I Ching and Traditional Chinese Medicine - Third Edition

Author: Yang Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: The ancient and splendid Chinese culture has made outstanding contributions to the development of Chinese and world cultures, with the most brilliant part being the I Ching. The I Ching is a treasure of Chinese culture and the most shining masterpiece in Chinese culture, with its influence on the world being unparalleled. The I Ching is the source of Chinese culture, and all aspects of Chinese thought, social sciences, and natural sciences stem from the I Ching. The I Ching has had a profound impact on the history of Chinese civilization. The charm of the I Ching is not just limited to the two works, the Book of Changes and the Commentary on the Changes, but also lies in the thousands of I Ching texts and the vast I Ching system nurtured by I Ching studies, as well as the various schools of Chinese philosophy that have emerged from it. Thus, the I Ching is like an inexhaustible wellspring, from which one can draw endlessly; it is also like an endless treasure pit, from which one can take without limit. The reason why the principles of the I Ching have endured for thousands of years without fading is that its essence lies in this: the Book of Changes, written three thousand years ago, is at the midpoint of China's six-thousand-year history of civilization. The principles of the I Ching serve as a crucial link, connecting ancient and modern civilizations organically, bridging the lifeblood of Chinese culture, and powerfully promoting its development. Therefore, studying the I Ching will have far-reaching significance for Chinese culture. The I Ching represents Chinese culture, being a monumental work that combines Chinese philosophy, natural sciences, and social sciences. It is the foundational text of Chinese culture and has a profound influence on all disciplines, particularly in its close relationship with traditional Chinese medicine. The I Ching and Traditional Chinese Medicine is not only an outstanding scientific treatise but also an excellent work on health preservation. This book not only provides high-level explanations of I Ching studies, traditional Chinese medicine, and Tai Chi science but also, with medical-I Ching science as its core, offers significant insights into life sciences, qigong science, health preservation science, predictive medicine, nutritional medicine, and chronomedicine. It has pioneered a new milestone in the study of medical-I Ching science. It has especially opened up a new field in life sciences, turning a new page for the development of medicine. This book not only fills the gap between the I Ching and traditional Chinese medicine but also opens up new areas for studying traditional Chinese medicine theory. Furthermore, its discussions on philosophical thinking, psychological ethics, astronomy and meteorology, genetics and ecology, biomimicry and chronobiology, and other social and natural sciences are "profound and penetrating," all holding significant pioneering value. Due to its major theoretical breakthroughs and academic innovations, this book has become the foundational work of medical-I Ching science, deserving of recognition as a high-level scientific treatise. The great value of this book also lies in the author's conclusion, reached through the study of the I Ching and traditional Chinese medicine: that the path to exploring natural sciences is not the only one. The exploration of natural sciences not only involves Western-dominated, analytical, partial, and experimental methods but also includes the holistic, integrated, and comprehensive Eastern research approach characterized by I Ching methodology. These two approaches should complement and coexist rather than replace each other. The current emphasis on and integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine have proven this truth. Through the study of the I Ching and natural sciences, the author draws inspiration from the famous argument in the I Ching that "one yin and one yang constitute the Way," discovering that the movement of yin and yang is the fundamental law governing all things, holding great significance for the exploration of natural sciences. As research on the I Ching and traditional Chinese medicine deepens, medical-I Ching science will become a breakthrough point for philosophical and natural science studies, and it will inevitably also become a pioneering discipline in the exploration of natural science.