Vital Substances Flashcards
What are the three vital substances?
Qi (bioenergy)
Jing (Essence)
Shen (Spirit)
Order the vital substances from least to most dense
Shen, Qi, Jing (condensed Yang)
Jing is:
basic or nutritive/generative essence
related to body energy and the foundation for life/procreation
Qi is:
life force connected with air, vapor, and breath; it is impetus and movement with the ability to transform
related to mind energy and bodily animation
Shen is:
spiritual essence linked with consciousness, the soul, and supernaturalism; it contains the 5 aspects of the greater Spirit
related to spiritual energy and mirroring the state of emotion of mind/emotions/soul
Heavenly essence _____ form
precedes
This Essence may become incarnate in the forms we see on earth
Jing is associated with the _____ of the sun and moon
light
What types of Jing/Essence may we have?
Earlier Heaven/Prenatal Essence
Later Heaven/Postnatal Essence
Stored/General Essence
Middle/Gallbladder Essence*
Where do we get Earlier Heaven Essence? What is its purpose?
From our parents; it is the foundation of the body; it is the signs of aging that stem from Earlier Heaven Essence deficiencies
Where do we get Later Heaven Essence? What is its purpose?
It is generated from what we eat/drink/breathe; can make up for deficiencies in Earlier Heaven Essence, which is hard to build back up – can only be done in certain esoteric practices
What is General Essence? What is its purpose?
It is a combination of the two above Essences (EHE, LHE); it is located in the organs that store but do not drain (zang) – mainly Kidney is involved in this
If zang organs cannot hold their contents, they may become _____ _____, leading to a lack of _____, which ultimately leads to _____.
Yin deficient
Qi
death
Only Kidneys can have a diagnosis of both _____ and _____
Yin deficiency
Essence deficiency
What is Gallbladder Essence? What is interesting about it?
Gallbladder Essence may be termed Middle Essence that is stored in the Gallbladder; GB is a fu organ and an extraordinary organ (weird), so it would not normally store a vital substance… however, it does (Essence/bile)
Essence Functions
Growth, reproduction, development Basis of Kidney Qi Produces Marrow Basis of constitutional strength Serves as the material foundation
Differentiate between Qi and Jing
Essence: many aspects resembling water; Qi: resembles energy
E: mostly residing in Kidneys; Qi: moves everywhere
E: difficult to replenish; Qi: day-to-day replenishment
E: long, 7-8 year cycles; Qi: shorter cycles influenced by natural cycles of outside environment
E: slow, gradual change; Qi: constant movement/change
Qi is …
energy, material, immaterial, single, multiple, everywhere, multifunctional; also defined as the root of a human being
What are the functions of Qi?
Transformation, movement and transport, holding, protecting, and warming
Describe examples of Qi transformation.
Spleen: food/water –> food Qi –> body
Kidney Qi: fluids
Bladder Qi: urine
Heart Qi: Food Qi –> Blood (turns food essence red while infusing it with vitality and spirit)
Describe Qi movement and transportation.
Movement from one place to another
Movement of Qi - up, down, in, out (Qi Mechanism); brings forth a “normal” flow in order to determine what is “counterflow”
Describe examples of Qi movement/transformation.
Spleen Qi: transports Food Qi around body; move clear Yang up to head
Lung Qi: transports fluid to skin and diffusees Defensive Qi into interstitial spaces
Lung and Stomach Qi: move downward; counterflow causes issues
Describe the holding function of Qi.
Qi holds Blood in the Vessels (Spleen)
Qi holds organs in place; prolapse is deficiency
Describe the protecting and warming functions of Qi.
Defensive Qi defends the body from evil.
Qi governs warmth/warming; may also referred to as Yang deficiency
What are the healthy types of Qi?
