RE: Question for Everyone - Schools/Language

[Guest guest]

Hi Christopher,

 

I agree that actually experiencing the Qi and the whole flow in the body

is the way to cultivate the information about chinese Medicine, I think

a very important aspect of that is the teachers. Learning the language

is very helpful, but even that is undergoing a shift in conception. The

language is pictorial for some very good reasons, that I can't

articulate yet. but it is the only one I am aware of that is still in

use. That doesn't mean that people who can read it actually it read the

way it was intended to be read.

 

I look on the three years of schooling I will get at SIOM as a way to

increase my contact with the language and with instructors and clients.

I have by far learned the most from clients. I can't say that I'm in my

'right' mind when I am doing treatments. I have to struggle with that

after the treatment. I am in it before as well as I am doing my

analysis and observing and putting together the plan and then later

recording. I learn so much more in the room as I am touching someone

and I do what is needed. So languaging will help in explaining what I

did, and learning more conceptually about what I am doing, but the map

is not the territory.

 

I also want to point out a new book that I am reading that is touching

on this subject you brought up about being present. It was written by a

magician who traveled to Bali and to the Himilayas to meet with healers.

He brought back some very powerful insights that I am taking into Taoism

for myself and my practice about healing and spirits. I live in Alaska,

one of the most wild places I know of and I feel like I am in the

presence of a great mystery that I will come back to and take part of

after SIOM, if not taking great healing there when I go, depending on

what I find out about energies in nature and myself. Taoism is about

nature and my craft of Chinese medicine has to take that into account.

We all emerge out of nature and a great deal of the illness I see today

is a result of our cut offness from nature. THis is my primary healing

objective is to heal this split in whatever/however I can. With needles,

herbs, meditation, poetry, whatever I can use to bring people back to

their original selves.

 

The book is called " The Spell of the Sensuous " . A very good use of

language in the writting that brings me to nature more than any book I

have ever read and he has a very large section in the book about

perception and language. This is a very valuable book and follows up on

the last book I read that is also about perception. " The Secret

Teachings of Plants " ,which is Not about plants, but is about perception.

 

I recomend it very highly to anyone who uses their intuition at all in

their work, this brings some very scientific information to bear on this

age old problem of trusting the perception and intuitions one has and

brings in information about biology and electromagnetic signaling used

by all organisms. This book is in Redwing. A definate good read for

anyone participating in energy medicine. Has a remarkable section about

the heart and its biology and energy.

 

Rozz

 

 

 

 

Christopher

> Hi David,

>

> I like what you have written about the difficulty of learning Chinese

> medicine.

>

> There is one other option that you didn't write however. That is to

> learn Chinese medicine from a Chinese master who speaks English. I

> can't read Chinese (except a character or two), and I can't speak

> Chinese (except for herb formula names), but I feel I got a pretty

> decent Chinese medicine education from Chinese instructors teaching in

> America speaking English. Some of my instructors are the best of the

> best in terms of Chinese medicine. They left China, not because they

> were poor doctors, but because they were excellent doctors who wanted

> better social and economic opportunities. They told me that the Chinese

> medicine education in the US is in many ways better than in China.

>

> Also, there are a number of English translations that are quite accurate

> and quite good. Understanding the cultural and philosophical

> differences is something I came into the medicine with a pretty good

> understanding from my Oriental philosophy background.

>

> Although learning Chinese is perhaps the purest way to learn Chinese

> medicine from the classics, I don't believe it is necessary in order to

> truly understand the medicine and become " a master " . I personally

> believe that becoming a master involves personal cultivation to where

> one can move Qi through intention alone, accurately diagnose through the

> pulses and find the points the same way they where discovered in the

> first place. In a sense, even the best of the Chinese books is still

> only a 2nd generation experience of the medicine. Only by being with a

> patient and having enough education and background to forget all your

> education and background and simply treat from a Zen like space is one

> in direct contact with the spirit of Chinese medicine IMO.

