Recommended Terms
Distinguishing True from False
Original Text
This article is transcribed by SimpRead, original source mp.weixin.qq.com
I forgot exactly where in Liaoning this photo was taken, the mountains and waters are so beautiful.
Actually, to talk about the matter of small “Chuma Xian” (出马仙, a type of spirit medium), the most chaotic disputes in Northeast China were with several “old Xian” (老仙).
At that time, I was wandering aimlessly around the three provinces of Northeast China, and honestly it was quite an eye-opener. One of the more impressive incidents was, for example, going to a friend’s house to eat together with the small Chuma Xian mentioned earlier. In the evening, halfway through the meal, a young man drank a few glasses of wine and suddenly started saying things like “your family has a deceased person who was hanged,” then his expression changed, and he muttered darkly about how miserable his own life was…
An ordinary person would probably be scared by this scene, but the people sitting opposite were also established spirit mediums, and stayed calm, asking him if there was no such person in my family, and where he came from.
Sitting next to him, I roughly understood the situation, remembered some techniques my master taught me, made a “Three Mountains Seal” hand formation, raised my energy, and pressed it onto his forehead. His eyes cleared up immediately, and he asked me what had happened to him just now.
Such techniques can be found in old Hong Kong films.
This kind of situation is rather rare. The concept of “possession illness” is mostly seen in rural or economically underdeveloped areas where it manifests more strongly. From what I saw earlier in Sichuan or Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, what they call possession illness is usually referred to as “虚病” (literally “虚 illness”), mainly manifested as recurring nightmares or emotional abnormalities. People who sit in front of you and transform are rarely seen in the south.
At that time in the Northeast, I was mainly there for fun and did medical consultations as charity, yet even so I offended some people. An “old Xian” in the Anshan area—an elder who acts as a spirit medium—because we had mutual friends, happened to have a dinner gathering. During the meal, a friend’s mother said her right hand had been itching badly recently and wanted me to check it out. I examined the lesions on the palm and diagnosed it as dyshidrotic eczema. Thinking it could be treated by acupuncture to relieve itching, but before I could act, the old Xian interrupted, saying he had a secret recipe that could cure it immediately.
Out of respect and a humble attitude to learn, I watched how he did it first. He asked the host for a tablet, probably ibuprofen or something—I don’t clearly remember—burned it until blackened, ground it into powder, mixed it with toothpaste, and applied it to the patient’s hand.
After applying it for a few minutes, the patient looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. Since the old Xian had a good reputation locally and was considered an elder, it was embarrassing to refute him directly. Eventually, the patient couldn’t bear it and said the itching got worse, ran to the back room to wash off the black toothpaste and powder, and asked me to take a look.
I gave her an acupuncture treatment at Taiyuan point, performed some manipulation, after which she said her hand felt much lighter and less itchy. Then I prescribed Baihu Jiashu Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) for seven days.
After that, the old Xian began to bear a grudge and started spreading rumors that I had borrowed his family’s spirit powers to treat patients. I heard about it, but initially didn’t mind such trivial talk. Later, since he also quarreled with the small Chuma Xian family, old and new grudges mixed together, so I went with some people to confront him at his home.
The old Xian lived in his own temple room, like a one-room plus a small hall house, with the spirit altar in the hall and a heated kang bed and chairs in the room, usually used to receive visitors. The confrontation took place in this small hall. There was one elder on his side and three of us on mine. It was purely a verbal battle. The old Xian even dropped a golden phrase, saying the problem was that his spirit family had struck me with thunder (a metaphor for spiritual punishment).
I was stunned for a second, then replied, “First confirm whether your spirit family really can shoot thunder. Don’t spout nonsense. I’ll say it right here in your temple: if they can, I wouldn’t practice Dao anymore, I’d bow and learn shamanism from you.”
Obviously, the thunder strike was impossible, so the argument ended with no result—it was just pointless bluster. No spiritual powers were demonstrated at all.
What was funnier was that after the quarrel, the small Chuma Xian asked me if I could use Daoist methods to deal with the old Xian. I thought I had never done that before but decided to give it a try. Following the usual procedure of summoning spirits, capturing souls, and suppressing them on an altar, I even told the small Chuma Xian that this would be effective and the old man would voluntarily come to apologize.
Sure enough, a few days later, the old Xian did contact me on WeChat to apologize, saying he was ill.
Actually, I hesitated whether to record these details because based on past experience, writing about these things on public accounts would bring similar patients seeking treatment. I really don’t want to deal with these kind of mysterious matters. But later I thought since it’s a record of an experience, I should write it fully. For argument’s sake, this could just be a coincidence, an isolated case, and I don’t think repeating this would have the same effect. I hope it won’t mislead the public.
So, are there paranormal and spiritual phenomena? My personal conclusion is yes, but they don’t have much effect, more like a slight influence of acquired intention.
Putting it bluntly, the primary method of treating illness is to honestly see a doctor. In front of me were three young people; the old Xian was rather timid. I might even be accused of bullying the old and weak.
