The Year of Sagely Living - The Evolution
When we decided to move away from our original Year of Sagely Living idea, I knew I would run the risk of dropping the project entirely. While I had the intention to focus on my physical body, I didn’t really know what form that would take. I’ve struggled to keep closely to my focused program of physical improvement, mostly because I actually exercise better in the cooler months due to my intolerance of heat. I’ve honestly done pretty well - I’ve lost over 15 pounds and increased my overall strength.
I’ve been following a program of Qigong, lots of walking around beautiful neighborhoods, bike riding and strength training on my (cheap) home gym. The last element is the weakest, and the one I will be focusing most on improving in the coming months. I have a goal of reaching an ideal body weight and basic strength by the time my two best friends get married in early September. The process has taught me quite a bit about my body - fundamental among them being that my body really does well when pushed a bit. Given the conversation we had about exercise here on Deepest Health, I wasn’t sure what to think. But, experientially, I’d have to say that the level of physical activity I am doing most certainly seems to have an overall Qi and Yang boosting effect without damaging Yin or Blood, at least as far as any external or internal signifiers can tell me. So, interesting…
The Year of Sagely Living was always about more to both Mr. Stickley and myself. For me, it comes back to the essence of the following quote from the Confucian classic - the Greater Learning:
Only after the principle in things is fully apprehended does knowledge become complete; knowledge being complete, thoughts may become true; thoughts being true, the mind may become set in the right; the mind being so set, the person becomes cultivated; the person being cultivated, household harmony is established; household harmony established, the state becomes well governed; the state being well governed, the empire becomes tranquil.
I have always been a person who cares about my community, about the fate of the people of the world. When I was younger, I was politically agitated - I protested, I threw myself into various causes. It never seemed to get myself or anyone else into a better place. I still apply my public force in appropriate places, but now I’ve turned that agitation inwards. I would say the last 3-4 years have been about seeking. I’ve been searching for the appropriate set of practices and the appropriate mindset with which to turn myself into a person who can overcome anything, a person who can do great good in service of humanity, a person who does not say harsh things to others out of anger, a person who spends his life making the world a better place. A tall order, perhaps, but what other good in life can there possibly be? (That’s rhetorical, ok?)
I find that what generally happens is that I find the things that resonate with me strongly, I dive into them (as I used to dive into political causes) and then I withdraw. Usually, I have some kind of external excuse to do so (finals week, dental surgery, financial trouble) but those excuses are always JUST excuses. The fact is that, being an agitator, I have trouble resting and abiding in anything. Why am I telling you this? Because I suspect some of you have felt this way and might benefit from learning a little bit about my process.
Over the last year, the frequency of emergence of those “resonant” things has become higher and higher. What do I mean? You know when you’re feeling the pulse and immediately when you lay your hands on the person, you immediately get a sense of the problem? Then you let it go and delve deeper. But, for me, that initial instinct is almost always the strongest part of the case — there’s more there, but from an 80/20 rule perspective, my first thought was the best one. It’s the same for me with finding principles and practices that are going to lead me toward my life goals. When I first meet them, in whatever form, I have an immediate shocking sense that this is Truth. Then I ignore it, and it comes back around. I ignore it, it comes back around. I ignore it, it comes back around. If/when I finally fully recognize it, I realize that my initial impulse about it was correct. It’s maddening.
So - here’s the essence of this post. I’ve found the practices that will lead me toward my destiny. I hate to say that I’m done looking - because that’s always a statement of great silliness - but I can say I’m done seeking. Things may find me, and I may embrace them, but I’m done being agitated. So, my Year of Sagely Living has been a success - really - because in this focused, public seeking - I have found the end of seeking. Now, I can settle into what I think was the essential point of the YSL in the first place.
The work, now, is to implement the practices and principles I have settled on. This is really where Abdallah and I come together. He has always had the sense that the practices and principles that grow out of Islam are productive of the highest type of Chinese physician. For him, I think, there is also the sense that the rewilding movement and some other things he is interested in add to that set of practices and principles. For me, the practices and principles may be different - but the idea is the same. I don’t feel the need to talk about those principles here - but will do so at my personal blog soon. You can go sign up for updates there, if you’re interested.
