Yes, it’s time for part 3 of the “magical mystery tour” aka The Heiner Experience.
It is almost a month since Heiner visited Israel and his lectures and the whole vibe still echos in my heart and brain. I came to the point of frustration (will bring you up-to-date about that in a later post), knowing that the person I want to study from is, well, a bit *too* far from where I am.
Nuts.

I asked Heiner to send me his answers to my questions again, and he graciously did so, so now I can share it with you.
Just so you’ll know, as this was an interview for the ICCM congress here in Israel, it is more about Heiner and CM in general, we did not go into specifics.
Maybe next time.
Still, I think it’s an interesting interview and I am happy to share it with you, as part of the whole Heiner Experience.
Enjoy!

CMNotes: I read on your website that you come from a family of healers in different modalities, but not Chinese Medicine. How did you come to choose Sinology when you have Homeopathy in your family? Why did you choose to study the philosophy first, and not the practice of the Chinese Medicine?
Heiner Fruehauf (H.F): I am the oldest son of the oldest son in a large family where everyone is a doctor. I wanted to do something different, so I chose to study philosophy, comparative literature and sinology, and went to China at age 21 (Fudan University, Shanghai). Right after receiving my Ph.D. in the field of Chinese literature (University of Chicago) I was diagnosed with cancer, and decided not to consider teaching positions at Harvard and Cambridge. I had such a terrible experience in the hospital that I felt I needed to be able to take care of my own health needs from here on. Therefore, I returned to China, primarily to study Chinese medicine and Qigong (Chengdu University of TCM). Soon it became clear to me that this was my true life path, and I have been on it ever since.

CMNotes: You studied Sinology and then Chinese Medicine. Most people I know who decide to study Sinology did the opposite- first studied Chinese Medicine and then Sinology. As I can see how it helped them understand CM a lot better, I wonder how it helped you. Does the clinical part add to your theoretical knowledge, does it complete it? If so how? Why not stay on the theoretical side of things?
H.F: My health crisis seemed to me a disaster at first. Academia, sinology included, is a very competitive endeavor that requires plenty of training, publishing, and political maneuvering. And here I was, at 27, at the top of my game, and decided to let all of this go. However, it did not take long to realize that I was not changing fields at all, but that my previous studies had created a perfect foundation for my Chinese medicine research and practice. Chinese medicine is a field that holds vast possibilities. Many of its secrets have been forgotten or are deeply misunderstood. To unlock them, knowledge of the classical Chinese language, as well as an understanding of the cultural and historical background of the medicine are a major asset. I began to see my illness as a symptom of “ivory tower disease”—a frustration about spending all my time and expertise, without seeing any tangible benefits in  the world. Once I began to apply my knowledge to the field of Chinese medicine, a sense of true happiness began to emerge: everything I touched in my studies had an immediate impact on the lives of other people. Everything I researched now, no matter how far fetched and esoteric, made a difference in my clinical practice. Furthermore, I felt that in my capacity as a teacher, I was now able to use my expertise to do some truly pioneering work by bringing vital information to a field that, while politically thriving and evolving, was still very deficient in mapping many of its foundational parameters in depth and detail.

CMNotes: Who are the teachers that most influenced you during your studies?
H.F: I learned from many people during the last 20 years, but five of them hold a special place in my heart: Most of them are teachers that I met and apprenticed with outside the institutionalized university setting: Wang Qingyu, expert of Daoist medicine and lineage holder of the Jinjing style of Qigong (who is like a father to me, and with whom I traveled the sacred mountains of China for many months); Dr. Zeng Rongxiu, last disciple of the Shanghan master Tian Heming (whom I met as an unknown folk physician in a back alley in Chengdu, and who, in years of spirited conversations at his kitchen table, established my deep belief in Chinese medicine as a modality for serious diseases); Prof. Deng Zhongjia, China’s premier expert of formula studies (former dean of Chengdu University of TCM and current editor of China’s main formula textbook, who introduced me to the intricate alchemical science of Chinese herb combinations, and systematically taught me how to recognize the difference between the vast and complex terrain of classical Chinese medicine and the political phenomenon of modern “TCM”); Wang Huade (master of the ancient Qin lute, collector of ancient paintings and jade pieces—and himself a relic from pre-modern China, with flowing beard and white robes, who taught me the sacredness of interpersonal connection); and finally, Prof. Liu Lihong, my academic soul-mate and long-time collaborator (professor at Guangxi College of TCM, and author of the best-selling “Contemplating Chinese Medicine”), whose approach to Chinese medicine as a spiritual path always inspires me when I am in his presence.

