Japan Acupuncture, Phoenix, AZ （日本鍼灸、アリゾナ）

Japanese Acupuncture Newsletter, Phoenix, Arizona

Next time you see florescent light, I want you to take a moment.  Close your eyes for two minuets and open and look at the light.  It is light green, and you see, slowly, the green turns to white.  Our brain converts the green light wavelength to white.  What we see as white is actually “is not.”  Question is:  what is real and what is illusion?  Our suffering is based on not knowing exactly that.  Most of us are attached to emotions and past conditionings of what we think we are, but not knowing who we really are.

Using Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s metaphor, I would like to point out that an act of flickering of a lighter.  Fuel is the body or foods.  An act of flicking is a moment of experience:  either nonverbal or a profound wow moment.  It is an illumination.  Light produced is the consciousness awareness.  It shines as long as fuel is supplied.  When let go our finger from a trigger, light is gone……..or is it?  Light is there no matter what an action is.  Similarly, consciousness is there, before and after our so-called death.  Our true self, which is the consciousness, is unborn and undying. 

Let go yourself.  It does not exist, nor “I" exits.  Then, what are you?  Know what is truly real.

Last thing.  What if we are able to extinguish consciousness, then what are we?

Cut off your head and find out.

January 18, 2013

© 2013 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi (NM State)/Japanese Acupuncture, LLC

Japan Acupuncture, Phoenix, AZ （日本鍼灸、アリゾナ）

Basically, all sufferings come from three notions.

1: Belief that "I" exists

2: Belief that "You and I Are Different (dualism)."

3: Try to explain in words.

Greatest invention of the evolution is the separation of sexes that has brought on varieties of species, and it has insured the greatest survival chance on Earth. Therefore our ego is attached to survival issues. It clings on to our psychic mind and constantly telling us who we are according to our past conditioning responses to survival issues.  We are trained to think who we are by the factors. 

Evolutionary, we all came from Lucy in Africa and from the Big Bang. On the conscious level, when we take our ego, the "I," completely, only the consciousness exits. We were once one in evolutionary development. We have precluded the truce and educated in the way that "I" must exist.  Since we believe in the "I," next logical step is to think that "I" am different from "you" that creates a separation in our lives. The unity of the sexes is the connection, not the separation. 

Around 2000 BC, something went wrong on Earth. This is when a village or a tribe started to invade each other’s territories, killing people and pillaging, by thinking they were different from us. To this day, the first step in starting a war is to dehumanize enemies by calling them with derogatory words such as monkeys, gooks, etc.  Once we regard enemies are as nonhuman, we justify killing them. The notion of separation has created tremendous sufferings.

Last thing is that we think we can explain everything in words. Most profound experience cannot be explained in words. If we try, it becomes second rate, at worst, cheap.  For example, timelessness or bliss is just IS.  Thinking or thought is a perfect catalyst to move away from the consciousness awareness. It immediately disconnect with WHAT IS experienced. Buddha's last lecture was to raise a flower; no words were spoken, asking you to connect with the present moment. Remember, the most important word in AUM (or OM) is the silence after the "M."

Now the End of the World had passed, I wish there is a positive consciousness arises at this season of givings and reflections.  Happy Holidays!

Namaste.

Japan Acupuncture, Phoenix, AZ （日本鍼灸、アリゾナ）

Japanese Acupuncture Newsletter, Phoenix, Arizona

Volume 3, No. 2, December 2012

Happy Holidays!

Oriental Medicine & On Human Conditions

Chapter Four

Lung:  Sadness, Courage, and Dissolution No. 2

In Asia, there is a proverb that if a person is drowned, check the anal sphincter muscle.  If it is loose and open, he does not survive.  If it is closed and tight, he will.  Ancient Chinese named the anus as the Gate of Po (魄門):  the gate of the corporeal soul (substantive soul that remains with the corpse when we die, the Yin part of the soul, as oppose to the Hun (魂), the Yang soul that departs the body).  The Chinese character of the Po has two parts.  One is the right side of the character, 鬼(gui).  It means Devil or Ghost.  It is a hieroglyph of a skull that still have a few white hairs.  The left side of the character means white (白:  bai).  Together the character symbolizes the white skeletal remains and signifies the appearance of the body, the skeletal system, and the inherited personal characters.  Importance is that the Po belongs to the Lung.  Since the Po represents the inherent personal character, when we face a life and death situation, to live or to die really depends on our character, and the lung function provides the power to choose:  thus the prana is equated with breathing. 

