Another scholar reviews his first month of Sagely Living
This is an article that Michael Givens, author of the recent article “Why does Chinese Medicine seem so complicated?” sent to me last night. He was one of the first on board for the Year of Sagely Living, but doesn’t have an online home - so he’s posting his insights here.
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Since this is the last day of January and near the new moon (and new seasonal node), I thought it would be fitting to write up a review of the month for me in this “Year of Sagely Living.” I have been participating, but have not shared my experience in the discussion, so perhaps I’ll try to continue to after this with more monthly reviews. I am very appreciative of all of your efforts, Eric, and inspiration. This project could not have come at a better time.
At the beginning of the month I made the following personal commitment:
1. School work
I committed myself to study for each class on one day a week for two hours, as well as a 30 minute formulas review each day. I also choose one other subject each day to research further and deeper than was taught to me. I have 8 classes, so I needed to combine two classes to one day (one hour for each). This may seem like not a lot of studying for classes, but I have to keep in balance a family (I have two children) and my wife is also a Naturopathic Physician who is beginning to open her own practice. So, I have to keep my study time focused and efficient.
2. Classical Texts Personal Study
I am enrolled in two classical texts courses at NCNM (one on the Shanghan Lun and the other on the 19 lines of Pathology in the Neijing), but they are focused on exploring the texts in Chinese, so much of the work is in improving my continuous study of classical Chinese as well as deeply engaging specific aspects of the essential classical texts. In my personal study, I am committed to not only familiarize myself with the classical cannon of Chinese medicine, but to know as much of it by heart as I can. So, I practice memorizing lines or specific information from the texts. In this project, I committed my self to continue to study the Ling Shu (of the Neijing), the Shanghan Lun, the NanJing, the Jia YiJing and the Shennong Bencao Jing. I have been studying these texts for a while now, so I chose specific chapters to focus on, or specific texts to complete (if I hadn’t read it through completely yet). I committed myself to focusing on this study at least two hours a day, two days a week. This is as much as I am able to fit into my schedule.
3. Writing
I also committed myself to writing for a half an hour a day, every day. I wanted to choose a topic and explore it in depth. I also committed myself to writing one article per week to be submitted somewhere or saved for a later submission.
So, how successful was I with this project?
Terribly unsuccessful, I’m sad to say. Yet, it has been a great lesson for me, and by continuing to simply view it as a lesson and an experiment, I did not beat myself up about it, but rather, kept reminding myself of my goal. In the first week (prior to school beginning) I was very successful in my study and classical text reading, yet could not get myself to sit down to write. By the time school began, I was able to maintain only my classical text study. This may seem strange, for it means that I neglected my school studies and chose my personal studies, but it shows me that when I do not have my life in balance, I uphold only what I truly want and put off what I need to do, but can do later.
I feel that I put a lot of intention into my plan that was really quite intense and in doing so I believe that I sabotaged myself. It was as if since I couldn’t wait to get started, I jumped in too quickly, planning on doing too much, and the energy I put into my plan carried too much weight; I simply couldn’t find a rhythm with it. By the third week though, I felt much more detached from the outcome and the plan itself, and simply tried every day to participate as much as I could in my commitment, and soon I found myself much more on track than the weeks before. This last week, I have even written an article which Eric graciously posted. Thus, I’ve greatly benefited from this project already, but I have also learned to return to following more of a middle path in life, to keep the extremes and the intensity to a more harmonious central rhythmic flow.
I enjoyed focusing on the Scholar aspect of this time, though I see that it is the time of the Gall Bladder moving toward the Liver. Though I think this has been a perfect time of year (especially for students) to focus on strengthening the Scholar, another perspective of the twelve archetypes of the seasons is that it is the Ram who is the true scholar, the Small Intestine (the sixth month), the King Wen archetype, who, locked away, worked out the scholarly mapping of the energy of the Bagua. The Gall Bladder, who is the Rat (this first month), is much more of the King Wu archetype, who, seeing the eclipse at noon (much like transition from the old year to the new year) initiated the great battle and marched his troops to attack the Shang by “crossing the great water.”