The point for Deepest Health readers is a simple one: in our quest to know this medicine (whether as students, practitioners or even patients) we must know most deeply ourselves. We must come to reckon with the things that move us, sing to us, cajole us into action. We must rectify ourselves in the name of these principles and practices and dedicate ourselves to them wholeheartedly. Only then will “the principle in things be fully apprehended” and thus starting the chain reaction up to the healing of the Earth community itself. This may seem a thing far removed from Chinese medicine, but I would argue that nothing could be farther from the truth. Doing this work is the essence of the Great Physician - there can be nothing more important. Other than passing board exams, that is. ;)
Eric
PS: There’s a second part to this - along the lines of finding a “best practice” that is very relevant for students. Please find that article published tomorrow.
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Tags: 80/20, community, focus, health, Learning, QiGong, student, students, unity, Year of Sagely LivingRelated posts
Compassion as the driving force of Classical Chinese Medicine practice
A while ago, I began a series of posts designed to describe my experiences with Dr. Liu Lihong, renown Classical Chinese Medicine clinician and scholar. He visited NCNM in Portland just about a month ago, delivering powerful lectures and teaching us all with grace and simplicity. Many folks have asked me to share what he had to say about the Fire Spirit school of Chinese herbalism, a school that takes the use of Fu Zi (aconite) and Gui Zhi (cinnamon) to be its guiding methods. Unfortunately, I didn’t take written notes - only a recording - and it is taking me some time to transcribe. It may have to wait until school is out in a couple of weeks, when I have time between clinic shifts.
The truth of the matter is that the most powerful information that Dr. Liu gave us really had nothing to do with the practicalities of herbal formulations. I would like to share what I learned about a lecture he gave in our Medical ethics class about compassion in Classical Chinese Medical practice. I will soon share more of what I learned from this contemporary master of our medicine.
Medicine as the Bodhisattva way
Dr. Liu started out by talking about the concept of a Bodhisattva in Buddhism. In my reading, I have discovered that not everyone agrees on the definition of this concept. A basic understanding of Bodhisattva reveals a being who is either enlightened or well on their way who decides to hold off Nirvana in order to help other human beings reach enlightenment. By this definition, they embody the purest compassion and service to humanity. Certainly a noble goal for anyone, particularly a physician.
Dr. Liu wanted to help us understand what it would mean to live as a Bodhisattva. He explained that for him living this principle in daily life certainly involves living life to its fullest while striving to deeper understanding of what it means to be alive. Living a full life was explained to involve coming to a state of balance in health both in body and in the emotions. That way both Xing (form) and Shen (spirit) will be unified and harmonious. This allows us to be a great resource of inspiration for our patients while also allowing us the ability to walk our path with strength and purpose.
How do we do accomplish this task? By following the guiding hands of the ancients. 文化 (Wen Hua) is a Chinese term that’s something like “culture.” Dr. Liu related to us that the deep meaning of the term encompasses more than what the normal American interpretation might reveal. It isn’t just a collection of wheres and whens and whats, but a body of knowledge produced by great people that can be used for transformation of human lives. The study of culture and cultural artifacts, like the Classical Chinese texts, is more than an empty academic exercise. Or, at least, it should be.
The ancient texts, like those written by Kongzi (Confucius) are part of the Wen Hua that we can use in our quest to follow the Bodhisattva way. It isn’t important that we analyze the texts in an analytical manner. The important thing is that through our study of the texts, we allow them to Hua - to transform us. I think I understand from what Dr. Liu was saying that he believes Chinese medicine knowledge is this way as well. Many of us know a person who has nearly encyclopedic knowledge of Classical texts or Zangfu differentiation or herbs or acupuncture, yet remain a mean-spirited and uninspired person. This is a waste of the information.