The perineum area (between the anus and the sexual organ) is one of the most sensitive area in our body.  First thing we learn in any marshal art is to protect the area (you can kill a man by hitting the area).  Since the pelvic girdle is a sensitive area, it is protected by strong muscles and ligaments.  Evolutionary, it makes sense to know that the anus to mouth connection is the most ancient of our body system (did you know that the heart emerged from the intestine?)  Other parts such as the eyes came much later.   The anal sphincter does not have antagonistic muscle (i.e., the hams and the quads of the leg), and can be greatly controlled by the will.  As many of you know that tantric and kundalini yoga exercise is based on the contraction of the perineum muscles.  The amount of orgasmic feeling, therefore, can be controlled by exercise.  The prana moves upward along the spine to the front of the body.  It is exactly the same in acupuncture energy movement. 

The first chakra is called muladhara, and it is the area connected with the limbic system of the brain, especially to the amygdala (processes emotions).  The limbic system is primordial and highly interconnected with the pleasure center of the brain. The amygdala relates to the pleasure but interestingly relates also to fear.  The connection brings back to the Gate of Po.  We know that we cannot control defecation and urination when we are scared to death, and at the moment of fear, it is the lung function that chooses life or death.

The Lung meridian starts from the stomach and moves down the arm.  It ends on the tip of the thumb.  As you know, our brain allocates a large space for the motor cortex especially for hands and fingers and they have highly concentrated sensory nerves.  Hands are used for all kinds of healing and spiritual modalities.  The energy emanates from hands and fingers.  Hands are the giver of energy and they are Yang.  Exact counter part of the hands are the feet.  They are Yin and are the receivers of energy.  The Earth energy goes up from the feet, meet with the muladhara chakra.  Once the chakra energy is brought upward, the energy in the hands is intensified.  Hands become healing tools.  When the connection with the hands and the feet is established, a whole body is in balance.  It is therefore the essence of tai chi. The dissolution of sadness (or any other emotion) depends on the awareness of the balance.  When the awareness comes in, we become more compassionate rather than judgmental.

Namaste.

© 2012 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi (NM State)/Japanese Acupuncture, LLC

Before You Make An Appointment

Please consider the followings:

1:            How much do you honor yourself?

2:            Are you ready for acceptance and healing?

3:            Do you have a strong focus on your health?

4:            Is finance still your priority?

During Treatments

Please consider the followings:

1:         Benefits of acupuncture are wide range.

            No other modalities can offer you such healing power.

2:         Without any drug or surgery, you get better.

3:         You save so much money and time not going to

            see other doctors and buying drugs.

4:         Your overall sense of wellbeing increases, and

            you start looking healthy.  Your self-confidence

            increases and you can lead your life as you wish.

            

Japan Acupuncture, Phoenix, AZ （日本鍼灸、アリゾナ）

 

Japanese Acupuncture (480) 246-0624

600 N. 4^th Street, Unit 147, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Japanese Acupuncture Newsletter, Phoenix, Arizona

Volume 3, No. 1, July, 2012

Oriental Medicine & On Human Conditions

Chapter Four

Lung:  Sadness*1, Courage, and Dissolution

I heard a fly buzz when I died;

The stillness round my form

Was like the stillness in the air

Between the heaves of storm.

The eyes beside had wrung them dry,

And breaths were gathering sure

For that last onset, when the king

Be witnessed in his power.

I willed my keepsakes, signed away

What portion of me I

Could make assignable, and then –

There interposed a fly,

With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz,

Between the light and me,

And then the windows failed, and then

 I could not see to see.

