Home » Uncategorized (Page 4)
Category Archives: Uncategorized
2013 is the year of the Yin Water Snake
Some of you may be aware that the Chinese calendar is divided into 12 months represented by 12 animals. What you may not be aware of is that the Chinese calendar is the oldest calendar still in use. Our modern view of the calendar stems from a very basic understanding of the ancient Chinese calendar. The explanation of this tidbit of historical data will need to wait for a future article.
The common 12 animal delineation that many of you have seen while dining in a Chinese restaurant is purely for entertainment value and it does not carry much scholarly weight. In fact, most interpretations of the 12 animals are quite comical and fun to read for their entertainment value.
This year the Yang Water Dragon is transitioning to the Yin Water Snake as the cycle of change continues from Yang to Yin. The snake is also known as the minor or little dragon and has some of the same attributes of Dragon years.
In general, Snake years are regarded as auspicious years and a time for great change. It is also not uncommon for natural disasters, war and financial crisis to occur during these years as well. According to Master Zhongxian Wu in his Year of the Snake greetings newsletter:
“In general, I [Master Wu] expect that the climate will be drier than it was during the Yang Water Dragon year. Si Fire will transform to JueYin 厥陰 Wind Wood, which provides a clue that the first half year will be windy and the second half of the year will be warm, including an unseasonably warm winter (in the Northern hemisphere).”
In our next article we will look back over the last 150 years to examine prior Snake year occurrences.
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button below; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well. You can also follow the Qi Institutes Taoism blog.
Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
Can citrus help to lower your risk of stroke?
Citrus has long been a favored fruit, especially during long winter months, when the bright colors of its skin and flesh, remind us that winter cannot last forever and the warmth of the sun will soon return.
A new report featured in “Stroke: a journal of the American Heart Association”, states that eating citrus may lower the risk of ischemic strokes (clots), especially in women. Ischemic stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked.
The researchers analyzed 14 years worth of data on 69,622 women nurses that participated in the nationwide study. Every 4 years the participants had to fill out a survey listing their food intake. The women, who consumed the most citrus, in particular oranges and grapefruit, had the lowest stroke risk.
One flaw in the study was the over emphasis on the high intake of flavanones, which is found in many foods including chocolate and red wine. The largest concentrations, however, are in oranges.
What did the study leave out and what is the major flaw?
The study, as many do, did not consider the fact that people who consume daily fruit, will also on average consume daily vegetables, eat a healthier diet and usually have healthier lifestyle habits such as proper exercise, not smoking etc…
The main flaw however, as mentioned earlier, was the focus on flavanones as the key to reducing strokes. This is a flaw rooted in reductionism which is ever active in Allopathic medicine and research. While flavanones may, or may not, be important, to focus on one component at the exclusion of the other components that make up oranges and grapefruit, as well as, other citrus is misleading and potentially counterproductive.
What would a Taoist interpretation involve?
Using the Taoist understanding of the five tastes, we can determine how, or why, citrus could lower the risk of strokes. According to the five tastes, and the Taoist understanding of the organs/bowels, citrus, as well as raw fruit in general, is labeled as a sour food type. The sour taste affects the liver and gallbladder, and provides the essential energy and nutrition for the liver/gallbladder to function normally and maintain balance. If the sour taste is consumed too frequently or too infrequently, the liver/gallbladder could be harmed.
When the liver and gallbladder are functioning normally the liver is able to remove toxins from food and together the liver and gallbladder are able to remove fat and properly handle harmful oils as well. Thus, reducing the amount of fat in the blood stream will reduce the risk of stroke. Citrus, also has the added benefit of containing mild acids, which also help to breakdown fat and oils.
So according to Taoism, the results of this study, has less to do with flavanones, and more to do with how the sour taste affects the liver and gallbladder, and the role that a properly functioning liver and gallbladder plays in sustaining health and wellness.
Taoist nutrition has long advocated eating one apple and a half an orange daily to help keep the liver and gallbladder healthy.
What are the benefits of oranges according to Taoism?
Maoshing Ni states in “The Tao of Nutrition” that oranges:
“lubricate lungs, resolves [removes] mucous, increases appetite, strengthens spleen, quenches thirst, promotes body fluids”. It can also be used to invigorate the Qi (energy) and remove dampness…”
In “Chinese Natural Cures”, Dr. Henry Lu states that:
“orange leaves relax the liver, promote energy circulation, remove phlegm, heal swelling; orange peels regulate energy, remove phlegm and congestion, strengthen the spleen; sour orange peels remove phlegm, stop vomiting, promote digestion; tangerine orange seeds regulate energy flow in the body and relieve pain…”
As you can see, there are many benefits to eating the entire orange including finding interesting ways to utilize the peels and seeds as well. Also, Taoism would recommend eating the entire fruit rather than drinking the juice, as fruit juice is too concentrated and lacks the balancing effects of the other components found only in the pulp, seeds and skin.
