Jizu Mountain and Conclusion This March I completed the last of China’s great Buddhist sacred sites — Jizu Mountain in Yunnan. The five of us first stayed at a small monastery at the foot of the mountain called Guangfang Temple, and the next day set out for the Huashou Gate. The road was quite rugged. … Read more
Solitary Retreat (2of2) — The Transformation of Body and Mind After returning from Tibet, the physiological transformation in my body became more intense. The most painful was the opening and transformation of the energy channel in the throat. I was confined to bed, my whole body devoid of strength. I could not speak, could not … Read more
Solitary Retreat (1of2) — Prostrations in the Snow and the Himalayan Practitioners After completing the four great Buddhist sacred sites, I had roughly another two or more years of practice at home and medical work. Occasionally I would go to Mount Wutai for a brief retreat. During these retreats I sometimes ate nothing at all, … Read more
Practicing Medicine and the Four Kinds of Illness (1of2) — A Diagnostic Framework In more than ten years of clinical experience, I have generally classified illness into four categories. The first category is illness arising from imbalance of the four elements — that is, diseases triggered by natural forces such as wind, heat, dampness, and … Read more
Pilgrimage to Mount Wutai — Emei — Jiuhua (1of2) — Five Peaks and the Energy Channels The Master’s second notification was for me to make a pilgrimage to Mount Wutai. This time almost no one in the family objected. Mount Wutai was only about two hours away, and the stay would be short — just … Read more
Deepening Practice and Household Tensions (1of2) — The Living Path Even when I was not sitting, I felt the Master’s presence everywhere, at every moment. Every hour of every day I lived in an atmosphere of familiarity, warmth, and care. My heart was as sweet as a girl experiencing her first love — or like … Read more
Practicing Medicine and the Four Kinds of Illness (2of2) — Emei, Jiuhua, and the Non-Attached Mind When I examine patients, I consume a great deal of energy. In the beginning I could see ten patients each morning; the afternoon required approximately eight hours of sitting to restore the energy. Later, as my samadhi deepened, two … Read more
Pilgrimage to Mount Wutai — Emei — Jiuhua (2of2) — The Lion King and the First Prescription I must mention my dharma protector — the Lion King. I was very fond of him. The Master had brought him to me, and he stayed by my side inseparably for more than three years. At night while … Read more
The Burn and the Detoxification This period of study had continued for more than half a year when an incident brought it to an abrupt halt. One day my husband came home with ten jin of pork fat and asked me to render it into lard. After returning from Mount Putuo I had stopped being … Read more
Reading the Sutras and Learning Medicine After returning from Mount Putuo, everything at home settled back into its place. What I felt had grown most was a greatly expanded openness of heart, and my inner state was becoming increasingly peaceful. During this period I began reading Buddhist sutras extensively. Any Buddhist text I could buy … Read more