So, our goal should be to allow what we are learning to transform us. Our program at NCNM, I believe, really takes this matter to heart. The whole first year is all about breaking you open to receive the teachings fully. It’s a tulmultuous year for many. My experience was truly a birth process. I felt the pain and the subsequent release of that pain only to be shot into an unknown world that is both breathtaking and a little frightening! On the other hand, these last two years have been a lot of information, taking it in and trying to figure out how to use it. I feel that it would be easy to become obsessed with the consumption and reproduction of information, forgetting to be transformed. Now that I look closely at the next three weeks, I realize that it is another birthing process. Our finals are pretty laid back and my mind and spirit naturally turn to cultivation. I find myself wanting to do Qigong, wanting to spend time in nature, wanting to read texts that inspire me. I find myself reading back over my first year notes, reconnecting to the symbolism we were steeped so heavily in during our first year.
Words to live by
I realize the truth of what Dr. Liu was teaching us as I’ve described above. But, there was more. After talking to us about the process by which we can get closer to enlightened awareness, and the purpose of that in turning us into superior physicians, he let us in on what he believed to be the highest truth of the Way of the Bodhisattva. It’s a simple statement, echoed through many cultures in one form or another. In this instantiation, it is expressed in a slightly different form than most Westerners are used to - by Kongzi (Confucius):
子曰、其恕乎、己所 不欲、勿施於人
Zǐyuē, qí shù hū, jǐ suǒ bù yù, wù shī yú rén
The master said, it’s perhaps “Shu”, do not place upon others what you would not have placed upon yourself.
I acknowledge my translation could use work. :) But, you get the point. It’s another statement of the Golden Rule - in this negative form sometimes called the “Silver Rule.” Important within it is the character 恕 Shu. This character is composed of three radicals. On the bottom, we have the Heart. Above that on the left we have the radical for Woman and on the right the Mouth radical. So, “Shu” is something like a woman speaking her heart. Or the kind of speech that comes from the strength of a woman’s heart. Opposed to this elsewhere is the character for anger, 怒 Nu, which looks very similar. The only difference is the upper right radical which is a picture of a hand. The woman radical and the hand radical together as a character by themselves means “slave.” So, anger is when your heart is enslaved. We can look at this in an external way - as when someone is somehow preventing us from living our heart’s desire. But, Dr. Liu asked us to look at it differently. Anger is, he suggested, like not having a master within yourself - when one loses control. Shu is an antidote to this - it is living out our heart’s greatest desires, our heart’s purest desires. This gives us ultimate freedom and it allows us to arrive at our true nature which is always productive of behavior in line with the “Golden Rule” as listed above.
Perhaps you’re not sure what this has to do with Chinese medicine, but for me it was clear.
- To achieve mastery in medicine, we must not only learn from the Classical texts and the wisdom of our teachers, but also allow this information to transform us on a deep level.
- This transformation will be on many levels. Physically, we will “follow our own advice” and live in accordance with the ways that our teachers lay out for us. Emotionally and spiritually, we will walk the path of the Boddhisattva.
- This path is one that brings us into line with Shu - opening to our true nature through living the truth of our heart. This in part involves, and is productive of, behavior in line with the Golden rule.
- This Golden rule indicates that we should treat others as we treat ourselves, or that we should not do to others what we would not have done to ourselves.
- In some sense, all of this tells us to polish ourselves into the kind of doctors that can serve as great examples for our patients. But, we must also allow our patients to be a mirror for us - when we gaze into that mirror we must always be asking ourselves if we are treating our patients as we would want to be treated in similar circumstances.
I’d be interested to hear what you think about this in the comments.
Eric
Tags: buddhism, Classical Texts (general), Personal Development, professional-development, study, studying.-confucianismRelated posts
Creativity, Classical Chinese Medicine and our right to be wrong
Image via Wikipedia
The impact of this video should be experienced by everyone. How does it relate to Classical Chinese Medicine? How does it relate to this blog? Where do I begin?