Also, during that time in Northeast China, I observed many Chuma Xian’s pulse signs. Their kidney pulses were generally short and weak. It seemed that their mode of mediumship, whether effective or not, drained kidney energy. According to their own words, “弟马一般都不得好死” (“Chuma generally do not die well”), as told by one of the Chuma Xian.
The scenery of Jiuding Tiechashan Mountain is very beautiful.
From my observations, the Chuma Xian group mostly consists of marginalized people in Northeast society, seeking spiritual comfort after harsh life blows, gradually taking the path of standing in the hall and manifesting spirits, but generally physically weak.
People always seek individual uniqueness; lacking this in society, they seek it in the spiritual world. Saying “I am the chosen Chuma, destined to sacrifice myself to save the world” may be one such approach.
It is usually said like this: “Cultivating immortality and Dao deep in the mountains, coming out from ancient caves to help the world.”
But falsehood is still false. The mental structure cannot form a complete cycle, and the heavy burden of numerous hallucinations and negative emotions seriously harms the body.
Tao Te Ching says: “Governing the world by the Dao, its ghosts are not divine. It is not that ghosts are not divine, but that their divinity does no harm to people. It is not that their divinity does no harm, but the sage also does not harm them. Since neither harms the other, virtue returns to them.” Simply put, it means respecting objective laws, under which ghosts and spirits have little effect.
From a Daoist standpoint, I still think individuals are free; whatever harmonious way you want to reconcile your spiritual world is valid, but you must not destroy your body needlessly.
Though social ideologies nowadays have somewhat relaxed, the mainstream still follows Confucian roles of ruler-subject, father-son, where excellence leads to officialdom. Compared to this, Daoist values seem somewhat strange, somewhat analogous to the unique attributes of traditional Chinese medicine compared to mainstream medicine.
First, from the perspective of “effective or not,” what these cultivators do is basically ineffective. The Chuma Xian group is not even worth discussing. For example, as discussed in the previous article, trying to verify “sensory-type supernatural powers” with a relatively strict attitude almost always fails. If a precise verification name were given, I generally call it “precise information acquisition.”
But from the original Daoist patriarchs’ perspective, it was supposed to be useless. Laozi said, “What is rare is precious, what is common is cheap.” Achieving Dao is like not achieving it. Zhuangzi’s logic is more extreme; he wants to be useless.
Ironically, since Laozi and Zhuangzi’s times, Daoists have tried to frame this uselessness as something “useful” under universal values; for example, believing scriptures can stabilize the nation, talismans cure diseases and ward off disasters, and divine soldiers fight enemies. Then the entire system became distorted.
However, national peace depends on political systems, medical treatment requires professionals, and military power is the real hard truth.
From Zhuangzi’s viewpoint, this is comical. In “Xiao Yao You” (Free and Easy Wandering): “Even though the cook does not cook, the priest does not cross the dining table to replace him.” In other words, the chef not cooking is not the shaman’s business.
Actually, the word “paradox” (吊诡) itself was coined by Zhuangzi to mock mainstream values. The original text reads:
“Qiu and you both dream, I say your dream is also a dream, what is said, its name is paradox.”
Meaning both Confucius and you are dreaming, and I speak nonsense, so don’t think too much.
The dream metaphor, if carefully considered, is quite meaningful. What are the characteristics of a dream? First, you must wake up; second, you are not in control; third, it is chaotic and disordered.
These three points directly oppose Confucius’ core pursuits.
In fact, it conflicts with most people’s three core views, translated as:
People must die, subjective initiative is limited, society promises no outcomes.
Thus Zhuangzi naturally lies flat.
This is the original viewpoint of pre-Qin Daoism. How did it later evolve into such a complicated system of teachings, techniques, and even stories of Daoists going down the mountain to save the world?
Of course, Laozi and Zhuangzi were very old-school. They had a hidden logic of nourishing yin to support yang: “I am useless,” “I am no good,” but I must live well; Laozi practiced toughness-softness survival, Zhuangzi took it further discussing immortals like Guangchengzi living 1,200 years in Gusu Mountain, drinking wind and dew, etc. Pre-Qin Daoism produced an immortalist view, though whether these immortals truly exist is another matter. This immortality is likely very different from the formal “immortals” sitting strictly in halls as told by ordinary Daoist priests.
The benefit of this perspective is, again, I suggest everyone decompress more for themselves.
For example, yesterday in my clinic, a mother brought her daughter for acupuncture therapy; privately, the mother told me that her daughter had been very tired in recent years and couldn’t concentrate. I asked about her emotions; she said usually optimistic and cheerful but sometimes easily nervous. I didn’t feel quite right. I palpated the girl’s pulse; her liver pulse was clearly wiry and knotted. After asking about her daily situation, the girl teared up. I quickly took the mother out for a private talk.
It was just psychosomatic anxiety. The girl was academically excellent but accustomed to pushing herself relentlessly, gradually developing symptoms. From the parent’s viewpoint, they even thought the child was optimistic.
Talking about this case here is not to promote medical skills or pulse diagnosis because I actually have no good solution for anxiety and depression problems. Please don’t come to look for me specifically. With sympathy, I have no particularly good solution and don’t believe in many claims