(Minghui.org) (Continued from Part 3)

Sun Simiao is a shining star in the history of Traditional Chinese Medicine. His accomplishments have been commemorated and admired for more than 1,000 years. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once praised him:

“Opening a trail and paving a path,you are the top master of medicine;Providing assistance to the divine beings,you balance yin and yang of the four seasons.Guiding dragons and instructing tigers,you aid those in need and save those in danger;Grand and magnificent,you are an example to follow over one hundred generations.”

Cultivating virtue for his own health, Sun also helped society with medicines and did not pursue fame or material interest. In his book, Qianjin Yaofang (Essential Formulas for Emergencies [Worth] a Thousand Pieces of Gold), he heavily emphasized the importance of high moral values, “A great doctor is dedicated and sincere.” Sun Simiao is a true king of medicine throughout all the ages.

Below are two examples in which Sun’s good deeds were rewarded.

Unexpected Gift

Sun was walking on a small trail in the mountains one day when he saw a tiger up ahead. He had nowhere to escape, so he just stood there. Instead of rushing toward him, the tiger knelt down on its front legs and kowtowed to him. It then opened its mouth as if to show him something.

The tiger was very thin and displayed such unusual actions that Sun suspected it needed medical attention. He moved toward the beast and saw that the tiger’s throat was severely swollen. Upon closer examination, he found a piece of bone lodged across both sides of the tiger's throat. He took a metal bar from his medical satchel to keep the beast's jaw open and prevent it from biting him. He then reached in to pull out the bone. He also removed some infected muscle where the bone had been lodged and applied some medicine. Sun then removed the metal bar from its mouth, and the tiger ran away.

It was a large mountain and Sun did not travel far even after half a day. As he continued walking, a tiger ran toward him. Before he knew what was happening, the tiger stopped. It placed something it had been carrying in its mouth down on the ground and lowered its head a few times, as if it was greeting Sun Simiao. The tiger then started to walk away, but it looked back over its shoulder after every few steps. Sun picked up what the tiger had dropped and found that it was deer placenta cream, a rare and precious ingredient for medicine. He knew that the tiger understood the principle of repaying kindness.

Surviving a Flood

On another occasion, Sun was out walking when it began to pour rain. With a loud sound, a giant dragon appeared in the air and landed on the ground in front of him. Surprised by this scene, Sun then saw the dragon open its mouth toward him while pointing to it with a claw.

The rainstorm stopped. Sun held the dragon's head and looked inside its mouth. He saw a swelling the size of a steamed bun in its throat, and it was infected. Sun kept the dragon's mouth open with a metal bar and excised the rotten flesh using a knife. He then applied an ointment before taking out the bar.

The dragon opened and closed its mouth a few times and clearly seemed to feel much better. It nodded to Sun and flew away with the arrival of another torrential rainstorm.

Over a month passed and Sun was getting ready to cross a river. The water was clear and only about half a foot deep, but the river was two li (one kilometer) wide. Sun rolled up his trousers and began to wade across the river in his bare feet. As he got to the middle, a flash flood suddenly started to surge toward him. The water was raging down the river like a massive avalanche racing down a mountain. There was no time to escape.

Sun was stunned and could not move. Suddenly, a loud noise came from the sky and a giant dragon landed in the river upstream, blocking the current from bank to bank. The water continued to rise, but it did not get any closer. Sun had no time to think any further as he stumbled forward to reach the other riverbank.

Sun looked back at the huge dam formed by the dragon and saw that the water was as high as a mountain. As the dragon rose above the water, the huge tide stormed down the river. Sun came to understand that since he had saved the dragon earlier, the dragon had now, in return, rescued him.

(To be continued)