THE WEB THAT HAS NO
WEAVER: TED KAPTCHUK
OUTLINE CHAPT 1: INTRODUCTION
TO CHINESE MEDICINE
Dr. Jakubowski
YIN-YANG
THEORY:
UNDERLYING LOGIC OF CHINESE MEDICAL THEORY
Way to describe how things function in relation
to each other in the Universe. Also represent a way of
thinking.
- all thinks seen as part of whole
- nothing exist by itself, but in relation to
other things
Yin: (originally) shady side of slope.
Associated with cold, rest, responsiveness, passivity, darkness,
interior, downwardness, inwardness, decrease
Yang: (originally) sunny side of slope.
Associated with heat, stimulation, movement, activity, excitement,
vigor, exterior, upward, outward, increase
5 PRINCIPLES OF YIN/YANG
- All things have two aspects: Yin and
Yang
time - night and day; place - earth and heaven;
species - male and female; temperature - hot and cold. Opposites
but describe relative aspects of same phenomena. Illnesses
characterized by weakness, slowness, coldness, underactivity are
Yin. Strength, movement, heat, overactivity are Yang
- Any Yin or Yang aspect can be further
divided in Yin and Yang
- Yin and Yang mutually create each
other
although they can be distinguished, they cannot
be separated from each other. Can’t speak of temperature without
aspects of cold/hot. In relationship, one person can be active
(relatively) only if other passive.
- Yin and Yang control each other
If Yin is excessive, Yang will be weak, and
vice versa.
Lao Tzu:
He who sands on tiptoe is not
steady
He who strides forward does not go
He who shows himself is not
luminous
He who boasts of himself is not given
credit
He who brags does not endure for
long
- Yin and Yang transform into each
other
This is source of all change. Inhalation is
followed by exhalation. Activity must be followed by
rest.
Disharmony: If Yin and Yang unbalanced for long
time, or in extreme manner, Must change since can’t sustain. Two
results:
- transformation into opposites
(rebalance)
- cessation/death
Lao Tzu:
In order to contract, it is necessary
first to expand.
In order to weaken, it is necessary first
to strengthen
In order to destroy, it is necessary
first to promote
In order to grasp, it is necessary first
to give
From Yin/Yang comes a different
"weltanschaung"
- idea of causation missing; phenomena occur
independent of act of creation
- J. Needham: "Conception are not subsumed
under one another but placed side by side in a pattern, and things
influence one another not be acts of mechanical causation, but by
a kind of inductance."
- truth: accurate perception of inner
movement of web of phenomena
- seek to understand interrelationships or
patterns within web, become attuned to unseen patterns.
Web has no weaver
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