Notes based on Liu Ming lectures, class I presented at Pioneer st. clinic maybe 2005 or so:
Daoism, Chinese Medicine, and Longevity
Daoism is the View that Chinese Medicine, particularly Chinese Herbal Medicine, was rooted in. To understand how Chinese medicine looks at the body, illness and health, and the aging process – one must look to understanding Daoism in relation to Classical Chinese society.
Daoism, Confucianism, and later Buddhism blended together to form the ‘chinese’ outlook on life, death, and healing
To understand terms like ‘qi’, ‘yin’, and ‘yang’, and ‘spirit’ as used by Chinese medicine in regards to health and long-life, we need to explore Daoism to find the root.
Who were the Daoists?
There were no “Daoists” per se until about the 2nd century of the common era – with the beginning of a formalized Religious movement that came to be an important force in all forces of Chinese life. But the inspiration for their views may have went back for many millennia.
Misunderstanding to divide Daoists into “religious” and “philosophical” schools that is understood now in recent scholarship.
Perhaps the original “Daoist” force can be seen in those who observed the “wu” shamans in early tribal society –
Children deemed right for the job were taught to go into trance to get information for the village from “intermediary” sources – to
Divinate for the tribe what the weather would be like, or what crops to grow, or how to deal with a neighboring tribe of people
Those who went into trance would usually become exhausted and die young – seemingly a price they had to pay for being able to ‘taste’ the other side
The earliest Daoist were those who observed this, and tried to figure out a way to get that information without exhaustion –
Later they became those who would try experiments in what we might call a quest to have a More fully Human relationship with a Living Universe
Lao Tzu – Dao de jing
3rd century BCE – same period as Confucius– largely understood as a philosophical book in this country – it was understood on many levels by the early Chinese – and provided the closest thing to a Bible for the early Daoist religion.
Was taken as an alchemical and meditational tract by the early Daoist religion. This was combined with 5-element and yin-yang schools, as well as naturalist observations based on revelation, and the understanding of Qi.
It is a kind of quotable quotes of the time, organized in such a way as to make some succinct statements as to the nature of the “Dao” – of the Way…and especially to point to its subtlety, murkiness, unnameableness, and its power acting through the force of “wu-wei” – non-action.
To the Daoist mind, the Creation as always at hand – there is no other place but this one. Always is the arisal from the unknowable Dao into Chaos, which than appears to divide into Yin Yang, the 5 elements, and the 10 thousand things. To align oneself with the primordial Dao, the Mother, is to remain “inexhaustible” and to achieve immortality. “Returning to the Source” is the refrain of the Daoist.
The practices of the Religious Daoists in Northern China tended to be more communal, in the South – more personal, eccentric, hermit-like.
The Southern Daoists investigated a lot of substances in their search for immortality – for an “external elixir” – there are a lot of texts that say things like” “so and so distilled the essence of turnips under the 5th full moon of the constellation of the rabbit, and after 4 years achieved lightness of body and could fly, and ascended as a dragon into the realm of the immortals in broad daylight”.
It was the offshoots of these experiments – herbs that didn’t help the Daoist to “fly” – but increased Lung capacity – that came through the millennium as herbal formulas that would help asthma, for example. The experiments were often written down and carefully assessed.
The Northern, communal practice took into account the “Body” of the practitioner, the community, and the Natural environment – the Living and the Dead (the ancestors), into its scope and practice. The Dao-shi, Daoist priest, operated a community shrine and organized village life around seasonal qi nodes – for festivals, observances, etc.
The local pantheon of animistic gods and shamanism was integrated into a larger naturalistic view of the cosmos, using feng-shui and liturgical rites. In the earlier Orthodox Daoist groups there was a distinct breaking away from practices that involved ‘blood sacrifice’ or bowing down to gods.
On the Surface it looked to the West for many years as a hodgepodge of Folk religion, but in actuality the Daoist religion had any kinds of groups – kind of like Southern Baptists and Quakers.
The pre-eminent blessing in Daoism was to have ‘Long-life’, the fundamental goal for a Daoist on a more individual path would be ‘immortality’.
