LOK HUP BA FA FORM OF MASTER MOY
Members of the International Association of TaiChi and LokHup Academies openly offer the Lokhupbafa Form of Master Moy to health and fitness enthusiasts. It challenges students with a variety of intricate movements. It quickly helps students open up body channels for all the circulations to flow freely. In this way, we believe, it lets the body and internal organs repair and renew themselves. Our teachers observed that students practicing Lokhupbafa experienced improved health much faster than practicing Tai Chi alone.
Lok-hup-ba-fa (Liu-he-ba-fa) translates literally as the Six Harmonies Eight Methods. Sometimes it is called Water Boxing because it is soft like water but has the power of the water. Some moves depict power and strength, like Angry Horse Turns Head. Others are soothing and soft, like Running Waters Never Cease and Crouching Tiger Listens to Wind.
The Lokhupbafa paradox is that while according to legend, it predates each of the internal arts of Tai Chi, BaGua and XingYi , it contains elements of all three.
While Lokhupbafa is difficult to learn and even more difficult to perfect. Patience and diligent practice are well rewarded.
The only real way to understand Lokhupbafa is to experience its practice first hand. The first step is to learn the form and related exercises designed to enhance the practice. Then as experience and practice progress the depths of this profound system will be realized.
Our lineage links to Grandmaster Wu Yi-Jin(1887-1961). He was the first master who taught Lokhupbafa openly in Shanghai at the Jing Wu Martial Arts Association. As Master Wu's fame grew so did the reputation of Lokhupbafa. He had many students who were drawn to Lokhupbafa as it appeared to be a synthesis of the three well known internal arts - Tai chi, Xing-I and Bagua. Two of Master Wu's students were Leung Tsz-Pang (1900-1974) and Chen Yiren(1909-1982). They moved to Hong Kong at the end of the 1940s. Master Leung taught Lokhupbafa, Tai Chi and other martial arts in Hong Kong.
Our teacher, Moy Lin-Shin(1931-1998) studied Lokhupbafa and Tai Chi under Master Leung and with the helps from Master Sun Di, 1st disciple of Master Leung. In 1970 Moy Lin-Shin immigrated to Canada. He brought with him his unique understanding of Tai Chi and other Taoist Arts and began teaching in Toronto and Montreal. He modified Tai Chi to restore the elements of internal training he learned from his final teacher. The result was a system of health restoration and maintenance that is now well known in health care communities around the world.
In the 1980s he similarly modified Lokhupbafa emphasizing its health benefits and changed his approach to teaching it. In the 1970's he insisted that the student be at the level of Lokhupbafa - i.e. advanced. Beginning in the mid 1980's, he taught Lokhupbafa at the level of the student. He often said Lokhupbafa was the Cadillac of the internal systems. Until now, Lokhupbafa has only been taught to students who have learned one or more of the internal arts.
Demonstrated by Master Sun Di
