Insights and Updates

Today is the first day of 2024. Thank you to all my readers, patients, relatives, and friends for your support, trust, and company over the years. I am glad to have spent 2023 with you all and to have welcomed 2024 together. A phrase I…

The First Awareness: All conditioned things are impermanent; the world is frail and perishable. The four elements are suffering and empty; the five aggregates are without self. Arising and ceasing, transforming and changing, they are false and have no master. The mind is the source…

Elderly people often experience difficulty urinating. The causes are complex. Prostate problems in male patients, hypertension and cerebrovascular accidents in both sexes, and some problems of the urinary system can all cause urinary retention in the elderly. Ascites caused by diseases such as cancer can…

"Yu Zhi Zi Wan" comes from Taiping Huimin Heji Ju Fang (Prescriptions from the Peaceful Benevolent Dispensary). In Yu Yao Yuan Fang (Formulary of the Imperial Pharmacy) it is also named "Zhen Xin Wan" (Heart-Tranquilizing Pill). It is a formula for nourishing the heart and…

A few days ago, my wife and I were discussing our child's university education, and I put forward my view: given that I need to bear the main educational expenses for his university and graduate studies, I have the right to tell him how much…

What is a person's true experience at the instant of death? Many people have had near-death experiences, and this year I was fortunate to have one too. In the instant of my car accident on November 19, my mind went completely blank. My heart was…

In the Ming-dynasty medical work Ren Shu Bian Lan (Convenient Guides to Benevolent Practice), there is a formula called "Jianwang Dan" (Forgetfulness Pill) specifically for treating excessive susceptibility to fright and forgetfulness caused by heart-qi deficiency. Its composition is as follows: Yuan Zhi (Polygalae Radix,…

There are two things that matter greatly in a person's life: self-love and love for others. Love for others takes many forms, which can be summarized into two broad categories. The first is universal loving-kindness toward all beings—compassion and care for those with whom we…

“Da Bu Yuan Jian” (Major Restore the Origin Decoction) originates from the Jingyue Quanshu; in the Jingyan Guangji it has an alternative name, “Bu Yuan Jian” (Restore the Origin Decoction). The formula is composed as follows: Renshen (Ginseng Radix), from 1–2 qian (3–6g) at the…

The Buddha said: “From love comes sorrow; from love comes fear. One who is free from love is free from both sorrow and fear.” The Bodhisattva Kashyapa asked the Buddha: “How does one become free from love?” The Buddha replied: “With no perception of self,…