Yuan qi, 元氣 and Yuan shen, 元神
Yuan qi
元氣
Yuan Qi is the Chinese name given to the energy form that is the prime mover of Change. The activation of Yuan Qi generates a flow of Qi which transforms the Feminine Principle root Life Force criteria into Masculine principle Expression.
There are several formulas for practice that generate progressive experiences towards that of yuan qi, 元氣, as the mover behind all cycles of change, but what really is this yuan qi, 元氣, that the ancient Chinese spoke of? Some like to call it paradoxically undefinable energy, but that leads to talking in riddles that helps little in producing understanding.
Qi, we know, is energy with all the properties that science has discovered and named, and in doing so generated a dual, albeit useful, conceptualizations of this energy. We cannot really speak of a Qi as a third force present behind the Life Force itself, for that leads to easy transcendental cloud-bearing dialogue, as the great bard declared, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
It is equally useless conceptually to create, as is often done, its image as a central node where ying and yang meet, as the crossing point of the corpus callosum, which gives it a physiological image, or as the central undestructible love fulcrum of lovers. Neither does the unification of two poles of duality generate an adequate idea.
Without getting into verbal baggage at least let us accept the original idea of yuan qi as the cosmic parent that births yin and yang, and yet remains within them in their qi states as yin and yang.
We can say that yuan qi is the energy force that moves all things, devoid of any properties used to describe it. That sems to put it back once more as the undefinable energy, but it is not quite that for we can determine that it is the ENERGY EXPERIENCE, boundless and with an unlimited conscientability (new word) and is not a PRODUCT or CONSEQUENCE.
It is then the language core of nature and is responsible for all Life force programs generated and given evolutionary birth as the Female component (basic Life Force programs) not as the male expression.
If you can find and stay centered in the unconscious awareness of this experience then you have the freedom to enter every moment of your life the effortless state of wuwei.
Alright, getting right to the very core itself, Yuan qi is the experience of Awakening itself, the undifferentiated light of all energy birth. Furthermore we can speculate and determine that it is the combined experience of Raw Awareness that is without an object and the stream of Mindfulness Mind Moments that are also without objects.
It is what generates through function, essence and undifferentiated form all that is known to consciousness and all that consciousness can ever generate. That idea makes itself evident in the etymological analysis of yuan, which means "original or beginning", when we know that there was no beginning to energy nor an end. The etymology declares that the character is that of a man with the head accentuated. We may say that it is from the expanded mind of man himself that yuan qi arises and can be recognized.
It is the unconditional fount of the Life Force.
Yuan qi, 元氣 is then The Life Force
Naturally it has different aspects depending upon the site of its application, but always present as the basic experience of Equanimity, Compassion, Benevolent Affect and Gladness.
Yuan shen, 元神
Yuan qi, 元氣, is made known by yuan shen, 元, the spirit of Transformation Shen itself. For those advanced in our meditations we can say that the unified experience of Yuan shen, 元神, at the first moment of its discernment is the experience of that transformation.
That experience is the important element which we are interested in here. It is essetially the energy path which transmits the programs of the Mother Principle into Masculine Principle expression. We know that that expression is the basic survival paradigm. It generates the Life Force experiences that dictate criteria for survival of four factors: Self, Tribe, Offspring and the Environment that supports these. This fourth element is unique to the human system and is the most advanced of the survival factors.
We human creatures have managed to block this Yuan shen so completely that the Identity commands all survival factors and has led the human creature into this sad state of auto-destruction.
It is this Life Force, Yuan qi , 元氣, that forms the unconscious or hidden Yin, 阴, the Feminine Principle which we also know as PURE MIND SHEN 心神. Yuan shen therefore flows from SHEN in our model to HUN, the Yang, 阳性, Masculine Principle.
Yuan qi, 元氣 > SHEN 心神 >Yuan shen, 元神 > HUN, 魂 >
But what we are interested here is the nature of that Yuan shen force. In other words, its function and the related experiences.
The four direct Contemplations of Yuan shen are, as one can imagine, the four survival factors: Self, Offspring, Tribe and the Environment. . However, these factors are best used with the usual "ultimate conceptualizations" and Contemplations using Attitude, Intention, Response Readiness and the Command to Action.
What we are interested in is revitalizing this flow of energy that permits the generation of the set of viable criteria of survival in HUN, the left hemisphere Masculine Principle
THE CONTEMPLATIONS
THE SURVIVAL FACTORS
Yuan qi, 元氣 > SHEN 心神 >Yuan shen, 元神 > HUN, 魂 >
^
THE FOUR SURVIVAL FACTORS: Self, Offspring, Tribe and the Environment.
These four are, of course, just words which describe the final targets of the final Hun Experiences and they are Cognitive. But the actual operation of these four stemming from SHEN 心神 is an energy force.
We can best in this model describe these four as ONE force which has its fount in the core of True Self and extends generating ever increasing energy.
