![]() Why, what good is it to know whether they were born before or after me? Then I will take them as my teacher, following them. The great Tang dynasty writer Han Yu asserted that the qualification for being a teacher was not greater age than the student, nor greater overall knowledge, but merely "prior" ( xian) understanding of the subject of instruction: Suppose someone is born before me Īnd I will take them as my teacher, following them. ![]() This is a serious point it is deeply bound up with the East Asian tradition of displaying humility when in doubt. The second syllable sheng was a common suffix for scholars and students in ancient China, and the compound xiansheng actually means something like "elder scholar" or loosely "one who has been a student before me". Xiansheng/ sensei literally means "one born before", but I think that is not the real sense of the term. It appears often in Classical Chinese texts and is translatable as "Master" it referred to someone who was an acknowledged expert in some field of learning that involved apprenticeship and long-term self-cultivation by the student. Sensei is a survival of the ancient East Asian word for "teacher".Īlthough the modern Chinese form xiansheng means something like "Mister", in earlier times the Chinese term had the same sense as Japanese sensei. I sincerely hope it does not offend anyone. This writeup is therefore as much a mark of gratitude as it is respect. I firmly believe that those who act unselfishly change the whole world in some small degree with each selfless action. But I was genuinely moved to write this, and have in fact wanted to write something along these lines for some time now. I understand that some of those who know Sensei personally may perhaps find it uncomfortable to hear a newbie speak about him in this way. ![]() I have thought long and hard about posting this. His influence touches even those of us who have never spoken a word to him. Yet even in his absence, Sensei’s example is still present here, it is still at work. I am certain that Sensei did not seek popularity, renown, or reputation for himself. Every one of us does on some level, because the beauty of true humanity speaks to all humans. But I have been fortunate enough to know at least one person with the gift to inspire others to strive for the greater, higher aspects of humanity and by those I mean patience, compassion, love, honesty, friendship all of the beautiful things which humans are capable of and which move the heart and touch the spirit of others. I cannot know what Sensei said nor how he said it. His influence is apparent everywhere, and his presence is clearly keenly missed. Yet I have been touched time and again by the respect and affection with which so many of the more established members of this community regard him. By the time I first came here, Sensei had already stopped visiting, and so I have never spent even an hour 'in his company'. Scattered everywhere throughout this site, among the writeups, on numerous home nodes, and very obviously in people’s thoughts and hearts, is Sensei. The truly selfless person is unconcerned with such matters, and continues undisturbed in their path: yet, paradoxically, by this very action they inspire others to follow their example. It is at best an irrelevance, and at worst a distraction. But, she added, this is entirely unimportant. The wisest, sanest person I ever met said that sustained unselfish application of compassion in the service of others leads in time to a certain degree of renown, even fame.
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