Thus, perhaps I was more taken away with my Gall Bladder intensity of initiating this project, and unable to maintain the scholar’s rhythm and cultivation. I am hoping that as the Wood energy rises in this node of “Li Chun” or “Spring Standing Up” time of the Liver, I will be able to sustain my plan and continue to flow with it. In harmonizing with the Qi of the seasons, I believe I will be able to do so. I’ll let you know how it went.
Michael Givens
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Tags: balance, Classical Texts (general), commitment, Cultivation, focus, January, Michael Givens, personal commitment, scholar, students, studyingRelated posts
Tradition and innovation in Chinese medicine
As I was working on one of my upcoming reviews, MORE books came to review - one of these being the masterful volume on Pulse Diagnosis by Dr. Leon Hammer
In Dr. Hammer’s book, he discusses the Mai Jing
Last night I was in a meeting of a group I am privileged to be part of called the Presidential Ambassador Leadership Society or PALS. It is currently based at NCNM but has a larger vision of being replicated at other natural medicine schools. The purpose of PALS is manyfold, but last night it was most definitely focused on developing our own capacities in various areas of personal development including leadership, vision and most importantly - openness to new ideas. While listening to the talk, I wondered about Chinese medicine and the tension that seems to be there between the need to adhere to tradition and the inevitable human urge to innovate. My school and particularly certain professors in the school tend to privilege tradition over innovation, though several professors are extremely innovative and I consider them to be on the bleeding edge of Chinese medicine development. So this tension, so present at the AAAOM conference, so present in academic journals, so present in online interactions between practitioners is fully displayed in the hallowed halls of NCNM as well.
I am not, by nature, a conservative person. I thrive in an environment of near constant change, particularly internal change. I have always been the first in my peer group and my family to try new things, to reach towards new vistas and to adapt to new technology. In my undergraduate studies in both biology and philosophy and later in my graduate studies in ethics, I sought out new theories and methodologies and looked to the future as the answer to many of our most perplexing questions in the present. But my study of Chinese medicine has changed me a little. In some ways, I see moving back towards the Classics and the Classical way of perceiving the world as the most significant advance we can make today. I find myself EXCEEDINGLY reluctant to adopt new systems of diagnosis and treatment, even if they are purported to be clinically viable.
But these last few weeks have found me discovering a middle ground between the futurism and love of innovation of my past and the canonical conservatism of recent years. For every branch and leaf you see on a tree there is a long root and many rootlets to support it. The tree doesn’t ignore its roots, and there is no favoring of upward growth over deep nourishment from the Earth for a healthy specimen. My roots lie in the Classical texts and in the methods of reasoning and understanding that I can extract from them. But my leaves and branches rise to the sun. I think this is a healthy approach. But I would like to talk more about what it means.
What kind of balance are you striking between adherence to tradition and respect for innovation? Where do your tensions lie?
Eric
Tags: balance, changing-the-world, chinese-medicine, Classical Texts (general), Personal Development, philosophy, professional-development, TheoryRelated posts
Book Review: Bob Flaws, Statements of Fact in Traditional Chinese Medicine
I am pleased to review Bob Flaws‘ latest book, an updated and revised version of his Statements of Fact in Traditional Chinese Medicine
This book is, essentially, a highly organized collection of statements culled from various texts of Chinese medicine thematically represented with English, Chinese and pinyin included. It contains statements about a number of essential topics, from basic theory to individual Zang-Fu organs to pathological processes to treatment principles. So, for instance, in the section on physiology we find a subsection about the Zang and Fu organs. Within that section, under the subheading Lung, we find 49 Chinese statements and their translation from a variety of source texts. There are statements about the Lung’s function in the body, the things that easily harm it, some of its pathological states as well as some more symbolic information pertaining to it. Additionally, Flaws provides a brief yet rich interpretation of each statement and its relevance.
Statements of Fact is intended to be a companion to beginning theory classes in Chinese medicine. In the preface of the book, Flaws discusses the challenges faced by Western students of Chinese Medicine. I have to agree with him on his basic assessment of the situation. We are not commonly asked to memorize pieces of texts or the many poems that Chinese speaking students do. We tend not to have basic theoretical information imprinted on our minds and so when we are in clinic or in conversation with a Chinese-trained practitioner, we may be at a disadvantage. Having the basics of theory at hand make it easier to understand inferences, make connections between treatments and their patterns and generally make us more effective students and practitioners. In the introduction, Flaws states:
“Therefore, I recommend that students study this book along with whatever basic theory text their school has chosen. Then, along with understanding the theory contained in that text, they should try to memorize as many of the corresponding statements of fact as possible. That way, one will have remembered the words and the understood their meaning.”
