subject: Helpful Pointers On Moy Lin-shin - T'ai Chi Innovator, Teacher And Visionary [print this page] Master Moy Lin-shin is certainly best recognised in the west as being the founding father of The International Taoist T'ai Chi Society in Montreal, Canada.
He created this prospering group after a long period of teaching as well as spreading far and wide the concepts of Taoism and its traditions.
Legend has it that matters failed to start out too well for this young Lin-shin, because he encountered times of ill-health as a child being raised inside China.
The truth is, matters got so awful; he ended up being sent off to the monastery to recuperate. Whilst there, he was in fact schooled in the philosophies of the Earlier Heaven Wu-chi sect from the Hua Shan School of Taoism. During this period, he even learnt the Yang Style T'ai Chi and other martial arts.
Then, prior to the Communist Revolution of 1949, he decided to relocate to Hong Kong, the place where he joined the Yuen Yuen Institute and became a Taoist monk.
The Yuen Yuen Institution was set up during 1950 and has always been dedicated to the study of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
Living in Hong Kong had a very good impact on Moy Lin-Shin, mainly because at this point he grew to become close friends with Sun Dit, yet another student of Liang Zhi Peng, who was very skilful in Hsing I Chuan and also Push Hands.
After a period in Hong Kong, Moy chose to move on yet again. At this point he set up residence within Canada, where in 1970 he soon began showing a small group of students about the health and martial benefits of T'ai Chi.
Nevertheless, soon enough he focused on solely tutoring the actual health and well-being aspect of T'ai Chi.
Moy Lin-shin essentially presented an altered Yang style T'ai Chi Chuan style. This was actually a mix of different components that he called; Taoist T'ai Chi.
He developed a group of 'virtues' that he believed his Taoist T'ai Chi instructors as well as pupils really should live by. All of these qualities were referred to as the "Eight Heavenly Virtues":
Sense of Shame Honor Sacrifice Propriety Trustworthiness Dedication Sibling Harmony Filial piety
Somewhere around 1981, Moy Lin-shin put in place a Canadian arm of the Hong Kong-based Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism. This became the spiritual part of the Taoist T'ai Chi Society.
Almost a decade later in 1990, The International Taoist T'ai Chi Society was made to highlight his knowledge of the Taoist beginnings of T'ai Chi and encourage increased understanding of Eastern and Western traditions.
Although he had his critics, there's no questioning Master Moy Lin-shin has a real claim to being a genuine T'ai Chi innovator, teacher and visionary for introducing countless people throughout the world to T'ai Chi.