All over the planet, there are people who think like I do. There are people who find a sense of hope in Classical Chinese Medicine, its way of treating human beings and its way of opening our minds to a perception of reality alternate to the one most of us are schooled within. I’m not talking about anything you can dismiss rapidly, so please, let rest your assumptions. For 20 years, I’ve been frustrated by the oppressive, soul killing, pervasive worldview that so dominates everything one sees through the mass media and through public education. This worldview says that the left brain is where it’s at, that logic (narrowly defined as it is in most University philosophy departments) should always rule, that there are no ghost or fairies or spirits, that something isn’t real or useful if it can’t be tested placebo-controlled and double blind and that intuition is a chemical reaction and nothing more. I’ve been frustrated by this worldview, but also enticed by it.
Why?
Because it brings the promise of security. Of safety. Of making the chaotic and gut-wrenching world into something that can be calculated, predicted, understood and dealt with. Also, because some of the most dynamic and interesting people in my life have been ruled by this worldview. Only sometimes I forget that they are dynamic and interesting despite their religious fervor for the elements of this worldview as described above. I’ve also variously drawn close to this worldview because sometimes the alternatives make me ill. It seems, at times, that the only choice is between what I’ve described and a kind of dreamy-eyed, crystal worshipping, close your eyes tightly and hope for a better future kind of stance. Neither is an option for me, and I guess the former seems more likely to be productive of something worth having.
Chinese medicine, for me, opens the door for an alternate interpretation. The world is both chaos and order. Both predictable and unpredictable. We predict with caveat and we accept unpredictability with tools to deal with the result of that unpredictability. We embrace chaos while seeing the beauty of the order within. We calmly respect order while allowing space for the chaos that whirls in the eddies of the human soul. We breathe in, we breathe out. We dream. We memorize. We try and fail. We fail and get back up again. I have learned all of these things and so many more in my brief three or four years seriously seeking to understand Chinese philosophy and its flowering in the most complex and promising medical system ever to grace our planet.
I know that for some of you all of this is easy to dismiss. But, I’ve grown tired of caring. I’ve grown tired of stifling myself for the sake of avoiding conflict with people who simply don’t think like me. Rest assured, this is not the abandoning of logic. It never has been, not for me. Watch that video again. Does that seem like a guy who has abandoned reason? Do his arguments ramble with no sense? Sure, you could probably find a way to logically refute his arguments - but what does that feed? Where does that go? I think we can all see where the worldview I have described is leading us. I refuse to walk that path.
Classical Chinese Medicine rests firmly on a scientific basis that accepts contradiction, embraces the totality of human experience and - perhaps most of all - makes a real difference in the lives of real human beings. It resonates deeply with the essence of the TED lecture linked above and, really, the essence of the entire TED project. That creativity and inspired intelligence are the deepest inheritance of humankind, that these traits are what will save our species and take us into a beautiful tomorrow. That color and sound and movement, art and introspection and perception, that THESE THINGS are what will lead us towards cures for disease - regardless of what else is necessary. That the symbols contained within Chinese characters are instructive, that symbolism in general is a language we can all understand. All of this I take to be self evident.
On a more personal level, I really feel that this lecture has unlocked the last little bit of reservation I have had about stepping into my power as a scholar, as a clinician, as a blogger and as a person. As you know from reading some of my recent posts, I’ve been struggling with what to write. This struggle has come primarily from my worry that others would attack me, would call me “wrong,” that I would make my teachers and my program look bad - a pervasive perfectionism shaped by a misguided sense of self preservation. I cannot always be right, and neither can you. But those of us who care about the world, who care about human beings, who love the beauty and the power of Classical Chinese Medicine (and, of course, other modalities) need to speak out, speak freely, and be willing to be wrong.
It’s our responsibility and our right.
Eric
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Taking it all in: Buddhist practice and Chinese medicine school
I’ve been struggling for the past couple of weeks. I’ve gone through the range of responses to my difficulty, mostly hovering in the realm of “just keep moving” which seems to work for me. The fact is that since I began Chinese medicine school at National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) I’ve gone through periods of difficulty. Some of them come with warning - I am asked to interact directly with something challenging for me - but mostly they sneak up and don’t give much explanation as to their origins. This time has been one of those latter types. Finals week was hard. I mean, medical school is supposed to be hard, right? True, this finals week was particularly difficult. It reached deep and it wouldn’t let go, even with a very relaxing Spring break. But, somehow, this isn’t enough of an explanation for the kind of existential weirdness I’ve been experiencing.
