Master Moy as Teacher

Master Moy Lin-shin was more than an instructor of Tai Chi. To many, many persons, he was a teacher, in the Chinese sense of the word. As the Chinese saying goes, “Once one is a teacher, one becomes a parent for life.” Since ancient times, a teacher has a special prestige and is highly respected, deserving of filial piety.

From Chinacities: “in China a teacher is not only an educator but also a mentor, and that the position embodies much more than is typical in Western societies. An explanation lies perhaps in the fact that during the life of Confucius, the role of the teacher was tied with spiritualistic and moralistic concerns that have to this day endured in Chinese culture.”

Master Moy taught his students that taming the heart, while helping others, was a prime aim. It was made obvious in the personal character corrections he gave to those with special responsibilities in the organizations he founded.

When allowing relatively inexperienced practitioners to instruct his arts, he was allowing them to continue their ‘learning on the job’ so to speak, but volunteer dedication and continued diligent study were expected. To be an instructor was and is, a privilege and a pleasure as it provides great opportunities for service to others. Realizing that the arts being shared are of much benefit to all, instructing is a method of contributing to the betterment of a community.

From a translation of Tao Te Ching, #27 : “Therefore the Sage is always skillful in elevating people and never rejects anyone. He/she is good with things and never rejects useful goods. This is called the actualization of their luminosity.  Hence the good are the teachers of the not-so-good and the not-so-good are the charges of the good.

Not valuing your teacher or not loving your students, even if you are smart, you are gravely in error.”

Translation by Jordi Awarita, Réjeanne Gagnon, Cathy Filion