Qi Energy Components

QI AND THE ENERGY VORTICES

We will begin here with the academic part of this section, for if we are not familiar with the terms and details of the Chinese physiological and energy systems then practice becomes meaningless.

The key to understanding Indian and Chinese medicine are the concepts of Qi and Prajna, and distinctions between the physical human body and the etheric body. Related to these is the flow along meridians,經絡, jīngluò; various points upon those meridians,穴位, xuéwèi and the Lun, 轮, which are best understood as energy vortices. Clearly the function of organs, the endocrine system, and mental function are integrated with these.

So let us begin by turning our attention to Qi and then continue on the subject of the meridians, the points upon those meridians and the Lun (chakras) themselves.

QI ENERGY, 气, Vital breath

We can consider it to be the energizing life force of the body.

Chinese medical theory posits five types of positive Qi and a set of individual Qi which are related specifically to each organ. The five are:

  Yuan Qi (Original or prenatal)

  Wei Qi (Defensive, body sensing of sensory irritations, nutrition, air)

  Zheng Qi (made up of the collective Qi of the organs)

  Organ Qi (from the five organs and six bowels)

  Ying Qi (Construction).

Xie Qi (Evil Qi) is the negative manifestation of Qi caused by pathogens that causes illness, disease and death.

In Contemplation, stablizing and unifying this Qi becomes very important.

PRAJNA, 般若, bōrě

Taking metaphysical jargon out of terminology, Prajña means the realization of the emptiness of all phenomenal existence.

Prajña is therefore balanced by natural not social compassion, which is one part essential of the Wisdom of Shen and part of Zeal...

The Prajña-paramita Sutras of the Mahayanas, such as the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra, are founts where this emptiness can be understood and used as a landmark of practice when realizing the direct experiences.

For the Theravada Buddhists, Prajña means to gain an intuitive understanding of the Four Noble Truths, Dependent Origination and the Law of Karma, Insight or Vipassana, which are also means to attain such wisdom.

Prajna in operation, by means of  diligent practice, reveals the inherent suffering, impermanence and absence of self in all phenomena. The development of Prajna then is one base for the re-establishment of Qi equilibrium.

NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES

It is said within Chinese medical circles that the emotions we feel relate directly to our internal organs. When one feels happiness, the feeling affects the heart and that excessive happiness can create as much heart trouble as excessive fear might harm the kidneys. 

Now things are more complex than that, for the excessive happiness which is referred to here is the happiness generated as a result of attaining an object of desire. It is then Identity happiness. It does not refer to the natural joy of awe, ecstasy, bliss and well-being.

"This natural joy, together with, aversion, undifferentiated excitation, thought, sorrow, fear and panic (fright) are the seven affects, which are natural human responses to the environment. But these same seven have counterfeit equivalents which Chinese medicine regards as being the seven affects capable of negatively influencing the functions of the bowels and viscera."

Human experience of these emotions feeds into the organs, and unbalanced or excessive emotion leads to illness and disease. In this way, thought and emotion manifest on the physical plane.

Illness and disease related to organs find their roots in disturbances of related to the seven negative affects, which we traditionally call emotions.

This negative energy of these negative emotional affects lingers inside internal organs, thus engendering illness.

 Identity grief and sorrow for example may lead to lung problems, or Identity aversion may cause liver disease. 

 The heart is associated with Identity excitement and happiness.

 The spleen, with Identity obsession and worry.

 The lungs, with Identity grief and sorrow.

 The kidneys, with Identity fear and panic.

 The liver, with Identity aversion and envy.

These health problems may find relief through accessing and balancing Qi at accupuncture points found along specific meridians related to specific organs or through correct meditation, which reduces these Identity symptoms.

It should be clear however that if the person continues with the behavior which generated Identity clinging and craving then there will be a certain re-occurrence of illness.

You may have noticed that certain Identity dominances have a special tendency to develop an illness relative to their dominant characteristic.

The person with aversive will be inclined towards liver problems, the confused with kidney problems, the acquisitive with lung problems and those with an unbalanced preoccupation with future events problems with the spleen. Heart problems are not the exclusive realm of any one chracter dominance and it must also be remembered that although each person has an individual dominance, the other Identity complexes are also present.

THE IDENTITIES

Here we simply enter a brief note indicating that there are no real identities and that each Identity is a reification of sets of memory traces related to thought, emotion, visceral excitement, and cognitive over-stimulation.

THE MERIDIANS 經絡, jīngluò

Over 5,000 years ago, the ancient Chinese discovered a subtle energy in the body that can't be seen, felt or found with the senses. Energy disturbances in the subtle bodies precede the manifestation of abnormal patterns of cellular organization and growth.