CMNotes: Which are the most important figures, in your opinion, in CM and philosophy history, and why?
H.F: I find it significant that the early classics of Chinese medicine did not specify an individual author, but attributed their origin to mythological figures such as Fuxi or the “Yellow Emperor.” For me, this model of nameless sage consciousness is one of the highest expressions of our medicine. I highly value Zhang Zhongjing’s work, whose creation of the Shanghan zabing lun set the gold standard for generations of dedicated master physicians, a system that allows for the blending of personal intuition and scientific precision. However, I know that throughout the ages there have been many unknown medical saints practicing their miracles in the mountains, villages and monasteries of East Asia–and most likely there are still some today, including in areas farther West. “Work is done, then forgotten” it says somewhere in the Daodejing, another timeless work created by unknown sages.

CMNotes: What do you love most in your profession?
H.F: The feeling that everything I do, in the clinic or in my research nook, is directly relevant for the lives of other human beings. For me, there is no greater sense of happiness.
CMNotes: You chose very interesting subjects to talk about in your seminars. As a sneak preview to “All Disease Comes from the Heart”: you wrote “while Chinese philosophy considered emotional sensibility as our greatest asset in the process of fulfilling human destiny”- can you talk with us here a bit more about that “emotional sensibility”? I feel that the Dao has something to do with it….
H.F: As stated with great prominence in chapter 8 of the Neijing, the heart is the center of our existence. According to many of the classical texts, be they Daoist, Confucian, Buddhist, or “just medical,” the presence of the heart is what defines us as a human being. The heart’s primary job is to connect us to the realms of the invisible, which are by their very nature of the most subtle quality. The perception of the subtle requires sensitivity, and this is why all sensitive areas in the body—from the eyes to the tongue to the hands to the genitals—belong to the heart. In the largest possible sense, we can say that from a holistic perspective all disease is heart disease–an alarm signal by this most essential function of our humanity that we have stopped living in and from and through our heart, and that it is now terminating our mission–or inviting us for a radical return to what is truly essential.

CMNotes: You teach in different countries in the USA and Europe. Is there a difference between your students in the different countries? What unites them?
H.F: Very good question, and hard to answer. All of the students I encounter share the same enthusiasm for the sacred art of healing, and for the vital role that this profession can play in a re-emergence of holistic consciousness in our time. However, in the most generalized terms, American students tend to be more interested in practical information bearing the promise of immediate clinical relevance, while European students often show a greater degree of eagerness when it comes to learning about the cosmological and spiritual aspects of the medicine. I am, therefore, especially looking forward to teaching in Israel.CMNotes: You’ve been teaching for about 16 years, if my math is correct. Why did you start teaching? Why do you continue? What do you love most about it?
H.F: I was trained to be a teacher during my university studies, and it never occurred to me to do anything different when I came to the field of Chinese medicine. On a more personal level, it feeds my weak constitutional metal element to engage in the vocation of transmission. But most importantly, I love the enthusiasm and commitment that students in the profession of Chinese medicine bring with them. This initiates the alchemical interplay of giving and receiving and giving again that all life-long teachers are fed by.

CMNotes: What are the 3 most important things you can offer as advice for those of us who finished our 4 years of Chinese Medicine?
H.F: • Believe in the healing powers of nature, and trust that you are a transmitter of this force at all times.
• Do not be afraid of the feeling that you don’t know what to do. Vulnerability and the awareness that anything and everything can change at any moment is one of your biggest assets.
• Stay humble, and keep learning from everyone you meet.

Please leave your thoughts and comments, I’d love to read and write you back.