The History of Chinese Herbs and Falun Dafa

Chinese herbs originated from Shen Nong who was known as the “Buddha of Medicine” in Chinese history. In ancient times in China, people did not know how to treat their illnesses when they were sick. Shen Nong used a divine stick to turn hundreds of blades of grass into different herbs. He taught people how to use the herbs and classified them by their tastes and characteristics.

Shen Nong wrote a book called Shen Nong’s Herbal Medicine. In this book, he divided herbs into upper, middle, and lower classes. There were 120 types of herbs in the upper class. They were used to preserve people’s health and prolong human lives. There were 120 types of herbs in the middle class. They were used for mental relaxation and to strengthen the energy of the human body. There were 125 types of herbs in the lower class. They were used for medical treatment.

This book has been regarded in history as the classical work of Chinese herbal medicine.
Shen Nong had supernatural capabilities. It was said that he had a transparent body with a crystal stomach. He tested, rated and sampled the herbs himself. The effectiveness of the herbs could be seen through his body. He then passed on the usage and effectiveness of the herbal treatments to the common people. Shen Nong made great contributions to people’s health and well-being. The generations after him have benefited from them and have respected Shen Nong as the “Buddha of Medicine.”

This legend reminds me of the benefits of practicing Falun Gong. People can see and feel that they become both mentally and physically improved after practicing Falun Gong.

Before July 20, 1999, when Falun Dafa was made illegal in China, the early morning exercises done by Falun Gong practitioners could be seen everywhere in the parks, gardens, and playgrounds the of residential areas in China. People told each other through word of mouth about the benefits from their practicing the principles of truthfulness, compassion, forbearance. They also shared their cultivation experiences with their relatives, friends and fellow practitioners.

I saw many photos, either of individuals or many practitioners, where their bodies were transparent. I was astonished. Later, I realized that this was one of the miracles of Dafa that encouraged practitioners to be more diligent and attracted more people to practice Dafa. People have benefited from the practice and have become more compassionate.

The topic of compassion also reminds me of the moment when I first watched the Shen Yun (Divine Performing Arts) performance. I could feel the power of compassion from the performers. The smiles on the performers’ faces were so pure and compassionate that audiences were deeply attracted to the performance and melted into the atmosphere, which opened their minds to a bright future. The performers’ bodies were sending forth energy that was transparent, pure and clear. Audiences could feel the power of compassion, which touched their hearts and made them tranquil and purified them.