When you’re given a Kung Fu name as a Chinese martial arts practitioner, it is a very deep honor. It means you’re worthy to carry a Kung Fu name, as you’ve reached the highest level of student – you’ve immersed yourself deeply enough into the art to have a Chinese name. Furthermore, a Kung Fu name represents the sophistication and thoughtful intelligence of the Chinese culture, and it speaks to your character and personality. It thus provides a life-long lesson that takes different shapes throughout your life, but can always be referenced.
The name itself (Moy) Do Lei Sa, translates to “beautiful white sand.” To begin, this expression has a direct kind of affiliation in that plainly, it looks like me. Next, “beautiful white sand” also represents rarity, which also represents me, as I am the first female American Wing Chun Kung Fu Sifu. Believe me, I don’t say this to boast – I lived my life in the specific way I was able to because I was led by my heart, and not society. This was something so unusual and rare, just like white sand. For example, I lived as a monk for 10 years in a Kung Fu school, something very unusual in the 21st century. If I had been led by society, I would’ve never walked that path and been able to embody such a thing. White sand is exotic, just like myself and my experiences.
Do Lei Sa, “beautiful white sand” is also a very feminine name, which brings along a lesson: to both understand and cultivate feminine power and energy of Wing Chun, which was even named after a woman to begin with. When people look at me, they never see martial arts – they see someone who is blond and pretty, and would likely never associate me with martial arts. But you cannot judge a book by its cover, and my Kung Fu name emphasizes how as a woman, I can use my martial arts as a hidden weapon of sorts, but also need to extract, embody, and represent the essence of femininity in my practice, and share it with others as well.
Women in the United States and the Western world are in some ways very far removed from being feminine because we feel we have to be more aggressive, assertive, and competitive with men. After all, this was kind of necessary because of the previous suppression of women’s rights. Even today the average paycheck is less for a woman than it is for a man. If we release that need to compete with men, then the power of feminine energy will rise up and up, and there will be zero way to deny it. And we’re getting there: Hillary Clinton, a very powerful woman, ran for president! Whether you agree with her politically or not, the point is moving in a positive direction for femininity – Feeling stable, study, and confident enough in being a woman and allowing the power of this, the power of having that womanhood, receive the dignity and respect that is warranted.
The name, “Do Lei Sa,” provides me with other lessons through the concept of sand. A granule of sand can stand alone and still remain strong. You can’t crush a granule of sand. However, this granule of sand is nowhere near as powerful as many granules put together. While my tendency is to be more introverted and remain strong, full and complete, this can cause imbalance. For example, always being alone and relying only on myself would go against being able to share my practice with others enrolled in my Modern Zen Warrior classes, my thoughts via these blogs, and more. Again, a granule of sand can exist just fine on its own, but is far more powerful among the rest of the granules. The lesson: be mindful of this. The entire beach is so strong, and the sand is so nurturing and forms in any way you want. These ideas translate to being a Sifu as well. I offer the lessons to my students that are necessary for them – it’s individually based and the way to guide one person is different from the way to guide another person. Rather than being a single granule of sand alone, when I work with others I can form myself in different ways, which represents the same yielding and flexibility of sand on the beach, and by working together we create something even greater. On a different note, you can make masterpieces out of sand, and change it into all sorts of beautiful shapes and forms. But before you know it, the ocean can sweep it away. Sand and its malleability teaches me to understand that change is a part of our lives. When the ocean takes a masterpiece away, it’s simply time to look for the next structure to create. And you can take the experience you gathered from creating the original masterpiece and take it into your forward moving steps.
Do Lei Sa. A name with so many lessons that I am so lucky to have. Remembering the representations of my name helps guide and keep me on course, and serves as one of my life supports.
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