>

> Christopher Vedeler L.Ac., C.Ht.

> Oasis Acupuncture

> http://www.oasisacupuncture.com

> 8233 N. Via Paseo del Norte

> Suite D-35

> Scottsdale, AZ 85258

> (480) 991-3650

>

[Guest guest]

Rozz wrote:

 

" The language is pictorial for some very good reasons, that I can't

articulate yet. but it is the only one I am aware of that is still in

use. "

 

My understanding of why the Chinese written language is pictorial, is that the

Chinese culture carried forward more of the pre-civilized (hunter-gatherer) ways

into modern, civilized society than any other culture. Before anyone had

alphabets, many cultures expressed profound ideas through pictures and symbols.

All other advanced cultures moved away from picture/symbol language by

developing more abstract systems of writing. I wish more scholars would address

the mystery of why the Chinese maintained more of the prehistoric/pre-civilized

ways than did any other advanced culture. I have attempted in a limited way to

do this myself but I feel it is a subject deserving of much more attention

specialized study than I could ever muster. - Matt Bauer

 

-

Rozz Lieght

Chinese Medicine

Sunday, February 27, 2005 11:07 AM

Re: RE: Question for Everyone - Schools/Language

 

 

Hi Christopher,

 

I agree that actually experiencing the Qi and the whole flow in the body

is the way to cultivate the information about chinese Medicine, I think

a very important aspect of that is the teachers. Learning the language

is very helpful, but even that is undergoing a shift in conception. The

language is pictorial for some very good reasons, that I can't

articulate yet. but it is the only one I am aware of that is still in

use. That doesn't mean that people who can read it actually it read the

way it was intended to be read.

 

I look on the three years of schooling I will get at SIOM as a way to

increase my contact with the language and with instructors and clients.

I have by far learned the most from clients. I can't say that I'm in my

'right' mind when I am doing treatments. I have to struggle with that

after the treatment. I am in it before as well as I am doing my

analysis and observing and putting together the plan and then later

recording. I learn so much more in the room as I am touching someone

and I do what is needed. So languaging will help in explaining what I

did, and learning more conceptually about what I am doing, but the map

is not the territory.

 

I also want to point out a new book that I am reading that is touching

on this subject you brought up about being present. It was written by a

magician who traveled to Bali and to the Himilayas to meet with healers.

He brought back some very powerful insights that I am taking into Taoism

for myself and my practice about healing and spirits. I live in Alaska,

one of the most wild places I know of and I feel like I am in the

presence of a great mystery that I will come back to and take part of

after SIOM, if not taking great healing there when I go, depending on

what I find out about energies in nature and myself. Taoism is about

nature and my craft of Chinese medicine has to take that into account.

We all emerge out of nature and a great deal of the illness I see today

is a result of our cut offness from nature. THis is my primary healing

objective is to heal this split in whatever/however I can. With needles,

herbs, meditation, poetry, whatever I can use to bring people back to

their original selves.

 

The book is called " The Spell of the Sensuous " . A very good use of

language in the writting that brings me to nature more than any book I

have ever read and he has a very large section in the book about

perception and language. This is a very valuable book and follows up on

the last book I read that is also about perception. " The Secret

Teachings of Plants " ,which is Not about plants, but is about perception.

 

I recomend it very highly to anyone who uses their intuition at all in

their work, this brings some very scientific information to bear on this

age old problem of trusting the perception and intuitions one has and

brings in information about biology and electromagnetic signaling used

by all organisms. This book is in Redwing. A definate good read for

anyone participating in energy medicine. Has a remarkable section about

the heart and its biology and energy.

 

Rozz

 

 

 

 

Christopher

> Hi David,

>

> I like what you have written about the difficulty of learning Chinese

> medicine.

