Breakfast with Sifu

I met Sifu Pedro Cepero Yee at his school when he was hosting a Qigong Qi-Healing seminar at his school in Clifton, NJ that my mentor, Professor Lisa Sargese, invited me to. I knew after that day that I had found my new martial arts master. But I would not begin my training with him until I achieved some of my goals and completed projects in my current training leading up to my master test in Taekwondo.  Once I accomplished all I set out to do with that, would I begin my training with him.

The day after my one year anniversary of meeting Sifu, or Sifu-versary as Lisa calls it, I had met with my new master for breakfast, to discuss my new training with him. I was beginning a completely new era of my martial arts career, and a new era of my life. I was starting as a beginner yet again with the best of the best and with a clean slate. This is what I have been waiting for my entire life to do.

I arrived extra early because I did NOT want to be late for this meeting! It's okay if he were to come late, but I certainly wasn't going to be! We met for our breakfast and I got to catch up with him about my Black Belt test and my Florida trip, and then we got down to business. Sifu asked me what my goals were for my training, because he had his own ideas but wanted to hear some of my own insights.

Like I said, this is brand new for me. I am coming into this as a novice completely! However, I do want to train in every aspect of kung fu, to truly understand and feel the essence of the art. I broadly expressed my goals. I want to of course train in the physical (fighting/body) methods of the training, train in the meditative (thought/mind) methods of training, and the spiritual (healing/qi) methods of the training. Sifu is in charge of the syllabus for me.

Then Sifu explained to me a little bit about how he teaches and how he wants me to come into understanding and feeling the art in my training. As we sat there eating our breakfast, I hung onto every word as he explained the history of Hung Ga's organization which in turn gave me the history of Sifu himself. I won't go into every detail of the stories, but my eyes were getting wider and wider and I felt myself lean in over the table more and more as I listened and learned. I was amazed at what I was hearing.

It's mind blowing to see how far the essence of hung ga as come whether it be the development of the organization, or the true feel of the honor and integrity that truly makes Hung Ga what it is today. Sifu told me countless stories involving he and his father and trips to China, politics, naysayers, adventures which in my eyes that had the values of Hung Ga prevail above all things. Keeping one's word and honor above all else. Being true to oneself and continuing the path of upholding one's values even in the face of danger and envy. I was inspired.

I very much related to many of the stories on my own level of experience. Many times in my own story of how I came to being today, it was when I kept to my values did great things follow, good outcomes and solutions were to be found, and people were transformed for the better in the process, even those who were against you. I know what it feels like to want to do great thing with your life and have people who envy you absolutely despise you and even try to sabotage you. I know how by acting out of integrity can people change for the better and see life in a new light. I got to reflect and learn simultaneously.

Sitting there having my breakfast with Sifu was not only motivating, but enlightening. I could feel the love he has for his art, and I was excited to become a part of this lineage. It has been four years since I have had someone to call "master". I've been training solo this whole time, and although I have had incredible mentors, they were not my masters. I missed having a master-student relationship. And boy am I ever so grateful to have found Sifu.

I'm a little nervous too. It's been so long. But I can only apply what is expected of me. Be true to myself, keep doing what I have been doing, stick to my word, and uphold the values I live by, and the essence of martial arts shall prevail in all aspects of my life. I hope the ancestors will guide me in all I do in my life and on this new journey. All I can do is my very best while training with the best. Words cannot express my excitement. Now begins a whole new world with my training with Master Pedro Yee!

Yours in service,
MASTER TRENTO