on the qi flow; my Feng Shui skills are very badly underdeveloped, but the climate and air flow up here is certainly spectacular; the valley and ridge that comprise the center’s southern vista is a ever changing palette of fog, cloud, sky and sun.
Of course, Humboldt County is also known for being the spiritual, if not actual center of marijuana cultivation in California. Word on the street is that pretty much everyone owning property in these mountains –except Master Yang- grows a little pot. Or a lot. And in fact it’s not at all unusual to come across the detritus of growing operations while hiking the trails through these hills.
I’m not very concerned about locally grown weed; in fact I appreciate anything that weakens the power and reach of the murderous gangs of narco-traffickers that plague our times. But I wish these friendly neighborhood herbologists out here would clean up after themselves a little. And concerns about potential encounters with heavily armed, paranoid stoners deep in remote wooded areas takes some of the fun out of an otherwise perfectly nice hike. Have a little respect for the world around you, dudes. And chill; I’m not a cop or a thief, I’m just out for a walk.
Another irony of locating this little island of traditional Chinese culture in Humboldt county derives from local history: in 1885 the entire Chinese population of Eureka, then and still the regions commercial urban center, was forcibly expelled, given less than 24 hours to ship out, or face execution by hanging. Leaving their homes and most of their possessions behind, the entire Chinese community –more than 300 mostly men and a handful of women- boarded two steamships bound for San Francisco, thereby averting another massacre. I say “another” because only 25 years before, the good settlers of Humboldt County (mostly ranchers and gold-diggers) slaughtered 100 or more peaceful Wiyot men, women and children on Duluwat island, in Humboldt bay just west of Eureka. For the crime of just being Wiyot, evidently.
But these ghosts of the past don’t trouble the firmly “in the moment” YMAA center. The focus here is clear; 5 exceptional young men* have taken the exceptional step of committing themselves to a 10 year residential program of immersion into the traditional martial and healing arts of China. For each of them, this commitment was sealed with a ceremony in which, upon a third ritual request from the applicant, a master teacher accepts the student as a “disciple”, thereby accepting the responsibilities of Shifu –teacher/father- for that disciple. The student in turn accepts the responsibilities that come with being a disciple. It’s a long term teaching/learning pact between an experienced master teacher and a young apprentice; not the sort of thing one routinely encounters in the American educational system. The apprenticeship of these young men (affectionately referred to as “The Boys” by Master Yang and guests alike) lies at the heart of the center’s activities; I’ll post more on the details of what that apprenticeship is like later.
And that’s the monastic/boarding school end of the spectrum. But the center welcomes guests too, so another interesting feature of life here is the array of fascinating visitors that come to stay awhile in the spacious, spotless, well lighted guest rooms of the main house, and train –or not, as they wish- with Master Yang and The Boys.
Holistic Doctors from Germany looking for deeper insight into the relationship of qi to health & fitness, martial arts practitioners and teachers from London and Johannesburg, people suffering from particular ailments hoping to learn specific qigong exercises to target their malady, even Theatre and Dance professors on sabbatical hoping to re-energize their own taijiquan practice with instructions and corrections from source, Master Yang himself. It’s not like a typical resort/spa hotel. More like an old world inn, where a proprietor was something more of a host in his own home. And Master Yang is a most gracious and attentive host. I’ve already mentioned his cooking, and he attends to his guests comfort and particular learning goals with the same… well, mastery.
Makin' Mochi; Mochi is a chewy sweet-rice flour dumpling-ish sort of confection, filled with sweet red bean paste and garnished with ground peanuts. It's a favorite treat around here.
Americans, IMHO, are ambivalent about this notion of “The Master”. On the one hand, it can denote respect for the skills and experience of a “master” artist, craftsman, teacher, professional, etc. On the other, the “massa'” of America's shameful legacy of slave dealing , and the cruel factory boss are also a part of our history with masters. Indeed, America was born from the ashes of the fight to free ourselves from our British “masters”. And let’s be honest; it’s not impossible for both kinds of master to live in one man; history’s pretty clear about that. So, being a 21st century American, I approach this whole master-disciple deal with curiosity, and a mindfulness that’s shaded a bit to the cautious side. And while I stipulate that I’ve not been here long enough to know the full story, I have had many good, honest conversations with Master Yang, with guests, and The Boys, together and individually. And I have to say that to my eyes, Master Yang has fairly and squarely earned all the uncommonly deep respect he is given, from so many people, many of whom are truly exceptional themselves. His mastery of Shaolin style White Crane Kung Fu, traditional Yang style Taijiquan swordplay, healing qigong massage and many many more martial and healing techniques is unquestioned; his vitae is public, long and remarkable in this regard. But his skill as a fighter, healer and teacher are only part of what make him worthy of the titles Shifu and Master. They are merely the paths he chose to follow in search of true mastery; mastery of the self, down to the spiritual core. Dr. Yang approaches his life, his students, his scholarship, his business and his guests, all with the same respect, grace, mindful energy and skill that he’s poured into his lifetime of learning and teaching traditional Chinese martial and healing arts. If that’s not mastery, worthy of the title, then I don’t know what is.
Coming up; a day in the life... Stay tuned.
* The Current Student page of the center website is not precisely up to date here; student Tom Dudkiewicz is at home recuperating from injuries resulting from an automobile collision, and another student, Ricardo Tonet, remains in his native Portugal, striving to get US clearance to continue his studies with Master Yang. And another visiting, first year student, Jachym Jerie (from Switzerland) is also currently in residence.
Very cool. Bring back some seeds!
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