                                                                    Emily Dickinson

This is one of my favorite poems by Emily Dickinson.  It is a zen moment of an experience.  She is contemplating suicide (she is not talking about an experience of a physical death here, but more of a deep meditative stillness), but at the moment of exceptional concentration, a fly buzzed over, and she could not “see to see.” (why did she call the buzz “blue”?)  It was not her time to die, but she was, in a way, resurrected to write this poem.  Samurai longed for death, for his fundamental purpose in life as a worrier was to die; the righteous death that achieved his purpose with honor.  Since he was to face death ultimately, his disciplined life style was to experience death, so that he was no longer afraid in a battle and the battle itself had already been conquered.  Even if he was killed he knew having lived through a transformational life, it was an honorable death.  This concept is important because this chapter and the next one (the Kidney Element) will ask us how we deal with the Death and the Resurrection and how we should live ourselves.

So, how should we live ourselves?  It is in the balance.  Samurai was not a personal actor but as the force of life doing its course, and in it, to find his honorable death.  (How many politicians today can truly say:  I am not of I but of the People?)  There is a greater force, some call it destiny, is with us.  We as individuals rightfully should act as individual but with the sense of greater awareness, of being something more than the self.  The balance is between having an individual self with a certain personality and having a spiritual self acting on what the universe is offering (going up the charkas) through our body.  As in a good marriage, the mutuality of the opposites and the recognition and respect of each other as an individual yet inseparable keeps the unity, and the balance is in the tension*2.  The duality is perceived, but it does not preclude the realization of the unity.  Greater sense or awareness of marriage is the egoless mutuality, a harmonious relationship.  As soon as we let the ego in, we tend to destroy the other with our own righteousness.  A dance of the opposites (of a married couple) is a dance of the self with the Life.

Sadness, which is the main emotion attached to the Lung Element of this chapter, throws away the validation of the Life, dwells on the self and unbalances the equilibrium.  If you are a singer all your life and it is the only thing you know, and the old age deprives of the capability and its joy, you get frustrated and sad.  It is a crisis to some.  If you loose a loved one, you feel the same way.  Indeed, sorrow and love go very well hand in hand in our daily lives. Keeping an individual self and a greater self is a fine balancing act.  Only way to bring the equilibrium back into balance is to recognize that it is not in an act or a consequence, but firmly understanding that it is the Life that is the most important.

When we are sad, the first sensation we feel is the compression of our breathing pattern.  We crouch as if the lungs are compressed.  We protract the shoulders; the neck is brought slightly forward and downward as if we refuse to see the peripheral; the jaw might be dropped a bit, and the mouth is slightly open.  Before we have tears in our eyes, the digestive system is affected.  We wish to be in a quiet and darker room.  It is a withdrawing pattern: a separation of the world around us to the more inner realm of psyche.  We dissociate from the Life and its meanings.  Overwhelming emotions take over, and we are no longer dancing in balance.

Like Dickinson experienced, and as in a dragon slayer*3 mythology, only when we experience the other side (or the other self), do we understand and transform ourselves to higher level of consciousness.  This chapter is about how to die and having courage to face death.

*1:  Spinoza called sadness, the strive to promote what we imagine is joy and to avert is sadness; whatever empowers us (active affect) leads to joy and whatever diminish it leads us to sadness; or greater perfection and lesser perfection.

*2:  Joseph Campbell:  Pathways to Bliss

*3  Siegfried kills Fafnir the dragon and tastes  his blood (one with Fafnir) and hears the birds sing, saves  his life from Regin’s intention.

