松永道

Exactly. Fluid is lost but sperm isn't. Therefore sperm never needs to be regenerated. The body resources used to generate new sperm can be used for something else. The point of celibacy in cultivation is to conserve these generative resources and use them elsewhere. So what happens when these resources are forcibly conserved in the case of vasectomy?

That's a great perspective.

Chinese medicine can treat the branch or the root. A good doctor treats the root. A doctor without enough skill or without integrity treats the branches. In my research and medical experience I've found that abdominal breathing is the baseline state. Children and uncomplicated people do it naturally. There are a number of disfunctional patterns that result in shallow breathing: chronic posture problems, food accumulation in the intestines, liver disfunction, kidney disfunction, lung disfunction and spleen/pancrease disfunction are the most common. I apologize for not describing them all now, I already spent a bit too much precious time on the above post. All I will say is from what I've seen and experienced, herbs and acupuncture can strongly restore depth to the breath. If the doctor is good, acute cases should be noticeably improved within 2 hours. Chronic cases should see effect within 5-15 days. Not necessarily cure but noticeable results. If there are no results within this time either the doctor needs to use a different treatment strategy or the patient needs to find another doctor. As a Chinese medicine practicioner and cultivator, I tell my patients that self cultivation is the best medicine. However, in my experience, it's also the slowest and most challenging. Acupuncture and herbs both push in the right direction but to continue in the right direction everyone needs to walk on their own two feet. That said, acupuncture and herbs often mend disfunction well enough to return a patient to a comfortable life and that's all most people want. Someone who wants to repair and hone the human tool should know that the field of medicine is focused on repair. Acupuncture can only repair. Herbs can facilitate both, there are a lot of herbs out there, but using them in the honing process is a shamanic endeavor that requires due consideration. All herbs have side effects, however obvious or subtle.

Chidragon's diagnosis is probably the right direction. Often the "qi" doesn't sink into the lower abdomen because the diaphragm is tight. As for a scientific case for chakras and qi, they aren't real. Not in a discrete material sense anyways. Nevertheless, they're useful concepts. The best metaphor I've come up with is that Qi is a constellation. Constellations aren't real. But without them our ancestors would have never been able to make sense of the night sky. There are simply too many stars. With constellations, ancient people mapped the night sky, discovered how it moved, and how it was arranged. They then used that information to track time and navigate. Qi is a sensory constellation. It can't be measured with modern technology because it isn't a thing. It's a collection of things. One group of things that arise together is called hot Qi. Another group of things that collect together is called static Qi. Qi is just qualitative name for a perceivable phenomenon. As your awareness improves through a practice like meditation you will become aware of more bodily sensations. At first gross, then increasingly subtle. This is how ancient people mapped the 'subtle' or 'energetic' body and how they came up with chakras, channels, etc. Are they special energies? No. Not if you think energy is a separate, magical reality. But is it possible that a person can feel endocrine gland function, metabolic activities and other bodily processes? I believe so. And could these processes sometimes feel different than how they are described as discrete tissues, molecules, etc in our current biomedical paradigm? Absolutely. Then should our sense reality included in scientific investigation? Why the hell not! The human body-mind in an unparalleled scientific tool. According to their own accounts, some of our ancestors developed this tool to a degree that few people, if any, can rival today. Our species, in its present form, has been on earth for at least 1.9 million years and every generation had its own Einsteins. It's the height of hubris to discount their discoveries. Therefore, we need to understand their language and research. And that starts with demystifying concepts like chakras and Qi. People who earned the title Sage weren't soft minded hippies. They were practical investigators of nature, life, and reality. Our ancestors also understood that the human tool, like every other tool, needs to be calibrated to produce accurate measurements. A broken tool doesn't measure reality - it only measures it's own brokenness. And it doesn't even do that accurately. Broken tools need to be repaired and honed. Incidentally, that's a direct translation of the Chinese word for self-cultivation, xiulian 修炼 - repair and hone. And that's what practices like qigong, yoga and meditation are for - repairing and honing the human tool. Your problem isn't new. It's been mapped long ago. Herbs can treat it. Acupuncture can treat it. And practice can treat it. It's simple a matter of sinking the Qi. But what that means in biomedical terms is exceedingly complex indeed. Everything you don't believe in - chakras, blockages, emotional baggage - is real. But also not real. You just need to learn what they actually are. Skepticism plus exposure is the best way to learn. Lucky for you, you've got skepticism and are already working on exposure. I personally don't believe in anything that I haven't experienced. But I also don't disbelieve. I think a good cultivator and real scientist must be agnostic in his or her quest for gnosis. We must be open minded skeptics. It makes cultivation a slow road. But at least it's on the road. Blindly believing this stuff is a dead end. Now then, all that said, an in person diagnosis beats the Internet any day. A Chinese medicine doctor who cultivates should be able to give you a proper diagnosis and help you with your problem. If my impression of you is right it should be petty easy to treat. Edit: wow, that ended up long winded.