The Daoists were the “Death” experts in Chinese society – Feng-shui was fundamentally practiced in order to place gravesites correctly, and establish clear circulation of qi in the community.
The later Buddhists recognized the Daoists as the experts in dealing with the dead – Buddhism rejected trance revelation while the Daoists practiced trance alongside with focused non-conceptual meditation of the Dao – the Uncarved Block.
When death comes, the transition is easily and effortlessly accomplished – a natural biological, energetic process that isn’t so hard to find – not exclusive to only a few historically. Death without exhaustion of the inner vital principles- this is a more refined Daoist statement of ‘immortality’.
They developed several cosmologies that expressed a microcosmic/macrocosmic harmony that could be seen at an individual, a collective, and a universal level – based on the fundamental concept of “qi”, yin and yang, and the 5 elements.
All of traditional Chinese thinking can be seen as being organized around these concepts
Yin-Yang and the 5 elements
Yin and Yang are understood not as opposites, but as sides of the same coin, fundamentally related and never separated. When they are in balance, there is harmony, circulation, long-life, and a full expression of human life.
When death comes, the transition is easily and effortlessly accomplished – a natural biological, energetic process that isn’t so hard to find – not exclusive to only a few historically. Death without exhaustion of the inner vital principles- this is a more refined Daoist statement of ‘immortality’.
Traditional Chinese medicine
Yin – Blood, fluids, substance – the mother of Qi
Yang – Qi, nerves, movement, process – the commander of Blood
Qi – the original character shows the vapor arising from rice, the fundamental grain. Qi is the essence of energy – vital movement.
Both are needed – cannot have wood without the flame, or flame without the wood. Need both food (yin) and strong digestive fire (Yang) to create the energy needed for day to day life.
5-elements play a major role in understanding the theory also
Fire, earth, metal water, wood
relation to organs, meridians, governments, personalities
creative cycle- engendering – mother-son
control cycle – limiting – grandparent cycle
Longevity
Women have 7 year cycles, men have 8 year cycles – Daoists found limit to be about 120 – after centuries of experimenting, recording
Ascendancy of energy at 28 and 32, than things start to go a little
Being born we all have a fatal disease – being born – but can live more fully and develop different capabilities as we go
Men have Yang in the ascendancy until middle age, women have Yin in the ascendancy until middle age.
Pre-natal and post-natal energy
Pre-natal – Kidney energy and jing – basic blueprint for life, genetics, aging. Can be great inheritance, or squandered.
Can be added to yogically (internal elixir, qi gong), and somewhat with herbs (external elixir)
Can be reduced by ‘burning the candle at both ends’, lack of ‘virtue’ leading to overdoing (smallness of desire), illness, overeating, oversex
But can spend qi by trying to squander qi
Basic advice
Assessment is needed to see “how one is doing” –
Can be one’s own doctor up to a point, working with food, exercise
But need to know ones basic constitution, history, ‘true nature’, to really be able to assess strengths and weaknesses.
Weaknesses can be blessing – where one is in touch with nature
Woman are stronger – partly due to being more susceptible to things. Menses being opportunity for women to have larger circulation and discharge blockages
Never sick – overly pushing-forward – sudden heart attack. Extreme yang transforming into Yin.
Massage every month, acupuncture once a season if healthy
Need to keep flexibility and circulation going
Diet is important – but worrying about diet creates knots in the digestion (Earth element – overconcern, worry)
Agriculturally based, traditional diets best
Rats who eat least live longest – overeating is toxic
Not about taking really rich tonics all the time – ginseng etc.
Just as much about enabling vital circulation – which is enhanced with eating vegetables
Daoist experiments discount raw foods as ‘the path’, except to becoming a ‘ghost’ sooner – fasting is appropriate in simple situations, meditation, etc. Fasting 1 day a week or on a calendar basis is done
Living life according to a traditional calendar (Jewish/Daoist) that takes into account the seasons and the body is a fundamental way to longevity.