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button below; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well. You can also follow the Qi Institutes Taoism blog.
Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
This winter we will experience the water dragons’ transformation
As you may recall, in Taoist Cosmology, 2012 was the year of the water dragon. For most of this year we were quite fortunate because the strong nature of the dragon was partially tempered by the water element which…(read more)
Pearl River: New York City’s best kept secret
For over 30 years a trip to New York City would not be complete without visiting Pearl River Mart in SoHo (477 Broadway, NYC, between Broome St. & Grand St., 800-878-2446). According to their brochure, Pearl River…(read more)
Interview with Dr. Stephen Chang: Traditional Chinese medicine is at a crossroad
What do you think of the current state of Chinese Medicine?
Chinese Medicine is now at a crossroads in its existence. The key to moving on lies in the understanding of its definition and the content of “internationalization of TCM” as well as the consciousness of the Chinese people.
What do you mean by internationalization of TCM?
The “internationalization” of Chinese medicine has two different explanations.
- To popularize the academic culture of TCM in international society and greatly enhance the exports of TCM to earn foreign exchange for the country.
- To westernize TCM or integrate TCM with Western medicine.
It is understood that many people believe that to add scientific factors to TCM would mean to convert TCM into Western medicine. It can also be called “Westernized traditional Chinese medicine”, which is the general significance of international integration of TCM.
Who is behind integrating TCM with Western (Allopathic) medicine?
In fact, this is an ongoing issue. The true story was told in an article – “The truth about the Rockefeller Drug Empire” written by Hans Ruesch and published a few years ago. The article gives details on why the Rockefeller family is willing to “donate” to the medical circle in China under the name of an academic foundation.
According to Hans Ruesch: “Rockefeller had always had a particular interest in China, where Standard Oil was almost sole supplier of kerosene and oil “for the lamps of China”. So he put up money to establish the China Medical Board and to build the Peking Union Medical College, playing the role of the Great White Father who has come to dispense knowledge on his lowly children. The Rockefeller Foundation invested up to $45,000,000 into “westernizing” (read corrupting) Chinese medicine.
Medical colleges were instructed that if they wished to benefit from the Rockefeller largesse they had better convince 500 million Chinese to throw into the ashcan the safe and useful but inexpensive herbal remedies of their barefoot doctors, which had withstood the test of centuries, in favor of the expensive carcinogenic and teratogenic “miracle” drugs Made in the USA, which had to be replaced constantly with new ones, when they fatal side-effects could no longer be concealed; and if they couldn’t “demonstrate” through large-scale animal experiments the effectiveness of their ancient acupuncture, this could not be recognized as have any “scientific value”. Its millenarian effectiveness proven on human beings was of no concern to the Western wizards.
But when the Communists came to power in China and it was no longer possible to trade, Rockefellers suddenly lost interest in the health of the Chinese people and shifted their attention increasingly to Japan, India and Latin America.”
What is the purpose of this movement?
Its purpose is to make Chinese people doubt the origin and system of Chinese medicine and so abandon it. The move was made under the cover of “Westernizing traditional Chinese medicine”. It is a conspiracy to completely destroy TCM.
So in other words Western (Allopathic) medicine is threatened by TCM?
Western medicine used to deny the existence of TCM. For example, before it [Allopathic medicine] discovered the thymus gland and spleen, it did not agree with the TCM theory that is based on these important organs. It believed that TCM was not scientific. Even after it proved the existence of the two organs, it still claimed that TCM as not scientific.
Who else is involved in destroying TCM?
Under the influence of the Rockefellers, the World Trade Organization issued a decree forbidding each of its members from trading in TCM. It was echoed by the European Union that decided not to import TCM and Chinese healthcare food. The US followed suit, banning the import and sales of TCM. All of these moves are targeted at TCM.
Did any country oppose the WTO decree?
Germany was the first to oppose such a decision. Its judicial department overthrew the WTO decree. Canada also resisted the decree through its legislative procedures.
What is the importance of saving or preserving TCM?
Traditional Chinese medicine is one of China’s greatest scientific achievements. It is the crystallization of its academic wisdom. Its theory and practice are all based on Chinese culture [Taoism]. In terms of treatment effectiveness and the methodology of understanding some particular diseases, it is far more reasonable and effective compared to Western medicine. It also has no serious side-effects.
