Zen in the Art of Acupuncture

"From Ancient times, the needle you hold in your hand has been credited with the secret power of banishing evil spirits, healing the infirm, bringing life to the dead. Like all medicine, ours is based in the Shamanic traditions. Our medicine still has a fragment of that mystery left in it. It is the unfolding of that mystery that we should seek, not stifle. If we simply seek to treat the body, we have only sought to treat a small part of the being. The body is the physical manifestation of both the Mind and Spirit. The core of all suffering is at the Spirit, it is at that level that we should seek to heal. This is why the act of needling is not a technique, it is a spiritual exercise.

It is a sense of gratitude, proper body movements, proper breathing. It is a sense of your connection with a power much greater than yourself. It is the humility to surrender and allow that power to work through you. To learn the arts to puncture the skin, to master the arts of technique, are only initial preparations for the art of healing. The practitioner stands between Heaven and Earth and brings the two together. That is the art and the Zen of Acupuncture."