>

> There is one other option that you didn't write however. That is to

> learn Chinese medicine from a Chinese master who speaks English. I

> can't read Chinese (except a character or two), and I can't speak

> Chinese (except for herb formula names), but I feel I got a pretty

> decent Chinese medicine education from Chinese instructors teaching in

> America speaking English. Some of my instructors are the best of the

> best in terms of Chinese medicine. They left China, not because they

> were poor doctors, but because they were excellent doctors who wanted

> better social and economic opportunities. They told me that the Chinese

> medicine education in the US is in many ways better than in China.

>

> Also, there are a number of English translations that are quite accurate

> and quite good. Understanding the cultural and philosophical

> differences is something I came into the medicine with a pretty good

> understanding from my Oriental philosophy background.

>

> Although learning Chinese is perhaps the purest way to learn Chinese

> medicine from the classics, I don't believe it is necessary in order to

> truly understand the medicine and become " a master " . I personally

> believe that becoming a master involves personal cultivation to where

> one can move Qi through intention alone, accurately diagnose through the

> pulses and find the points the same way they where discovered in the

> first place. In a sense, even the best of the Chinese books is still

> only a 2nd generation experience of the medicine. Only by being with a

> patient and having enough education and background to forget all your

> education and background and simply treat from a Zen like space is one

> in direct contact with the spirit of Chinese medicine IMO.

>

> Christopher Vedeler L.Ac., C.Ht.

> Oasis Acupuncture

> http://www.oasisacupuncture.com

> 8233 N. Via Paseo del Norte

> Suite D-35

> Scottsdale, AZ 85258

> (480) 991-3650

>

 

 

http://babel.altavista.com/

 

and adjust

accordingly.

 

 

If you are a TCM academic and wish to discuss TCM with other academics, click

on this link

 

 

[Guest guest]

Matt:

 

You've raised a good question that has puzzled

scholars for some time.

 

Chinese culture has an inherent cultural conservatism

that looks to the past as the ideal, and so tried to

maintain traditions as much as possible, at least

until Japan and the west came along.

 

China had all kinds of knowledge and inventions, but

never went the next step further in development. As

one scholar put it, the Chinese have a fear of things

that explode. Not sure if anyone can adequately

explain the reasons for this cultural conservatism,

but it is probably why we have TCM today.

 

Chinese characters have evolved over the centuries

from pictograms to ideograms.

 

Regards, Jack

 

>

> My understanding of why the Chinese written language

> is pictorial, is that the Chinese culture carried

> forward more of the pre-civilized (hunter-gatherer)

> ways into modern, civilized society than any other

> culture. Before anyone had alphabets, many cultures

> expressed profound ideas through pictures and

> symbols. All other advanced cultures moved away from

> picture/symbol language by developing more abstract

> systems of writing. I wish more scholars would

> address the mystery of why the Chinese maintained

> more of the prehistoric/pre-civilized ways than did

> any other advanced culture. I have attempted in a

> limited way to do this myself but I feel it is a

> subject deserving of much more attention specialized

> study than I could ever muster. - Matt Bauer

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

While I do not think I know " the " answer to this question because I do not

believe there is a single answer, I have been fortunate to study with someone

who has the most profound insights on this matter than anyone I know. While far

to complex to go into in depth in this forum, I offer a few thoughts below. -

Matt Bauer

 

 

 

One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my teacher's long oral

tradition, was how deeply into the past Taoist roots go. According to this

version of history, fully intelligent beings roamed the earth for tens of

thousands of years and drew deep, wordless insights from observing and

participating in the repeating, delicately balanced cycles of nature. Their

lives were lived as much on the spiritual plane as the physical - a yin/yang

balance that would gradually be lost as people became more and more materially

oriented. As this loss of balance progressed, people became more successful in

the material sense and became to view the world around them from a predominately

material perspective as " technology " advanced.

