I Can Talk to the Internal Organs-Chapter 52 - 47: Daoists Study the Universe Too?

Inside Lu’s Clinic, three needles were inserted by Lu Jiu into the inner sides of Tian Xuelin’s thighs.

The Dong’s Acupoints acupuncture technique does not rely on tonification or sedation. It uses a balanced approach, with its core focus on activating Qi, thus called the Qi-activating acupuncture technique.

The techniques used are essentially perpendicular needling, oblique needling, deep needling, subcutaneous needling, giant needling, and so on.

Therefore, the depth of needling in this technique is quite particular.

Lu Jiu is still not very skilled, but he thinks the creation of Dong’s Acupoints seems to have an inextricable connection with the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor.

The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, in the Spiritual Pivot Chapter on Official Needle, expounds various acupuncture techniques.

"In total, there are nine types of needling, corresponding to nine varieties. First is Transport Needling, which targets the transport points of various channels and organs; second is Remote Needling, for ailments above, one needles below, addressing transport points of the organs... Seventh is Hair Needling, targeting superficial ailments; eighth is Giant Needling, where one needles left to treat the right, and right to treat the left; ninth is Cauterizing Needling for ailments treated by heating the needle."

This Chapter on Official Needle actually discusses all needle techniques, with nine types of needling for systemic disorders, twelve types for disorders in the twelve meridians, and five types for ailments related to the five viscera, accounting for a total of twenty-six acupuncture techniques.

Later generations also call it the Official Needle Twenty-Six Stabs.

Many of the innovative acupuncture techniques of modern times can trace their origins back to the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor.

"How does it feel?" Lu Jiu waited for a few minutes, until the Qi arrived, before withdrawing the needles and pressing on Tian Xuelin’s pain area.

"It’s still a bit painful, but not as severe as before." Tian Xuelin was somewhat surprised himself.

When he came in the morning, he pressed on the inner side of his thigh, and it was just like the day before. It didn’t hurt when not pressed, but pressing it was like wearing a mask of pain. Without needing a mirror, he could feel his face contorting.

But after the needles from Lu Jiu, the pain was significantly reduced.

"Later, drink some herbal medicine, and adjust your schedule and diet during this time. Practice the Eight Vajra Skills with me in the mornings, and you should recover faster," said Lu Jiu.

"Eight Vajra Skills? It sounds like something out of a novel," Tian Xuelin said.

"It’s just a health-preserving cultivation technique, similar to Tai Chi," Lu Jiu replied.

"Where did you learn it?" Tian Xuelin asked.

"Online, learned it from an old Daoist priest," Lu Jiu said.

"A Daoist priest?" Tian Xuelin looked at Lu Jiu curiously, "Since when did you get into all that superstitious stuff?"

Lu Jiu replied exasperatedly, "Who told you that Daoists are superstitious?"

Tian Xuelin put on his pants, "Anyway, I don’t believe in Buddhism or Daoism. I’m a loyal Marxist, a staunch materialist."

Lu Jiu couldn’t help but smile, "There was a scholar in history who, amidst a turbulent era, learned advanced Western scientific thought and then dogmatically decided Chinese medicine was feudal dross. When he fell ill and couldn’t be cured by Western medicine, someone suggested trying Chinese medicine, and he said using Chinese medicine went against what he learned."

"One cannot deny the scholar’s indelible contributions to Huaxia, but losing the ability to seek truth from facts because of learning is not advisable in my opinion."

"You don’t believe in Buddhism and Daoism because some people confuse them with religion. Take Dao for example, it’s essentially the Way of Heaven, the natural laws. Daoism is just a religion that conveys the Way of Heaven."

"Religion is a social organization, and with organization comes management, with management comes power, and power breeds corruption."

"A true cultivator of the Dao believes in the Way of Heaven, which is adhering to the laws of nature, quite different from what we perceive as religious faith. There’s a fundamental difference between those who treat religion as faith and those who regard the Way as their belief."

"We just need to learn something useful from true cultivators without subscribing to any religion. Isn’t that a good thing? Our Huaxia culture never indiscriminately rejects everything; it is inclusive and embracing. Your awareness as a Party member should not be this low!"

Tian Xuelin asked curiously, "What’s there to learn from Daoists? Don’t they just read Daoist texts and practice martial arts all day?"

Lu Jiu laughed heartily, "See, you don’t even understand them, yet you dismiss them as superstitious."

Tian Xuelin said, "If a refrigerator doesn’t chill, do I have to understand its principles to say it’s faulty?"

