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Category: The Spirit of the Neijing

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  • General
  • Re-framing Health Care for Society
  • The Art of Acupuncture (and CM)
  • The Spirit of the Neijing
  • The Theory and Practice of Disease Reversion (Accumulation Theory)

Framing the Arts (術) of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

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Twenty-five centuries ago, the authors of the Great Commentary of Yìjīng (Xìcí (繫辭)) identified one key idea at the root of the natural philosophy investigations during the classical period of ancient China. They framed two ways to relate with and understand the world, which exhibit a clear yin-yang polarity: The qì (器)-frame focuses on how … Continue reading “Framing the Arts (術) of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine”

Teaching Nèijīng (內經) Acupuncture

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Nearly six years ago, I was ask to develop a short series of seminars to introduce the five systems of channels and vessels of acupuncture. I tried in good faith to organize such a series, and the plan ended up including eighteen weekends, most of which were conceived as three day meetings. My continuing education … Continue reading “Teaching Nèijīng (內經) Acupuncture”

Two Kinds of Scholarship

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One challenge modern people face in studying classical Chinese medicine is recognizing, appreciating, and eventually participating in the peculiar nature of classical Chinese scholarship. While modern scholarship has contributed substantially to our understanding of Nèijīng (內經) by establishing the ‘provenance’ of the received texts, its value wanes substantially beyond that. Literary reading of classic texts like Nèijīng … Continue reading “Two Kinds of Scholarship”

Picking Fights with Luminaries?

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A few weeks ago, a friend wrote an email to me after reading my initial posting on studying Nèijīng (內經) in Chinese. He was concerned that I might undermine my attempt to educate our profession by ‘picking fights with luminaries,’ before I was ready to make my case. I assured him that I’ve done my ‘homework,’ … Continue reading “Picking Fights with Luminaries?”

Whatever Happened to Nèijīng (內經)?

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There are MANY ways to study Chinese medicine. The practical desire to assure adequate training in China early in the Song (960-279) led to the standardization of the basic modern clinical doctrine. Many clinical differentiations had already been ‘worked out’ by that time, and they were organized into the familiar syndromes of the zàngfǔ (藏府). … Continue reading “Whatever Happened to Nèijīng (內經)?”

Challenges of Studying Nèijīng (內經)

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The classical language of Nèijīng (內經) presents many complications. I wrote a blog piece recently about the challenge of determining if a particular phrase refers to the macrocosm or microcosm. Another ubiquitous challenge is that classical Chinese has no punctuation — that’s a big one, and I’ll write about it more in the future. Yet, in … Continue reading “Challenges of Studying Nèijīng (內經)”

Working with Sabine to Decipher Nèijīng (內經)

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Classical Chinese is a difficult language, and I’ve been lucky enough to find the perfect person to help me undertake direct study of Nèijīng (內經) with all its beauty and challenges in classical Chinese. I wrote a little about Sabine and her background in a previous posting, but that brief review focused primarily on her external qualifications. … Continue reading “Working with Sabine to Decipher Nèijīng (內經)”

Drowning in a Sea of Information

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Contemporary practitioners and students of Chinese medicine face an enormous educational challenge, which has shifted somewhat over the past few decades. When I began my studies of Chinese medicine nearly three decades ago, it was difficult to find adequate information in English. Now there is A LOT of information available, and a quickly increasing number … Continue reading “Drowning in a Sea of Information”

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