(Minghui.org) (Continued from Part 1)
Examining Meridians Through a Thread
Emperor Taizong's wife, Queen Zhangsun, was once pregnant for more than 10 months and had not gone into labor. She became ill and bedridden. Many imperial physicians were treating her, but her condition failed to improve. Emperor Taizong was visibly worried about this and restless. Following the suggestion of an official named Xu Maogong, the emperor invited Sun Simiao to come and help.
In ancient times, physical contact between a man and a woman was forbidden unless it was within a marriage. There was no exception for doctors. Even when providing a medical examination, imperial physicians would not come into close contact with palace women. After obtaining information about the state of the queen's health from one of the queen's maids, Sun reviewed the case history and prescriptions given by the other doctors. He then took out a red thread and asked a maid to wrap one end around the queen's right wrist. The other end of the thread was pulled out, across a curtain between them, and held by Sun, who examined the meridian system through the thread.
The highly skilled doctors in ancient China were actually cultivators of the Dao, and they had supernormal abilities. But they would not disclose this fact or publicize this in any way, and would merely apply their skills to do good deeds to save people. Sun was one such highly skilled doctor. Through the use of a red thread, Sun checked the queen's meridian system and identified the cause of the illness. He then used a needle to prick the middle finger of the queen's left hand. The delivery went smoothly and a prince was born.
Resolving Doubt
During a war in the early years of his reign, Emperor Taizong was fighting against invaders when he was surrounded by enemy forces on a mountain top. As he was drinking water from a pool on the mountain, he felt fatigued and dizzy. The dragon-like ornament on his crown cast a reflection in the water and he mistook it for a snake. He started to suspect that he had swallowed a small snake while drinking. After returning with his troops to the capital, the more he thought about it, the more nauseated he felt. He began to vomit and actually fell ill.
The imperial physicians prescribed different doses of medicine, but without any success. Chancellor Wei Zheng then invited Sun to help. Sun found that Emperor Taizong had no signs of illness on his face or any foreign matter in his body. He first prescribed a medicine to calm the mind. After the Emperor put on the crown with the dragon-like ornament he had worn earlier, Sun asked someone to bring a basin of water for the Emperor to come and look. As Emperor Taizong saw the ornament's shadow resemble a snake, he knew what had happened. His doubt vanished and he recovered from the illness instantly.
(To be continued)
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Category: Traditional Culture