 

 

 

Taoist were those who saw this shift away from the spiritual toward the physical

coming and did their best to point the way back to balance by developing many

skills that aided material life, such as medicine, agriculture, self defense,

and various arts. All of these skills were based on the concept of balancing

opposite dynamics, a.k.a. " yin and yang " , that were originally inspired by the

ancients from their observations of the cycles of nature. Mastering any of these

skills requires one to forego the calculating, self-centered mind and join in

the flow of the subtle essence of nature, affording one a chance to restore

balance between one's dual-nature.

 

 

 

These were the skills of the ancient Sages so many generations of Chinese

aspired to achieve for themselves and why much of Chinese culture looked

backward for answers to questions of mortality and immortality rather than

looking forward toward the next great technological innovation or a coming

savior as has been the tendency in the West. The Chinese did not have a fear of

things that explode. They, like us, fear what becomes of us once this all too

temporary physical life returns to dust. For better or worse, they believed the

ancient Sages had learned the answers to these questions and this has continued

to influence Chinese culture until the present age although this influence is

now at its lowest point.

 

 

 

-

Jack Sweeney

Chinese Medicine

Sunday, February 27, 2005 7:15 PM

Re: RE: Question for Everyone - Schools/Language

 

 

Matt:

 

You've raised a good question that has puzzled

scholars for some time.

 

Chinese culture has an inherent cultural conservatism

that looks to the past as the ideal, and so tried to

maintain traditions as much as possible, at least

until Japan and the west came along.

 

China had all kinds of knowledge and inventions, but

never went the next step further in development. As

one scholar put it, the Chinese have a fear of things

that explode. Not sure if anyone can adequately

explain the reasons for this cultural conservatism,

but it is probably why we have TCM today.

 

Chinese characters have evolved over the centuries

from pictograms to ideograms.

 

Regards, Jack

 

>

> My understanding of why the Chinese written language

> is pictorial, is that the Chinese culture carried

> forward more of the pre-civilized (hunter-gatherer)

> ways into modern, civilized society than any other

> culture. Before anyone had alphabets, many cultures

> expressed profound ideas through pictures and

> symbols. All other advanced cultures moved away from

> picture/symbol language by developing more abstract

> systems of writing. I wish more scholars would

> address the mystery of why the Chinese maintained

> more of the prehistoric/pre-civilized ways than did

> any other advanced culture. I have attempted in a

> limited way to do this myself but I feel it is a

> subject deserving of much more attention specialized

> study than I could ever muster. - Matt Bauer

 

 

 

 

http://babel.altavista.com/

 

and adjust

accordingly.

 

 

If you are a TCM academic and wish to discuss TCM with other academics, click

on this link

 

 

[Guest guest]

Finally, what you practice is what you have refined from what you

learned. Practice

is entirely personal, and it bears your mark, whether you notice this or

not.

 

Which is to say, at one point one veers off from the teachings of this

master or that text

and sets up shop for one's own self.

 

There must come a time when one does not look for books and tracts, and

sort of

comes of age, settling into one's own thinking.

 

TCM is inherently encouraging of freedom of innovation, and in fact if one

is not doing this, something is wrong with the soup.

 

TCM, dam' the term, it tells little of the scope, is how the earth

spins, and winds

shift, and planets, skid about in empty skies. Once you step into it,

everything is TCM.

 

Even how people love, or bicker, o age, or strut about, or occasionally

rage and ravage,

or kiss, or scribe dull verse, or heal, or harm, or politicize, or

picturize; all of this

is in some TCM subset or the other.

 

In which case, one needs to have the neophyte and the veteran to stand

in their own

boots and turn sophisticatedly arrogant.

 

Self centeredness in healing, as in creating, and as in kissing, is a

necessity, and not a choice.

 

Grand finale?

 

TCM is you.

 

Dr. Holmes Keikobad

www.acu-free.com

[Guest guest]

To learn from past mistakes or in essence get a second chance is what these

intelligent people did. We should not criticize too much as we have created

some rather large explosive potential that never should have been made.