This self-complete theory has included the mechanism of timely progress. There is absolutely no need for TCM to be Westernized. China owns the complete intellectual property rights of traditional Chinese medicine. It can never be “stolen” by others.
Are there other countries trying to claim the rights to TCM?
Japan has recently applied to the World Health Organization for the definition of TCM. It wants to give TCM a Japanese name. The purpose of the move is to separate TCM from China and thus make the school of medicine its own. Quite naively and ridiculously, Japan believes that once this happens, Japanese medicine will be the sole beneficiary.
Note: parts of this article originally appeared as a longer article Dr. Chang wrote for China Daily www.chinadaily.com, adapted for interview format and content added with Dr. Chang’s permission.
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button below; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well. You can also follow the Qi Institutes Taoism blog.
Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
Morikami Japanese Gardens offers the art of Bonsai workshop for beginners
Bonsai is the Japanese term for “plants in a tray”; it is based on the word bon which is a tray like pot. The art is based on ‘an earlier meditation and self cultivation practice of…(read more)
2012 a Taoist year in review
2012, the year of the Dragon was an interesting year indeed. We witnessed many examples of transformation and change, good and bad, as well as apocalyptic failures of apocalyptic predictions, and a continuing slide (or fall) down an ever… (read more)
Official groundbreaking for Shaolin Temple’s museum
Any martial artist or fan of China’s Kung Fu movies knows that the Shaolin Temple is one of the most important and influential, universities and training grounds in the world. The temple, built between 477-495 C.E., has a very long history of producing some of the best martial artists in the world. Throughout its history the Shaolin Temple attracted people from many different countries and from practically every religion in the world as well.
Contrary to popular belief (historically) you did not need to be a Buddhist or practice Buddhism in order to train there. There are records of Taoists, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and members of other faiths attending and studying at the Temple.
It is with this historical importance in mind that the Chinese government has renewed their interest in preserving their ancient culture and cultural buildings, and to encourage the world to visit and experience this amazing heritage.
According to the Qi Journal (Summer 2012 issue), “The foundation of Shaolin Kung Fu Museum was laid…in Shaolin Tagou Kung Fu School, three kilometers northeast away from Shaolin Temple in central China’s Henan province. With a total investment of 36.5 million US dollars, the privately funded museum covers 135,540 square meters. It will be the first of its kind in the world…The museum will demonstrate the development and evolvement of Chinese Kung Fu with texts, pictures, films and other exhibits. It also plans to hold international Kung Fu competitions and state live performances.”
The museum is expected to open sometime in 2014 and has the expectation to not only promote foreign tourism but also to further the study and development of Kung Fu.
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button below; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well.
Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
A simple, delicious and healthy smoothie with black sesame seeds
Smoothies are a delicious and simple way to increase the consumption of healthy and powerful food. It is an especially good method for stubborn kids or spouses (yes, that may include you), that might not otherwise eat a varied diet.
This is a simple recipe that is popular in Asia, especially China and Japan, and was recently featured on the award winning YouTube cooking channel “Cooking with Dog” with Chef and Francis (the poodle). Cooking with Dog is an extremely popular channel with over 44 million video views, and almost 250,000 subscribers. The National Taoism Examiner and his wife have enjoyed many of their recipes.
This recipe has just a few ingredients, but those ingredients provide plenty of benefits for men, women and children. You should definitely consider enjoying this recipe once or twice per week.
Recipe: serves 2
1 Ripe Banana
250ml Original Unfortified Soymilk (1.06 cups)
2 tbsp Ground Black Sesame Seeds
Honey (about ½ tbsp)
3-4 Ice Cubes
Place one banana into the blender with approx. 1 cup of soymilk and ½ tablespoon of honey. Thoroughly grind the black sesame seeds until they almost form a paste and then add the sesame seeds to the blender. Blend until all ingredients are smooth and mixed well. Enjoy.
Please note: Taoism does not recommend consuming food that is frozen or too cold; however, if you want to make a cool drink you could try 1 or 2 cubes. Food that is very cold may harm the spleen/stomach, weaken energy, cool the blood and harm the heart.
Health Benefits: according to the Tao of Nutrition by Dr. Maoshing Ni and Cathy McNease
Banana: clears heat, lubricates lungs, lubricates intestines, lowers blood pressure, aids alcohol intoxication. Good for: constipation, thirst, cough, hemorrhoids, hypertension and alcohol intoxication
Soymilk (Soybean): clears heat, detoxifies, eases urination, lubricates lungs and intestines, provides an excellent protein food. Good for: lung and stomach heat, dry skin, ferocious appetite, stomach or mouth ulcers, swollen gums, diarrhea, constipation, general heat problems.
