Franklin Fick of the Spirit Dragon Institute has a series of articles enumerating the training prohibitions and most importantly, explaining the reasoning behind them. You can find the series of blog articles if you click here.
Please pay a visit. Enjoy.
The reason-ing behind the various prohibitions is worth considering. But I also think 'discernment' in such things is crucial. For instance, if I did not practice when it's stormy, rainy, or windy, I'd only be at it about 40% of the time. The Pacific Ocean is relentless in its influence hereabouts.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this influences me: my Tai Chi teacher had us in the park every day, even when it was raining. He was old school, and way-into Chinese medicine; nothing Western about him, except his address. So I'm guessing his lineage placed practice above and beyond conditions.
But as I said, your friend's articles are interesting. Thanks!
If we understand the reasoning behind the training prohibitions, then we can make informed decisions for ourselves instead of blindly following someone else's rules.
ReplyDeleteAgree, many unanswerable queries in the East oftentimes boil down to Chinese medical reasons which again boil down to some ancient writings or "folk belief" (rather than what is being taught in the Chinese medical department of a local [HK] University), which essentially means: back to square one! My attitude is to give it the benefit of doubt and if one's psychology bends towards it, follow its advice, if not, just forget about it rather than holding onto them as golden rules.
ReplyDeleteFor those who are interested in the subject, there is a saying in folk Chinese medicine: "Eating ginger frequently will increase male vitality". No harm trying, besides ginger tastes good....:):)
I'm one of those "Western" guys he's talking about, but I've got a pretty open mind. Still, he does not serve his position well. Here is my take:
ReplyDelete"The open pores can allow the dampness to invade the body". - Unless "dampness" means something different to the Chinese then that's just bunk. The body does not absorb moisture in the way his is describing or else I, in Florida, would never need to drink.
"But it is not just dust, it could be mold and many other things that get kicked up into the air by the falling rain." - Dry air has more dust than moist air because dust motes are lighter when not encumbered by water. He is upside down on this one.
"Some practices require calm and quite, like meditation or Qigong." - So, what is all that meditation-under-a-waterfall stuff about? Isn't that meant to strengthen one's concentration?
I'm not denouncing all of Eastern medicine with this; I think there is much we can learn from it. Just saying that some of his examples don't support his claims.
I think in this case "dampness" probably DOES mean something a little different than we are used to.
ReplyDeleteIn the Five Elements, when speaking of the "Five Major Organs" (Heart, Lungs, etc), the Chinese Medicine definition isn't the specific "organ" as we think of it, but the function. So we are talking about the circulatory system, the respiratory system, etc.
The word that got picked for translation years ago, and that stuck, isn't necessarily the one that gets the idea across most effectively (or accurately). I will let my bilingual friends opine on this.
At any rate, Chinese medicine has served the people of Asia pretty well for thousands of years, and I can't believe that it has done so just by coincidence.
Stll, we can't blindly accept things either; but we can also be aware of our own bias.
@ Walt, there is a time and place for training in the rain. Some knows. Others do not know. Those who do not know why, will find out sooner or later.
ReplyDelete@ Karate man,
I have spent time, knowing a few good TCM professionals. I understand why they do keep secrets.
The one's who are quite good, do not advertise. Not do they do PBS shows or work for drug companies. ... They do pass on their secrets to their trusted students of the next generation.
Most relevant TCM professionals could give you a lecture on why certain aspects of TCM work. What benefits is it for them to give a non-paying non-believer their time? Esp. when it taken a lifetime to collect a great sum of information.
... They rarely explain why it works.
/// There are still secrets that the participants of the internet have disclose to the public yet.
One more note, not all TCM doctors are super great. Some of them are hacks, who know a few tricks here and there. Those who are great, rarely advertise. They do keep their secrets hidden from the public.
ReplyDeleteThen I hope you never get into a self-defense situation under any of the circumstances in which you've never trained
ReplyDeleteThanks for paying a visit.
ReplyDelete@J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc.
ReplyDeleteIn any venture, preparation precedes performance.