Well, most of these things come on quickly and without much fanfare and leave much the same way. This time it broke open gently, slowly, and not all at once. In fact, there are some stubborn bits that refuse to go. But the breaking open has released some articles that I’m going to write all in one sitting and release over the week. They may represent something of a departure from my regular musings, but I hope they will be helpful to you nonetheless. The first, this one, is probably the most important for me to get out. So pay attention, will you? And let me know how it goes.
A short time ago, I was reading the Shambhala Sun,a wonderful Buddhist publication for anyone (not just Buddhists), and was struck by an article by noted Buddhist author Sylvia Boorstein. The article discusses the Divine Abodes, an element of the Buddhist explanation of reality that centers on particular states of consciousness that are (in part) an antidote to some pretty common negative emotional states of human beings. The Divine Abodes can be translated as (1) equanimity (2) impartial goodwill (3) spontaneous compassion and (4) genuine appreciation. The article discusses these states of consciousness in a very approachable manner and I learned a lot from it, but that wasn’t really moved me.
I was particularly interested in the simple explanation Boorstein gives of one of the primary insights of Buddhism. That is that situations, in and of themselves, have no inherent nature. My sitting in this coffee shop writing an article cannot, in a sense, MAKE me feel one way or another. I may have various reactions to being here (the basics being positive, negative and neutral) and those reactions are ok, but they can cause problems. For instance, if I enjoy it very much my clinging mind may start scheming to find a way to retain the experience and, knowing that I have to be somewhere in 45 minutes, I may begin to suffer the negative effects of knowing that this, too, shall pass. Boorstein talks in easy prose about her lived experience as a person observing her own reactions to various stimuli and finding equanimity within these situations. Equanimity allows us to experience all situations in such a way that we do not suffer from them, though we may still (of course) feel pain, pleasure or indifference in response to particular stimuli.
What does this have to do with Chinese medicine? Well, plenty. As I mulled over this article, I realized how important its insights are for students. In every educational program, we have classes that move us tremendously, others that we don’t really care one way or another about, and others that we actively dislike. When I am in a class that I love, I feel inspired and excited and I’m so reluctant to leave! This is particularly the case if I have a class that I don’t prefer soon afterwards. In fact, wonderful classes negatively impact my experience of classes that are less interesting to me. When I’m in a class I don’t prefer, I find myself not really taking in the information and - indeed - not even really being IN the class. I disconnect. I suffer in response to considering having to go to that class in the future. All of this dramatic running towards and running away serves no purpose but the stroking of my own ego - my steadfast resolve that I know what is good or valuable and what is bad or worthless. It detaches me from my lived experience and probably robs me of a great education.
So, I’ve begun trying to cultivate equanimity in class. When I say “try” I really just mean that whenever I notice my state moving in the direction of overt negativity, overt positivity or obvious indifference, I try to come back to being in that moment. What’s going on around me? What is my body sensing? What is the professor saying? Where is my breath? In this way, I had the best pharmacology class EVER today. The danger, of course, is that I become so interested in so many things that I don’t know what to focus on! :D But, there’s no rush and no aching need to spend every waking moment in pursuit of knowledge when my state is one of equanimity - so hopefully no danger there.
I realize I may not be communicating this absolutely clearly, but I hope the essence is coming across. I think this kind of state might be quite helpful in a clinical situation as well. It’s really just a variation on the old exclamation, “BE HERE NOW!” I’d be interested in hearing others’ thoughts in the comments.
Eric
Tags: buddhism, Cultivation, education, Learning, ncnm, Personal Development, Student Life, students, studyRelated posts
Why should doctors cultivate compassion?