Black sesame seeds: tonify liver and kidneys, harmonize the blood, lubricate the intestines, restore hair color, nourish Yin, promotes lactation. Good for: chronic constipation, premature balding or graying, chronic arthritis, joint inflammation, cough.
Honey: nourishes Yin, lubricates dryness, tonifies weakness, harmonizes, antidote to drugs, strengthen spleen. Good for: diabetes (small amounts), constipation, ulcers, dry cough, hoarse voice, burns, cold sores.
Take time, especially during the hot summer days, to enjoy this delicious and simple smoothie! Make sure you post a comment and thank Chef and Francis from the Cooking with Dog YouTube Channel.
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button above; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well.
Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
The attack on organic food continues
Over the past few months there have been many articles and “news” coverage regarding organic food. Many people covering the topic for the mainstream news have an obviously slanted agenda against organic food. Viewing some of the articles headlines will suffice to expose this agenda: “Does organic food turn people into jerks?”, “Drug Resistant Bugs Found in Antibiotic-Free Meat”, “Antibiotic-Free Meat Not Free of Drug-Resistant Bacteria”, “The Problem With Organic Food” just to list a few.
Let us explore for a moment just what Organic and so called Conventional foods are.
Wikipedia provides a good starting point with their definition of organic food as: “… foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic Foods also do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives. (wikipedia.org)”
Mankind’s food legacy
Basically, organic food consists of meat, fruit, vegetables etc… that are grown naturally without artificial or synthetic manipulation in any stage of the planting, cultivating, harvesting and production processes. To state it even more simply, so called organic food has been the agricultural method throughout human history, until the invention of synthetic and artificial manipulation processes.
If we count organic or natural food only through the time frame of the advent of agriculture; then mankind has consumed organic food for approx. 10,000 years as evident with ancient Chinese/Taoist rice cultivation. If, however, we consider even earlier time periods and take into consideration the vast time frames that mankind survived by hunting and gathering, we are faced with a daunting fact that “prehistoric” man was eating not only organic/natural meat & vegetables, but also free range, grass fed, cage free, humane and ethically grown as well, for hundreds of thousands of years.
What is conventional food?
For the most part, conventional food did not exist until the 1940’s with the conclusion of WWII. The large chemical companies that were created for mass production of chemical warfare campaigns were no longer needed on the same massive production scale. With millions of dollars in lost revenue quickly approaching, these mega companies shifted their focus from chemical warfare on human enemies, to the Great Enemy of agriculture: pests, parasites, mold, fungi, bacteria etc…
All without making any changes to the factories; requiring just a simple change of labels and reduction of potency, some would argue if this reduction actually occurred.
Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO is another major component of conventional food, especially in the United States. This has the potential to be the most dangerous component of conventional food, so dangerous in fact that dozens of countries have banned GMO food and some have gone a step further and are moving towards banning non-organic or conventional farming all together.
Is there even a need for a debate regarding Organic versus Unnatural food?
The answer will vary of course depending on who is asked this question; however, the facts cannot be disputed. What we are faced with, is a method of either growing & hunting for food that has existed for over 10,000 years, compared to a new and unproven method that has only 60-70 years of experience that is rapidly and constantly changing. The long term effects of which no-one can answer with any certainty. What we do know, is that over the same time period (last 70 years) there has been an incredible increase in disease, illness and infection, the likes of which has not occurred in recorded history.
Where is the controversy coming from?
Clearly, the same companies behind the unnatural chemical and GMO movement are the same parties funding the “research” and propagating the stories under the guise of scientific data that is trying to usurp and replace Organic and natural food.
Better questions
- Instead of asking “Does organic food turn people into jerks?” perhaps, we should ask: does lobbying, promoting and producing unnatural and harmful food full of dangerous chemicals make you evil?
- How do the unnatural/conventional food practices reflect on our society?
- What does our continued consumption of this unnatural food say about the consumer and society?
- Is conventional food, a further sign of the moral decay of modern societies? If so, where will it end?
- What will come of mankind if we allow our food to become completely synthetic, void of all energy, nutrition and life force?
From a Taoist perspective; the greater question is not how can man improve the food, rather how can man return to simplicity and naturalness and live as a part of the world. How can we return to our original state, our original nature? Surely, Adam and Eve were not eating GMO/conventional food in the Garden of Eden. Does modern man really think that Adam and Eve would have been better off if the forbidden fruit was a GMO apple full of pesticides and herbicides? Perhaps, in that regard they would be correct, for they surely would have resisted and refused to eat it. Now that is worth pondering!
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button above; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons to the left as well.
Recent Comments