Interesting idea.. If the sperm doesn't leave the body does it still result in Jing/essence depletion? I wonder if there are any longevity/general health studies of men who have undergone vasectomies. If it really results in essence retention men with vasectomies should on average enjoy a longer life span and better health.

Ok I thought we were talking about people. If we're talking about the yin and yang of houses then I'll have defer to someone who studies fengshui.

By the way I added a comment in an edit to the above post. What do you mean looking at a house?

《素闻·金匱真言論》夫言人之陰陽，則外為陽，內為陰。言人身之陰陽，則背為陽，腹為陰。 Yellow Emperors Simple Questions chapter 4 - True Words from the Golden Cabinet, Qibo states, "On the yin and yang of human beings, external is yang, internal is yin. On the yin yang nature of the body, the back is yang, the abdomen is yin." Edit: By the way Chidragon, your last quote is on the yin and yang of pulse taking. In which case 前 front is referring to the distal pulse position which represents the upper aspect of the body and thus is yang. Back position represents the lower body and is yin.

@chidragon Expansion is yang. Contraction is yin. Hence when we are awake we straiten our back and stand upright. The back is yang. When we sleep we contract (Daoists believe the fetal position is optimal for a good night's rest and that sleeping in an expanded position - on the back - is bad for health). The front is yin. According to the Lingshu discussion on the 5 yin yang body types: a who slouches or stoops forward is called Shaoyin, a little more yin. A person who stands hips forward, shoulders back is called Shaoyang, a little more yang. Again because the front is yin the back is yang. There is another saying in Daoism, the sage faces south. South is yang. But lest you think that means the front of the body is yang, I'll quote you again, "yang/yang is out of harmony." The front of the body is yin to recieve nature's yang. The back of the body is yang to resist nature's yin. It's true, according to channel theory, a large yang meridian travels down the from of the body. This is called the stomach Yangming meridian. But according to channel physiology Yangming is the closing of yang. It is the most yin of the yang meridians. Ultimately, within yin there is yang and within yang there is yin. But when it comes to calibrating your general bearings, the front is yin, the back is yang. That's the least wrong answer anyways. 名可名非常名！

"If you want to balance the world, first cure your community. If you want to cure your community, first nourish your family. If you want to nourish your family, first cultivate your self. If you want to cultivate your self, first upright your heart. If you want to upright your heart, first mature your intention. If you want mature your intention, first arrive at knowledge. If you want to arrive at knowledge, first investigate nature." - Confucius, Great Learning (my off-the-cuff translation). I have empathy. Your current sentiment is where my adventure began. Arrogant. Angry. Depressed. Impotent. One of my self-binding thought patterns was the certainty that I was more intelligent, more spiritually aware that everyone else. Given the tools, I would fix the world. The problem was, no one was giving me the tools. No one ever will. You've arrived at knowledge, your intention is maturing, but your heart is dark and heavy. An upright heart emits light that shines forth through the eyes. It illuminates everything you see. It's not ignorant positivity. That's real. And it's pervasive. But the cult of positive thinking lacks a foundation of investigation, knowledge, and mature intention. That's delusion. No, an upright heart shines forth the true light of spirit. Compassion, hope, trust, brotherhood, and wisdom. Not all 'spiritual' people have it. Dare I even say, not many. But anyone with this light is unmistakably spirited. You can't nourish anyone before you nourish yourself. You can't change the world until you become the change you want to see. And then, it's not a matter of proselytizing, evangelizing or forcing. Trust that people aren't so blind. Shine and they will see you. And they will want to shine too. Spiritedness is the only deep influence, everything else is shallow language. But maybe you need to go deeper to get there. Often the way to real light is a dark and winding road. Laozi wrote about this. What you want to elevate, first lower, what you want to strengthen first make weak. Enough heaviness transforms into a star.

