The theory proclaimed by modern scientific medicine and nutrition that “if you lack element X, supplementing element X will lead to health” is incorrect. The true key does not lie in matter; the manifestation of matter is merely a phase. A phase is a result.
What does it mean? If we put together a certain amount of proteins, vitamins, water, and a few skeletons and flesh, can we build a complete and healthy finger? If complete materials put together cannot build a healthy human figure, then how can the functions or shapes of the human body be restored by filling in the materials? The reason why this line of thinking is upside down is that –
The actual situation is that when a person is physically and mentally healthy, his physical body shows certain levels of vitamins, water, bone density, and the values of calcium, iron, zinc and selenium.
Rather than: “When a person has certain levels of vitamins, certain amounts of water, certain bone density, and certain levels of calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium, he can achieve health.”
Mental and physical health are the causes, while numerical levels are the effects! How can you infer the cause from a bunch of effects put together?
So, what is the true way of health preservation?
It’s quite simple. It’s not about consuming this or that element to maintain those values, but rather about keeping both the body and mind in a relatively harmonious and healthy state. As long as you maintain a harmonious overall physical and mental environment, those values will naturally manifest. That’s why some elderly people live to be over eighty, ninety, or even over a hundred years old without taking a single bottle of health supplement. They all appear healthy because the appearance they present is the result of their internal physical and mental environment!
Therefore, it is by no means the case that eating something will replenish it to a certain value and then health will emerge. Instead, when you are healthy, those numerical ranges will naturally present themselves! The values are already the external manifestations of the results, and the results cannot be used to infer the causes.
So what is a physical and mental environment? It’s quite simple. Take a room as an analogy for the body and mind. When is a room most comfortable? It’s when everything placed in it is what you need, without any items that constantly drain your energy with negative vibes, no extra or useless things, it’s well-ventilated, spacious and bright, you don’t move frequently, and you live in one place stably, adjusting the layout according to the seasons without going against the natural order.
When it comes to the body, it means not consuming excessive food, and avoiding foods that frequently disrupt the body’s blood and qi functions (such as stimulating or mood-altering foods). Keep the body’s internal temperature and moisture in balance, and ensure smooth and unobstructed circulation. Most of the time, keep the stomach empty or consume a small amount of food, providing the body with sufficient space (space is also extremely important in yoga, and these concepts are interrelated in ancient spiritual practices because they all carry profound wisdom). Follow the seasonal changes in diet and daily routine.
All these key points boil down to one thing: don’t accumulate. In this way, you will be clear, convenient, have space, be flexible… Without consumption, you will have strength.
Not piling up things in the room and not overeating in the body, when reflected in the mind, means not accumulating desires, thoughts, emotions, concerns or attachments. To follow the natural rhythm is to be at ease with whatever comes along in life.
Therefore, health preservation is about nurturing the heart. The best way to nourish the heart is to have a simple and spacious living environment, a body that is unobstructed and light, and a mind that is pure and free from attachments.
If your life is truly like this, you definitely won’t need any health supplements.
