Blind Dragon - Chapter 0.2
[This is because it makes me look smart ;p Hopefully you guys learn something interesting.]
First of all, internal cultivation is the cultivation of qi.
It can also be confused with the soul as the soul is more suited as the body is the vessel and the soul is the controller.
But in this story, qi is internal.
First of all what is qi?
I’m sure you all know but I also will be using this to help me in the future and not have to research more when Bo Yongliang mutters some random things about qi which enlightens the surroundings without knowing.
Qi can also be called chi or ki but ki is phonetically correct.
In traditional Chinese culture, qi (chi or ki) is believed to be a vital force forming part of any living entity.
Qi translates as “air” and figuratively as “material energy”, “life force”, or “energy flow” but mainly air or breath.
Qi is the central underlying principle in Chinese traditional medicine and in Chinese martial arts. The practice of cultivating and balancing qi is called qigong.
The ancient Chinese described qi as “life force”. They believed it permeated everything and linked their surroundings together. Qi was also linked to the flow of energy around and through the body (meridians and Dantian), forming a united functioning unit. This is why I have called it internal cultivation.
By understanding the rhythm and flow of qi, the ancient Chinese believed they could guide exercises and treatments to provide stability and longevity.
Fairly early on some Chinese thinkers began to believe that there were different fractions of qithe coarsest and heaviest fractions formed solids, lighter fractions formed liquids, and the most ethereal fractions were the “lifebreath” that animated living beings (basically vitality).
Yuan (origin) qi is a notion of innate or prenatal qi which is distinguished from acquired qi that a person may develop over their lifetime.
I believe Yuan Qi is also called Xiantian Qi as it is about something like becoming one with nature and something about being in the mother’s womb. I’m not sure as I don’t really remember and I am too lazy to research it.
Now I will talk about how qi flows throughout one’s body – meridians and dantian.
Firstly, I will explain dantian which can be translated as “elixir field”, “sea of qi” or simply as the “energy field”.
There are three dantian in the body, the lower dantian, middle dantian and upper dantian which means there are three areas that are a centre (center for you Americans) of qi and energy.
They are important focal points for meditative and exercise techniques such as qigong, martial arts such as t’ai chi ch’uan (tai chi), and in traditional Chinese medicine.
LOWER DANTIAN:
The lower dantian is located about three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel thus related to regeneration and sexual energy. It is also called “the golden stove” or the “cinnabar field” where the process of developing the elixir by refining and purifying essence (jing) into qi begins.
The dantian in many novels usually refer to the lower dantian as it is considered to be the foundation of rooted standing, breathing, and body awareness in qigong, Chinese martial arts, and other martial arts. The lower dantian has been described to be “like the root of the tree of life.”
It considered the physical center of gravity of the human body and is the seat of one’s internal energy (qi).
Extra:
The lower dantian corresponds to the yoga concept of the swadhisthana chakra. In yoga philosophy, it is thought to be the seat of prana that radiates outwards to the entire body.
MIDDLE DANTIAN:
[You guys better be reading this chapter seriously.]
The middle dantian is at the level of the heart, which is also called “the crimson palace,” associated with storing Spirit (Shen) and with respiration and health of the internal organs, in particular the thymus gland. This cauldron is where vitality or Qi is refined into Shen (spirit).
The thymus is a specialized organ of the immune system. The thymus is composed of two identical lobes and is located in front of the heart. The second one is not needed to be known to you all.
Just know that it produces T Cells which help the body adapt to foreign invaders. Basically makes your immune system stronger.
UPPER DANTIAN:
It is at the forehead between the eyebrows or third eye, which is also called “the muddy pellet”, associated with the pineal gland. This cauldron is where Shen or spirit is refined into Wu Wei or emptiness.
The third eye is also called the inner eye or the mind’s eye. It is a mystical and esoteric (the idea of categorising a wide range of Western traditions and philosophies together) concept of a speculative invisible eye which provides perception beyond ordinary sight.
Taoism teaches that the third eye, also called the mind’s eye, is situated between the two physical eyes, and expands up to the middle of the forehead when opened. Taoism claims that the third eye is one of the main energy centers of the body located at the sixth Chakra, forming a part of the main meridian, the line separating left and right hemispheres of the body.
