“Tao and Dharma: Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda” by Robert Svoboda and Arnie Lade
Lotus Press, USA, First Edition 1995, 2nd printing 2005
CONTENTS:
Illustrations 4
Foreword 5
Introduction 7
Part One: Chinese Medicine
Origins and Development 10
The Tao and Yin-Yang Philosophy 12
The Five Elements 16
The Essential Substances 19
The Organs 21
The Meridian System 25
Disease Causation 30
Diagnosis and Differentiation 33
Therapeutic Modalities and Ideas 37
Part Two: Ayurveda
Origins and Development 44
The Sankhya Philosophy 47
The Three Doshas 50
The Doshas in the Body 54
Channels of Flow 57
Subtle Anatomy 59
Constitution 65 Disease Causation 67
Diagnosis 71
Treatment 74
Part Three: Traditions in Comparison
Historical Considerations 80
Energetic Physiology 93
Consciousness 100
Disease Causation 102
Diagnosis 105 Treatment 108
Primal Distinctions 111
Integrating Traditions 113
Conclusion 116
Appendix I: Comparison of Some Medicinal Substances 119
Appendix II: The Use of Vital Points in Asia 142
Glossary of Sanskrit and Chinese Terms 146
Bibliography 149
Index 152
INTRODUCTION (from the book)
Chinese and Indian medicine embody the two oldest continuously practiced traditions of medicine on the planet. These traditions are oceans of wisdom whose depth and breadth are almost incomprehensible to one who stands on their shores. Into these oceans of healing art tributaries of thought flow, and the two seas have at times mingled their waters together. Though the origins of these medical traditions have no fixed historical landmarks, they seem to have appeared at approximately the same time, yet independently, grown out of an understanding expounded by their sages and rishis. Centuries passed after Chinese and Indian medicine were founded before they first mingled to exchange ideas with each other. Why two great systems should appear simultaneously in two vastly different corners of the globe, each a unique expression yet possessing many similar characteristics, is a great mystery. Perhaps their
fundamental vision and insights about life grew out of humanity’s collective unconscious.
At the heart of both of these great healing traditions is a world view which sees man and nature as inextricably linked. From this perspective each elucidates its own understanding of health, meaning of disease and journey from illness to health, both employing analogies to the forces and manifestations of nature to express their views. These insights were carefully refined, systematized, clinically verified, orally transmitted and later recorded in writing. Contained within the written traditions of both systems are the experiences of countless physicians and patients which serve today as an immense storehouse of knowledge.
The goal of this book is to convey to the reader an introductory understanding of Indian (Ayurveda) and Chinese medicine, and to compare these understandings. Inherently Ayurveda and Chinese medicine both explain, in their own terms, health and illness, and each offers direction for regaining health. Since they share much common ground each can enhance certain themes and expand the vision of the other, and hopefully through this work new ideas will emerge which can intellectually cross-fertilize students and practitioners of both systems. Perhaps ultimately these two energetic paradigms can be reconciled, not by a wholesale incorporation of one tradition into the other but, as has happened over the centuries, by an exchange of ideas, techniques and principles. Reconciliation will require that the proponents of both systems remain open-minded, willing to reflect objectively on the strengths and weaknesses of their respective fields.
In both North America and Europe the past few years have seen a dramatic rise of interest in Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. As these two traditions establish niches for themselves as “alternative medical systems”, their practices will undoubtedly be modified by their new social, economic and medical milieu. A thorough understanding of the Asian roots of these two medical traditions is, we believe, essential to the success of their transplantation here. Some hybridization may well be necessary to effect their successful propagation in the context of our modern days, since it is always difficult to transfer concepts from one culture to another, but we have tried assiduously in this essay to maintain intact the original meanings of the theories and practices so that their flavor will not suffer. The common tendency today in the West is to look at Ayurveda and Chinese medicine from a modern biomedical approach; we suggest that there is merit in comparing one with the other, since both are energetic in nature.
This book is divided into three parts. The first and second detail the basic theories and practice of Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, respectively, while the third consists of a comparative study of both systems, including an outline of what we know of their historical relationship with each other.
Following the third part, a summary of our main conclusions is given. In addition two appendices are provided, the first outlines the history and use of twelve medicinal substances by both Chinese and Indian systems, whereas the second reviews the use of vital points in Asia.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Arnie Lade is an acupuncturist practising in Victoria, British Columbia where he lives with his wife and children. He studied Chinese language at the University of Victoria and Xiamen University, and acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Beijing and Chengdu Colleges of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. He is also the author of The Acupuncture Points: Images & Functions, a standard teaching text in its field, and is a contributing author of Chinese Massage Therapy. Mr. Lade lectures widely and is currently on the faculty of the Centro de Estudos de Medicina Oriental de Brasilia in Brazil.
Robert Svoboda graduated from the Tilak Ayurvedic College of the University of Poona in 1980 as the first and, and until today, the only Westerner ever to become a licensed Ayurvedic physician. Since then he has travelled extensively, lecturing and conducting workshops on Ayurveda. Among his writings are Prakruti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and Ayurveda: Life Health and Longevity. Mr. Svoboda is on the staff of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and divides his time principally between North America, Hawaii and India.
Posted in: Integrative Health; Chinese Medicine (TCM); Ayurveda