PureInsight | December 10, 2001
Ancient Chinese herbal medicine strongly emphasized the process of making the concoction. There is an old saying, “Although no one sees it, heaven knows sincere hearts.” This saying means that medicine workers should have the heart for saving and helping people. Before making herbal medicine, pharmacists would kowtow to the medicine god. Couples would refrain from having sex for many days before they would make the medicine. They also had to clean themselves with a shower. Medicines produced in such a state would have good healing effects. In addition, the same herb or prescription had different healing effects when used by different doctors. This was related to the doctors’ xinxing. Why?
When gods created human beings, they defined human behaviors and more importantly human hearts. People have to have sincere hearts under all circumstances. Only then will gods help people. This is the meaning of “sincere hearts make things work”. The time-space that gods stay in is different from that of human beings. “One day has passed in the heaven; a thousand years have passed on the Earth.” Things helped by gods last long and will not be sifted out. Gods left herbal medicine for human beings. Herbs do not become ineffective. Their nature, taste and effects remain unchanged for thousands of years. Western medicines are different as many of them become ineffective after three years. Sometimes a few years after a drug is first introduced, people find out about their harmful side effects and ban them. Then people start to search for new drugs. This cycle repeats again and again.
In addition, I think that the reason those ancient Chinese art forms such as the Peking Opera, paintings, calligraphy, literature and architecture have lasted for thousands of years is that people’s sincere hearts invited participation of gods at the time of creating these arts. Therefore, these arts can be passed down to so many generations. On the other hand, we do not want to watch Hollywood movies more than three times despite the big investment and production associated with them. Music and songs are the same. Most are popular for only a short time. They cannot sustain thousands of years the way the Peking Opera has with the same melody and lyrics. Nowadays a lot of things do not last long, no matter whether they are economic trends or political movements. What’s more, there are more and more conflicts: long-term negotiations, breaking promises after achieving the goal, being cold to others when others are not useful any more, and the like. People do not have sincerity in their hearts anymore; instead they have the heart of pursuit. Therefore, gods do not take care of human beings any longer. This is why today’s society has changed to such an extent.
Please point out any inappropriateness.
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2001/11/28/12670.html
