Beyond Science

In the process of educating the public about Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine to be accepted in Western cultures, one of the most distructive twists I have witnessesd is the process to attempt to make our medicine fit the scientific culture. Adjectives like alternative, complementary or integrative medicine gives our medicine a subservient status to our western counterparts. While our medicine is complete, it is not scientific. This alienates us from our so called "scientific" western couterparts. Our medicine is not scientific, as there is a tangible intangible that exists. Two practitioners can place the same points into the body yet one achieves results where the other does not. As I explain in "Zen in the Art of Acupuncture" there is a exchange of energy between patient and practitioner that cannot be quantified. The spiritual strength of the practitioner matters, as does the theory and quality of treatment. All medicine including western medicine has an element of mystery to it. Why do some patients heal and others do not? What is the cause of illness? There is a mystery and magic to our medicine that cannot and should not be ignored. One cannot teach another how to be a healer. Schools can only teach theory and technique, thereby creating technical experts, not healers. Beyond science lays the heart of the healer. This in its essence is simply the heart of compassion. When one believes knowledge is enough to practice our medicine they are sorely mistaken. When one accepts the beauty and mystery of our medicine one begins the process of entering the art of healing. The Nei Jing states:

"Acupuncture is not merely to treat diseases: it can be used to prevent incomplete functions among the twelve internal organs as well as to retain true energy in the human body. Therefore, to stay in good health means to tonify the spirits and lay a solid foundation of the roots of life, and the spirits of the body will not be seperated from each other. It is only when the spirits are retained that true energy of the body will be complete. When the spirits of the body are seperated, true energy will not be nourished. Hence to nourish true energy is as mysterious as the boundless skies. The spirits of the human body must be in constant communication with nature, this means returning to the original source, which is called unity of the spirit and the body."

Su Wen Chpt 72, pg 325 The Nei Jing is the classic text of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. It is a momunent to the ages that clearly states our medicine is one of both energy and spirit. Beyond science, beyond ego, lays a place of true healing. This is the world of the spirit itself. This is where our medicine shines above all others.