2025.04.28 - Learning Traditional Chinese Medicine Is Learning to Live in the Present

Title: 2025.04.28 – Learning Traditional Chinese Medicine Is Learning to Live in the Present

Reading Picks:

Zi Jue Si: Do not cling to intention, do not cling to certainty, do not cling to rigidity, do not cling to self.

Allow Yourself to Wither for a Few Days https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fqP1XP2YN81C_OEHdoBmJw
Just as a flower goes through a period of wilting, permit yourself to wilt occasionally. Release inner pressure and give your spirit a resting space. Only then can we maintain balance amid busyness and stress, and meet life’s opportunities and challenges more effectively. A temporary wilting is a way to store energy for a brighter, more vibrant bloom.

Eye Fatigue or Dryness? Here Are Three Effective “Rest” Techniques https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/qier6jmIrcBMDjYCevOOpg
Many office workers habitually twist their bodies toward the computer screen—if the monitor is slightly to the left, they turn left so the gaze aligns. This twisting strains the body, hampers circulation, and easily leads to visual fatigue. Try this instead: sit upright at your workstation, close your eyes and relax, then open them and look straight ahead. Move the computer into the line of sight directly in front of you. Your eyes will feel far more comfortable. The same tip works for binge‑watchers.

Feng Xuecheng on Master Linji’s “Four Simple Materials”: Balancing Spirit and Mind https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/BFzl1K1ypK2uBOK7bA-12Q
People remain trapped because they never truly grasp this principle; they are limited by their personality, knowledge, or assorted life‑ and world‑views. In Zen terms, they are bound by these constraints, and Zen is meant to help you untie them—though you must free yourself. If you’re shackled by personality or emotion, liberate yourself from that; if knowledge binds you, release that; if the environment confines you, break free. In short, whatever holds you, work to free yourself from it.

True Calm Is Not About Letting Go of Everything https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/k5BBZde7W2BxPbBx15fKkg
People cannot experience exactly the same situation forever. In ordinary moments we may seem unmoved, yet in special circumstances desire surfaces. This is normal, but many treat it as a great enemy, believing it should never arise. Thus suppressing desire becomes a desire itself; wanting to let go becomes a desire, leading to self‑doubt and mental unrest.

Learning Traditional Chinese Medicine Is Learning to Live in the Present https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/zs0O3fPdMThiJHlMdk9Xnw
We’re accustomed to focusing on the external world and never have time to pause, breathe, feel our heartbeat, or listen to the voice deep within. If we could set aside thirty minutes each day, stop what we’re doing, sit quietly with ourselves, let the mind settle, listen to our breath, feel the pulse… we would gradually return to the present. The more we settle, the more every cell feels nourished, and body and mind fill with strength. In each instant of life we respond with clear awareness. After a period of practice you’ll notice increasing clarity and joy. The deeper you root yourself in the now, the more confident, appreciative, and effortlessly free you become.

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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.