If you don't have to take herbs, don't take herbs. In the vernacular of Chinese medicine all things have direction. The character for formula, Fang 方, literally even means direction. For something to have direction means that it's coming from somewhere and moving towards somewhere else. Somethings move slow, some move fast. Now that these ground rules are established. Herbs move faster than food and some herbs move faster than others. Now let's say health is your home. To get around in your home, you don't want to move too fast. I mean, you don't drive a car to the bathroom, right? Food basically moves at waking speed. Walking generally won't take you far from home. But walking in the same direction for too long can cover some distance. Herbs are more like running, riding a bike, taking a bus, or driving a car. Herbs that move at running speed are generally safe for consumption. Think cooking herbs and spices, coffee, tea, etc. But they're much easier to overdo than food. The faster an herb moves, the less safe it is to use. Now, especially if you're an American, you might be thinking, "cars are the best, the faster the better!" But don't. Think ancient Chinese and recall Laozi's description of happy people. They can hear a rooster crow the next village over and never travel so far as to visit. Now you might be thinking, "well that sounds boring!" If you think so, you're in good company. Just look at the people around you destroying themselves in the name of entertainment - they all agree! Eating herbs is the poisoner's path. All poison is medicine and all medicine is poison. It just depends where you are and where you need/want to go. But be warned, self-prescribing either leads to becoming a physician or an early grave. It's not a casual hobby.

Depends on what they practice. If they practice for Jing and a strong lower dantian more often than the third eye/upper dantian/shen they should be healthy and long lived. If they practice the upper more often they will burn out faster. Jing transforms into Qi, Qi into Shen. This is the way of maturation. Post-natal manifestation. Natural movement. Shen transforms into Qi, Qi into Jing. This is the way of birth. Pre-natal creation. Reverse movement. The trick is, often to go forward, one needs to first go back. To go up, first dig down. This is something a lot of philosophical Daoist don't understand about the cultivators. To them it seems the cultivators are always trying to move counter to nature. Reverse breath and grow young. But really, they're just setting up the slingshot - pulling the bowstring back. Or maybe they just love living.

You know, the more things change, the more they stay the same.. In a way, the TCM vs CCM debate is a modern reframing of a discussion that has been going on within chinese medicine for at least a few hundred years. In China the sides were Jingfangjia 经方家, classical formula physicians, vs Shifangjia 时方家, the contemporary forumula physicians. The Jingfangjia closely researched and applied principles from the classics and Shifangjia used popular formulas, either from their lineage or from an amalgam of different sources. However, the distinction between Classical formulas and contemporary formulas was also somewhat artificial because every great Shifangjia closely studied the classics. Li Dongyuan, Zhu Danxi, Liu Wansu, Ye Tianshi, etc all knew the classics backwards and forwards. They not only quoted the classics (as every teacher can here in China - it's not a yardstick to measure quality), but they used them as key to see into their epidemiological reality. Then they made some new formulas to suit their place in time (ie the geographic, economic, political, cultural, etc conditions that influenced the instance of certain disease patterns in their society). I reckon criticism of both groups should fall more on the individual doctors than the particular schools of thought. Jingfangjia can inflexible and ignorant of how to modify their methods to suit different groups of patients (for example, they have a bad reputation in the Xinjiang province in western China because many classical formulas are warm, acrid and bitter - a combo that is rarely suited for disease in a dry, desert climate). Then, on the other hand, physicians who just use contemporary formulas often end up writing formulas that either lack precision, lack power, or overall lack understanding (because they never really studied the classics). Interestingly enough, Japanese styles are mostly Jingfang, and Korean styles are mostly Shifang. China was a mix prior to the cultural revolution, then TCM educated the new generation Shifang style, but now Jingfang is regaining popularity. Now back to TCM vs CCM. @henro, you write, "every lineage, every region, village, family all had their own versions of Chinese medicine. TCM was simply a modern standardization of those techniques." I wish this was true. Unfortunately, what TCM has done is more akin to cutting a branch or two off different species of trees, then bundling them together, planting them in a pot and calling it a bush. I think this metaphor is a good one because some of the branches may root and grow. But many will die. That's what I see happening in TCM. Some techniques are growing but others are withering away because they've been cut from their roots. @Trunk mentions the effectiveness of lineages like Kiiko's. I haven't met anyone from her branch but from the sounds of it, her work has roots. Back @henro, there is absolutely nothing about learning western medicine that detracts from Chinese medicine (aside from the time investment). It sounds like you're moving in a good direction. But be on guard, Chinese theory must be your fundamental operating system if you are to actually call yourself a Chinese medicine physician. You can translate any or all of it into biomedical terms for your patients or MDs but the moment you start thinking in terms like allergies, antibacterials, antivirals, inflammation, etc before thinking yin and yang, heat and cold, rising and falling - then you are on the slope to mediocrity in this field. There's a great book written right after the Qing dynasty collapsed titled 医学衷中参西录 (Yixue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu), it roughly translates as "Chinese Medical Impressions of Western Research". In it, the author Zhang Xichun describes turn of the century Western treatments like antibiotics and aspirin in Chinese medical terms. It's fascinating. And it's what we need to be doing more. Seeing biomedicine in our terms and not the other way around. Ed Neal comes to mind as a contemporary role model in this regard. Now, as for Ming Liu's comment that Chinese medicine is separate from Daoist philosophy, I heartily disagree. But it is definitely separate from Daoist religion. The Neijing is a core Daoist book compiled under the Daoist Han dynasty regime. In subsequent centuries CM authors were mostly Confucian (because they had the money and means to write) but that doesn't change the fact that CM philosophy is based in yin-yang, 5 phase, Yijing thought. Daoist medicine should encompasses Chinese medicine and also include other therapies from the spiritual and/or Qi cultivation side of Daoist practice. But these days, people confuse Daoist medicine with religious ritual, exorcisms and talismans. That's Daoist religion, not Daoist medicine. *edited for some typos

