According to Qigong theory, though your Xin (emotional mind, ) is able to raise up your spirit, this mind can also make your Shen confused, so that it leaves its residence. You must use your Yi (wisdom mind) constantly to restrain and control your Shen at the residence.
In Qigong, when your Qi can reach and nourish your Shen efficiently, your Shen will be energized to a higher level and, in turn, conduct the Qi in its circulation. Shen is the force which keeps you alive, and it is also the control tower for the Qi. When your Shen is strong, your Qi is strong and you can lead it efficiently. When your Shen is weak, your Qi is weak and the body will degenerate rapidly. Likewise, Qi supports the Shen, energizing them and keeping them sharp, clear, and strong. If the Qi in your body is weak, your Shen will also be weak.
Once you know the residence of your Shen, you must understand the root of your Shen, and learn how to nourish it and make it grow. We have already discussed Original Essence (Yuan Jing, ), which is the essential life inherited from your parents. After your birth, this Original Essence is your most important energy source. Your Original Qi (Yuan Qi, ) is created from this Original Essence, and it mixes with the Qi generated from the food you eat and the air you breathe to supply the energy for your growth and activity. Naturally, this mixed Qi is nourishing your Shen as well. While the Fire Qi will energize your Shen, Water Qi will strengthen the wisdom mind to control the energized Shen. The Shen which is kept in its residence by the Yi, which is nourished by the Original Qi, is called Original Shen (Yuan Shen, ). Therefore, the root of your Original Shen is traced back to your Original Essence. When your Shen is energized but restrained by your Yi it is called “Jing Shen” (), literally “Essence Shen,” which is commonly translated “spirit of vitality.”
Original Shen is thought of as the center of your being. It is able to make you calm, clear your mind, and firm your will. When you concentrate your mind on doing something, it is called “Ju Jing Hui Shen” (), which means “gathering your Jing to meet your Shen.” This implies that when you concentrate, you must use your Original Essence to meet and lift up your Original Shen, so that your mind will be calm, steady, and concentrated. Since this Shen is nourished by your Original Qi, which is considered Water Qi, Original Shen is considered Water Shen.
For those who have reached a higher level of Qigong practice, cultivating the Shen becomes the most important subject. For Buddhists and Daoists the final goal of cultivating the Shen is to form or generate a Holy Embryo (Xian Tai, ) from their Shen, and nourish it until the spiritual baby is born and can be independent. For the average Qigong practitioner however, the final goal of cultivating Shen is to raise the Shen through Qi nourishment while maintaining control with the Yi. This raised Shen can direct and govern the Qi efficiently to achieve health and longevity.
In conclusion, we would like to point out that your Shen and brain cannot be separated. Shen is the spiritual part of your being and is generated and controlled by your mind. The mind generates the will, which keeps the Shen firm. The Chinese commonly use Shen (spirit) and Zhi (will) together as “Shen Zhi” () because they are so related. In addition, you should understand that when your Shen is raised and firm, this raised spirit will firm your will. They are mutually related, and assist each other. From this you can see that the material foundation of the spirit is your brain. When it is said “nourish your Shen,” it means “nourish your brain.” As we discussed previously, the original nourishing source is your Jing. This Jing is then converted into Qi, which is led to the brain to nourish and energize it. In Qigong practice, this process is called “Fan Jing Bu Nao” (), which means “to return the Jing to nourish the brain.”
Chinese people will frequently use both “Yi” () and “Xin” () at different times to mean “mind,” often confusing people who are not familiar with the Chinese language. Before advancing any further, you should first be sure that you have a clear understanding of the subtle differences between these two words.
Yi is the mind which is related to wisdom and judgment. When Yi has an idea, it strives to bring it to actualization in the physical world as either an event you will seek to bring about, or as an object you will create. The Yi is focused and firmed by the will.
Chinese people also use the word “Xin” to mean “mind,” although the word literally means “heart.” While Xin also denotes the presence of an idea, this idea is much weaker than that expressed in Yi. Xin is generated from and affected by the emotions. This mind is passive instead of active like the Yi. When someone says he has Yi to do something, this means he intends to do it. If he says he has Xin to do it, this means his emotions intend to do it, he has within him the desire to do it, but he may lack the strength of resolve to actually commit himself. For example, your wisdom mind (Yi) knows you must do something before a certain deadline, but your emotional mind (Xin) tries to convince you that it is not a big deal, and you needn’t worry too much about it. In most people, the emotional mind is stronger than the wisdom mind. They act according to how they feel, instead of what they think. We’ve all heard the comment at one time or another: “You’re your own worst enemy.” Your emotional mind is your wisdom mind’s enemy. The emotional mind is the source of laziness, bad temper, emotional upset, and so on. If your wisdom mind is able to dominate your emotional mind, you will surely be a success in whatever you attempt.
Sometimes people will put both words together and say “Xin Yi” () to denote the mind which is generated from both emotion and thought. Since most of the thought was generated and given its primal nature by the emotions first, before being refined by the will, the word Xin is placed before Yi. This is a good example of how Xin is used to denote the emotional mind, and Yi is used for the mind of wisdom, intention, and will. In meditation society it is said: “Yi Xin Hui Yi” (), which means “modulate the Xin (emotional mind) to match the Yi (wisdom mind).” This means that the emotional aspect and the wisdom aspect of your mind must work together in harmony during meditation. Only then will you be able to use your Yi to regulate your body, for it is also said: “Yi Yi Hui Shen” () which means “use your Yi to meet the body.”
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Xin and Shen are commonly used together as “Xin Shen” (). This refers to the emotional mind which affects or is affected by Shen. When a person is absent-minded or confused, people say “Xin Shen Bu Ning” (
