2024.12.16 - How to Study Traditional Chinese Medicine

2024.12.16 – How to Study Traditional Chinese Medicine

Selected Classics:

In the days of the Yellow Emperor, who was born divine and articulate even in weakness, who obeyed order in youth and grew diligent with age, and who ultimately ascended to heaven, he asked the Celestial Master: “I have heard that the ancients lived a hundred years, their vigor never waned; yet people today grow old in their fifties and lose their strength. Has the world changed? Are we losing something?”
Qibo replied: “The ancients who understood the Way followed the principles of yin‑yang, harmonized with the cosmic cycles, ate and drank in moderation, kept regular routines, and never overexerted themselves. Thus body and spirit remained together, and they completed their full heavenly span, reaching a hundred years before departing.
Today’s people are different: they treat wine as a daily drink, indulge in reckless habits, become drunk before entering the bedroom, exhaust their essence, and dissipate their true qi. They do not know how to retain fullness, do not regulate their spirit, chase fleeting pleasures, act against natural joy, and live without regular habits—so they decline by their fifties.
The teachings of the ancient sages warned of ‘vacant, evil, invading winds’; they taught avoidance at the right times, calmness and emptiness, allowing true qi to flow, guarding the spirit within, so illness could not arise. Hence a tranquil mind with few desires, a peaceful heart without fear, a body that works without fatigue, and qi that follows its proper course—each attains what it seeks.
Therefore they cherished simple food, wore modest clothing, enjoyed simple customs, and did not covet status; their people were called ‘plain’. Because cravings could not tire their eyes, and debauched evils could not confuse their hearts, the wise and the foolish alike were unperturbed by external things, aligning with the Dao. Their longevity and unwaning vigor came from an undamaged virtue.”

Conversations with “Barefoot Acupuncturist” Water
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/QYhkAYORq64zXjO2P3zsFg https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A-4ILQEaD52pBblTM-O8PA https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/dX9GtMBelwUyUw7PLGDDgQ

Not everyone can become a professional physician, so I want everyone to be able to act as a “family doctor.” To realize this, acupuncture must be safe, simple, and easy to learn, allowing anyone to use it while achieving effects comparable to traditional needling. Acupuncture is more than a technique; it is a sympathetic connection between people, between hearts. It can be applied not only in needling but in every aspect of life—Chinese culture’s power truly is extraordinary.

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Chronic Stomach Issues – How Do I Relate to You?
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/TyBjAHCfsOFTJ9wW6VN34A

Chronic stomach problems mean we have lost the body’s most authentic sensations! The body has its own self‑healing system; the stomach is aware and can heal itself. It knows: when hungry, we need food; when cold, we need clothing; when ill, we must do what supports recovery. Yet we have been out of touch for too long, assuming that once a problem appears only a doctor can help. After a doctor’s needles or herbs, we still don’t know how to maintain ourselves, so gastrointestinal issues keep recurring… The only one who can be with us instantly is ourselves.

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Structural Restoration | A New Perspective Empowers Families, Safeguarding Health
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/D47XTJQn4hrr2HZZ7G-iIQ

When we hear “structural restoration,” we often think of bone‑setting, muscle‑relaxing massage, or micro‑needle knives—external therapies that correct bones and loosen muscles. However, after years of exploration, De Yi Academy has found that these represent only part of the picture. The academy uses a “personal disease‑treatment model,” which asserts that before any therapy we must see the specific individual. Structural restoration likewise requires seeing the concrete, living person.

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Liu Lihong – Most of Our Physical and Mental Issues Ultimately Stem from “Cold” Injuries
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/y4GYKHOEPnjfuaiWxKX0IQ

Studying the Treatise on Cold Damage first leads us to advise proper clothing. Do not underestimate “clothing as great medicine”—it is a core course at Sanhe Life Academy. Why can we say this? Because countless patients and followers have benefited enormously from the “Clothing as Great Medicine” class. The next crucial factor is diet. “Raw and cold” foods correspond to “cold and cooling” properties; eating raw, cold items introduces cold into the body. The consequences of cold damage are well known, so avoid ice, frozen foods, and raw dishes. Even more important is keeping the kitchen itself clean and well‑managed.

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Fu Peirong – Everyone Is a Predestined Empty Bottle; Understanding This Brings Awakening Within Reach
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JI6D-tfnOiwweUCBcByVJA

Each life contains an opportunity for awakening; it is only a matter of timing. For most people, enlightenment arrives late, near the end of life. If that’s the case, have we wasted our lives? True awakening brings profound joy and beauty, much like Daoist thought. Laozi introduced the “Dao” to help us view the world holistically, to see all relative values and situations—good vs. evil, beauty vs. ugliness, usefulness vs. uselessness, difficulty vs. ease, suffering vs. pleasure… All are relative. After transcending these dualities, what remains? One goal, expressed in two characters: non‑contention. No longer quarrel or nitpick with others, because all suffering stems from comparison.

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How to Study Traditional Chinese Medicine
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Avn_VzuoYQRmsmcFs7Ciyg

Life has a certain length, but it also has a width—the richness and variety of experience. If you feel that richness every day, your life becomes extraordinary. You can laugh and cry daily, but your emotions differ from others’. Their tears may be mere resignation; yours might be a deep moving feeling. Their smiles could be polite; yours arise from genuine inner joy. Thus, learning TCM is about discovering a mindset and lifestyle that lets us live more clearly and freely.

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Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on 拾一集 (Weekly Reflections). Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.