Original/Primal/Source Qi; alternately, True Qi Food Qi - Nutritive and Defensive Air Qi Ancestral/Gathering Qi Zheng/Upright Qi Nutritive Qi - subdivision of Food Qi Defensive Qi - subdivision of Food Qi Meridian/Channel Qi - sourced from Original Qi Organ Qi - sourced from Original Qi
Describe Original Qi
It is the basic vitality of the body and is spread throughout the body via the San Jiao; it relies on and is transformed out of Kidney Essence; related to Gate of Life; drives growth/development; warms and stimulates for proper vital functions
Describe Food Qi
Associated with Earth (planet); transformed from food and fluid we ingest by the Spleen/Stomach and separated by the SI, voided by LI
Describe Air Qi
Associated with Heaven; comes in with the air we breathe to combine with Food Qi in order to produce Ancestral Qi
Lungs draw air in, but it is drawn deep into body via Kidneys
Describe Ancestral/Gathering Qi
Combination of Air and Food Qi; it is located in the chest and is the “Sea of Qi”
Flows in breathing passages, related to speech, sound, strength of inhalation and exhalation; runs through Heart and Vessels to move Qi and Blood
Describe Upright Qi
Keeps us healthy
Describe Nutritive Qi
Moves inside blood vessels with Blood; Nutritive Blood/Yin are alternate names
Transformed out of Essence Qi of the food/fluids we ingest
Nourishing and becomes transformed to generate Blood
Describe Defensive Qi
Moves outside blood vessels and on surface of body to nourish, warm, and regulate opening/closing
Must be in a balance with Nutritive Qi
What are the unhealthy types of Qi?
Pathogenic/Evil Qi - causes disease, arises outside body
Water Qi - abnormal water inside body; a disease category
What are the Five Spirits?
They are five aspects of the greater Spirit (Shen)
Yi - intention/consciousness of potentials/mind
Hun - non-corporeal soul
Po - corporeal soul
Zhi - will
Shen - spirit
Describe Yi.
Housed in the Spleen
Cosideration, deliberation, deciding likelihood
Focusing and discerning various directions and perspectives
Virtues - faithfulness, loyalty, sincerity
Enables and supports new manifestations to come into being
If there is a problem with Yi, what may it present as?
Worry, confusion, exaggerated sympathy, stifling loyalty or self-destructive generosity
Describe Hun.
Housed in the Liver
Considered a part of the person not attached to the physical body; will continue existing after destruction of the physical body
Virtue - kindness and benevolence
Blood aspect of Spirit
If there is a problem with Hun, what may it present as?
Unkind to self or others
Fostering of anger, envy, jealousy, hatred
Describe Po.
Housed in the Lung
Po ceases to exist when body dies; about momentary/instinctive reactions and is tied to the here and now; the unthinking/compelling passion that propels people throughout life
Virtues - being impartial, justice, deliberate/fair; precious (captures perfection and completeness of a single moment)
If there is a problem with Po, what may it present as?
Wild aggression, hysterical/animal-like
If in regards to the precious aspect - difficulty appreciating completion and sublimity of something passed away, ceased to exist, or died. The grief will linger and never resolve.
Describe Zhi.
Housed in the Kidney
Yin Zhi - “will that cannot be willed”; noticeable upon reflection; sense of unknown, fate, destiny, mystery
Yang Zhi - manifests in resolution and basic volition/intention of someone; qualities of force, self-determination, and arduous effort
Virtue - wisdom
If there is a problem with Zhi, what may it present as?
Yang Zhi - passivity and lack of assertiveness
Yin Zhi - allowance of Yang Zhi to run rampant (age-inappropriate behavior or wanting to be something you cannot)
Existential fear
Describe Shen.
Smaller “s” spirit housed in the Heart
Connects the greater Spirit with time and space; gives consciousness and clarity of interface with the larger world around us
Virtue - propriety; behavior in a socially-correct manner with a proper demeanor and style
If there is a problem with Shen, what may it present as?
Awkwardness in social relationships; incorrect social behavior; disorientation or delusion
Describe Blood as a Vital Substance
It is a very dense form of Qi
Responsive, accepting, effortless, soft, nurturing complement of clinical Qi
“Qi of food transformed by Spleen where it is sent to Heart to transform into Blood”
Excess can be transformed into Essence and stored in Kidney (and in reverse)
Nourishes the body and related to mental/emotional processing
Jin Fluids
Clear, light, watery; moisten and partially nourish the skin and muscles
Ye Fluids
Turbid, dense, heavy; moisten joints, spine, brain, marrow, and lubricate sense organ orifices
What is the Lower Dantian?
Below umbilicus
Powerstation of the body; vitality of body is dependent upon it; roots the body in the planet; destabilizes spiritual practices if undeveloped; focus of attention in esoteric practices
What is the Middle Dantian?
Around solar plexus/middle of chest
What is the Upper Dantian?
Around third eye
