The Late Gia Fu Feng
At the time, I was headed north to Denmark to rendezvous with Danish friends I had met in Greece. In less than 30 seconds, I changed my mind. I was heading south to the Swiss Alps.
Late that afternoon, a ride let me off near the top of the mountain just outside the retreat. The camp had been organized by German tai chi enthusiasts from Munich. I found Gia Fu within minutes of arriving. I introduced myself as a friend of his student Kevin from Louisville. I asked if I could stay the remainder of the week and study with him. He answered with a huge smile, “Sure.”
The next morning, I reported to the camp organizer, advising him that while I had no money to pay their pricy fee, I would do whatever work was required in lieu of the tuition. He said fine. So, I helped prepare and clean up after the two meals daily.
Gia Fu, author of one of the greatest translations of the Tao Te Ching, would teach the group for about 2 hours each morning and another 2 hours in the afternoon. It was breathtaking to be there in the open, 8,000 feet above sea level in the most pristine of nature’s settings. Everyone, myself included, would sleep in our tents at night.
Then trouble appeared. That evening I was asked to go to the tent of the camp administrator. He said they had decided that I would either have to pay the same fee as everyone else or leave the next morning. I insisted I had no money and that Gia Fu had said I could stay. All he could say was that he was sorry; rules were rules. “What do I do?” I thought to myself.
I decided to find Gia Fu, not an easy task. Gia Fu was not staying in a tent with the rest of the group. He was staying in a cave accessible only by a narrow goats’ path on the side of a steep mountain; definitely not a journey for the faint-hearted.
Once there, I knocked on the rock of the cave adjacent to the opening which Gia Fu had covered with a blanket. I said, “Gia Fu, this is John, Kevin’s friend. May I talk to you for a few minutes?” He answered, “No, not now. In the morning.” I said “Okay,” but thought to myself, “Tomorrow morning will be too late.”
As I was making my way back to camp along the goat path, I felt impressed to sit down on the ground and meditate on the thought, “Gia Fu, what should I do?” I sat about 10 yards from the cave opening meditating on that thought with my eyes closed.
After about 10 minutes, I felt a presence next to me. I dared not open my eyes. I felt the presence continue for about 10 seconds, then leave. As it left, the thought came into my mind, “Return to the camp administrator and ask him if you can stay the rest of the week in exchange for helping with meals.”
What a bizarre thought, since it was the same thing I had already asked and been refused.
But I decided to act on the thought anyway. I returned to the camp administrator’s tent. As I approached him, he said, “Oh, good. There you are. I have been looking for you. We just wanted you to know that we decided it is okay to stay the rest of the week with us at no charge. And you don’t even have to help with the meals.”
I was stunned by this turn of events. I humbly thanked him and returned to my tent thinking to myself, “How did he know?” Gia Fu certainly could not have left his cave and bypassed me along the goat path without me seeing him. No matter what possibility I considered, nothing made logical sense on what could have brought about that change of heart.
As I fell asleep, an impression whispered, “There are unknown fruits that come in life from yielding to seemingly insurmountable obstacles.”
The next morning as I was tidying up my area in front of my tent, Gia Fu approached me. He asked, “Do you still need to talk to me?” I said, “No, the matter has already been resolved.” He smiled his wide grin and said, “Good, I thought so.”
So, how did he know? Over the years, I have come to realize the increased internal and external awareness we develop from the daily practice of Tai Chi Yoga.
With that increased awareness and the gift of the Holy Ghost, we too can become greater forces for good in the lives of those around us.
Portions of this article are excerpts from The Power of Tai Chi Yoga