The Power of Natural Healing
by Taoist Master Hua-Ching Ni, Santa Monica: Seven Stars Communications, 1991, 1995.
Quotes
– What is called soul is actually the universal vitality of each individual. It is a kind of subtle energy that is not as solid and heavy as physical energy; it is more essential. /iii
– If a doctor treats a patient, how can the patient get well? A patient gets well mostly by his own natural vitality. Any healing method, herb or medication works by removing the external invader or the poison created in the body, thus stimulating the patient’s own natural vitality to do a better job in restoring the health of a particular organ or part of the body that is affected. An old friend who practices homeopathy estimated that 95% of all disease was cured by the strength of the patient, and only 5% by the treatment. /iii
– We take an organic view of life, while modern medicine generally takes a mechanical view. (iii)
– Let’s say that a healthy individual becomes 10% ill. Most western treatments are going to be too strong because they are determined by symptoms alone without taking the patient’s vitality into consideration. If the patient is only 10% ill, a 30% cure would be too much and could actually harm the patient’s natural vitality. Herbal medicine can be adjusted to the need and health of the individual patient. In fact, is the dosage is less, the recovery is greater, because it does not harm the natural healing power of the individual. Medicine should not cut down the young crops to keep the birds away, nor cut down the tree for the purpose of getting rid of the bugs. /iv
– For example, sometimes young children have a fever in reaction to a virus. Generally speaking, a parent can give the child some ginger or leek soup or some mint tea or a warm bath, and sometimes these simple remedies can disperse the virus through perspiration. These are natural cures for a young person; however, modern people would rather use antibiotic injection to decrease the fever. This is like sending an entire army against a single thief. /iv
– If you live a hypertensive way of life and wish to amass material gain, this can weaken your heart, which will then harden. Natural medicine will advise you to cut out some activity or reduce your ambition. Once you change those conditions, you can be helped; we do not recommend treating the body like a car with parts that can be replaced. i am not against organ transplants, I am just saying that it is better to control and watch the conditions of your life before they become extreme. /6
– So the basic principle of Chinese medicine and spiritual cultivation is integral beingness. It does not treat people like machines. Nor does it take the attitude that if you have a pain, I can simply cut the nerve so you don’t feel it, or if you have a cold, I can give you a medication to suppress the symptoms. /6
– To the ancient ones, there was no problem about whether the universe started by mind or matter. An energy egg cannot be defined as either mind or matter, because it is just energy. Energy is life. If the universe is not energy, it is a dead, empty shell. It could not be you and me; it could not be life. /11
– In China, for instance, hundreds of different tribes exist. Though all of them have yellow skin, there is not a clue that they all came from the same source. Each group has a different myth about its origin as a tribe, and these myths all differ except for one detail: each tribe thinks its people are the only descendants of Heaven. None think themselves less, but each thinks itself more than the other tribes. Each of them thinks their tribe is the only one that has a divine origin and that the others are mutts. /12
– Although the carvings no longer exist, we know one thing for sure: at that time, no country or society was a police nation. There were no policemen. Their social system was not established by force. There were fewer people and their lives were simply. If anyone served as a symbolic center of the society, it was because they had done something of great benefit for people that earned them respect and recognition as kind (Warng) or Emperor (Ti). /13
– Even if a person acts that is righteous or kind, if the action is done against one’s nature, the righteousness can turn sour, and the kindness can have negative results. /15
– But can we, in modern times, enjoy what is by nature self-contained? We cannot, because psychological we are conditioned not to. People are struggling to prove their worth. They ‘need’ to fight for recognition from other people. However, the true nature of life has not changed since ancient times, only our vision and our understanding of life have changed. In the last 2,500 years of human history, / I do not see any spiritual progress. Human insensivity has increased, and people are looking for cheap external salvation rather than developing themselves spiritually. This problem has never happened before in the 2, 700,000 years or prehistory. People now beg help from imaginary religious or spiritual images and ignore the internal spiritual sufficiency that is each person’s birthright. This inner source of love and help, that can be increased through personal spiritual cultivation, brings true spiritual independence and self-containment. /16–17