Circulation of mind and heart/spirit too
Northern Daoists practiced a fundamental meditation called the ‘elixir practice’ or internal neidan – completely misunderstood by Mantak Chia’s bestsellers on ‘microcosmic orbit’ and preserving sexual energy. Deepest level is ‘shen’, qi that is described as ‘atmospheric’ that we share universally.
Fundamental idea being that we inherently have a deeper and deeper circulation of qi that we can become aware of through practicing stillness – that it is something to be ‘discovered’ and not ‘produced’ –
In discovering this deeper circulation we discover our ‘true appetite’, happiness, and long-life
Not related to intelligence or religious orientation, the Daoists are speaking of a natural occurrence that can be discovered simply by ‘letting go’
Concentration naturally arises as we age, with the later cycles there is more of an ability to embrace softness and stillness –
Unless we are exhausted and conflicted
Basic health is a prerequisite to being able to relax into this – and this implies internal circulation of qi and blood that is not weak or stagnant.
Conclusion
Longevity is about length and quality of life – in Chinese terms – having abundant qi and blood to be able to cultivate our truest nature and expression, and to die without exhaustion or fear.
Chinese medicine provides a clear means to understand the qi mechanisms of the body and how they relate to aging – rather than a ‘fix-it’ mentality of modern medicine – that relates well to catastrophic disease.
Constant application of various modern drugs often weaken the qi of the Kidney, Liver, and Heart in predictable ways that can diminish quality of life considerably
Traditional formulas take into account complex qi mechanisms as apply to individuals with specific conditions.
Need to be prepared by knowledgeable people – not health food store workers and vitamin salesman!
Traditional medicines and modern medicine can be partners in providing for longevity
With Chinese medicine, even if don’t understand, know that it is safe and time-tested over millennia with billions of people. END
More, from a class…
Wednesday, April 29th we’ll focus on how to make practical use of Chinese principles for Longevity.
We’ll look at the paradox of vitalizing (“use it or lose it”) vs. tonifying (“preserve it or lose it”) approaches that are
both appropriate for health. Looking at herbs that ‘regulate qi’ and ‘tonify qi and blood’ in common formulas.
Since we’re all going to ‘lose it’ anyway – we’ll keep the focus on enjoyment and harmony, follow the paths of least resistance
and examine “Wu-Wei”, which perhaps might sum up the whole subject too.
no force working against longevity except your own choices.
personal responsibility – not placing substances or conduct first.
waking up to knowledge of affect of conduct
longevity in that case – contact reality – longevity is the amount of time you need to see what’s real – not just prolonging life.
Longevity is an English word – alchemy as european tradition is very different – anything that uses ingredients – looks as those as an antidote to something else – winds up dualistic.
Dualism ends not in theory but in practice – recognize you make choices.
Why live a long time?
What would be sensible to accompany that aspiration?
People blur forward onto longevity.
Are ingredients parallel to doctrines in Buddhism, precepts, etc.?
How important are the ingredients/doctrines to the experience of?
too fast forward replacing theism and scientism – not designed to replace. Just formulas – no reason to think we can understand – not enough details – everyone has their own way – peculiar.
Daoism doesn’t have doctrine – have formulations.
something simple – calm
present is where we experience longevity – calm, abiding –
being in the moment.
have you noticed you’re going to die? what emotions does it bring up? recognize that its always true? maybe aspirations change…then teachings valuable.
People gather information to discredit things – aspiration is a subconscious agenda to fail. Low self esteem, huge egos.
make people laugh along – mocking in worse ways than they do themselves – kind of liberation experience. Mean enough – say I don’t deserve this.
alchemy – clarifying situation. biochemical substrata of shift.
but going there first – or sociology of ordinary person.
sociology of ordinary person doing alchemy is absurd.
contexts where the things that poison become opposite.
alchemy is the opposite of productivity –
non-productiveness.
simplicity is almost highest teaching – giving simple teachings
more satisfying to highest aspiration.
more complexity going downward – if they are dissatisfied have given the best presentation – not avoiding them.
immortality is what we all are.
wu-wei – naturalness, not characterized by activity or non-actvity –
the feeling quality of natural…..feeels like natural