June Healing Arts
Thursday, June 5
5 to 9 pm
FREE with Museum Admission ($5 after 5 pm)
MATCHA kicks off its third season with multi-sensorial offerings of healing arts from all over Asia: acupuncture, cupping, Japanese shiatsu, Thai foot massage, and more. Sample tea, check out medicinal herbs from China, Japan, India and Tibet, have your pulse diagnosed, tour the galleries, or unwind with cocktails and live music. Organized and presented in partnership with the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley.
6:15-7:30 pm: Qigong class demo + drop-in participation
7:00 pm: Talk on Medicinal Properties of Green Tea (approx. 20 min)
Ongoing: Free raffle drawing
VIDEO
Click to watch a Qi Gong demonstration with John Chang.
FEatured artwork
Bhaisajyaguru, the Buddha of medicine
Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Stone dyed to imitate lapis lazuli, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60J243. On view in Gallery 13, the Chinese Jade Treasury on the third floor.
Bhaiajyaguru (藥師佛 Ch.Yàoshīfó, 薬師 Jp.Yakushi), more formally Bhaiajyaguruvaidūryaprabha (Jp. 薬師瑠璃光如来 Yakushirurikō nyorai) and also known as the Master of Healing or Medicine Buddha, is the Buddha of healing. His full name means "Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light". In Mahayana Buddhism, Bhaiṣajyaguru represents the healing aspect of the historical Buddha Sakyamuni. The use of the analogy of a Buddha being depicted as a doctor who cures the illness of suffering using the medicine of his teachings appears widely in Buddhist scriptures.
The practice of veneration of the Medicine Buddha is also popular in China, as he is depicted as one of the trinity of Buddhas, the others being the founder Gautama Buddha and Amitabha of the Pure Land sect. Like Tibetan Buddhists, Chinese Buddhists recite the mantra of the Medicine Buddha to overcome sickness. He is also closely associated with ceremonies for temple donors and for transferring of merit to such donors.
Now in its 17th year, the Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley strives to be the United States center of international collaboration in Oriental Medicine training, education, treatment, and research; and to be a leader in the advancement of Integrative Medicine by embracing the multiple traditions of Oriental, Complementary, and Western medicines. Its mission is to serve the community by promoting health, harmony and wellness through the training and education of successful practitioners of Oriental Medicine and through the education and therapeutic treatment of the members of the community.
Melody of China, a non-profit organization, is the premiere Chinese music ensemble based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization was formed in 1993 by a group of enthusiastic professional musicians from some of the most prestigious music conservatories in China. The ensemble has a two-fold mission: to promote Chinese classical, folk and contemporary music, and to provide quality entertainment through the synergy between an ancient cultural tradition and youthful, multi-colored American culture. Toward such an end, Melody of China has been busy with regular concert performances as well as presenting a variety of educational programs for local schools and community events. Multi-instrumentalist Hong Wang and yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer) virtuoso Yangqin Zhao co-lead the ensemble. Members of MOC include: Wanpen Guo on sheng (mouth organ), Linhong Li on pipa (Chinese lute); Haiyue Zhang on ruan (moon guitar) and liuqin (Chinese mandolin) Gangqin Zhao on guzheng (table harp), Xian Lu on dizi (Chinese bamboo flutes) and other wind instruments, Wei Wang on percussion and Zhang Yu on suona (double reeds). In addition, the ensemble’s programs often include guest appearances by many professional musicians visiting or residing in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Teance is located in Berkeley, California just east of San Francisco, home of some of the most leading gourmet food and beverage products in the world. Formerly known as Celadon Fine Teas, the mission of Teance is to promote tea connoisseurship. By providing the most pure, premium, seasonal whole leaf teas possible, they hope to introduce to the consumer the enjoyment, health benefits, and the serenity that comes with drinking tea. Teance is named for tea and all of the elegant thoughts associated with it: nuance, ambiance, elegance.
Since opening in January of 2002, their tearoom and shop, Celadon Fine Teas, has been featured in the May 2003 Organic Style, where it mentioned our Pre-Rain Dragonwell and Wen Shan Baochong under their 10 best teas list. They were also featured in Sunset magazine's January 2003 Best of the West issue, as well as reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Express, and numerous other San Francisco Bay Area publications.
Photos
MATCHA is made possible by support from Wells Fargo
