Guest guest Posted July 14, 2003 Report Share Posted July 14, 2003 Hi All, & Hi Jimmy, Jimmy Symmonds wrote: > In TCVM there seems to be no description of channels or meridians > - only AP points. Some speculate that this is because animal > medicine was less developed due to the low status of animals in > China historically. Another idea is that it is because animals do > not have a soul. A colleague wrote: As I understand it 'souls' > referring to possession of shen, hun, po, yi and zhi collectively > making up the Shen which makes us uniquely human. When speaking of > a human being in the context of the union of the parents each > providing their 'essences' which creates a new being and this is > what draws the spirits, shen. The two essences combine, the > physical form and the spirits are completed thus uniting the Qi of > heaven and earth and giving mankind. (Su wen 15). I cannot give > you a quote on where it says animals do not have these same souls > or spirits but I understood that the implication is that it is > their possession and their flow in the meridians that defines us > as humans. Can anyone on this list shed more light on these > issues? Thanks, Jimmy IMO, animals have souls with the same degree of certainty (or lack of it) as we have. They certainly exhibit (at least many do) the behavioral manifestations of shen, hun, po, yi and zhi (and can be treated for abnormalities in those areas as one would treat humans - by AP, herbs, or WM psychotropic drugs). Also, IMO, animals have other facilities that I **used to** think were " uniquely human " - that of telepathy and the facility to learn quickly by biofeedback stimuli. I now think that those are basic ANIMAL functions. But prove these beliefs? Can we prove that WE have souls or telepathy? Are " Out of Body " experiences real or just imagined? We may not be able to prove these beliefs the rigorous standards demanded of " scientific research " , but many of us have experienced such phenomena that are inexplicable unless spirit, telepathy and OBEs are real. Addendum: I have just seen Al's note - you beat me to the punch, Al!: > Of course, the social standing of an organism doesn't change its > physiology. : ) I'm sure that there are meridians connecting the > acupoints on animals just like with the two-legged mammals called > people. The lack of meridians is more likely because farmers were > interested in which points did what and less interested in theory. > > Another idea is that it is because animals do not have a soul. > I guess that you'd have to define " soul " to qualify this statement. > I am of the belief that everything has a soul and that the only > thing unique about the human's soul is its insistence that it is > somehow more advanced than the others. I don't buy into that > myself, but really this is all going to be dramatically colored by > one's religious / philosophical culture and how it defines the > " soul " . From what I saw at the " pet market " in China, animals are > more inanimate objects, a commodity that can be carried home by > the ear as long as it doesn't become detached while riding one's > bike home. There are certain parallel themes in Western > (Judeo/Islamic/Christian) thought as well. Something about God > giving us dominion over nature or something like that. I agree. We humans " rest easier " with the thought of exploiting animals, and slaughtering/eating them, if we deny the existence of animal intelligence and soul. Indeed, we sometimes try to justify genocide by 2dehumanising " or " demoniging " those unfortunate human races that we wish to exterminate. > So it is likely that if you look hard enough, you'll find some > classical text that supports the idea that animals have no soul. > I just don't personally agree. > > As I understand it 'souls' referring to possession of shen, hun, po, yi and zhi collectively making up the Shen which makes us uniquely human. > Sure, but that's because we have human shen, hun, po, yi, and zhi. > A dog will have its own shen, hun, po, yi, and zhi with its own > nature that is unique to the species as well as the individual > pooch. Al Stone Some dogs know that their " master " is dead (far away) before the family receives the news. Some become almost completely anorexic (a manifestation of Yi/worry or Po/grief?) for days after their " masters' " burial. Best regards, WORK : Teagasc Staff Development Unit, Sandymount Ave., Dublin 4, Ireland WWW : Email: < Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0] HOME : 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland WWW : http://homepage.eircom.net/~progers/searchap.htm Email: < Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 14, 2003 Report Share Posted July 14, 2003 All, What is a soul? Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 14, 2003 Report Share Posted July 14, 2003 Ken, On a month-long retreat in the New Mexico desert, this was my precise question. My guide was a woman Sufi mystic named Taj Inayat. I quote: "Soul is the intersection of earthly heredity with divine heredity. It is where the two meet. To locate yourself in that intersection consciously is to find your place in the world wherein you can accomplish your full potential." She indicated that things would come to you, and you could accomplish a great deal from consciously working from that intersection. This is one answer. I sense there are many. Emmanuel Segmen - kenrose2008 Monday, July 14, 2003 7:07 PM Re: Do animals have souls? All,What is a soul?KenChinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services, including board approved online continuing education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 14, 2003 Report Share Posted July 14, 2003 Emmanuel, > On a month-long retreat in the New Mexico desert, this was my precise question. My guide was a woman Sufi mystic named Taj Inayat. I quote: " Soul is the intersection of earthly heredity with divine heredity. It is where the two meet. To locate yourself in that intersection consciously is to find your place in the world wherein you can accomplish your full potential. " She indicated that things would come to you, and you could accomplish a great deal from consciously working from that intersection. This is one answer. I sense there are many. No doubt. These things remain mysteries to me. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2003 Report Share Posted July 15, 2003 You tell me, then we can decide if animals have them. -al. On Monday, July 14, 2003, at 07:07 PM, kenrose2008 wrote: > All, > > What is a soul? > > Ken > -- Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. -Adlai Stevenson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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