© 2012 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi (NM State)/Japanese Acupuncture, LLC

Japanese Acupuncture, Phoenix, AZ （日本鍼灸、アリゾナ）
 

Japanese Acupuncture (480) 246-0624

600 N. 4^th Street, Unit 147, Phoenix, AZ 85004

More Testimonials

Frank has worked wonders on my lower back. He helped to relieve the compression that none of the chiropractors I had been seeing were able to. I continue to see him for energetic/mental balancing and general wellness and always leave his space feeling a significant shift.             Nikki A/Yoga Instructor

Frank is an amazing practitioner.  I had seen another acupuncturists for some hormone issues and after 6-months I experienced very little change.  I found Frank when I moved to Arizona five years ago and within two visits I saw major improvements and was feeling much better.  I now see him once/month for “maintenance” to keep my hormones balanced and body healthy.  I’ve referred Frank to family and friends who have complained of a variety of ailments from back pain to migraines to anxiety – they are all amazed at how quickly they feel better after seeing him.  As experienced and intuitive as he is, he continues to invest in and improve his technique.  Acupuncture is an art form and it can be difficult to find the right practitioner – Frank is the right one and I’m so grateful to have found him.                         Julie H/Holistic Health Counselor

Japanese Acupuncture Newsletter, Phoenix, Arizona

Volume 3, No. 10, June, 2012

Oriental Medicine & On Human Conditions

Chapter Three

Spleen:  Worry, Harmony, and Illumination  #10

淡粧濃抹総相宜

All Is Well

Among Chinese words, I like the simple word, “hao (好).”  It means well, good, and much.  I personally think it is a fit word for the Spleen Element.  Because when the Spleen is in balance, everything is “hao.”  I have decided to end this chapter by quoting a poem by Su Shi.

When the Spleen Element is functioning properly and when we are in harmony, acceptance and generosity take over us, and we are in balance. 

A famous Chinese poet, Su Shi (蘇軾, aka, 蘇東坡, Su Dong Po) went to the West Lake (西湖), known for its beauty (and still a famous tourist destination).  He experienced a fine day at the lake, but when rain came, he did not negate it as unpleasant.  For him, it really did not matter if it were a fine day or a rainy day.  Of course, a beautiful sunny day at the lake is wonderful, but a rainy day is exquisite.  He also compares the lake to one of the most beautiful women in Chinese history (her name is similar to the name of the lake, 西葹) and says a woman with light makeup or with heavy makeup, all is well (if it is perfectly suitable and right for her). 

Being in the center and without judgment:

What is the meaning of life?  Hao (好)!

What is the sound of one-hand-clapping?  Hao (好)!

All whats, hao!

All whys, hao!

All hows, hao!

No matter what happens, everyday is a good day.  Hao (好)!

All is well......…hao (好).

水光歛艶晴方好

[the light reflecting from the (lake) water is shimmering, it is sunny and is truly a fine day]

山色空濛雨亦奇

[(the color of) mountain is fuzzy, and rain is also exquisite.]

欲把西湖比西子

[if I were to compare the West Lake to Xi Zi (a famous beauty)]

淡粧濃抹総相宜

[light (almost none, natural) makeup or heavy makeup (perfection), all is well]

                             蘇軾(Su Shi):　『飲湖上、初晴後雨』

Namaste

Love is anterior to life,

Posterior to death,

Initial of creation, and

The exponent of breath.

                      Emily Dickinson

(all my newsletters are found at my website:  www.japanacupuncture.com)

© 2012 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi (NM State)/Japanese Acupuncture, LLC

Japanese Acupuncture (480) 246-0624

600 N. 4^th Street, Unit 147, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Clientele Demography

90%:  referral base

Testimonial:

“I don’t have to see three doctors anymore and am saving $130 for medications.”

                                                                        Jim C.                         FedEx Executive   

“Came in for a post surgery pain of the cervical spine.  An option was to redo the surgery.  Since I started coming here, results were whole lot better than the surgery, and I don't need a surgery.  Pains are almost gone.”

                                                                        Gary S                        Retired Microbiologist

“Frank is a very caring healer.  He takes time to listen to your words and your body before he begins any treatment.  A visit to Japanese Acupuncture will not only heal your body, it will heal your soul.  His office provides a very healing environment of music, art and peace.”

                                                                        Sheila H.            Private City Planner

“As a fellow acupuncture practitioner, I can say there are only two people in the state I would let work on me.  I choose to see Frank at least once a month.”

