Sun Simiao's Introduction to Health Preservation

Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history, with renowned doctors and wise sages emerging one after another. They further treat diseases and save lives, and retreat to ensure their health and well-being. There are quite a few of them whose umbilicus are in the realm of longevity. Among them, the one who can be regarded as having the longest lifespan among medical practitioners is probably Sun Simiao, a renowned medical expert of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Sun was from Huayuan in the northern part of Beijing (now Yao County, Shaanxi Province), living by the Jian Mountain. She was born around 541 AD and passed away in 682 AD, having lived for over 140 years. Throughout her life, she witnessed eleven emperors of the Northern Zhou, Sui and Tang dynasties. During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, due to the frequent affairs of the royal family, he retired to the Taibai Mountains and was given the title of "Taibai Hermit". He never aspires to a career in politics throughout his life. He lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, studying medicine and health preservation. He was known as the "Medicine King" and also called the "True Man". At that time, people regarded him as a deity. His character is elegant and his medical ethics are noble. He has a deep heart full of compassion and is determined to save all living beings from suffering. He treats patients as if they were his own family members, "seeing their pain as if it were his own", and takes saving lives and healing the wounded as his own responsibility. Therefore, after Sun's death, people built a temple dedicated to the Medicine King by the side of his hometown, Jian Mountain. For thousands of years, the temple has been thriving with incense offerings. Sun Simiao was exceptionally intelligent in his childhood and could recite a thousand words a day, earning him the title of "Holy Child". However, he did not yearn for a career in politics. From his youth, he was determined to study medicine. From "at the age of youth, he was noble and upright" to "in his old age, he never put down a book", he devoted his entire life to the medical profession, reading extensively and diligently without tiring. One can also humbly seek advice. If there is something that is better than one's own, one will travel a thousand miles to seek it. Sun was erudite and well-informed. He enjoyed discussing the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, was well-versed in the theories of various schools of thought, and was also fond of interpreting classics. In the early Tang Dynasty, well-known figures such as Song Lingwen and Lu Zhaolin all served him with the rites of a teacher. When Wei Zheng and others were ordered to compile the books of Qi, Liang, Zhou, Chen and the history of Sui, they were afraid of omissions and had consulted Sun Shi many times. Sun Shi told them about the events of the Qi and Zhou dynasties as if they were still vivid in their minds. Sun Simiao, drawing on his entire life's learning and experience, compiled the "Thousand Gold Prescriptions" and the "Thousand Gold Prescriptions", each in thirty volumes. The two books are extremely rich in content and can be regarded as an encyclopedia of traditional Chinese medicine. All his family property and wealth were spent on medical expenses. As a result, he sought medical knowledge extensively, mastered the art of health preservation, and lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests for many years to cultivate his character and nature. He benefited greatly throughout his life and was able to live a peaceful life. When Emperor Taizong ascended the throne at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, he summoned the immortal to come out of retirement to Chang 'an. At that time, the immortal was over a hundred years old, but still had sharp hearing and vision, his hearing and hearing were not impaired, and his appearance was very vigorous. Even in his old age, he could still treat people's diseases and write books. By the time of his death in the first year of Yongchun of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (682 AD) (according to Guo Aichun's "Chronological Table of Chinese Medical History"), his body had been lying in bed for over a month, his appearance remained unchanged, and when he lifted the body onto a wooden stick, his body was as light as an empty garment. At that time, people believed that he had become an immortal and ascended to heaven. In fact, Sun Simiao himself did not believe in the way of immortals. He once clearly pointed out: "The way of immortals is hard to achieve, and the art of cultivating one's nature is prone to causing trouble." The so-called art of cultivating one's nature refers to various methods of maintaining health. These health preservation methods are practical and feasible, and everyone can do them. However, if one does not understand this health-preserving technique and does not put it into practice, then "even if one takes golden elixirs and jade liquids, one will not be able to prolong one's life." Sun Simiao summarized his effective health preservation methods and experiences throughout his life and wrote them in two books, "Thousand Gold Prescriptions" and "Thousand Gold Prescriptions", naming them "Nurturing Nature", "Aging", "Retiring", "Food Therapy", etc. The content does not seek to be mysterious but practical, so that later generations can implement them effectively. He said, "What I have said, in terms of its meaning and purpose, is recorded truthfully for future generations." The methods imparted by the Sun family are simple and easy to implement, do not violate human nature and common sense, and can be applied at any time in daily life, achieving remarkable results. As the saying goes, "If one does not go against the pleasures of one's nature, one can follow from all directions; if one does not abandon the preferences of one's eyes and ears, one can look around and move forward." Make the purpose concise and the vision broad, the cause few and the achievement many. As the saying goes, "What is easy is easy to understand; what is simple is easy to follow." Sun Simiao summarized the key points of his health preservation into ten essential techniques: "First, restrain the spirit; second, love the qi; third, nourish the body; fourth, guide the movement; fifth, speak freely; sixth, eat well; seventh, live in the room; eighth, go against customs; ninth, use medicine; tenth, avoid taboos." These ten aspects are practical and effective, and thus have been highly praised by health preservation experts throughout history. The content discussing the way of health preservation accounts for a considerable proportion. It is said that his techniques originated from the four schools of medicine, Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, and were also a summary of Sun Simiao's practical experience through his own actions. When Sun Simiao was a child, he was weak and often ill, suffering from wind-cold. He frequently sought medical treatment and took medicine, thus "cutting off external factors" to nourish his spirit. Sun Simiao's concept of "conserving the spirit" lies in emphasizing the significance of the "spirit" in the human body, pointing out that the primary method of health preservation is to cherish the "spirit" of the human body in all aspects, that is, to cherish and preserve energy, not to overwork, in order to enjoy good health and a long life to the fullest. Sun Simiao compared a person's life to a burning oil lamp. When the oil runs out and the lamp goes out, life comes to an end. Although the amount of oil cannot be changed, the burning time varies greatly depending on the way it is ignited. It takes less time to light up when lit with a large column, while it takes longer when lit with a small column. Therefore, the maximum lifespan of a person is no more than a hundred years, but proper care and protection can prolong one's life.