From Music to Medicine: Virtuous, Elegant Music Has Miraculous Healing Effects Says Historic Chinese Thought

(Minghui.org)
During World War II, field hospitals in the U.S. military were filled with wounded soldiers. Due to the hot weather, mosquito bites, and lack of medicine, surgical infection rate and mortality rate were very high, and the morale of the wounded was also low.

One day, a doctor played some much-loved music for the wounded soldiers. Surprisingly, after listening to the music, both the infection and mortality rates dropped significantly, and the healing time required after each surgical operation also shortened. The American people have since recognized the healing effects of music.

Music has always played an important role in traditional Chinese culture since ancient times. Zhu Zhenheng, a famous doctor in the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368), once pointed out, “Music is also medicine.” In fact, the Chinese characters for music, medicine, and treatment share the same origin, and they look very similar in ancient oracle bone script.


The character for “medicine” was derived from the character for “music.”

It was recorded in Lüshi Chunqiu·Guyuepian (Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals · On Ancient Music) that in the early days of the Taotang tribal period, it was often cloudy and the air was stagnant and damp, waterways were congested and unable to flow as they used to. People were depressed and sluggish, and their muscles and bones shrank. So they were encouraged to dance to strengthen their body. The Yellow Emperor also ordered Ling Lun and Rong Jiang to cast twelve bells to harmonize the five tones to play beautiful ancient music. People in ancient times were said to use dance and music to cure diseases that shrank their muscles and bones due to depression and stagnation.

The book Shuo Yuan recorded stories of Miaofu from a primitive tribe treating patients with bamboo wind instruments 5,000 years ago.

Bai Juyi, a well-known poet of the Tang Dynasty, also wrote such lines in one of his poems: “With music coming into my ears, all things that bother my heart disappear.”

The guqin has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as a musical instrument of great subtlety and refinement. “When a gentleman plays guqin, it is not just for its entertaining sound, as it also helps those who are successful in their career observe state affairs, and the less successful ones be content with their destiny.” Guqin is not about entertaining others but “entertaining oneself” for the cultivation of virtues.

Healing Effect of Music
Ancient Chinese held the view that a sickness ought to be treated at its origin. “Origin” refers to Yin and Yang, which are regarded as the natural law of the universe, the origin of all, and the fundamental driving force for the cyclic growth and death of all things in Mother Nature.

It was written in Lüshi Chunqiu·Dayue: The origin of music lies in the distant past. It is generated in duliang (appropriateness), rooted in Tai Yi (the origin of all things), which derived Liangyi (two opposing forces) that gave rise to Yin and Yang......In general, music presents the harmony of heaven and earth, the blending of Yin and Yang.



Music, deemed to be originated from Tai Yi and transformed from Yin and Yang, corresponds to the five elements in heaven, the five seasons on earth, and the five internal organs of man. Music uses external regular sound modulations to reconcile the harmony of Yin and Yang of the human body so as to achieve the balance of Yin and Yang and to conform to the natural state of harmony between man and nature.

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