Seeking the origin of Oriental medicine in the theory of "I"
Tokyo Japan
Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Osteopath Clinic
Clinic Director Mitsunori Seino
Introduction
Nowadays, the disciplines associated with the fields of Oriental medicine, namely acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal decoction, do not appear to be structured upon the foundation of oriental thought (Chinese thought). This is because clinical practice has disassociated itself from the theoretical principles. Oriental medicine at a theoretical level (science of acupuncture and moxibustion) is described as Ch'i medicine and this presentation aims to examine what Ch'i medicine is.
1. Oriental thought and the Chinese character "I"
The theory of Oriental medicine includes the theory of Ch'i and The theory of man's union with the universe. Other essential vocabulary such as Tai Chi, Yin and Yang, The three powers, The five elements, The ten calendar signs, The twelve signs of the zodiac, and The horoscope are associated with these ideas. Furthermore, the terms, Meridian and Acupuncture Point are very important in acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. Interpretation of these words, however, has differed over the ages. Because different people have understood these fundamental words in different ways, differing interpretations have led to the development of different theories. Treatment was administered using technologies developed according to these theories and consequently unique methods (in Japan they are called ryuha=schools) were born. These unique methods are now the source from which still more methods are born. Consequently, when one looks at the successful results from the treatment of acupuncture and moxibustion, one is unable to find a theoretical explanation common to all methods (a common language) that explains why these treatments are effective.
In this presentation, I will discuss the need to examine the origin of the words (Chinese characters) contained in the Nei Ching (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine - the original classic on acupuncture and moxibustion) such as Yin and Yang and The five elements.
The ability to communicate one's mind was significantly advanced by the production of Chinese characters and their use in books. The original classic for the culture of Chinese characters is Ssu Shu Wu Ching (Four Books and Five Classics). This set of works is comprised of Ssu Shu (The Four Books) [Ta hsueh (The Great Learning), Chung yung (The Doctrine of the Mean), Lun yu (The Analects) and Meng-tzu (Mencius)] and Wu Ching (The Five Classics) [I ching (The Book of Changes), Shu ching (The Book of Odes), Shih ching (The Book of Documents), Li chi (The Book of Rites) and Ch'un ch'iu (Spring and Autumn Annals). The most highly regarded of these books is I Ching.
The I Ching describes the meanings of the combinations of the unbroken line and broken line symbols [(- -) and (-)].
It is widely believed that the I Ching originated about 6,000 years ago from the writings of an Emperor called Fu Hsi. The I Ching of today includes additional explanation from the hands of a later Emperor called King Wen, then from Duke Tcheou who was King Wen's son, and finally from Confucius.
The I Ching is expressed by Chinese characters. It is thought to be one of the oldest documents in which Chinese characters are used as the symbols that construct an academic system.
The "I" part of I Ching is a Chinese character that represents The theory of man's union with the universe. It is also the attempt to combine symbols to express everything in the universe. "I" considers space in the universe as time and it expresses the past, present and future. The past is a dark world which is cold and motionless. This is the world of spirits (Spirit world). The present is the world visible to human eyes where there is brightness warmth and movement. Here diverse things assume form and hence it is a world of phenomena (Phenomenal world). "I" also attempts to express future. Therefore, because humans are powerfully attracted to the world of the unknown, and it has been used as divination, there is a strong image that "I" = Divination. For this reason, ever since the days of old, society has been reluctant to accept "I" as a science. However, I wish to advocate that the theory of "I" is an essential part of the theoretical framework for people committed to Chinese medicine.
2．The concept of "I" as an essential principle for the origin of Oriental medicine
I Ching includes much explanatory text and thus as a document, it is easy to miss its essence. I have looked at why the theory behind "I" is an essential part of the origin of Chinese medicine.
(1) "I" presents the idea of man's union with the universe, which is a fundamental idea in Oriental medicine.
(2) In I Ching, the symbols (- -) and (-) are expressed by the Chinese characters Yin and Yang. The theory of Yin and Yang is a fundamental thought in Oriental medicine and these ideas were first expressed by the Chinese character "I".
(3) The concepts such as The three powers, The five elements, The ten calendar signs, and The twelve signs of the zodiac, have developed from an extension of the theory of Yin and Yang [(- -) and (-)]. Because of this, I advocate that "I" should be thought of as the fundamental theory of Oriental thoughts and medicine.
(4) One way of unraveling both differences in clinical technique and differences in language interpretation over the process of history is to construct a language that uses concepts which share the thought and theory born from the concept of "I" as just described.
As suggested by the transition of ancient characters found on remains such as bronze-ware, the Yang (-) of "I" is thought to have originated from the circle (○). It expresses circulation and continuity. Yin (- -) expresses severance and discontinuity.
This thought is important when diagnosing a body. The theory of "I" can be used in clinical practice in the following way.
① When observing one phenomenon, the theoretical construction of "I" which provides two perspectives, is two dimensional and easy to understand.
② For people, the living moment is always changing and "I" is an ideal theory since it is the science of perceiving change.
③The theory of "I" attempts to perceive all changes of everything in the universe. It makes it easy to perceive the whole while observing a phenomenon. It is useful as a way of turning ideas around when the flow of thought has stopped.
④The theory of "I" has a side to it that is also shared by mathematics, genetics and quantum science. It hides a key that can open up a scientific path for Oriental medicine to take.
