The Year of Sagely Living: Life Habits for Wisdom and Health

The Introduction

I have described this blog as a personal exploration of how Islam has informed my understanding of what it means to be a physician practicing Chinese Medicine. I adopted the popularly recognized saying that it is incumbent on the believer to "seek knowledge even unto China" as the moniker of this blog, because it describes my very intention so precisely. Exactly how far will one go in the pursuit of knowledge? I have also favored a definition of science which informs this pursuit, as "knowledge severely tested." In striving to deliver the best possible care to my patients, I have avidly deepened my technical skills, honed my diagnostic acumen, and studied, reviewed and researched any avenue that leads to greater understanding. In Chinese medicine, which for millennia has not fallen prey to the fiction that seeks to remove the doctor from the treatment, it is of paramount importance for the physician to cultivate his very being in the interests of his work. Needless to say, the most powerful influence in my life is Islam, praise be to God, August and Wise. I can safely say that I have never adopted an action that is sunna, nor abandoned an action that is haram, without realizing a higher state in my spiritual life. I regard these questions as life or death matters, so I tend to be resolute and decisive.

The Classical texts that inform Chinese medicine are not mute on the question of what constitutes a great physician. And these concepts are likewise imbued with ideas derived from Confucian and Daoist models: namely the Gentleman and the Sage. In most training programs the idea that a moral, ethical, cognitive, and spiritual system underlies the efficacy of one's practice is given short-shrift. It is more difficult to be resolute about precepts that are not clear.

But this modern reticence is novel, and the idea of a medical ethics that a physician must embody is perhaps most famously described in Sun Si Miao's "On the Absolute Sincerity of the Great Physician." The dominant ethos has been Confucian, as in Sun Si Miao's formulation. But the example of this amazing historical figure, a Great Physician if ever there was one, is instructive.

Sun Si Miao is recognized for his accomplishment as a model of Confucian ethics. Besides formulating a treatise directly on the subject, he is purported to have renounced several offers of prestigious positions in the interests of treating both poor and wealthy alike. Lack of concern for worldly gain is a hallmark of the Confucian ethic.

Sun is remembered as a medical scholar of the highest category, who travelled widely cataloging medicinal substances, formulated novel herbal prescriptions, devoted a section of his magnum opus to the study of Zhang Zhong Jing's formulas, and researched diseases of women and children.

Sun is also recognized as an authority on demonological and magical aspects of medicine. The Ghost Points are attributed to him. He was a Daoist adept with a reputation for an extraordinary understanding of alchemy. He stressed the importance of subtler aspects of the preparation of herbal medicine, such as emphasising the source of substances, and the precise timing of harvesting and processing medicinals. Even today we ascribe a measure of alchemical significance to these less obvious aspects of herbal medicine: often the details determine success and failure.

One of the insights emphasized by Sun Si Miao is the identification of nutrition and food choice as paramount in health. In addition to treating goiter with seaweeds, and thyroid, he also advocated such practices as food combining and proper chewing.

After publishing his first book, Sun Si Miao devoted himself to spiritual cultivation in retreat. His syncretic study embraced Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist practices. An overlooked but significant aspect of Sun's fame is that he achieved renown early in life, is purported to have recovered from a sickly state himself, and demonstrated a mastery of the medical discipline by the age of 20. These are measures of success to which we can aspire.

Readers of this blog will recognize a trope that I have identified in concert with Sun Si Miao, and that is the saying (attributed in some places to him) that suggests disease derives from even a single incident of holding one's breath (in shock).

Before turning to our own project, it is necessary to point out that Sun Si Miao, while legendary in status, was a person ultimately like ourselves. That is, he learned as we might learn, he struggled as we might struggle, he practiced as we might practice, he faced moral dilemmas such as we encounter, and lived and died as we must. His life did span the century mark that is described in the Nei Jing. It is also noteworthy, that the period in which he lived is one of the most cosmopolitan and vibrant periods in Chinese history. It was during this period that Islam entered China.

In short, the genesis of the current project derives from my experience as a Muslim. In keeping with the description that defines a sufi as "a man of religious learning who applied what he knew, so Allah bequeathed him knowledge of what he did not know." While I have no claim to such a lofty state, I have sought to rectify my inner and outer states in conformity with what I have learned of Sacred Law and its certainties, rewards, and elevations. This is the greatest and most worthy struggle. As I have said, any submission to the positive or prohibitive dictates of the Book and Prophetic example found in traditional Islam has yielded the most profound change in me.

As the example of Sun Si Miao shows, religious orientation is not the sine qua non of the Great Physician. I find the most empowering vehicle for my development as a doctor in Islam. But I need not neglect the example of someone like Sun in my professional and intellectual evolution. In fact, there is one primary lesson to be derived from his story. And that is where our project begins.

THE PROJECT

I first conceived of the project as a question. It really occurred to me in the course of a growing friendship with Eric of the Deepest Health blog. He has inspired me with his devotion to Classical Chinese Medicine, and his incredible success in implementing and operationalizing its tenets. So I thought, what does the Classical tradition offer in the formation of great physicians? And, if we take these precepts seriously, what will result? Will we, in short, change?

Together, we formulated a series of 12 categories that can help us to honor our predecessors, and contribute to health, spiritual advancement, social engagement and personal development. We've looked into our own spiritual practices, styles of physical cultivation, and experiences to create a program of serious inquiry and experiment that spans a whole year. Eric masterfully arranged the schedule in keeping with the energetic almanac of Chinese the micro-and macrocosm. Underlying the whole project is the conviction that Chinese medicine calls us to engage every level of our being in our work, and that spiritual development is the single most patent commitment required.

The plan is simple: take these concepts seriously, with rigor.

Using what we know of personal development, we adopted a graduated approach based on fostering habits and practices rather than larger, more abstract aims. Each month will focus on a branch, and we'll recommend a set of habits to foster and practices to pursue. Of course, we welcome ideas and contributions to the concept.

We invite everyone to join in at whatever level feels right. We intend to create discussion, and community, and to document our experiences across many blogs and social networks. If you have a blog, announce your participation, post the links, and get started. If you do not have a blog, post your ideas and experiments to the comments. Anyone can benefit.

We start January 1, 2008. God Willing. More posts will follow that flesh out the particulars, both here and at Deepest Health.