Daoism
Daoism is the practice of living life according to Dao, the Way.
There are two main schools of Daoism in the Orient and many
sub-schools. One school is primarily philosophical, and the
other has taken on unique religious trappings. The religious
school of Daoism has not attracted much attention in the Western
world. It is seen as superstitious and micro-cultural by many
people. This website has nothing to do with religious Daoism,
and everything to do with the philosophical Daoism of Lao Zi and
his followers.
However, philosophical Daoism has become a part of the Western
culture. Daoism is both simple and infinitely complex and deep.
Several great masters have come to the earth over the past 2500
years who have taught Daoism, the most famous being Lao Zi,
Zhuang Zi, Li Zi, and Hai Nan Zi.
Hai Nan Zi said that "Dao is the beginning and end of all
creation. All pervading, yet Tao may not be sought; subtle and
impalpable, yet it cannot be overlooked. Tao fills all within
the four points of the compass; it contains the Yang and Yin; it
holds together the Universe and the Ages, and supplies the
luminaries with light."
THE ONENESS OF BODY-MIND-SPIRIT
In the Far East, all philosophy, art and science are
traditionally based on the fundamental idea that there is an
intrinsic source of all things. This source is profound and
universal. It cannot be expressed in words and cannot be truly
comprehended by the logical mind. Just as it is impossible to
comprehend the concepts of infinity and eternity, this universal
source is beyond the scope of our logical minds. The Chinese
call this source Tao, or the Way.
All that is has its source in Tao. Everything comes from Tao and
returns to Tao. Tao is the beginning and end of all things. Tao
is the unnameable origin. Though Tao is itself undefineable, it
manifests in an everchanging pattern that can be observed to
follow universal laws. Thus, since all things come from and
return to Tao, all things are united in Tao.
All things and all processes are connected and all things and
processes influence everything else in some way or manner. The
entire universe is governed by the laws of Tao, and thus all of
nature is united, forming one complete whole. And the human
body, mind, and spirit form one complete whole within themselves
and with the environment and the universe. Of course the degree
of influence varies according to the power of each factor, upon
the degree of proximity, upon the number and efficiency of
connective links and upon other factors.
Oriental masters long ago recognized the interconnectedness of
the various parts of the body to one another. Although modern
Western physiology now recognizes many of the connections
classically described in Oriental medical literature (as in the
concepts of referred pain and feedback loops, etc.), the Eastern
knowledge of these connections is both extensive and
extraordinarily insightful. The organs have reflex actions on
various distant places in the body because of the energetic,
chemical, neural and psychic connections, and these are
described in great detail in Oriental texts, both classical and
modern.
In the Oriental health arts, it is accepted as indisputable
truth that the body and the psychic aspects of a human being are
inseparable. The body influences the mind so that changes in
one's physical being will result in changes in one's thinking
and in one's intuitive and subconscious psychic processes. The
mind likewise directly and indirectly results in both gross and
subtle changes in one's physical nature. This notion of the
interconnectedness of the body and psyche can never be
forgotten, even for a moment, by a practitioner of the Oriental
health arts.
All of the Oriental health arts are based upon this premise and
would fall apart instantly without this greatest of the
fundamental principles. Virtually all aspects of health,
healing, sickness and the disintegration of health are rooted in
the union of the body and the psyche. In the East, it is taught
that by cultivating one's body, one can influence the quality of
thought and intuitive experience, which can lead to a truly
successful, joyous, enlightened life. This is of course the
basis of the yogic arts as practiced throughout the world.
Inversely, cultivating the various aspects of one's psyche can
and does have profound influence upon one's physical nature.
This is the basis of meditation, guided imagery and
visualization techniques. The Oriental healing arts take full
advantage of this oneness of body and psyche to help each person
to grow to as full a state of health, well being, and spiritual
awareness as the person is ready to achieve. Physical techniques
are routinely used to influence the mind, the emotions, the
unconscious and the human spirit. Simultaneously, psychological
means are used to bring about changes in one's physical
condition.
No form of health care is complete unless it recognizes and
utilizes this principle of the unity of physical and psychic
energy, because in fact there is no real distinction between
them. Therefore, Chinese tonic herbalism, as a health art, is in
no way limited to the physical body. The goal of Chinese tonic
herbalism is not really to influence a singular change in just
one aspect of a person's physical life.
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