The Essence Of Nurturing Life, According To Eleven Well Known Senior CATCM Doctors

This dissertation explores the essence of nurturing life according to eleven senior-renowned CATCM doctors. It consists of three parts. The first part introduces the criteria for selecting the eleven TCM doctors. First, they should be above 85 years old for the living and above 90 years old for those who have passed away. Second, they are among the founders of CATCM, or among the 30 "National TCM Masters" or among the "500 nationally famous TCM doctors" or among the "Chief Researchers" of CATCM. Eleven doctors were selected in this way. I have interviewed all the living doctors face to face, except Professor Zhang Zuozhou who is ill and confined to bed.The second part elaborates the experiences of their clinical practices, their ideas about nurturing life, and their understanding of life itself. Their practices of nurturing life are specially addressed.The third part summarizes their experiences of nurturing life. The common traits found in their experiences include the following:1. Protecting the Pi-Wei system. Because the Pi-Wei system is the main supplier of YuanQi(original energy of life bestowed by the creator). Ways to do this include:regular and restrained eating, caution in the use of medicine, and the use of different food and drink or different ways of cooking according to different physical constitutions of different people.2. Exercising properly. They all prefer traditional Chinese exercises such as Taiji, Baduanjin, Qigong, etc.. These exercises feature the empty-peacefulness of the spirit as well as the exercises of the body, while western exercises emphasize physical movement only.3. Living a regular life, in order to be in harmony with nature, and to achieve "oneness" of human being and the universe. Therefore they would nurture Yang in spring and summer while nurturing Yin in autumn and winter so as to strengthen YuanQi.4. The last and the most important trait the subjects shared is nurturing life spiritually. The 11 prominent doctors have all reached a high spiritual level. They are virtuous gentleman in every respect. First, they devoted themselves entirely to helping their patients or to the research work on TCM. They enjoy their work to the extent of almost forgetting themselves, not to mention their age. Second, they remained broad-minded and magnanimous regardless of their own ups and downs throughout their lives. Third, they live a simple life, which was not abundant materially but was rich and prosperous spiritually. There is a saying in China that a virtuous man will live a long life. According to TCM theory, spirit is of vital importance to the healthiness of human beings. A virtuous person achieves the state of empty-peacefulness and happiness, and therefore QI-XUE will move smoothly according to its own courses. In this case, the person will not be damaged by strong and extreme emotions, and their organs will work normally and repair themselves undisturbed.To summarize the main reasons for their health and longevity, this thesis concludes the most important factor is to remain in empty-peacefulness spiritually, and to keep moving physically and mentally, so as to obtain the state of "harmony" in earthly life. Being in harmony with the nature, with social surroundings and with yourself is of utmost importance in nurturing life.