I practice what’s broadly called Classical Chinese Medicine. This practice looks back to the long history of teachings, over 2000 years of knowledge that’s been carefully handed down through the generations.
It is about systems, connections, maps of the human body and nature woven together.
Classical Chinese Medicine has been passed down for thousands of years through:
- medical and philosophical texts
- physical practices (such as Nei Gong, also known as Qi Gong)
- master-and-apprenctice learning, through family lineages or Daoist temples
- imperial academies
A different form is taught in universities, both here and in China. It’s called “Traditional Chinese Medicine” or TCM. People in Australia are mostly practising TCM.
The confusing thing is, TCM isn’t really “traditional” at all!
TCM was created in China in the 20th century, so that the state could give health care to a large number of people. It uses a modern idea of the body, and it sees the self as an individual like other modern cultures, using herbs and acupoints in place of pharmaceutical drugs.
I co-authored a book, Chinese Medicine Liberation, about the dramatic changes in the 20th century, as I wanted TCM practitioners to understand the bigger picture.
Many practitioners, in the West and the East, are starting to turn back to ancient sources to revive the practices that existed before TCM.
There are many threads of Classical Chinese Medicine, all weaving together to form the complex and dynamic practice that is being restored and extended in modern times. Some lineages had continued through the 20th century unbroken. Other discoveries can be made through personal practice (eg Qi Gong) or through studying classical texts.
It has been my focus, for over a decade now, to learn from teachers who are seeking and sharing this knowledge. I have been so lucky to learn from very gifted teachers, some connected with ancient unbroken lineages.
