A workshop that changed my life….
In one of his very famous writings, “Discourse on Teachers”, Master Han, Yu of Tang Dynasty said 1,200 years ago: “A teacher is one who transmits the Dao, imparts professional knowledge and resolves doubts．”师者, 传道受业解惑也”
Master Yang, Zhenhai, who taught me the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Transmission of Acupuncture, an acupuncture lineage that was passed down from father to son unto him, is one of those teachers.
After a 24-hour flight and a jet-lagged sleepless night, I finally met the master in person during a workshop in Beijing. He looked like a very ordinary man except for his long beard and long hair formed into a knot on the top of his head. His eyes twinkled, he had a smile that looked so pure that only a child could have that kind of smile. In his presence, I know life as joy, openness and purity. Together, Master Yang and all of the assistant teachers and students recited a quote from “a great doctor’s ethical practices” by Sun Simiao, a medical practitioner from 1,500 yrs ago. Then Master Yang sat down and started to teach. During the first day of the workshop, nothing was mentioned about acupuncture strategy or acupuncture points. By the end of the day, what I learned can be concluded with the following words: Compassion and empathy; sincerity and integrity; simplicity and oneness; trust and balance.
At the beginning of the next day, he said: “The theories and the techniques of this school of acupuncture are so simple that every one of you will go home and become your own doctor and the doctor of your family and friends, as long as you are in practice. It’s not the needles, it’s the person—someone who is in practice.” More than half of the audiences didn’t have a medical background and had never touched an acupuncture needle except for being needled. They looked as skeptical as I did. He started to teach us the principles, the locations of the channels, how to identify and choose the points. Each day, I recognized more and more his will to relieve the suffering and frustration of the general public when dealing with the healthcare systems; I saw how he crafted the treatments so that it’s extremely safe for anyone to help themselves and others. During the week-long workshop, I saw more and more people start to needle for the first time in their lives; I saw the participants treat each other and achieve great success.
The morning of the last day of the workshop, everyone had to pass an oral exam by the assistant teachers who designed scenarios of patients and asked how we will be from greeting the patients to finishing the needling. I saw how my “classmates” developed and became confident practitioners/acupuncturists in just one week. That afternoon was the time for the students to share what they got from the workshop. Most people cried during their speech. I was no exception. All I could feel in my body was that sensation when I am inspired and in the presence of something/someone great–a sensation in my chest that is a bit of the fluttering yet comfortable warmth.
Master Yang’s smile has been engraved in my mind. What I learned during that week, lives in my body, shines through me into the treatment rooms. Everyday as I am in the treatment rooms, I know I am not the only acupuncturist there. Every needle I insert, I also insert the love and blessings from all the teachers that have taught me directly or indirectly in the past thousands of years. I am grateful…
Yan Jiang, MD, Ph.D, LA
Yan has a combined background in Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, she holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Florida where she focused her research on the interactions between the human body and pharmaceutical drugs. Prior to her years in research, Yan received her medical degree from Shanghai Medical University and practiced as a radiation oncologist before becoming an acupuncturist in 2009.
