Judith's Eulogy of Hubert Lui

A Tai Chi Eulogy for Hubert H. Lui
San Francisco, California
January 23, 1995

As you listen to my voice, please know that it is not a single individual's
voice you hear, but actually a chorus of voices-a chorus made up of the
literally hundreds of people who have either directly or indirectly
benefitted from the wisdom and strength, the joy and humor, and most
especially, the love of our dear teacher and friend, Hubert Lui.

Hok Hoi Lui, our Hubert H. Lui, was born in China in 1911. He received his
B.A. degree from Ling Nan University and an M.A. degree from Nan Kai
Institute, the first master's degree ever awarded in China.

As we all know, Mr. Lui was a man of many and varied talents. But we all
may not know, for example, that as a young man, he was an accomplished
swimmer and a talented ball player. His abilities and charm did not go
unnoticed either. Elsie tells us that he was a much sought after young
bachelor. But above all the others, he chose the beautiful Elsie. And it
was not just the young women who recognized Mr. Lui's worth, because when
Elsie expressed to her mother some concern about marrying a man who was not
yet financially established, her mother told her, "You are not marrying
money, you are marrying a good man."

Elsie and Hubert were wed in 1937, and Mr. Lui remained her devoted husband
and friend-and, as Elsie often teased, her "same old guy"-for 57 years.
And in all those years, they did not have one argument! A true example of
a marriage made in heaven. Indeed, both Mr. Lui and Elsie have been a
steady influence and model for all of us through the years.

Mr. Lui began his study of Tai Chi in 1955. Later, when Elsie and Hubert
came to the U.S., fortunately for many of us, they moved to Chicago,
Illinois. There they both had long successful careers; she as a secretary
for R.R. Donnelly Publishers, he as a workers' compensation claims
adjuster. Again, Mr. Lui's remarkable qualities were apparent to those
around him. When looking for work in Chicago, he was in his 40's. It
seemed some were reluctant to hire him because of his age, but when he went
for the interview at the insurance company, the initial interviewer was so
impressed he told the president of the company, "Meet this man before you
say he is too old." Not only was Mr. Lui hired, but was so valued that he
was given a raise a month later, and subsequently was even given two raises
at the same time!

It was in Chicago that Mr. Lui further developed his Tai Chi skills and
began his long career as a Tai Chi teacher. Although he began teaching in
the late 1960's, his devotion to the practice and teaching of Tai Chi
intensified in 1976 when he retired from his job. He frequently made the
long trek between the north and south sides of the city, continuing his
teaching at the Chinese Christian Union Church, further developing Columbia
College Dance Center's Tai Chi Program, of which he was the Director, and
creating a new Tai Chi program at the Midwest Foundation of American Yoga.
During those years Mr. Lui also began his annual workshops at Central
Michigan University, which he continued for many years; he taught at the
Oasis Center in Chicago and the Omega Institute in New York state; he was
featured in numerous news articles in the Chicago area; he assisted with
the writing of Tai Chi: The Technique of Power by his students Tem Horwitz
and Susan Kimmelman; and he gave his support and encouragement to Tem and
Susan in establishing the original Cloud Hands Tai Chi studio in Chicago.

After Mr. Lui and Elsie moved to San Francisco in 1979, Tai Chi became his
primary focus. During the early years following this move, he developed
and introduced his own "PHD Short Form," which is the subject of the book
Tai Chi for Health & Harmony, published in 1986. The many, many Tai Chi
students Mr. Lui had inspired and delighted in the midwest missed his
presence, of course, but many continued a long distance relationship with
him, and quite a few went on to teach and to build (with Mr. Lui as the
hub) the extensive network of like-minded and spiritually connected Tai Chi
practitioners that exists today-from New York on the east coast, to Chicago
and Michigan in the midwest, to Portland, Chico, Los Angeles and, of
course, his home, San Francisco, on the west coast; and even across the
ocean on the Pacific island of Guam, his teaching took root.

