Aoki san’s Five Health Practices

I had the privilege of meeting Kazoku Aoki at the Hawaii branch temple, where she served as a patron of the ceremony. During our encounter, she assisted in the transition from lay practitioner to novice priest by presenting me with a black robe and offering guidance in its proper attire. This experience reinforced my admiration for the traditional transmission of dharma and medicine from person to person.

Ms. Aoki is a remarkable individual, who has made cultivating her heart a priority, despite facing adverse circumstances. As a survivor of the atomic bombing in Japan in 1945, she has maintained excellent health throughout her 80-plus years, despite being within one kilometer of the impact site. In an effort to further our understanding of the effects of radiation exposure, she has chosen to donate her body to research.

In our conversation, Ms. Aoki shared her deep respect for traditional herbal medicines and the lifestyle philosophy that they embody. She has relied on these remedies throughout her life and is dedicated to supporting holistic approaches to health preservation. Her life serves as a testament to the Buddhist teachings of compassion, generosity, and patience.

1) The mind. Aoki-san said she harbors no anger or ill-will from the war. Maintaining a warring mind- whether with other people or inside us against the organisms that we carry – is harmful. She doesn’t hold onto negative emotions and cultivates a compassionate and generous mind. Health starts inside.

2) The breath. Regulating and deeply breathing clean air are important. She practices ‘kikou’, a type of breathing and movement exercise everyday. This is similar to qi gong or intentional breathing with gentle movement.

3) Drinking water. Invest in a water purifier and remove contaminants from your drinking and cooking water. 

4) Five colors of food. Try to buy organic and eat whole foods. Avoid pesticides and chemicals. Eat simply and try to have a variety of colors in each meal.

5) Avoid pollutants outside and inside. Living in a clean environment is important as many of the fumes from cars, pesticides from farms, antibiotics and manufactured chemicals in processed foods or chemicals that leech into the water all destroy the other types of life in the body. Aoki-san said we need to learn to live in harmony with the other organisms we have, not constantly try to kill and control them.