Chapter 11-3 Heart Disease Requires Heart Medicine

Because many people only seek medical attention after feeling unwell or falling ill, most medical care focuses on treating "physical" ailments, with little consideration given to the "mental" aspect. If a doctor advises relaxation instead of prescribing medication, some individuals might feel dissatisfied, thinking they wasted their consultation fee. On the other hand, certain doctors might describe your symptoms as severe, prompting comprehensive tests based on vague possibilities of illness, advising hospitalization or further examinations. This often leads to immediate anxiety, making them desperate to find a medicine that will cure their illness immediately. Worrying like this, they may actually end up falling ill...

When I was young, my father's workplace conducted annual health check-ups. Although my father seldom attended, I once witnessed a neighbor uncle being hospitalized directly after such a check-up, without returning home. Not long after, we were mourning his passing. At that time, I wondered whether he would have lived longer if he hadn't undergone that check-up.

Coincidentally, not long ago, I heard a story from a family member about an elderly person they knew who attended a free health check-up, only to be told afterward by doctors that she likely had cancer. Despite no definitive diagnosis, the woman was so distressed and passed away from shock that very night. It's heartbreaking to think that had she not gone for that "small benefit", she might still be lively and healthy, boasting about his longevity....

"Body" represents the physical level, while "heart" pertains to the metaphysical. Confucius said: "That which is metaphysical is called the Dao, and that which is material is called a tool." It is easy for the "mind" to influence the "body", but for the "body" to influence the "mind" is much more difficult. This is well understood in physics: higher energy levels can easily influence lower energy levels, but the reverse is much more challenging.

Emotions are the leader of all toxins. While poisons like arsenic or cyanide come with labels that warn people away, emotions have no such labels, and they can "reasonably" harm people without even realizing it, draining vitality and consuming good fortune.

In life, emotional diseases may account for more than 80% of all illnesses. Various negative emotions like anger, hatred, resentment, annoyance, and anxiety can damage the organs: anger harms the liver, hatred affects the heart, resentment impacts the spleen, annoyance injures the lungs, and anxiety strains the kidneys. Some individuals might temporarily heal from digestive issues, only to relapse soon after. Without addressing the root cause, such as resentment, no amount of medication can provide a lasting cure.

In the classic Chinese novel "Dream of the Red Chamber", upon Daiyu's first appearance, Baoyu describes her as "having a heart with one more aperture than Bi-Gan". Bi-Gan, known for his deep thoughts, ultimately died due to heartache. Surprisingly, Daiyu's mind is even more intricate! Due to past unfortunate experiences, congenital weakness, pessimistic nature, excessive sensitivity, and emotional depression, she suffered damage to her spleen and stomach, with liver Qi stagnation persisting over time. Her unfulfilled love left her with a heart full of resentment, harming her heart, liver, and spleen. This ultimately verifies the "fragile beauty" from the "Illusory Land".

The love story of Lu You and Tang Wan touched countless people for centuries, causing many to lament and sigh. But to modern readers, Lu You appears as a "Mom's boy" who, out of foolish filial piety, divorced his wife and remarried. Tang Wan should not have lingered over such a person. Fortunately, Zhao Shicheng, overcoming obstacles, married Tang Wan and treated her with full love and respect. Tang Wan should have healed quickly from her previous wounds. However, fate played its tricks, and when she met her ex-husband again, Tang Wan lamented: "The world is cold, human feelings are harsh, the flowers are easily sent off by the evening rain", and she became trapped in the pain, sorrow, grievance, and resentment of her separation from Lu You, eventually falling ill and passing away. In contrast, Lu You remarried twice, and even at 80, he was able to take a concubine and father 8 sons. In the 50-plus years after Tang Wan's death, he lived a life full of romance, with his memories of his former love fading away, leaving behind a legacy of poems that future generations would view as symbols of "unforgettable love".

Daiyu and Tang Wan both ended their lives due to "love". If they could have let go of "love", their lives might have taken a completely different turn. Master Hong-yi provides a starkly contrasting example.

Li Shu-tong was born into a wealthy merchant family, truly a second generation rich. Though he was well-read, exceptionally intelligent, and excelled in painting, acting, and piano, his privileged background inevitably led him to a life of indulgence. He often lingered in places of entertainment, accompanied by beautiful women, drinking and reveling. Initially, he was infatuated with a famous actress, but when she was bought by someone else, Li was heartbroken. At 18, following his mother's arrangement, he married the daughter of a tea merchant, and they had 3 children together. However, he valued romantic freedom and during his studies in Japan, he met and married the Japanese model Yukiko. Later, he returned China with his Japanese wife, leaving his original wife alone in an empty house without any concern for their children. Even after her lonely death and funeral, Li Shutong never appeared to bid farewell. At the age of 38, when he shaved his head and became a monk, Li Shutong ceased to exist in the secular world. When Yukiko went to visit him at the temple, crying bitterly outside the door, he did not even open it. This revered Master Hongyi thereafter cut off all worldly connections, eating only one meal a day, possessing only a monk's robe and bedding, and spent his days copying scriptures and chanting Buddha, until his passing, honored as the "11th Ancestor of the Vinaya", leaving behind many wise sayings to guide the world.