The common message in all of the issues mentioned here is that the theory of "I" provides clarity, which is easy to directly apply to clinical practice. There is a Chinese phrase that is pronounced in Japanese as "i eki dougen=medicine and "I" have the same origin" which would be understood by many in Japan to mean that medicine and "I" are equally important for health.
In going about my daily clinical practice I am always aware of the issues mentioned here. In education, these issues are taught as follows:
1. The interdependent and opposite nature of Yin and Yang
2. The reciprocal transformation of Yin and Yang
3. The equilibrium of rise and fall of Yin and Yang
But when actually examining a body, diagnosis of a changing body using a static perspective of specific causal diagnostic models like western medicine is against the principles of observation by the Yin and Yang theory. It is not based on the theoretical construct of Oriental medicine. A fundamental of Oriental medicine is not to lose the Yin and Yang perspective and this is why "I" is so important.
3．Theory of "I"
I will now introduce axioms fundamental to "I" and apply them to the notion of the body.
"I" is considered to have Three axioms. These Three axioms are called (in Japanese) Kaneki (simplicity), Fueki (immutability) and Heneki (changeability).
(1) Simplicity refers to the simplicity and clarity of "I". The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Spring follows summer and winter follows autumn. This axiom relates to the simple law of the world. Simplicity is the beginning of complexity.
(2) Immutability refers to the immutable things in the world, the sun and moon, mountains and rivers and human beings.
(3) A river stays in the same place, but the flow of the river is forever changing. Changeability refers to this.
The human body always exists, but inside the body there is always change. There is an ongoing pattern of individuals following a transition from birth to death. The Three axioms of express this. Oriental medicine is the science of understanding this and applying it to the treatment of people.
4．The theory of Yin and Yang
I will now discuss a slightly more detailed point regarding contemporary interpretations of the theory of Yin and Yang. I can see a problem with the theoretical expansion that takes a static approach to phenomena when considering the Yin and Yang. For example, the fixed notion that Yin is woman, dark, moon and Yang is man, bright, sun is often found in books but this way of seeing things is not following the principle of "I".
Yin (- -) and Yang (-) are perceived as follows:
(1) They are contextually relative.
(2) They are not absolute. They are always moving.
(3) One cannot comprehend Yin and Yang unless focusing on one aspect.
In other words, we must know of woman before we can understand man. I wish to emphasize that leading theories in this way is the founding of Yin and Yang theory .
Unless there is a shared understanding that this way of thinking is the fundamental idea of Oriental medicine and thought, the differences between Oriental and Western thought will remain unclear and there will be a confused mix of ideas.
5．"I" and "Ch'i"
"I" teaches us that the present self (ideas) is lost unless you always return to Tai Chi (beginning or origin). Here, Tai Chi expresses Ch'i. I understand that the Ch'i thought in Oriental medicine originated from discussion of the following in Chapter 22 Knowledge Travels North of The Chuang-tzu. People's lives and deaths are simply a phenomenon caused by Ch'i. When Ch'i gathers, life begins and when Ch'i disperses, a person dies. Since The Chuang-tzu, there were various interpretations of Ch'i. This is probably because ancient people attempted to have a shared perception by giving symbols to all visible and invisible things, and the notion of Ch'i consequently encompassed such a wide range of meanings, a shared understanding of Ch'i was not possible.
According to Oriental medical theory, all visible living things including humans are collections of Ch'i and an imbalance of this Ch'i leads to poor health. The usefulness of such an approach is obvious if one looks at current theoretical construction and clinical results. It is impossible to perform a treatment based on Oriental thoughts and ideas without holding the premise that a body comprised of this Ch'i is something which is always in transition and in motion. Oriental medicine does not treat patients according to a Disease label, Identification or Symptoms. Rather, the start point of this medicine is to perceive the body as Phenomena (forms). It is important to use the power of imagination to perceive the whole picture of a person. I wish to emphasize that the Phenomena (forms) of the body are the collection of Ch'i.
When a patient is examined, the patient's body (Ch'i) changes just by the practitioner facing them or listening to them. The patient's body (Ch'i) also changes while the practitioner touches their hands during the examination. Moreover, the body (Ch'i) changes dramatically when a needle or moxibustion is applied to the one of the acupuncture points. It is difficult to perceive a person's body without fully accepting the law that bodies are always changing. I view "I" as a science that teaches us that very thing. Significant development in the medicine of acupuncture and moxibustion can be achieved by upholding the thought that "I" is the fundamental idea in the Oriental medicine and by utilizing this thought in clinical practice.
I think that the following needs exist for Oriental medicine practitioners of today. There is a need to establish a system of treatment for the body that constantly fluctuates between healthy status and unhealthy status=susceptibility to illness (changeable axiom of "I"). Moreover, there is a need to establish a system of treatment for the body that is constantly in a sick state (immutability axiom of "I"). Furthermore, I also urge practitioners to establish the standpoint of "I" as a therapeutic approach that can respond to illness (simplicity axiom of "I") which can uphold the scientific and technical systems of Oriental medicine.
"I" is the fundamental theory in understanding the medicine of Ch'i. "I" holds a key to organizing contemporary Chinese medicine that is difficult to comprehend. "I" opens up a scientific pathway for Oriental medicine to follow.