stable.” Spirit is also related to Yi, or the wisdom mind. However, the Yi aspect of the mind is still the strongest, being generated from thought and will. This mind can firm the scattered emotional mind and the spirit, thereby raising the spirit. When the spirit is raised and firmed, the emotional mind (Xin) will be steady. “Yi” is commonly used together with will — “Yi Zhi” (). This implies that the wisdom mind and the will are working together. The wisdom mind is firmed by the will, and the will firms the wisdom mind.
In Chinese Qigong society it is believed that the emotional mind (Xin) is mainly generated from the Post-birth Qi or Food Qi (Shi Qi, ), which is converted from the food Essence, while the wisdom mind (Yi) comes from the Pre-birth Qi (Yuan Qi, ) which is converted from the Original Essence you inherited from your parents. The Post-birth Qi is considered to be “Fire” Qi, while the Pre-birth Qi is considered “Water” Qi. It is believed that your emotions and temper are closely related to the food you eat. It can be seen that the animals who eat plants are more tame and nonviolent than the animals which eat meat. Generally speaking, food which generates excessive Qi in the Middle Dan Tian usually makes the body more positive and makes the person more emotional. This effect can also be caused by dirty air, dirty thoughts, or the surrounding Qi (for example, in the summer when it is too hot). Certain foods and drugs can also directly interfere with clear thinking. For example, alcohol and drugs can stimulate your emotional mind and suppress your wisdom mind. The Qi generated from food is normally classified as Fire Qi, and it can reside in the Middle Dan Tian (solar plexus).
One part of Qigong training is learning how to regulate your Fire Qi and Water Qi so that they are balanced. This involves learning to use your wisdom mind to dominate and direct your emotional mind. One of the more common methods of strengthening the Water Qi (and wisdom mind) and weakening the Fire Qi (and emotional mind) is to greatly reduce or eliminate meat from the diet, and live mainly on vegetables. Daoists and Buddhists periodically fast in order to weaken the Fire Qi as much as possible, which allows them to strengthen their Water Qi and wisdom mind. This process of “cleaning” their bodies and minds is important in ridding the monks of emotional disturbance.
Dan Tian () is translated literally as “Elixir Field.” In Chinese Qigong society, three spots are considered Dan Tian. The first one is called “Xia Dan Tian” (Lower Dan Tian, ). In Chinese medicine it is called Qihai (Co-6, ), which means “Qi Ocean.” It is located about one to one and a half inches below your navel and about one to two inches deep, depending of course on the individual. In both Chinese medicine and Qigong society, the Lower Dan Tian is considered the wellspring of human energy. It is the residence of Original Qi (Yuan Qi, ), which has been converted from Original Essence (Yuan Jing, ).
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Figure 3-1. Conception and Governing Vessels
The human body has twelve Qi channels which are like rivers of Qi. They circulate Qi throughout the body, and connect the organs to the extremities. In addition to these twelve Qi rivers, there are eight “extraordinary Qi vessels.” These are like reservoirs of Qi, and they regulate the flow of Qi in the rivers (the twelve channels). In order to be healthy, the Qi reservoirs must be full and the Qi must flow smoothly without stagnation in the rivers (see the detailed explanation of human Qi circulation in Part 3).
Among the eight vessels is the Conception Vessel (Ren Mai, ), which is Yin, and the Governing Vessel (Du Mai, ), which is Yang. They are located on the center line of the front and the back of the torso and head, respectively, and run into one another, creating a closed loop about the body (Figure 3-1). The Qi in these two vessels must be full and circulate smoothly in order to regulate all of the Qi in the twelve rivers properly. At any particular time, there is a section of this circle where the Qi flow is stronger than in the other sections. This section is called “Zi Wu Liu Zhu” (), which means “mid-night and noon major flow,” and it keeps the Qi flowing in these two vessels. Qi behaves like water. If there is no difference in potential the Qi will stay still and become stagnant, and you are likely to become ill. Normally, this area of stronger Qi moves around the circle of these two vessels once every day.
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Figure 3-2. Huiyin cavity (Co-1)
Chinese Qigong practitioners believe that the Qi must be full and circulate strongly in these two vessels, for then they will be able to govern the entire body’s Qi effectively. They also believe that as a child you continually move the abdomen while breathing, which keeps the path of these two vessels clear. However, as you get older and gradually lose the habit of this abdominal movement, the path becomes obstructed and the Qi circulation weakens. The most significant blockage can occur in the Huiyin cavity (Co-1, )(Figure 3-2). Try an experiment. Use one finger to press firmly at your Huiyin cavity while your abdomen is moving in and out. You will discover that the Huiyin cavity moves up and down in sync with the in and out motion of the abdomen. It is this up and down motion of the perineum which keeps the Huiyin cavity clear for Qi circulation. For this reason, exercises which move the abdomen in and out are called “Fan Tong” ()(back to childhood) exercises.
Abdominal exercises not only open the Qi channels, they can also draw Original Qi from its residence in the Lower Dan Tian to join the Post-birth Qi in its circulation. Original Qi is considered the original vital source of human energy. Therefore, in and out abdominal exercise is also called “Qi Huo” (), which means “start the fire.” This hints at the way the Daoists build up Qi energy. The Daoists consider the Dan Tian to be the furnace in which they can purify and distill the elixir (Qi) for longevity.
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The second of the three Dan Tians is called the Middle Dan Tian (Zhong Dan Tian, ), and it is located at the solar plexus. The Middle Dan Tian is considered the center where the Post-birth Qi is produced and gathered. Post-birth Qi is the energy which is converted from the Jing (essence) of air and food. Post-birth Qi is affected therefore by the type of food you eat and the quality of the air you breathe. The level of your Post-birth Qi is also influenced by such things as whether you are getting enough
stable.” Spirit is also related to Yi, or the wisdom mind. However, the Yi aspect of the mind is still the strongest, being generated from thought and will. This mind can firm the scattered emotional mind and the spirit, thereby raising the spirit. When the spirit is raised and firmed, the emotional mind (Xin) will be steady. “Yi” is commonly used together with will — “Yi Zhi” (