People are too emotionally unstable and lack the detachment of outcomes that

is required when you wield such power. The process of maturation is or has

been replaced by the I want it now at all costs society. Great things have

been accomplished in a short time but at what cost?

Mike W. Bowser, L Ac

 

> " Matt Bauer " <acu.guy

>Chinese Medicine

><Chinese Medicine >

>Re: RE: Question for Everyone - Schools/Language

>Sun, 27 Feb 2005 22:11:00 -0800

>

>While I do not think I know " the " answer to this question because I do not

>believe there is a single answer, I have been fortunate to study with

>someone who has the most profound insights on this matter than anyone I

>know. While far to complex to go into in depth in this forum, I offer a few

>thoughts below. - Matt Bauer

>

>

>

>One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my teacher's long oral

>tradition, was how deeply into the past Taoist roots go. According to this

>version of history, fully intelligent beings roamed the earth for tens of

>thousands of years and drew deep, wordless insights from observing and

>participating in the repeating, delicately balanced cycles of nature. Their

>lives were lived as much on the spiritual plane as the physical - a

>yin/yang balance that would gradually be lost as people became more and

>more materially oriented. As this loss of balance progressed, people became

>more successful in the material sense and became to view the world around

>them from a predominately material perspective as " technology " advanced.

>

>

>

>Taoist were those who saw this shift away from the spiritual toward the

>physical coming and did their best to point the way back to balance by

>developing many skills that aided material life, such as medicine,

>agriculture, self defense, and various arts. All of these skills were based

>on the concept of balancing opposite dynamics, a.k.a. " yin and yang " , that

>were originally inspired by the ancients from their observations of the

>cycles of nature. Mastering any of these skills requires one to forego the

>calculating, self-centered mind and join in the flow of the subtle essence

>of nature, affording one a chance to restore balance between one's

>dual-nature.

>

>

>

>These were the skills of the ancient Sages so many generations of Chinese

>aspired to achieve for themselves and why much of Chinese culture looked

>backward for answers to questions of mortality and immortality rather than

>looking forward toward the next great technological innovation or a coming

>savior as has been the tendency in the West. The Chinese did not have a

>fear of things that explode. They, like us, fear what becomes of us once

>this all too temporary physical life returns to dust. For better or worse,

>they believed the ancient Sages had learned the answers to these questions

>and this has continued to influence Chinese culture until the present age

>although this influence is now at its lowest point.

>

>

>

> -

> Jack Sweeney

> Chinese Medicine

> Sunday, February 27, 2005 7:15 PM

> Re: RE: Question for Everyone - Schools/Language

>

>

> Matt:

>

> You've raised a good question that has puzzled

> scholars for some time.

>

> Chinese culture has an inherent cultural conservatism

> that looks to the past as the ideal, and so tried to

> maintain traditions as much as possible, at least

> until Japan and the west came along.

>

> China had all kinds of knowledge and inventions, but

> never went the next step further in development. As

> one scholar put it, the Chinese have a fear of things

> that explode. Not sure if anyone can adequately

> explain the reasons for this cultural conservatism,

> but it is probably why we have TCM today.

>

> Chinese characters have evolved over the centuries

> from pictograms to ideograms.

>

> Regards, Jack

>

> >

> > My understanding of why the Chinese written language

> > is pictorial, is that the Chinese culture carried

> > forward more of the pre-civilized (hunter-gatherer)

> > ways into modern, civilized society than any other

> > culture. Before anyone had alphabets, many cultures

> > expressed profound ideas through pictures and

> > symbols. All other advanced cultures moved away from

> > picture/symbol language by developing more abstract

> > systems of writing. I wish more scholars would

> > address the mystery of why the Chinese maintained

> > more of the prehistoric/pre-civilized ways than did

> > any other advanced culture. I have attempted in a

> > limited way to do this myself but I feel it is a

> > subject deserving of much more attention specialized

> > study than I could ever muster. - Matt Bauer

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>http://babel.altavista.com/

>

>

> and adjust

>accordingly.