                                                                        Adam B.            Chiropractor

Japanese Acupuncture Newsletter, Phoenix, Arizona

Volume 3, No. 9, June, 2012

Oriental Medicine & On Human Conditions

Chapter Three

Spleen:  Worry, Harmony, and Illumination  #9

Thinking does not end suffering (newsletter #40:  Feb. 2011, Chapter Three #2).  Sometimes, we are in an endless loop of thinking pattern and we agonize over it.  For example, we incessantly think how to resolve matters with loved ones or with anyone who give us a grief.  When we have fallout with a friend, we think why a relationship has gone wrong.  We feel disappointment, injustice, and confusion.  If we are wise and spiritual, we realize, what we really seek is the end of thinking itself; a way out of the loop.  When we become an observer, we realize none of the thinking we have just placed in our head matters.  Let us connect with our true heart desires.  When we truly love someone, having fallout does not matter.  All we need to say to a person is:  “I truly love you (like you) and wherever you are I think of our friendship, and whenever we can, I still love to meet with you.”  When our friends do not call as often as they used to, what does it matter?  When we think we don’t have enough money, what does it matter?  As long as we are connected with and act on heart desires, we are “just”*1 ok.  Nothing really matters.  Let thinking go.

Obsessive worrying which belongs to the Spleen Element of this chapter is a thinking loop.  Depression and/or anxiety would follow if we were incapable of breaking the loop.  Since the Spleen controls the digestive system, a symptom such as bulimia may result.  A chromic digestive problem is common.  Since worrying results in a weak digestion, the nutrient absorption rate decreases, and the immune system weakens.  When we are in the state, we cannot loose weight no matter what diet we are on*2.  Intelligence belongs to the Spleen Element (along with the Kidney Element, they create the Will.), and the weakened Element creates a foggy head/memory or a weak mental state:  depriving us a strong mind, and we are easily swayed by something or someone.  Weak Spleen function also gives craving for sweet.  Excessive sugar intake further worsens the symptoms just mentioned. 

When we are in the loop, we need to increase functions of the liver.  Strong liver helps the digestive system, decomposes toxins effectively, and stabilizes our emotional state*3.  De-stress, learn how to breathe, eat more green leafy vegetables, increase intake of vitamin B complex, and change the blood to alkaline.  Take digestive enzymes and probiotics.  Drink lots of water and watch for dehydration.  There are many good Chinese herb formulas for digestion with all natural herbs and they are far better than any chemical drug this country makes.

When the Spleen and the Liver (horizontal connection of the body) are in harmony, the Kidney and the Heart (vertical connection) will start the chakra energy flows spirally from the perineum toward the top of the head.  It is regrettable that western medicine has not incorporated the energy system into their studies.

Be more spiritual.  Seek advise from spiritual counselors.  Learn how to perform self-hypnosis or seek sessions from professional hypnotherapists.  Seek healing therapies such as yoga (attainment of moksa), massage*4, craneotherapy, acupuncture, reiki, etc.  Remember, if we know our true heart desires, nothing else really matters.

Back to thinking.  Words and meanings are illusions, for they are concepts*5.  One of the last lectures Buddha gave was to simply raise a flower.  No words spoken.  The point of the lecture is to illuminate people that “it has come thus.”  The flower is a flower, nothing more.  It has no meaning.  The flower is the one we are looking at now.  The essence is in “This” moment of (seeing) “Being.”  It is like a zen moment.  If we are ready, we click, and we are There.  If we seek meanings, we do not attain.  All forms will perish.  Awareness does not.  When we experience that the Awareness is always shining upon us no matter where we are, what we are looking, at any given moment, then we are There.

Namaste.

*1:                  Just:  a zen word.

*2:                  My own observation

*3:                  Liver relates to anger, depression, anxiety, irritability, courage, leadership.

*4:                  Have you ever had an out-of-the-body experience?  If not, you have not had a good massage yet.

*5:                  So are time and space.

(all my newsletters are found at my website:  www.japanacupuncture.com)

© 2012 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi (NM State)/Japanese Acupuncture, LLC