Matter and energy are two different manifestations of the same primary energetic substance of which everything in the universe is composed, including our physical and subtle bodies.

Matter, which vibrates at a very slow frequency, is referred to as physical matter. That which vibrates at speeds exceeding light velocity is known as subtle matter. Subtle matter is as real as dense matter; its vibratory rate is simply faster.

The major meridians are paths of this energy which stream deep inside the body. The Chinese were especially concerned with eliminating energy blockages in the energetic body channels. They created intricate maps of these canals.

QI FLOW AND THE MERIDIANS

Qi circulates along these meridians or energy canals in the human body in a similar way that radio waves travel through space. These radiate to and resonate with all cells in the body.

Although imperceptible, like radio waves, electricity moving faster than the speed of light continuously charges the body. When this energy flow is unrestricted, the body harmonizes the flow to optimize body functioning.

When we abuse mind or body, the effect is to "block" the circuit.

In recent studies, radioactive technetium 99m and phosphorus p32 were injected into acupuncture points of patients, and gamma-camera imaging and microautoradiography followed the isotopes' uptake. The radioactive substances migrated along classical acupuncture meridian pathways, through a series of fine, duct-like tubules (approximately 0.5 - 1.5 microns in diameter) for a distance of 30 cm in four to six minutes.

Fluid extracted from these tubules revealed high concentrations of DNA, RNA, amino acids, hyaluronic acid, sixteen types of free nucleotides, adrenaline, corticosteroids, estrogen, and other hormonal substances in levels far different from those ordinarily found in the bloodstream.

In specific locations (points) over ten times the blood level of adrenaline was found and quantitative measurements have demonstrated that there occurs a nearly twenty-fold drop in electrical resistance at those points.

This presence of hormones and adrenaline within ductal fluids also suggest a link between the meridian system and the endocrine gland regulation of the body.

Energy of this meridian system also reaches the tissue cell nuclei, which are the genetic control centers of the cells.

The meridian system also plays an important role in both replication and differentiation (specialization) of all cells in the body, providing an intermediate informational guidance system to the developing cells of the body.

The completed spatial orientation of the meridian system occurs earlier than organ formation, and is guided by a holographic energy-field template known as the etheric body which was explained.

The meridian system is also a specialized type of electrolytic fluid system that conducts the subtle energies of Qi from the external environment to deeper organ structures.

THE EIGHT HOMEOSTATC RETAINING VESSELS  奇經八脈  Qi Jing Ba Mai

Translated as Qi's "eight wonderful (energy) artery pass throughs".

The eight extraordinary Qi vessels are an important part of meridian Qi flow. These vessels form  interconnections with the meridians, but each has its own functional characteristics and independent function.

Only two of the eight vessels (the Governing and the Conception vessels) are used, for the others have not been sufficiently researched and are not well understood.

They act rather like holding areas which fill with Qi and then discharge according to Qi requirements. As such, they contribute to homeostatic maintenance.

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC POINTS 穴位 xuéwèi

In the energy communication lines of the meridians, points can be detected consisting of small palpable spots. These points are electro-magnetic in character, which can be located by hand with micro-electrical voltage meters and with muscle testing, when they are abnormally functioning.

These points, mapped and used for centuries to optimize human performance, are connections between the positive and negative meridians and functions of the body, including internal organs and muscles.

While they are mentioned here so that the whole system can be understood, they do not form a part of our Zeal or Shen renovation

However, these points are useful in treatment and in diagnosis of visceral, emotional and mental imbalance.

The subtle magnetic Qi currents flowing through the meridians are not electrical in nature, but they are able to induce secondary electrical fields that create measurable changes at the physical cellular level through the induction of secondary electrical fields. These induced electrical fields are translated into DC-current interactions from the higher energy meridians into the physical body and affect primary bio-electronic processes, which provide and maintain coherence within the physical-cellular structure.

THE VORTICES (Chakras)  轮 lún, which means "to rotate".​

   The vortices are actually stable perturbations related to the Qi energy flow within the meridians that takes the form of a torus, in which the flow rotates in the section of the torus so that the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the torus balances body forces.

These tori are surfaces of revolution generated as a result of a revolving circle of energy in three-dimensional space about an axis that is coplanar with the circle. The axis of the energy flow in normal circumstances does not touch the circle of revolving energy.

There are many vortices in the human organism, but seven are considered to be the most essential to healthy balance and equilibrium that is both mental and physical.