This fellowship Mr. Lui created has flourished because he was a teacher to
his core. He taught as only great teachers can teach: by example and from
his heart. He taught with boundless energy. Giving, and giving
untiringly, of his time and wisdom to those who were willing to receive.
But, to put it quite simply, Mr. Lui was a great teacher because he was a
great human being. His subject matter was Tai Chi-not the "bargain
basement" kind, as he called Tai Chi practiced as form only without
spirit-but rather Tai Chi taught as a metaphor for life, a path to
fulfillment and happiness. While philosophy was integral to his teaching,
it was not an abstract philosophy. He provided us with a never-ending
stream of practical tips to help balance the ups and downs of daily life.
For example, on the yin and yang of traveling, he would tell us, "Always
be sure to pack light and carry a heavy wallet." Or, to build a harmonious
marriage, "Be as ready to say 'Maybe I was wrong' as to say 'I love you'."
Or, using a quintessential Western image, to simplify life and minimize
troubles, he would urge us to remember to "Sing along with Mitch." This
last, by the way, is a wonderful example of his ability to translate
Eastern philosophy in terms of Western culture.

Mr. Lui wrote that "Tai Chi is the work of love. It is the work of giving
life to all beings and not struggling or striving with them. There is no
discord in love." It was Mr. Lui's very presence, not his words, that
conveyed his dedication to this belief. He translated it into daily life
by emphasizing and demonstrating through his actions how greatly he valued
friendship and how much he loved us all. In friend-ship always be
generous, he taught us. "If a friend offers to take you for coffee, buy
her lunch. If a friend offers to buy you lunch, take him to dinner." He
and Elsie demonstrated this over and over again by being gracious hosts to
their world. (In fact, trying to beat Elsie to the check in the restaurant
was sometimes risky business!) Mr. Lui also stressed the importance of
communication in nourishing friendship. Indeed, he was such a tireless
communicator that over the years, he must have become one of the primary
factors that has kept Kinko Copy Centers and the U.S. Post Office in
business! Through his love and dedicated selflessness, he modeled for us
all what it means to be a true and loyal friend. May we continue to
celebrate the spirit of his friendship by nurturing the bonds with which he
has woven us together.
Mr. Lui seemed always to stand strong and secure in the face of adversity.
Many of us probably have asked ourselves at one time or another how this
was possible considering some of the difficulties he encountered. Perhaps
it is precisely because he filled his life so completely with the love of
family and friends, with a staunch committment to Tai Chi, and with his
active dedication to the philosophy he taught. Every aspect of his life
fit into this framework. Everything he experienced, whether joy or
hardship was integrateed into it. From that framework he derived not only
great strength, but also great delight. That delight, like a good friend,
seemed always to be readily available to him. Wherever he was-in a class,
eating a meal, in a hospital bed-this great capacity for spontaneous joy
was right at his fingertips. May we leave here today holding that image of
Mr. Lui close to our hearts, experiencing fully the joy of having known
him, and making a committment to spread to those around us the essence of
that spontaneous, infectious "Lui laugh."

Whether it was with "friendship therapy," of which he wrote, "Let your
friends be a support and comfort to you at the time of your pain;" or
"vitamin 'L' therapy," about which he said, "With love in your heart, you
can always look at the beautiful side of the world;" or "laugh therapy," of
which he wrote, "With a lot of laughing, you will laugh the pain away, you
will laugh the trouble way;" -whether with these or the many other tools he
left us, Mr. Lui has provided us the nourishment, the light, the strength,
and the wisdom we need to carry forth his teaching.

With that thought in mind, I would like to close with a quote from Mahatma
Gandhi and a word of thanks to Mr. Lui. Gandhi reminds us that "In the
midst of untruth, truth persists; in the midst of darkness, light persists;
and in the midst of death, life persists." We thank you, Mr. Lui, for
bringing the light of your very special vision of truth to our minds and
spirits. We thank you for welcoming us so warmly into your life. With one
voice we mourn your death; but just as keenly, with one heart we celebrate
your life-a long life, fully lived and generously shared; and as one body,
we embrace your enormous spirit, which will live on far into the future
with and through each of us.


These comments were composed and delivered by Judith Chambliss at Mr. Lui's
Memorial Service on Monday, January 23, 1995, at the Old First Church in
San Francisco. The contents reflect the words, sentiments and memories of
not only Judith, but of Elsie Lui, Bob Adams, Brian Berenridge, Christine
Durbin, Barbara Dwyer, Richard Hingle, Nancy Hoffman, Patrick Johnson, Yofe
Johnson, Gloria Matuszewski, Craig Odykirk, Nora Privitera, David Rising,
Allan Zee, and by osmosis, all the many other students and Tai Chi friends
of Mr. Lui who could not directly communicate their thoughts to Judith.