Culture: Man’s Sincerity Will Move the Heavens

Much attention was paid to the process of making herbal medicine in ancient China. There is a Chinese proverb, “Although no one seems to watch how you make the medicine, the heaven knows the sincerity that you put into it.” That is to say that a pharmacist must sincerely wish to save and benefit the people of the world when he prepares herbal medicine prescriptions.

In ancient times, before a pharmacist commenced his medicine-making work, he would make an obeisance, which is a bow or curtsy, signifying great respect or reverence to the god of medicines, and would abstain from sexual activities for many days. In addition, he also would take a bath and wear clean robes every day during the process. When a pharmacist attained such a pure condition, he would be able to produce effective herbal medicines.

There is a fascinating phenomenon that is also worth mentioning here. When two doctors gave the same prescription to or made the same herbal medicine for the same patient, the healing effects were oftentimes found to be different. There seems to be a positive correlation between the morality and virtue of the doctor and the healing effect. What could be the logical explanation for this observation?

When the gods created humankind, they set up standards for mankind’s speech, conduct, and most importantly, the heart. Under all circumstances, humans are supposed to treat everyone and everything with a sincere heart. It is only when a person has met the gods’ standard that the gods and deities will assist him in his actions. This is why it is said that “a person’s sincerity will move the heavens.”

The dimensions where the gods and deities reside are different from that of mankind. There is a saying that “An hour in heaven is equivalent to a thousand years on earth.” It follows that the assistance coming from heaven will last forever on earth. Chinese herbal medicines were created for people by the gods. That is why the healing effects of these preparations have not diminished over time. The properties, tastes, convergent effects on the energy channels of the body, and the efficacy of the herbs have only been reported to be helpful, never harmful, to man for the past thousands of years. In contrast, the healing effects of many western pharmaceuticals seem to diminish within three years. Also, far too often, western drugs are found to have severe delayed side effects and be harmful to people several years after their introduction to the market and are then banned from any medical use. The pharmaceutical industry then carries out more research, trying to produce a new drug, which then often follows the same vicious circle.