Further, in many schools of CM doctors make many statements in lecture and clinic that have their roots in the voluminous Chinese medicine literature. Only rarely do they have time to verbally source every statement! The ability for an English speaking student to quickly and easily locate that statement as part of the literature is invaluable. Yet this is also where the book finds its primary weakness. While an extensive bibliography is provided, Flaws was unable to follow each statement with a listing of its source text. He explains in the book that this was impractical. Those statements that did not come directly from a Classical text came mostly from Chinese language compendiums of classical statements and knowledge. He explains that the Chinese sources he utilized did not always list their original source for each statement. However, I feel that it would have been wonderful if he could have at least told us which Chinese source each statement came from, regardless of whether that was likely to have referenced the original source. Additionally, for those statements that he was able to trace back to their original source he could easily have listed them. This would have increased the book’s value immeasurably. However, this omission does not significantly alter my overall positive rating.
Overall, the book is a fine effort. As I’ve already mentioned, the organization is first rate and the inclusion of characters, English and pinyin is most appreciated. All of these elements are improvements over the previous edition. Flaws’ explanations of each statement or group of statements is very nice for beginners, but it will be important for students to be careful of taking these as absolute truth. They are Flaws’ interpretation, and while he is a very experienced practitioner and worthy of great respect, he of course interprets these statements through his own point of view. Using his interpretation as a guide will help new students to get a grasp of the basic idea and they can do further investigation to come to a fuller understanding for themselves.
The book is a great value for the price and I believe it will make a good addition to your Chinese medicine library. You can visit Blue Poppy Press’ website for more information and to purchase yourself a copy. You can also simply click on the picture of the book at the beginning of this article. When you do and have had a chance to use it for a while, please do come and let us know how you enjoyed it.
Eric
Tags: blue-poppy-press, bob-flaws, book-review, books, Character, Classical Texts (general), textual-analysis, Theory, translationsRelated posts
Living in Harmony with the Seasons: Part III - Thriving in Autumn
Tags: autumn, Classical Texts (general), dietary-therapy, fall, seasonal-living, Seasons
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8 Reasons you should do Qigong even if you don’t want to
I just got back from a QiGong retreat this weekend. As part of our program at NCNM, we learn Qigong within a specific lineage that we are privileged to access via one of our program founders, Heiner Fruehauf. It’s an amazing addition to our education. We take a practicum each term where once a week we learn from a teacher and are encouraged to have our own practice outside of class. We learn many forms as well as therapeutic applications of various movements that we can teach our patients. But the crown jewel of the Qigong portion of our education is the Qigong retreats. Once a term (so about every 3.5 months) we go to a beautiful natural area for three days with our teacher and our classmates and do Qigong for many hours a day. I’ll go into the retreats in another entry, but this time I’d like to talk about something else. Before you read, you might want to check out my recent entry discussing the nature and practice of Qigong.
The prevailing problem that I have, and I’m sure I’m not alone, is maintaining a regular practice outside of class and retreats. Our program is a challenging one and I have a lot of extra-curricular activity that, along with my family and personal commitments, pushes me to the limits of tolerance. So sometimes doing Qigong can seem like an impossible “extra” that is simply unnecessary. After all, noone is grading me on whether I do Qigong every day! So I thought I would offer my list of reasons why it is important to maintain a rock solid Qigong practice even in the face of intolerable schedule chaos. Many of these reasons will pertain to people who do some other practice, or people who aren’t in the field of Chinese medicine.
1. Personal cultivation is the foundation of authentic Chinese medicine practice.
In numerous Classical sources, personal cultivation is seen as the ground from which great practitioners are grown. We have been told by many professors how important it is to cultivate our own energy to a high level in service of increasing our sensitivity and proclivity as acupuncturists. Even in herbalism, a calm and refined mind will serve us well. Of course, Qigong isn’t the only practice that can help us in this regard - but given that it has both moving and still forms, uses visualization and internal silence for meditation and keeps the channels open and flowing it seems a particularly ideal practice.
