I think East and West are naturally coming to a synthesis in much the same way that 'spirit' is returning to Chinese medicine. There is a popular statement that the Communists "took the spirit" out of Chinese medicine. But I would argue that this is impossible because there is no separation between mind and body. Whether or not a practitioner discusses or refers to spirituality, when they lay their fingers on the pulse they are feeling the spirit, the insertion of any needle treats the WHOLE being including the spirit. Nowadays we are discussing treatment of spirit but the medicine has been treating it all along. I think the same is true of eastern and western philosophy and sciences. As our understanding of each deepens, so does the awareness of the connectedness of 'East' and 'West'.
From a world view "East" and "West" appear as distinct cultures and points of view. But imagine you are viewing the Earth from a distant galaxy. From a inter-galactic point of view, the similarities might stand out more...little beings attempting to understand and explain the workings of a vast Universe and their place in it......
both aspects of the same
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Did you attend Dr. Paul Unschuld's talk last night? I was surprised to learn the dynamics of modern TCM in China today. Actually, I was shocked. I was going to ask if he thought American TCM would gravitate together in the coming years or further diversify. What do you think?
I really liked your assessment of how even thought he communists removed spirit from the teachings of TCM. It could not be removed from the medicine. I think a lot of life is that way.
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