All illnesses stem from emotions, but emotions themselves are an illusion, arising from the meanings we assign to the events in our lives. When faced with "love", some people can never let go throughout their entire lives, while others can decisively cut ties without lingering attachments. It must be said that Master Hongyi indeed possessed great insight. In one glance, he saw through the rise and fall of karma, understanding that "one who sees the essence of things in a second and one who spends a lifetime without seeing it are destined for entirely different fates".

Chinese-style education excels at disguising and suppressing emotions. According to TCM, the majority of blockages in Qi and blood leading to cancer or immune system diseases are closely related to one's emotions. If we liken our emotions to inner children, when they are insulted or hurt by external factors, we often pretend to remain calm, ignoring their feelings, attempting to suppress and ignore them, presenting an appearance of complete indifference. However, these emotions that we suppress within ourselves manifest as blockages and pain, resisting our neglect and causing physical discomfort. This suffering serves as a demand for acknowledgment, urging us to think in the correct way and reminding us to properly handle our emotions.

Observing those with compromised immune systems and chronic pain in life, they often feel more uneasy and are more sensitive, with emotions arising from various incidents, leading to deep self-reflection and attempts at persuasion. The more they engage in this behavior, the more sensitive and repressed they become, resulting in increased physical pain and forming a vicious cycle.

Some people who practice Buddhism, Taoism, yoga, meditation, or sitting in contemplation also easily fall into this trap. For them, practice becomes a daily task but also an excuse to ignore their own feelings. When they close their eyes, they are overwhelmed with obsessions that they cannot shake off, unable to progress, and instead, they become anxious, constantly trying different postures, methods, and techniques.

I remember watching an interview with a TCM doctor some time ago. In the lecture, the elderly TCM doctor said: "In my lifetime, I have cured many patients, but I have failed to cure even more. Only about one third are cured, or even fewer." Some may find this hard to understand because what we see as healing is merely suppressing the manifestation of the disease temporarily; the root cause remains uncleared, allowing the illness to recur elsewhere. Therefore, TCM believes that treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause is also considered as "failure to cure".

The body does not lie; it faithfully stores all our emotions. Disease is merely a phenomenon, another form of divine love reminding us to awaken from our mistakes. Most of us cannot simply observe and dispel our emotions after they arise. What we truly need to do is first reconcile with our emotions, allow them to release in the present moment, then uncover the obsessions behind them and break free.

For instance, as children, we may have been anxious due to a lack of toys, later in life due to poor grades, in marriage due to housing concerns, in middle age due to financial worries, and in old age due to retirement plans... This exemplifies the "Law of Manifestation" we mentioned earlier: anxiety doesn't change; it just shifts its focus. Unless we address the root causes behind our anxiety, it will return in various forms and narratives. If we fail to reconcile with the source of our anxiety, it will torment us with layers of pain.

The heart is the source of both the body and the external appearance of a person. TCM holds that greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, resentment, hatred, annoyance, rage, agitation, disloyalty, disrespect, lack of benevolence, lack of righteousness, and lack of trust are the roots causing various diseases. To truly cure illnesses, one must correct them at their roots. Medicine accounts for one-third, while nurturing makes up the remaining 70%.

Prevention is better than cure. For instance, patients with high blood pressure are often prone to irritability and unexplained outbursts. Since the heart rules the fire, excessive fire in the heart can lead to heart attacks; spreading to the sensory organs often causes mouth sores, tinnitus, and halitosis; affecting the pancreas can lower kidney function, create kidney stones, and cause bladder diseases; penetrating the lungs can result in chest tightness and wheezing; entering the small intestine can lead to constipation; in the bloodstream, it can cause heat and possibly vitiligo. If those with high blood pressure learn to cultivate their hearts, letting go in all aspects of family, work, and life, and maintaining inner peace, TCM believes that high blood pressure can be cured without medication.

But as the saying goes: "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." To truly change one's character, one must make great efforts, practice self-discipline, and work on oneself from within. How can this be done? In simple terms: eliminate bad habits, transform one's nature, and perfect one's natural disposition.

This involves both physical cultivation (correcting bad habits) and mental cultivation (developing equanimity and compassion). First, eliminate bad habits such as overeating, drinking, gambling and smoking. Second, transform one's nature by regulating one's daily routine, leading a regular life, allowing the seven souls to settle, and enabling the body's functions to recover. Third, cultivate the heart by developing altruistic thinking and maintaining a constant sense of gratitude.