emotions

Jul

2015

Heart Relationship to Sense Organs

The five sensory orifices, referring to the nose, ears, eyes, lips, and tongue, are each paired with specific visceral organs. In particular, the Heart, regarded as ‘the emperor or sovereign ruler’, gives residence to Shen – a level of ‘Spirit’ which activates all mental activities, as well as perceives the emotional stimulus of all of the organs. The Heart has relationships with the other orifices beyond its own link with the tip of the tongue.

Heart 心 is the only organ with insight to do that.

For example, the eyes are related to Liver, but are also related to Heart. The Heart supplies blood, and blood vessels supply the eyes. According to the Su Wen 素問, the first medical text to address basic questions, theoretic foundations and diagnostics in Chinese medicine, excessive use of the eyes injures the Heart as well as the blood of the Liver. Diagnostically, the eyes are the most important window of Shen (or Spirit) that is inherently stored in the Heart, and although the eyes are particularly the orifice of the Liver, sight is a manifestation of the function of Heart.

Well-Wishes to All

Dec

2012

THE SOVEREIGN NUMBER 9 ☯

Moon Bridge, Beijing, China ☯ Creatively adapted by E.C.O.M.A.

The highest number in Chinese numerology is 9, which is often associated with the Heart. In addition to the numbers 5 and 12 in symbolic categorization of phenomena, according to numbers, 9 plays an important role in ancient Chinese cosmology. 9 is the number symbolic from which all else transpires. Sacred books such as the Tao te Ching and the Huangdi NeiJing were often written in 81 chapters [i.e. 9 x 9], indicating that the content of said book is inspired by a Heavenly source and descriptive of Heavenly measures. In medical texts, there are occasional references to a resonance between the 9 provinces on Earth [Jiu Zhou] and the 9 orifices of humans [Jiu Qiao]. -Heiner Fruehauf

If you wish to read the relevant passage in context, an excellent [and the only complete] English translation is published, ‘The Huainanzi.’: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-14204-5/the-huainanzi. Interestingly, the somewhat enigmatic term Jiu Jie, or the Nine Regions of Heaven, is only used once in ancient Chinese literature, namely this passage from The Huainanzi. Most traditional commentators of this passage mention that the number 9 refers to the 8 directions of the bagua, accounting for the center.

Apr

2012

The Pivotal Role of Emotions

How All Disease Is a Matter of Heart-Spirit, According to Classical Chinese Medicine

The defining classics of Chinese medicine establish that it is the invisible forces of Shen [Heart-Spirit] and Qi [vital energy] that rule matter. While western medicine is rooted in the modern science of matter analysis, modern and ancient physicians of classical oriental medicine view nature, energy, and consciousness in the relationship of matter..

“Heaven comes first,” states the Ling Shu, “Earth is second.” Or in the more elaborate words of Liu Zhou, a 6th century philosopher: “If the Spirit is at peace, the Heart is in harmony; when the Heart is in harmony, the body is whole. If the Spirit becomes aggravated the Heart wavers, and when the Heart wavers the body becomes injured. If one seeks to heal the physical body, one must therefore first regulate the Spirit.”

Chinese medicine asserts that discovering well-being comes from appreciating the real goodness inherent in very simple experiences, pivotal to emotional wellbeing.