Traditionally, Masters sought out
disciples and disciples found a Master to study with. Mainly, Masters
looked for qualified people or a person to become their disciple. If a
person wanted to study under the Master, they would first have to go through a
series of steps. First, a potential disciple would beg the Master to be
accepted as a disciple. Secondly, a potential disciple would wait outside
the gate of the Master's house for weeks, maybe months. However long till
the Master invited them in. Then the disciple would work for the Master
for months, maybe years doing chores such as cleaning, carrying water, cooking,
etc, until the time when the Master would accept the person as a disciple.
The Master, after time, would accept a person in such a way that a person adopts
a son or daughter. The disciple would be considered family.
After time passed, the disciples
actually supported the Master. The same way that children support their
parents. This is the family tradition of the martial arts. The
Master is considered a "father" figure to his disciples. We
sometimes forget how lucky we are to be afforded the opportunity to study under
true great Masters.