2. Qigong helps keep your body healthy.
The forms that I learn combine stretching, isometric work, deep breathing, core strengthening and some cardiovascular elements. All of these elements are balanced quite well and while some forms may leave you quite breathless, you never feel pummeled or exhausted like you might with some more popular forms of exercise. Combine this with the fact that most forms focus on the opening of channels and removal of stagnation from problem areas and you have a program for total physical wellness. Definitely a good thing for Chinese medicine students that are forced to be sedentary much of the time.
3. You can use some forms of Qigong to study, if necessary.
Again for Chinese medicine students, and perhaps for other students, you can use Qigong as an addition to your study techniques. I have already discussed how you can use Qigong to help you study acupuncture points and channels. However, you can use Qigong - especially any repetitive portions of a form - as a way to more deeply integrate knowledge about the human body. If you are studying muscles, for instance, you can focus on each muscle you are using in a particular form as you are using them and try to remember the origin, insertion and action. If you can think of any novel uses of Qigong in studying, please do let us know in the comments.
4. Qigong is an effective stress reducer.
Perhaps a bit redundant, but it’s important to note that I have found Qigong to be a very effective reducer of overwhelming stress. When my practice is regular and fully engaged, I don’t notice little things and I certainly don’t worry about them. I don’t get headaches, I don’t crave so much sugar and caffeine and I think my academic performance improves. You may not notice ALL of these benefits, but I would be surprised if you didn’t experience some of them. This effect may come from the opening and coursing of the channels, it may come from the spiritual benefits of diving deep inside or it may simply be a by-product of taking some time for myself.
5. The more you repeat a form the better able you will be to teach others that form.
One of the goals in learning Qigong in our program is gaining the ability to teach forms and parts of forms to others. Why would we do this? Well, as practitioners we might teach the forms to our patients or to a class in order to help them gain all the benefits I am discussing. We might also teach specific techniques to patients experiencing particular symptoms - such as high blood pressure or headaches. I have heard students discuss offering free Qigong classes in the morning at their clinic as a way to extend or intensify acupuncture and herbal treatment. Many people find that when they practice Qigong in addition to getting regular treatment from a practitioner, they get better faster and the effects are longer lasting. Practicing the forms often will help you to give these benefits to your patients in the future.
6. It’s a great way to wake your body up and ready yourself for the day.
I like to do simple forms in the morning as an alternative to coffee. Some of you coffee-heads are laughing right now, I know, because I used to be one! You may think you can’t live without your coffee, but I bet you can. Just for one week, try doing a 30 minute Qigong session BEFORE your coffee and instead of going directly to brew up a pot just go inside and see if you really need it. I bet 9 times out of 10 you will find that you can forgo the cup of joe. While I don’t demonize coffee consumption like some people do, I think it’s a mistake to allow your body to become dependent on too many substances. We’re already dependent on carbohydrates, protein, minerals, vitamins, water and oxygen - why add yet ANOTHER thing you can’t live without?
7. Failing that, it’s an excellent way to let go of the day and ready yourself for sleep.
Sometimes I don’t manage to get up early enough to do a morning form. Sometimes I can’t find time for it through the day. If this happens, I always always find time to do a simple and non-energizing form in the evening. For my friends on the Qigong retreat this weekend - I think you know what form I’m talking about. *wink wink* Seriously, though, doing one of the sitting forms or simply standing in Universe stance after some brief movement can really help me settle down from the day. If I’m feeling particularly energized, sometimes I do a walking form around the yard and imagine all my cares and thoughts going out of my feet and into the ground. Nearly always this helps me go to sleep and stay asleep.
8. It’s a multi-purpose way to attend to your spiritual health.
Although I try not to find my spirituality in my medicine, Qigong is a great bridge between the two. It can be part of the medical system, is based on the same principles and definitely helps you cultivate your inner awareness of spiritual dimensions of reality. As I’ve said before, it can be a method of meditation and also can be seen as a form of prayer. Sometimes I will do a physically intense form and follow that with a deep meditation session. Because my channels are open and my energy harmonious, I can sit for longer periods and find myself to be much less distracted.
Do you do Qigong? Do you have a regular practice? Tell us how you manage to keep to it in the comments.
Eric
Tags: Acupuncture, Classical Texts (general), classical-chinese-medicine, deep-breathing, education, habits, Learning, meditation, Personal Development, QiGong, spirituality
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