Lu Jiu shook his head, "Of course not, but you can’t say every refrigerator you’ve never tried is faulty just because the one you bought is not working."

Tian Xuelin replied defiantly, "Then tell me, what do Daoists know?"

Lu Jiu laughed, "A lot actually. The Chinese medicine I practice comes from Daoist medicine. Notable figures like Hua Tuo and Sun Simiao were originally Daoists. They also mastered astronomy, geography, and even alchemy, what we now call chemistry."

"In other words, the Daoists in Huaxia were somewhat akin to present-day scientists. The only difference is that now we study science and technology, while Daoists of the past studied principles. Dao represents the Way of Heaven, and the principles represent truth."

"They refer to the operating laws of nature and the universe, as well as all truths. If you’ve read some ancient texts like the Analects, Laozi, or Zhuangzi, you’ll find that ancient people often hit the nail on the head, getting straight to the core."

"If I had to sum it up in one phrase, it would be the great way is the simplest!"

Tian Xuelin widened his eyes, "Daoists study the universe too?"

Lu Jiu stated, "Remember Carefree Wanderings from middle school?"

Tian Xuelin nodded, "Of course I remember, ’In the North Nether, there is a fish, named Kun. The Kun is so large that no one knows how many thousands of li. It transforms into a bird named Peng.’ I know it well."

Lu Jiu smiled, "In school, didn’t our teachers say that this text is filled with rich imagination, novel structure, bizarre grandeur, emotional freedom, and brimming with romantic spirit?"

Tian Xuelin questioned, "Isn’t that right?"

Lu Jiu smiled, "Half right. It indeed contains imaginative elements and is sufficiently romantic, but it’s actually Zhuangzi’s fantasy based on reality."

Tian Xuelin was puzzled, "You’re not going to tell me Zhuangzi actually saw the Kunpeng, are you?"

Lu Jiu couldn’t help laughing again, "Yes, he really did."

Tian Xuelin pouted, "Nonsense. If there were a Kunpeng, it would mean cultivating immortality. Where did you get such fallacious teachings?"

Lu Jiu laughed even louder, noticing that the time for decocting the medicine had arrived, and explained while pouring the medicine, "Huaxia has always had a tradition of observing the stars, which later evolved into a systematic institution called the Observatory."

"Our ancestors, to determine an accurate agricultural timetable favorable for production, would observe the celestial phenomena at night and identify the rules of star movement and their influence on the earth’s weather, resulting in the twenty-four solar terms."

"Back then, our establishment of the twenty-four solar terms primarily relied on observing the Seven Stars of the East, also known as the Seven Stars of the Azure Dragon, but Zhuangzi was a man of Chu, and the people of Chu worshipped the Phoenix totem, so they established the twenty-four solar terms by observing the Seven Stars of the Vermilion Bird."

"Ancient astronomy held that all things in the universe are composed of Qi. The universe is filled with the Qi of the void, and all celestial bodies float within this ocean of void Qi. Thus, the part that couldn’t be observed was referred to as the Nether Sea."

"At the autumn equinox, the Seven Stars of the Vermilion Bird are in the north and can’t be observed. Over time, they drift southward, and by the spring equinox, half of Vermilion Bird’s body appears in the sky, until the entire constellation is visible."

"Revisiting the article Carefree Wanderings with this context, does it still feel like pure romantic fantasy?"

The childhood utterance of Carefree Wanderings echoed once more in Tian Xuelin’s mind.

In the North Nether, there is a fish, named Kun. The Kun is so large that no one knows how many thousands of li. It transforms into a bird, named Peng. Peng’s back measures thousands of li; when it soars, its wings are like cloud-draped skies. When the seas stir, the bird migrates to the Southern Nether. The Southern Nether being the Celestial Pool...

For a moment, Tian Xuelin seemed to see an old man standing amidst the four seasons, gazing skyward at the stars, as days and months waxed and waned, stars shifted. Overhead, a vast Vermilion Bird, formed of stars, peeked from the horizon, surging from the waters, soaring into the sky, spreading its wings to hover in the night sky, casting its gaze upon the ground, where the old man, small as sand, smiled like a child.

Romantic, truly romantic.

But behind this romance lies countless nights of stargazing.

The perseverance and hardship within it are beyond words.

"Kunpeng is a celestial constellation, and flying across waters represents the brilliant Milky Way. For thousands of years, our goal has always been the stars and the sea..."