Wow, I considered translating for the CMDB. Looks like I won't be now. Glad to see she raised the money she needed. How did the law suit go?

Honestly any practice that can strongly improve someone's health can also strongly screw it up. So I hesitate to prescribe a practice. Ideally that should be done in person by someone who will take you pulse or otherwise conduct a proper diagnosis. All medicine is poison, all poison is medicine, the distinction is made in application. Semen retention is definitely a practice to be careful with. It can cause Qi and blood stasis when performed improperly. Know that if you get any pain in your balls or lower abdomen you're definately not doing it right. Also, in cause you didn't know, semen retention was historically a practice for older people to recharge their kidney yang, not for young guys. Kidney yang deficiency can cause night urination but it isn't the only cause. Safer, slower practices for kidney yang are quiet sitting meditation and any movement practices that strengthen the inner leg.

A simple way understand daily Qi dynamics is to relate the morning to spring, noon to summer, evening to fall, and night to winter. Like the spring, Qi gently emerges in the morning. It's normal to take some time to warm up. Practices like shaking are a great way to act like spring (the trigram associated with spring is called 震 zhen and means vibration) and help the yang emerge. However, because you say you are waking a few times a night to urinate, you should consider that your "winter" energy might have a problem. Winter is associated with storage and relates to the kidneys, bladder and genitals in Chinese medicine. Waking to pee during the night can mean that the kidney and bladder's ability to act like winter and store tight might be compromized. In time this often manifests as prostate issues in men. When the Qi is not stored firmly through the night, there will be less Qi feeling in the morning. But this intitial diagnosis should not at all be considered definitive and there could be other factors at play. If in doubt see an MD and a CM doctor for a proper diagnosis.

TCM is not traditional. TCM was essentially invented as a crash course to train the barefoot doctors. What we call TCM should, in all accuracy, be renamed Modern Chinese Medicine. Andrew and Heiner have already covered the distinction better than I care to here, so I'll just add weigh in on my experience studying Chinese medicine and observing doctors in China and in the West. TCM doctors tend to rely on western medicine diagnostics and theories whereas CCM doctors are comfortable operating on pure Chinese medicine principles. Clinically speaking, practicioners who use pure Chinese medicine are more effective. However, they also tend to be much more dedicated to medical study and personal cultivation than their counterparts. Some of the good doctors I've met were initially educated in a TCM institution but later researched the classics as clinicians. Others trained from the beginning in a medical lineage. In common, the best doctors all live, eat, and breath Chinese medicine and Daoist philosophy. So ultimately, I think personal dedication plays the biggest part. In other words, I think it's not so important where you start. What matters is how much you invest. But know from the outset that all roads in Chinese medicine lead back to the classics. The classics are classics for a reason. Every great doctor thoughout history drew tremendous inspiration from them. If you want to really do yourself a favor, learn to read them in ancient Chinese. The classics are multilayered, difficult and beautiful. They are tools designed to expand your mind. Sadly, translations render them dry and one dimensional (though reading multiple translations can give the reader a better taste).

