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Our Teachers’ Teacher…our Role Model, Our Hero
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A Talk by Nakula Hertz on June 2, 2009, in the Buddhahall, CTTB
Today I am going to speak about what I carried from the school, how it affected me, and about my current work as a Dorm and Ethics teacher at the Developing Virtue Boys School.
The schools influence on my life has had a tremendous impact. The education is not just of an academic curriculum of English, Chinese, math, and science, or even of character development. There is something even more unique than this combination at the schools; we are given the stories, the lessons, the examples, and the accessible teachings of The Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. I was fortunate enough to see the Master in his physical form, once when he came to our classroom, and once in the Buddha Hall. However, I was able to know the Master in much more intimate detail from my teachers, classmates, his commentaries, books and the dining hall lectures. Through these stories and lessons amazing pictures are formed. We are introduced to a living person who is our teachers’ teacher, who exemplified filial piety, renunciation, generosity, kindness, and wisdom. I see the influence of the Venerable Master not just on my generation, but I see that this tradition is carried on to this day with the current generation, and will be passed on through to future generations to come. So the Venerable Master Hua becomes alive to the students of the schools as our role model, our Hero.
I started to attend the school when I was eleven in 1991 and stayed till I graduated in 1998. Some of the most interesting people I have ever met were the teachers, the students, and visitors from this time period of my life. When I was in University, people would ask what kind of experiences I had in High School, and I could entertain them with the most fascinating stories.
Currently I am assisting Mr. Kellerman in the Dorm and teaching Ethics in the boys school. When my son Abhimanyu came into this world, and having to fulfill my role as a parent, I directly realized the difficulty and the sacrifices that my own parents went through. Similarly coming back to this school I realize the care, and the heavy responsibility that my teachers had and have in educating us. I am honored that I can assist them, and I continue to try to learn and understand them. Being back has emphasized how much is expected of the Developing Virtue School students. I hope that the schools can continue to strive to fulfill the Venerable Master’s purpose.