Thus True Self energy expands to generate the application to reproduction (offspring), further expands to generate application to one's tribe and finally expands to include the environment which supports these three.
The revitalization of these four requires, as it were, a driving force external to this series and that is provided by the Energy of Contemplation directed to each of the four components.
THE SELF
The True Self as a concept is the cognitive base (vitakka), from which the Cognitive experience with joy arises (vicara). Dwelling within this the contemplation as the conscious element as a Cognitive Experience ceases, the corresponding unconscious experiences are energized and this provides the drive for the Yuan Shen force component.
The "True Self" concept must therefore be built by Reflection, using not the cognitive idea of the Identity self, but the True Self which is the natural and correct right hemisphere OBSERVING that is without content.
OFFSPRING
The reflection now turns to the Cognitive building of the most simple concept of "offspring" as possible. Often the generation of the offspring as "seed", with the "inherent growth and development" understood to be present. This also as vitakka is transfomed into the cognitive experience, which when dwelt within with joy and patience is transformed into the revitalizing force of the appropriate unconscious experience.
TRIBE
This is the most difficult of the four Last Conceptualizations, for the union with "tribe" has long ago fallen by the wayside when it was confronted by the "self Identity" of so-called civilized man.
Nevertheless, the Last conceptuliztion of "tribe" as one unified force benefiting survival must be built as a word series within Vitakka and then allowed to generate the Cognitive Experience of a total "Oneness" with every human creature. Dwelling thus with corresponding joy, the cognitive Experince gives way to the driving experience that is subliminal.
ENVIRONMENT
Folowing on naturally as a Cognitive Experience, which must be built without particular contents of the environment, from the vitakka reflection, the unconscious Experience that will drive that element within Yuan shen, 元神, wiil be applied.
Within each of these four revitalizing contemplations there will be a corresponding physical experience with an amplication of energy with each advance in the series.
THE YUAN SHEN, 元神, PATH
Yuan qi, 元氣 is then The Life Force
XIN SHEN 心神 Pure Mind Shen, (right hemisphere feminine principle), To Do
yuan shen, 元神, the spirit of Transformation Shen
Hun, 魂 (left hemisphere masculine principle), Shen Expression Doing
YUAN SHEN, 元神 , TRANSFORMATION FOR HUN
Attitude, Intention, Response Readiness and the Command to Action.
accompanied by
Equanimity, Compassion, Benevolent Affect and Gladness.
It is Attitude, Intention, Response Readiness and the Command to Action that become the final set of operations which will within Hun be transformed into the expressions of the feminine principle.
Thes also are just word concepts which are useless, in and of themselves, if not transformed into driving forces for the yuan shen, 元神, application upon Hun.
These four then must be generated as last conceptualizations which in turn will bring the corresponding Cognitive experience of each and then the Unconscious driving experiences necessary.
Once again we can discern that these four are really one energy force with different intensity which commences with the Attitude formation and increses, providing finally the force for Action.
Remember that these four provide a comparator base for cognition and do not actually play a part within Cognition, except with that function.
The Last Conceptualization of the Cognitive Experience
This is one of the few cases where the Cognitive Experience might be easier to develop than the vitakka word concept compilation.
If one examines every single attitude which is generated each day, one can with careful observation detect a corresponding experience. These experiences are Identity experiences connected to Identity Attitudes, and in and of themselves are not useful.
But if one is consciously aware of there presence that accompanies all thinking then when there does arise an attitude that is noble and correct, even though, generated by the stained mind, there will be a cognitive experience which is different from that dissociated with your usual attitudes.
It is that momentary experience which must be captured and brought to mind within the Reflection as the vicara Cognitive Experience.
Using this experience dwell within it with corresponding joy and the natural ssubliminal experience wil rise and become a revitalizing drive for yuan shen, 元神, applied to Hun.
This then brings about the potential expression of the survival principles directed at Self, Offspring, Tribe and the Environment, within Hun itself.
Equanimity , Compassion, Benevolent Affect and Gladness
NOTE
Yuan qi, 元氣 > SHEN 心神 >Yuan shen, 元神 > HUN, 魂 >
Yuan qi, 元氣 is then The Life Force
XIN SHEN 心神 Pure Mind Shen, (right hemisphere feminine principle), To Do
yuan shen, 元神 , the spirit of Transformation Shen
Hun, 魂 (left hemisphere masculine principle), Shen Expression Doing
* * * * *
Revision of the Rexin series
HUN, 魂 > Rexin, 热心 > PO, 魄
Rexin, 热心, the transforming Zeal.
And from the perseverance series
PO 魄 > 積極性 jī jí xìng > YI, 仪 > 志意 yi zhi > ZHI, 志 > 恒心 heng xin > HENG SHEN, 恒神
jī jí xìng 積極性, the energy force of Initiative
YI, 仪, Initiative
yi zhi , 志意, the wish to aspire
ZHI, 志, Determination
heng xin, 恒心, Perseverance
HENG SHEN, 恒神, Permanent Spirit