– Humans have lost their connection with the earth, and because they feel disconnected from the earth, they feel lost and insecure. This spiritual and emotional insecurity drives them to look for a source of strength outsides themselves to solve their problems. /17
– We must admit that our lives are not natural any more. When we have trouble, we do not know how to handle it emotionally. Maybe we pray, but prayer is self-deceiving if we do not let ourselves see the problem and the solution clearly. Self-deception comes from the psychological habit of being dependent. /18
– The foundation of modern science is based on physiology, anatomy and biochemistry, yet there is still a higher, more subtle sphere. /20
– No one can say that he or she does not have any troubles. No one can say the world does not have trouble. What is the source of all this trouble? The source of the trouble is that each individual human being, and the world itself, is spiritually blocked by artificial points of view. Spiritual undevelopment is like a person who is young and short / and cannot see what is on the other side of the wall. he has to wait until he grows taller to be able to see over the wall. /22–23
– Youthfulness, you see, is not a matter of age; it is a matter of what you hook up with. Many people do not hook up with the energy source, they hook up to their own emotional problems instead. /23
– Can you understand and communicate with your own spirit? It takes a little time, but it can be done. Sometimes we do many stupid things against our spirit. Our spirit may know something that our mind does not know, but we foolishly go ahead to do many things against ourselves. Seeing our mistakes in these instances can be a catalyst for further understanding and growth. Since doing some of those things can harm us if we are not careful, I recommend that you not do anything against your own spiritual nature. /28
– In the game of life, it is the energy arrangement within an individual that determines whether life’s circumstances are favorable or unfavorable, advantageous or fatal. /37
– The Chinese look for a place to build a house that is out of the wind and has good water; that way energy can gather. Once I was assisted by a real estate agent in locating a house in a beautiful location. The agent took me to a house on the side of a creek, but the house was place so that the creek came directly towards it before turning away and flowing off to the side. The strong water flow toward the house made you feel like you owned the beauty of nature. However, I also knew, from my knowledge of geomancy, that the creek was an energy arrow coming into the house, and that the owner of the house must die from it. So I asked the real estate agent why the house was for sale. She told me that the house was designed by the owner, but after he moved there, he got sick and died. She shape of a house and the shape of an energy field can affect people. This is why the Chinese would rather choose a peaceful place; it might not bring great financial support, but neither does it bring harm. It is hard for modern people to accept the idea that a living environment is an energy field, and that it affects their lives. /38
– You need to have sympathy with people rather than confront them. You need to communicate with them on a natural level and live among them without withdrawing to the conceptual level. Avoid becoming argumentative; that only strains the nervous system of both sides. /42
– God is just a name for the universal positive life energy in each of us. By manifesting that energy in our lives, we bring out the beauty of life and also some great achievements. Without that energy, nothing can be accomplished in the world. /56
– Only gentle, kind progress can bring true maturity. /57
– Many people reach the limits of modern medicine and are on the verge of death before they finally turn their lives around and restore their health by their will to live, by new ways of living, and by forming new psychological attitudes and positive emotions. /58
– Modern medicine does not have the power to decide your life and death. /64
– Once you hire undeveloped people to take care of your life, it is usually not as good as taking care of it yourself. /68
– Om kalaba, shuli hon hon. /68
– I just awaken the spiritual energy within to make a person well. It is not like modern medicine, which treats you like a worn-out piece of machinery. /77
– The Way is simple. It is not hard to learn. It is hard to keep doing and practicing it. It is hard because sometimes the mind becomes wild and rejects simplicity. Once the mind becomes complicated, you are tempted to give up and fall back in an undeveloped stage of being. You only need to learn it right, do it right and keep doing it. It has a tremendous effect on your entire life. /88
– When you stand, you cannot even manage yourself well: that is how you can tell that many preachers and politicians are not saying anything truthful. Their words are floating on the emotional level rather than coming from a centered, truthful level. /89
– Dancing is a human instinct; you do not need to learn it. Unfortunately, the false spiritual tradition of development suppresses the good side of instinctive dance, so many people’s movements are so stiff they cannot dance. /89
– The third principle of nurturing of nurturing chi is: Any thoughts you have should not go beyond what is connected with your own energy. In other words, do not daydream about things that are not relevant to your life. /90
