Yinyang made tangible

NAJOM (2021), Quinn, Bob

2021

English

Quinn, Bob

It can often be the case, and perhaps one is fortunate when it is, that one's life seems to revolve around a particular story. In my case it was a story told by Heiner Fuehauf, PhD about his meeting in Sichuan Province with an elderly, highly respected herbalist. The man had been in practice over 60 years and was famous for his treatments of cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, tow tough conditions to focus on day in, day out. (As a side comment, Heiner pointed out that his herb formulas focused on the use of many insects; in fact, he had almost 100 types in jars on his pharmacy shelves.) It was a major coup for Heiner to be allowed some time with this herbalist, as he at that point in time was a mere student. At the end of the conversation over tea, Heiner asked what the herbalist was studying. It is a natural curiosity I think to have a question like this when faced with such an esteemed scholar of the medicine. In asking this he was guessing the answer would involve complicated insights into jueyin disease, or something along those lines. What the herbalist answered though has been a guiding light in my life since I first heard the story, and it has, in a sense, given me permission to focus my studies on yinyang. The answer was: "I am still trying to understand yinyang." Hallelujah!!!! After 60 years he still had not yet plumbed the depths of yinyang; that is the right herbalist to study with.

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