>

> Messages are the property of the author. Any duplication outside the

>group requires prior permission from the author.

>

> If you are a TCM academic and wish to discuss TCM with other academics,

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> " Matt Bauer " <acu.guy

>Chinese Medicine

><Chinese Medicine >

>Re: RE: Question for Everyone - Schools/Language

>Sun, 27 Feb 2005 22:11:00 -0800

>

>While I do not think I know " the " answer to this question because I do not

>believe there is a single answer, I have been fortunate to study with

>someone who has the most profound insights on this matter than anyone I

>know. While far to complex to go into in depth in this forum, I offer a few

>thoughts below. - Matt Bauer

>

>

>

>One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my teacher's long oral

>tradition, was how deeply into the past Taoist roots go. According to this

>version of history, fully intelligent beings roamed the earth for tens of

>thousands of years and drew deep, wordless insights from observing and

>participating in the repeating, delicately balanced cycles of nature. Their

>lives were lived as much on the spiritual plane as the physical - a

>yin/yang balance that would gradually be lost as people became more and

>more materially oriented. As this loss of balance progressed, people became

>more successful in the material sense and became to view the world around

>them from a predominately material perspective as " technology " advanced.

>

>

>

>Taoist were those who saw this shift away from the spiritual toward the

>physical coming and did their best to point the way back to balance by

>developing many skills that aided material life, such as medicine,

>agriculture, self defense, and various arts. All of these skills were based

>on the concept of balancing opposite dynamics, a.k.a. " yin and yang " , that

>were originally inspired by the ancients from their observations of the

>cycles of nature. Mastering any of these skills requires one to forego the

>calculating, self-centered mind and join in the flow of the subtle essence

>of nature, affording one a chance to restore balance between one's

>dual-nature.

>

>

>

>These were the skills of the ancient Sages so many generations of Chinese

>aspired to achieve for themselves and why much of Chinese culture looked

>backward for answers to questions of mortality and immortality rather than

>looking forward toward the next great technological innovation or a coming

>savior as has been the tendency in the West. The Chinese did not have a

>fear of things that explode. They, like us, fear what becomes of us once

>this all too temporary physical life returns to dust. For better or worse,

>they believed the ancient Sages had learned the answers to these questions

>and this has continued to influence Chinese culture until the present age

>although this influence is now at its lowest point.

>

>

>

> -

> Jack Sweeney

> Chinese Medicine

> Sunday, February 27, 2005 7:15 PM

> Re: RE: Question for Everyone - Schools/Language

>

>

> Matt:

>

> You've raised a good question that has puzzled

> scholars for some time.

>

> Chinese culture has an inherent cultural conservatism

> that looks to the past as the ideal, and so tried to

> maintain traditions as much as possible, at least

> until Japan and the west came along.

>

> China had all kinds of knowledge and inventions, but

> never went the next step further in development. As

> one scholar put it, the Chinese have a fear of things

> that explode. Not sure if anyone can adequately

> explain the reasons for this cultural conservatism,

> but it is probably why we have TCM today.

>

> Chinese characters have evolved over the centuries

> from pictograms to ideograms.

>

> Regards, Jack

>

> >

> > My understanding of why the Chinese written language

> > is pictorial, is that the Chinese culture carried

> > forward more of the pre-civilized (hunter-gatherer)

> > ways into modern, civilized society than any other

> > culture. Before anyone had alphabets, many cultures

> > expressed profound ideas through pictures and

> > symbols. All other advanced cultures moved away from

> > picture/symbol language by developing more abstract

> > systems of writing. I wish more scholars would

> > address the mystery of why the Chinese maintained

> > more of the prehistoric/pre-civilized ways than did

> > any other advanced culture. I have attempted in a

> > limited way to do this myself but I feel it is a

> > subject deserving of much more attention specialized

> > study than I could ever muster. - Matt Bauer

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>http://babel.altavista.com/

>

>

> and adjust

>accordingly.

