Can you talk a little bit about the teacher student relationship that can or does exist in the West? I know I have lots of stereotypes thatmay no longer apply, because life is much more informal in the United States as well as times changing.
Thank you
Comment by Archived User
I think this is popular in the West, we simply call it mentoring. I know I was mentored by several excellent acupuncture teachers. Sometimes I worked in their clinic for free and they gave answers to most any question I asked. Sometimes I found mentors at clinics when I dedicated a year of time to a senior clinic or a year of time to a cancer ward in a hospital that allowed acupuncture across their ward. My martial arts teachers seem to be steeped in Chinese Medicine and end up teaching me quite directly over a long period of time in bone setting, movement of energy through the meridians, and overall principles of meditation which allow for deeper access of points and their functions. I studied Hsing-I Chang, Tai Chi Chuan, Chin Na, Pa Kua Chang, and a bit of the 12 animals and wu hsing system. So five elements came alive for me. Animals help illustrate different takes on the medicine.