East Turkestan

-pic: New Dominion

Rebuilding Redux

Following up on the previous post, I found this link on Deenport to an animated view of the Prophet's house (salallahu alayhi wa salam).

Rebuilding

I've been having so many conversations with students regarding Chinese Medicine as I see it, its function, and its potential. This invariably leads me to speak from an Islamic perspective. For if I am to speak with integrity, then I must position myself on truth.

The link here is about what would be called alternative construction around here. That is one of my interests. It reflects a quality of zuhd and simplicity, but take a look at the picture. The beauty of these construction methods is apparent. It just makes sense. I refer the reader to the Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander. I also just learned about a book called Cosmology and Architecture in Pre-Modern Islam by Samer Akkach.

What does this have to do with Chinese Medicine? I hope to make that clear in upcoming articles.

Malcolm X

It Came From the Heart, and Has Entered the Hearts

What follows is an excerpt from a chapter of Martin Lings' posthumous book A Return to the Spirit. Its message is one that I think we can take to heart, and one that is indeed guiding me as I consider the need for transparent integrity in all aspects of one's life. The whole excerpt is available at the Fons Vitae site.

By way of answering this question, let us recollect certain outer aspects of our civilization—I mean, the Islamic civilization— aspects whose function was, and can be again, to act as a protective shell for the kernel, that is, for the religion itself. The fabric of our civilization is woven out of the example set by our Prophet; and particularly significant in this connection is the fact that his house was a prolongation of his mosque. Thus for twelve hundred years—and more in many Islamic countries—the houses of his people were prolongations of the mosques. The Muslim would take off his shoes when he entered his house just as he would take them off when he entered the mosque; he would sit in his house in the same manner as he sat in the mosque; he would put such ornaments on the walls of his house as he saw on the walls of the mosque; nor would he put in his house any ornaments that would not be suitable for the mosque. Thus he was continually surrounded by reminders of the spiritual dignity and spiritual responsibilities of man, and he dressed himself according to the same principles. His clothes were in keeping with the dignity of man’s function as representative of God on earth, and at the same time they made it easy for him to perform the ablution, and they were in perfect conformity with the movements of the prayer. Moreover they were an ornament to the prayer, unlike modern European clothes which rob the movements of the prayer of all their beauty and impede them, just as they act as a barrier between the body and the ablution.

All that I have mentioned is outward, but the outward acts upon the inward, and a man’s clothes and his home are the nearest of all things to his soul, and their influence on it is perpetual and therefore incalculably powerful. There can be no doubt that these outward things were one of the secrets of the depth of piety among Muslims, for twelve hundred years; and this brings us back to the saying that Islam embraces the whole of life. Thanks to the outer aspects of the Islamic civilization, the whole of life was in fact penetrated by religion, and I see no other remedy for our present religious crisis but a return to that noble civilization whose function it is to create a worthy setting for the spirit of the religion, a setting that makes relatively easy the fulfillment of our ritual obligations. Nor can the community dispense with the help of anything that makes this spiritual life easier, for man was created weak. But this return can be accomplished only by the widespread setting of examples.

Housekeeping

This morning I found a quote from Zhu Xi in the bottom of a box of books. I've thought of this quote often, and paraphrased it regularly. But, while I took the time to transcribe it over 10 years ago, it has floated in and out of my hands.

Responding to things, handling affairs, and so on, are similar to studying literature. If we drill and polish ourselves in the principles of things, and studies, our minds will naturally be penetrating. Take reading, for example. Often, even after a great deal of thought we cannot see through to the real meaning. But there must be a way to go through. In a case like this there are many difficulties and obstructions, but repeated effort will find a way to go through. To go through means that the mind penetrates.

I recently asked Michael Givens, an outstanding student-scholar, if anyone had ever started a discussion group dedicated to reading some of the classic works of Chinese literature, as a complement to the outstanding and varied education that characterizes NCNM. So it is also a timely find. Literature is not a vain pursuit when it serves a purpose such as furthering one's understanding or developing one's writing. I hope that I can gather a small group of interested people to commit to reading and discussion. Perhaps we could start with poetry.

Last night I was listening to some recent lessons and thinking about two disciplines I might undertake. One is to finally get strict about using the internet only for buying, selling, finding information, and benefiting the Muslims. At any rate, I am recording this quote in case it benefits others. The other discipline, one that has never held for me before, is to read one book at a time, and then write a synopsis. God willing.

Bay Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant

My good friend Eric Grey, of the Chinese Medicine blog Hall of Fame, introduced me to this wonderful restaurant on my first visit to Portland. Since I am very strict about what I eat, I have always avoided hot and sour soup since becoming Muslim. So the first tantalizing tastes of Bay Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant's exquisite soup was fantastic. It was so good that after I finished my cup of soup, I ordered a larger-sized bowl to go.

Since moving to Portland, I have passed the restaurant twice (wistfully salivating while thinking about the soup), while hurrying from one location to another. My haste is evidenced also by the fact that I by-passed Stumptown coffee as well, which is just down the street. But today, after our visit to THE Powell's, I ended up in the South East, on Division Street, hungry and sharing a hereditary low-blood sugar moment with my son.

I made a U-Turn for this restaurant.

My son noticed the enticing aroma of subtle spice as soon as we entered. I noted that there were a few other kids there. The staff is inviting and cheerful.

We ordered the Hot and Sour soup, Spring Rolls, Thai Papaya salad, Sizzling tofu and Tri-Colored rice. Everything was wonderful. I relished every drop of the hot and sour soup. We do not eat at restaurants often for a number of reasons, but I might make an exception for Bay Leaf. Although I am not even a fan of soy products, a little tofu on occasion is not harmful, and it's a lot better than putting anything haram into your body. We all enjoyed it, the food was delicious and filling, and the portions were adequate to take some home.

I am lucky to live in the area of Portland that has the highest concentration of halal shops, but for Hot and Sour soup that is certain to be free of haram contents, and is made with good intentions, I will make the trip to Bay Leaf.

Contemplating Classical Chinese Medicine

This is a quote from the book Sikao Zhongyi by Liu Lihong. It was retrieved from the Classical Chinese Medicine website.

The structure of the corpus callosum, and the kind of integration of thought that is made possible by its existence, brings us back to the title of this section, “Opening One’s Wisdom through Studying the Classics.” Reading and studying these texts in an effective manner is helpful in unearthing the “hidden treasure” of the right brain. It enables the common wisdom of human civilization to flow continuously to the conscious mind of the individual. If the canonical texts are considered from this perspective, it is easier to appreciate their significance and learn them well. They provide a tool for tapping into the flow that comes from a distant source.

Thanks for all of the warm wishes regarding my move. This morning on my way to the office, I caught a sudden glimpse of Mt. Hood, masha Allah!, and my heart thrilled a little as I was reminded of the Majesty of my Lord. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the best of Planners.