>

> Messages are the property of the author. Any duplication outside the

>group requires prior permission from the author.

>

> If you are a TCM academic and wish to discuss TCM with other academics,

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Matt:

 

Thanks for posting, something one can't find in books.

The Dao De Jing alludes to such a time and your post

explains why Dao offers an attractive alternative.

 

Regards, Jack

>

> One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my

> teacher's long oral tradition, was how deeply into

> the past Taoist roots go. According to this version

> of history, fully intelligent beings roamed the

> earth for tens of thousands of years and drew deep,

> wordless insights from observing and participating

> in the repeating, delicately balanced cycles of

> nature. Their lives were lived as much on the

> spiritual plane as the physical - a yin/yang balance

> that would gradually be lost as people became more

> and more materially oriented. As this loss of

> balance progressed, people became more successful in

> the material sense and became to view the world

> around them from a predominately material

> perspective as " technology " advanced.

>

>

>

> Taoist were those who saw this shift away from the

> spiritual toward the physical coming and did their

> best to point the way back to balance by developing

> many skills that aided material life, such as

> medicine, agriculture, self defense, and various

> arts. All of these skills were based on the concept

> of balancing opposite dynamics, a.k.a. " yin and

> yang " , that were originally inspired by the ancients

> from their observations of the cycles of nature.

> Mastering any of these skills requires one to forego

> the calculating, self-centered mind and join in the

> flow of the subtle essence of nature, affording one

> a chance to restore balance between one's

> dual-nature.

>

>

>

> These were the skills of the ancient Sages so many

> generations of Chinese aspired to achieve for

> themselves and why much of Chinese culture looked

> backward for answers to questions of mortality and

> immortality rather than looking forward toward the

> next great technological innovation or a coming

> savior as has been the tendency in the West. The

> Chinese did not have a fear of things that explode.

> They, like us, fear what becomes of us once this all

> too temporary physical life returns to dust. For

> better or worse, they believed the ancient Sages had

> learned the answers to these questions and this has

> continued to influence Chinese culture until the

> present age although this influence is now at its

> lowest point.

>

>

>

> -

> Jack Sweeney

> Chinese Medicine

> Sunday, February 27, 2005 7:15 PM

> Re: RE: Question for Everyone -

> Schools/Language

>

>

> Matt:

>

> You've raised a good question that has puzzled

> scholars for some time.

>

> Chinese culture has an inherent cultural

> conservatism

> that looks to the past as the ideal, and so tried

> to

> maintain traditions as much as possible, at least

> until Japan and the west came along.

>

> China had all kinds of knowledge and inventions,

> but

> never went the next step further in development.

> As

> one scholar put it, the Chinese have a fear of

> things

> that explode. Not sure if anyone can adequately

> explain the reasons for this cultural

> conservatism,

> but it is probably why we have TCM today.

>

> Chinese characters have evolved over the centuries

> from pictograms to ideograms.

>

> Regards, Jack

>

> >

> > My understanding of why the Chinese written

> language

> > is pictorial, is that the Chinese culture

> carried

> > forward more of the pre-civilized

> (hunter-gatherer)

> > ways into modern, civilized society than any

> other

> > culture. Before anyone had alphabets, many

> cultures

> > expressed profound ideas through pictures and

> > symbols. All other advanced cultures moved away

> from

> > picture/symbol language by developing more

> abstract

> > systems of writing. I wish more scholars would

> > address the mystery of why the Chinese

> maintained

> > more of the prehistoric/pre-civilized ways than

> did

> > any other advanced culture. I have attempted in

> a

> > limited way to do this myself but I feel it is a

> > subject deserving of much more attention

> specialized

> > study than I could ever muster. - Matt Bauer

>

>

>

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