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		Longfei Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 1

Classic Corner

Huang Di Nei Jing

The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor

This book appears as the conversation between Huang Di, the legendary Yellow Emperor, and a gathering of his ministers and physicians. The discussion is about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and one can assume it is essential reading for all students and practitioners of TCM. In the text there is mention of four kinds of masters for health preservation.

In previous issues we looked at genuine man, supreme man and also the sage.

No 4: Sagacious men according to Huang Di

"Next, there were sagacious men. They followed the rules of heaven and earth, acted in accordance with the rhythm of the sun and moon, ascertained the changes of the stars and differentiated the changes of the four seasons. The sagacious men submitted to the yin and the yang. They practised following the remotely ancient people and adhered to the rules of health preservation. Their life span was prolonged to the boundaries of its natural limitation".

Commentary

The four kinds of masters of health preservation - genuine man, supreme man, sage and sagacious man - are obviously idealistic examples in the thoughts of the authors of The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor, and not historical individuals. The goal of introducing these fictitious men was to explain and encourage the different methods of approach to health preservation with the application of each method bringing its own results.

Self cultivation, the nurturing of the "Three Treasures" (San Bao) are the obvious kernel of these four imaginary masters' quest for health and longevity. In Issue 2, Volume 5 I looked at the practice of the pole stance (Zhan Zhuang). In the Three Treasures one's Essence (Jing), Breath (Qi), Mind-Spirit (Shen) were outlined in some detail from both the health and martial training perspectives.

Richard Watson

Longfei Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 1 Table of Contents