water level land marker -language+

January 24, 2003

Dear list,

As always it is a complex issue but one thing for sure is that students to be or presently students can only indicate what was lacking or not after years of practice.

I remember my course and the horror when people mention that now that they were "qualified" they would never look at a book again, not all of course others enjoyed studying and read more then one.

However I am having a real struggle with my class. People from all walks of life's want the "practical stuff".

People whom sell Nony juice to all clients; a kung fu addict but not a kung fu in depth whom always talks about how to kill and what points does this; It has become a drag explaining that Chinese medicine is medicine and not a secret personal weapon against a person but a "weapon" in favour for the person.

A western doctor whom says he does not want the "philosophy" he got that in others coursers but feels not satisfied with his practice. I mention that maybe there are disconnections in terms and terminology of "water level and land marker" to borrow N. Sivin translation of a book a.p. 1602-1608 transcribed into wide gales (which no one now uses or?) as Cheng chih chun sheng (what would that be in Pin Yin and Chinese characters?). This book was apparently/is orientated largely toward clinical practice and water level land marker seams to imply standards of diagnoses and therapy.

I told the person in question that maybe come and observe to see if there can be a connection between Diagnoses and Nosology hence Treatments, (with a big "T" since it really is not just confine to the clinic per say), this will help in realising acumoxa as a demanding "thinking therapy" i.e. to practice acumoxa demands thinking which in the first place demands learning how to think hence the important of language+

Every one in the class are convinced that learning Chinese is irrelevant but claims some populistics books in acupressure will do the "trick", yet ask how can they be "real masters" of Chinese medicine.

I do not have the answer but certainly one aide towards such goal would be to read from the sources i.e. Asia.

What I am trying to say is that what students want is dependant on many factors that are so non-relevant to what Chinese medicine demands in many cases, since things like:

Pre-conceived ideas

Economic and social factors (real needs; short term and long term, its both socially orientated/dictated and individually orientated/dictated; perceived needs is nearly always "only" egocentric).

Now obviously in comparison North American students (Canada, USA not sure about Mexico) are by fare more mature and experience then Guatemalans, since genially there have been very little if any "real" Chinese medicine efforts here. Hence one could claim that students would know what is best for them, and too a certain extent that is true, mainly day to day running of ensuring works get marks and supervisors are dedicated and so forth.

BUT, and there is a big but, Chinese medicine demands its knowing something which can not come from neophytes (like my self), thus promulgate that we learn from the source...

This brief "outline" but none the less logical then logistically demands greater access to language+:

Where better to start then begin knowing languages East Asian philologically-linguistically-practically?

Ken:

Next, are the terms of Chinese medicineorginally Chinese?

Marco:

I doubt any one argue against this. However would like to add Chines-ness, since Both historically and culturally as well as practically Chinese medicine has not been static (as you so many times point out). East Asia has influence Chinese medicine Vietnam Korea Japan...(presumably even India, in a multi directional stream...) not sure but once the profession has matured with knowing medical Chinese more in-depth comparison and learning could probably be done by knowing Vietnamese and its relation to Sino-Vietnamese medicine, Japanese Sino-Japanese,Korean Sino-Korean...

In the future presumably even English and its Chinenes-ness, maybe even Hammer is an example of this? (I do not know nor have an opinion on this)

Marco