Sounds like what Chinese medicine calls spleen qi deficiency. But whether it is your primary or secondary issue is hard to say without diagnosis. Other signs include Craving sweets. Heavy or lethargic feeling after eating. Reduced appetite. Overall low energy levels. Soft, sticky, light colored stool (light brown to yellowish). Undigested food in stool. I could go on... If this sounds like you: quit sugar, eat at regular times, dont skip meals, eat more vegetables, take up moderate strength training, upset to sleep earlier, sit less, think less (ie listen to music, go for a walk and just look at beauty in nature, practice quiet meditation, etc). And see a doctor. Chinese herbal medicine is great at this kind of condition. See an MD too to rule out parasites and what not.

Do you have cold hands and feet? How is your sleep? Sounds like you created a strong liver qi stagnation, to use Chinese medicine terms, especially since your testosterone levels are normal. I don't check these boards regularly so feel free to pm me if you need help sorting it out.

Are there any situations where you would need to work the other way? To rectify a yang intrusion into the yin realm - to use your terminology. Objectively our world is much more yang than in the past - combustion engines, electric everything, much more noise, light excitement and yang than any other point in human history. And it's only building. What does a modern Daoist exorcist make of that?

I couldn't agree more with your fourth paragraph. A better life, better relationships, and solving the problems in front of you, however mundane, is real cultivation. Indeed I haven't tasted any ghostly experiences - so I'm unfit to judge them either way. I'll entertain the possibility, but unless I taste it I must remain agnostic. In the case of Chinese medicine, the pulse, the tongue, the color of the face - sometimes they change even before the patient feels any different. It really depends on their sensitivity. But even with physical diagnostic criteria, wishful thinking might make the pulse feel like it's improved when it really hasn't. So the doctor's main job is not to trick him or herself. It sounds like you have your own criteria though. One more question, are all exorcisms a matter of yang overcoming yin?

Hello Tin Yat Taoist, Sounds like fun. Would make a great anime series. But I'm curious, how does your lineage distinguish reality from illusion (分真假)? And how do you verify your theory with reality (证明)? These are problems in any cultivation practice and one of the reasons so many daoists are drawn to martial and healing arts. Both fields provide plenty of humbling experiences that push a person to further refine their understanding. Failure makes a fertile substrate for progress. But in the case of exorcism, dieties, writing fu and other magical how do you know when you get it right and when you don't?

How long did it take him? Do you know if he is totally hands off when healing or does he do some physical touching too? I assume he also provides prescriptive practices. Pretty cool. Most doctors I know would use herbs for spurs.

On paper there's a pretty fine difference between food reactions due to cultivation state and food reactions from pathology. So it might be helpful to think of food using this classical metaphor: Every food has a direction: north, south, east and west. It also has a speed ranging from slow to fast. Cooking spices move faster than food. Medical herbs move faster than cooking spices. And drugs move faster than all of them. Between the four directions is a middle point. Let's call this the capital. The character for Dao is a pictogram made of two parts, a road and the capital. So Dao is a road to the capital. You are somewhere outside the capital. Maybe on purpose, more likely by accident. You want to get to the capital. The capital is awesome. So first you need to figure out where you are in relation. North, south, east, or west. If you're located in the cold north, cold north-moving foods will make you feel worse. Hot south-moving foods will make you feel better. Now this metaphor is vastly simplified. In reality there are more than four directions. That's just looking at two dimensions. Add more dimensions to distinguish which part of your body is hot, which part is cold, why they aren't integrated, etc etc. Each dimension adds another axis to the equation. As far as I know, the theory can be extened up to six dimensions - the level of the Yi Jing Book of Changes - but most competant doctors and practicioners get by with three or four. But this is really wandering into another topic. Some cultivators will practice an extreme state on purpose. And during this period they will adapt an appropriately extreme diet to facilitate. But the majority of us haven't even spent enought time in balance to appreciate the benefits of purposed imbalance. I don't know you, I don't know your practice, so I can't know where you are or where you're going. That's why on paper it's hard to say food/alcohol sensitivity is a good sign or a bad sign. If you can find a decent Chinese doctor, one who cultivates and had some good training, they could pretty easily tell you if your sensitivity is due to pathology or cultivated physiology. But I'm guessing if you're honest without yourself - you probably already know the answer.

Yea! Keep in mind that modern biomedical systems are divided on the basis of material differences. Spirituality - whatever that means - is undifferentiated. It's an experience. It uses all of the systems because life uses all of the systems. It's a little like asking which part of the car makes it move. Is it the wheels? The axles? The engine? The gas? The driver? How and why each system makes the car move is a more interesting question.