Three excellent blogs, Urbanmonk.net, The Middle Way.net, and kentonwhitman.com have collaborated to create a group writing project around the topic of compassion. They have titled the project “Spread the love NOW,” an imperative statement for an imperative topic! It’s a great time of year to be thinking deeply about compassion and other related topics, so I thought I would add some thoughts of my own. If you have an online journal or blog, consider visiting that link and participating in the project yourself. Entries need to be posted by the 5th of January, 2008. As if joining your voice with so many others to talk about such a worthy subject isn’t enough benefit alone, there’s also a prize involved. Visit the Urbanmonk.net link above to learn more.
Compassion is a natural theme for a blog about medicine. However, it is too seldom discussed explicitly in medical settings. Sometimes it seems that it is assumed that people come to medicine naturally aligned with the principles of compassionate living and that their medical practice will be informed by those principles. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Some come to medicine because of family tradition, others because of hopes of monetary gain, still others sort of by accident - they choose it out of a book or from some career counseling service’s list. Of course there are many, particularly in the natural medicine fields, who do come for all of the right reasons. Further, even people primarily motivated by some of the above can be exceptionally compassionate individuals. Regardless of one’s motivation for entering the medical field or one’s natural tendency with regards to compassion, it is a topic that should be carefully considered and a trait that should be vigorously cultivated.
The philosophical roots of Chinese medicine are full of descriptions of the necessary attitude for a good physician. While Chinese medical science should not be equated with the philosophical systems that gave rise to it, we can look to those systems to understand the medicine more fully. Interestingly, all three of the major Chinese spiritual systems - Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism - take compassion to be one of the highest virtues. In Daoism, compassion is one of the three jewels that all good people should seek to cultivate. Compassion is at the very heart of Buddhist thought, no doubt about it. In Confucianism, too, compassion is a most sought virtue and some sources indicate that Confucius believed that all other virtues flowed from this one. I’d like to briefly explore the Confucian understanding of Compassion and suggest some ways that physicians and physicians-in-training can incorporate this vital virtue into their own lives and medical practices.
The word for compassion is Ren 仁 and can also be translated as benevolence, humility, humanity and mercy. The character is composed of the person radical on the left and the symbol for “2″ on the right. It indicates either a cluster of two persons or the relationship between two people. It is my understanding that this virtue has been explained in many ways by different Confucian philosophers. One of the major points of contention concerns towards whom we are meant to have this special attitude. Some contend that it should be shown to all people (universal love) others indicate that it is reserved for those we owe some filial debt - such as our parents. Despite these differences, the essence can be agreed upon by anyone. When taking action in the world, we must always consider how our actions will impact other human beings. We must act in such a way that it does not support the desires/wishes of one person at the detriment of others. In essence, we must think of the humanity of others and act in such a way that we respect and honor the core of humanness within every person.
What does this mean in medicine? Simply this - that your primary concern is a doctor is to respect the humanness of each patient. They are not your experimental laboratories, they are not marks to push your products on, they are not intentionally being difficult or any of those other petty little things we all think at one time or another. Thus, they shouldn’t be treated as such. They should be always and everywhere treated in exactly the same manner as you would have yourself treated, with respect, openness - and yes, even a kind of love.
How can we learn to embody this principle? Well, any of the basic self-cultivational practices will certainly help. Meditation helps our minds to quiet and this in turn will help us to notice when our thoughts turn to less than compassionate directions. One practice I can suggest is to stop immediately any speech or thought about any person, patient or not, that you would not want them to hear you thinking or saying. You might also want to look into volunteering your time to a local charity, particularly one that serves sectors of the public that you traditionally find difficult. In exposing yourself repeatedly to people you find difficult, you may be more able to work through your troubling feelings.
In general, I believe that thinking carefully about our relationship with the virtue of compassion is one of the most important practices we can work with as physicians and future physicians. How does compassion play out in your daily life? Learned any particularly poignant lessons about this virtue? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments. If you would like to read more articles like this one, be sure to subscribe to this blog via RSS feed or via email.
Eric
Tags: Character, compassion, Cultivation, meditation, professional-development, virtue
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