"Souls have personalities. They are intelligent, sensitive, and emotional, and they have minds of their own. They have their own likes and dislikes, desires and biases, personalities and quirks. When their souls are happy, people are also happy, calm, peaceful, and serene in their lives. When their souls are unhappy, people are often upset, depressed and miserable."

When the soul is not taken care of, the body and mind can become sick, according to Soul Study: A Guide To Accessing Your Highest Powers (Zhi Neng Press) by Zhi Gang Sha.

"The soul is the essence of life," says Sha. In Taoist philosophy, the soul needs a special food known as Te. Te, pronounced "duh" is the record of ones deeds, both good and bad. Te defines the richness of the soul and is present in everything that you do.

"For example, good Te is the record of you virtuous deeds and of the care, love, compassion, honesty and sincerity with which you have shaped your existence. At the end of this life, all your good and bad deeds are tallied to determine how you will return in the next life."

"You can increase your level of Te by living every day with compassion and humility. Be kind and generous. Love unconditionally. Be sincere and honest. Help and care for others. Give of yourself. Work hard. Contribute. Don't be selfish. Respect the good in your family, friends, masters, and every living thing."

"Similarly, anything that you do which hurts someone also comes back to you and reduces your Te. Do not engage in mailcious thoughts or wishes, yelling at people, or consciously hurting others. Selfishness, greediness, or any action on your part that impacts negatively on someone or something else will lessen your Te."

Sha is the Master of the Zhi Neng Health Centre in Vancouver, which specializes in Zhi Neng. He is also the author of Zhi Neng Medicine: Revolutionary Self Healing Methods from China (Zhi Neng Press)

Zhi Neng is a system of health care based on the principles of physics. It recognizes that conditions of ill health are accompanied by energy imbalances in the body.

Excessive energy is associated with pain, inflammation, cysts, tumours, etc. Deficient energy accompanies atrophy, weakness and fatigue. Zhi Neng uses hands, voice and visualization to return the body's energy fields to their normal balance, and to restore and develop good health.

Zhi Neng ("zhee noong") means "intelligence and capabilities of the mind". It is a synthesis of western and traditional Chinese medical concepts, plus Qi Gong (the ancient art of developing human energy) and extraordinary functioning of the senses. The purpose of Zhi Neng is to strengthen the functions of the body and brain, heal and prevent illness, and prolong life. Among the techniques used are herbal remedies and acupuncture.

[BCBW 1997]