– The forth principle is simplicity. Stay with only one thought or mental activity that embraces your life energy. /90
– How can the world become Heaven for you? Not by fighting bad people. It becomes Heaven when you maintain your good personality and stay away from bad people. /92
– Some people who practice calligraphy live very long lives. Why? It is the concentration. Every day they spend a certain amount of time sitting quietly in concentration, doing their calligraphy. /94
– When you are doing these movements, it looks like so much movement, but practically you do nothing, because you are doing nature. Nature is not dead stuff, it is a living flow. Health and aliveness come from a smooth, natural flow of energy. Thus, while nature is stillness, it is also subtle movement. This movement starts beyond where the five senses can reach and feel. Beyond all postures, there is the unexpressed truth. /95
– Again, cultivating Tao is almost like accounting: one looks for balance. It is suitable to favor the side of capital without extending oneself in debt. Overextending yourself at the emotional, mental or physical level will increase the negative side. If you correctly project your energy in all three spheres of life, then it does not cause a minus. /99
– It was said that if a person could observe three Geng Shen nights each year, or in his whole life, without falling asleep and letting the hidden enemy or harm become active, then he or she would have no problems throughout life. If a person could keep Geng Shen night seven times, then the three demons would leave the person and let them enjoy a natural life without causing a negative result. There are at least 500 different practices to prevent harm from the three demons. It seems they are one of the more stubborn influences in human life. /100
– I would like to pass on to you the most powerful mantra in the spiritual world. You can add as many syllables as you please. Pronounce them correctly and loudly to disperse / all evil energy. The most sacred mantra which comes from a long line of shiens is ‘ha ha’. /101–102
– Once you learn to tame your internal demons, the external demons also transform themselves and are no longer threatening. Do your cultivation, be the best person you can be, be happy, contribute whatever you can to other people, and enjoy the beauty of life wherever you might find it. /102
– Any emotion or attachment or stubbornness will cause a person to lose his or her balance. I always say that balance is Tao, and I require myself, my sons, my friends and students to keep their lives in balance. In ancient times, a spiritual person watched the three demons, the Six Greedy Thieves and the Seven Bloodthirsty Devils carefully, but too often they stayed in caves and monasteries and dared not do anything for fear of arousing the thieves and demons. Consequently, they feared the normalcy of life and overextended another side of negativity. /102
– Chinese words are not phonetic but are symbolic pictures, so the effects of writing Chinese calligraphy involve both the right and left brain. /103
– Men sometimes have lowered sexual energy and suffer impotence because of the tension caused by intellectual or emotional struggles in their life. Impotence is a kind of weakness. Every morning, when the sun rises, stand in a place with good air, face East and breathe in the solar energy. Swallow it and send it to the lower tan tien, just below the navel. Even if it is cloudy, you can till do this practice, because the sun is still there. By your spiritual development, you can make the sun’s energy come to you through the clouds. /106
– I consider the Merry-Go-Round more natural and effective than the much more complicated movements of t’ai chi exercise. It is one of my favorite movements. /110
– If there is a small flow of thoughts, do not be carried away by them, but always return to the original blankness of mind. Because spiritual energy has no shape, it can only be nurtured by the shapeless mind. /114
– After the reading, gently bite the teeth together 36 times, swallow the saliva three times and bring the energy down to the lower abdomen. /131
– Now I would like to teach you a technique for cleansing your emotions, your bad energy and the clouds in your mind. This technique is for the overwatered ones. How can you tell if you are overwatered and need to use this technique? You can tell by the feeling of being upset with or about the world, or if you think that people are uncooperative. It means that things do not happen as smoothly as you expect. If I tell a person that he has too much of something, I usually get an immediate response of, ‘I am not overwatered, I do not have enough.’ This suggests that he has set up an overly strong demand for things he should not demand. He thinks, ‘Despite everything nature gives me or that my family gave me, I still do not have enough.’ /134
– An achieved one is a true being, because he does not accept any external standard or mold as the truth. The only truth is that there is no mold or standard, only the original. This is the secret of salvation. /143
– Everything you do renews you. Therefore, make renewal your spiritual goal and practice. Do not hold onto yesterday’s newspaper and worry about the world economy becoming worse and worse. The world’s economy renews itself, too. /143
