Insights and Updates

Recent news reports about various "masters" have set me thinking: what is the deep reason for their existence? The exposed masters have almost all been concentrated in traditional Chinese culture—Chinese medicine, qigong, even fortune-telling—areas in which I myself am now quite interested. Taking others as…

The right of cancer patients to know their condition has long been a dilemma for many families. Relatives generally believe that if the truth is told, the patient will be unable to bear it. It is true that when patients learn they have cancer, they…

The idea of pattern differentiation and treatment was first contributed by Zhang Zhongjing, so calling him the Medical Sage is no exaggeration; TCM doctors through the dynasties are all his spiritual descendants. It is commonplace that pattern differentiation and treatment began with Zhang Zhongjing; in…

Evidence-based medicine, also known as empirical medicine, is an attempt to use scientific methods uniformly to gather evidence in order to confirm the outcomes of medical care. To this day it seeks to evaluate the risks and efficacy of various medical approaches, including forgoing treatment.

One In recent years I have been using my whole life to realize the truths of Buddhism. The deaths of close relatives and of patients I have treated have all struck my heart deeply. Death has given me profound insight into Buddhist ideas such as…

On a bus traveling from Beijing to Hebei, a small incident suddenly brought the Dharma home to me. I was seated when an older woman boarded and, brusquely ordering me to move further in, took my seat. Roughly two-thirds of the seats were empty at…

Entering the monastery and learning from the monks has been the single most correct decision I have made in all these years. The sage said: "When you meet someone worthy, think of equaling him; when you meet someone unworthy, turn inward and examine yourself." Entering…

I really do love Fragrant Hill (Xiangshan). Yesterday I was there and got caught in the rain. I was asleep on a bench when suddenly thunder and lightning flashed and the sky clouded over. Opening my eyes, I saw a torrential downpour about to break,…

On the Tianya forum I saw a Christian say this: "I am a Christian, but I keep silent about Buddha, Dao, and God; I keep silent about every ultimate unknown." This is the most masterful thing I have yet heard a religious believer say in…

The Buddha said: beings take ten things as good, and also take ten things as evil. What are the ten? Three of body, four of speech, three of mind. The three of body: killing, stealing, and lust. The four of speech: divisive talk, harsh speech,…