In Taoist alchemical traditions, the third eye is the frontal part of the “Upper dantian” (upper cinnabar field) and is given the evocative name “muddy pellet”.
MERIDIANS:
So what is a meridian anyway?
In simple terms, it is an “energy highway” in the human body that transports qi to all over the body. Meridians can mapped throughout the body.
They flow within the body and not on the surface and meridians exist in corresponding pair. Each meridian has many acupuncture points along its path.
The term ‘meridian’ describes the overall energy distribution system of Chinese medicine and helps us to understand how basic substances of the body (Qi, blood and body fluids) pass through the whole body. The individual meridians themselves are often described as ‘channels’ or even ‘vessels’ which reflects the carrying, holding, or transportation of qi, blood and body fluids around the body.
They can also be thought as the circulatory system but meridians cannot be physically found in the body like blood vessels.
It’s better to think of meridians as a network that distributes qi.
There are twelve main meridians, or invisible channels, throughout the body with qi or energy flows.
Each limb has six channels travelling across it, three Yin channels on the inside, and three Yang channels on the outside. Each of the twelve regular channels corresponds to the five Yin organs, the six Yang organs as well as the Pericardium (a double walled sac that contains the heart). These are organs that have no counterpart in Western medicine but also relate to processes in the body.
It is also important to remember that organs should not be thought of as being identical with the physical, organs of the body.
Each meridian is a Yin Yang pair which means that each Yin organ is paired with its corresponding Yang Organ: the Yin Lung organ, for example, corresponds with the Yang large intestine.
Qi flows in a precise manner through the twelve regular meridians or channels.
First, qi flows from the chest area along the three arm Yin channels (Lung, Pericardium, and Heart) to the hands. There they connect with the three paired arm Yang channels (Large Intestine, San Jiao and Small Intestine) and flow upward to the head.
San Jiao is a term in traditional Chinese medicine as part of the model of the workings of the human body made by early Chinese medical writers. Search it up if you’re interested 🙂
In the head they connect with their three corresponding leg Yang Channels (Stomach, Gall Bladder and Bladder) and flow down the body to the feet. In the feet they connect with their corresponding leg Yin channels (Spleen, Liver, Kidney) and flow up again to the chest to complete the cycle of qi.
Channels:
– Arm Tai Yin channel corresponds to the Lung
– Leg Tai Yin channel corresponds to the Spleen
– Arm Shao Yin channel corresponds to the Heart
– Leg Shao Yin corresponds to the Kidney
– Arm Jue Yin corresponds to the Pericardium
– Leg Jue Yin corresponds to the Liver
– Arm Yang Ming corresponds to the Large Intestine
– Leg Yang Ming corresponds to the Stomach
– Arm Tai Yang corresponds to the Small Intestine
– Leg Tai Yang corresponds to the Bladder
– Arm Shao Yang corresponds to the San Jiao
– Leg Shao Yang Channel corresponds to the Gall Bladder
[YOU ALL HAVE HAVE LEARNT SOMETHING BY THIS FAR, YES? NOW GO AND FLAUNT YOUR KNOWLEDGE!]
The arm and leg channels of the same name are considered to be ‘partners’ with each other in Chinese medicine. Thus, problems in a given channel or organ can be treated by using various points on the communication ‘partner’ e.g. a problem with the lungs can be treated by using points on the Spleen channel as they are both Tai Yin channels.
Extraordinary Meridians:
In addition to the twelve regular meridians there are ‘Extraordinary Meridians’ that are not directly linked to the major organ system but have various specific functions:
1) They act as reservoirs of Qi and blood for the twelve regular channels, filling and emptying as required.
2) They circulate jing (essence) around the body because they have a strong connection with the Kidneys.
3) They help circulate the defensive Wei Qi over the trunk of the body and, as such, play an important role in maintaining of good health.
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Wei Qi:
In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the Wei Qi circulates on the surface of the body, protecting the body from pathogens such as bacteria and viruses; this idea is loosely related to how modern medicine views the immune system and is thousands of years old. In western medicine, only viruses can cause viral infections. In Chinese medicine, viruses and other pathogens and other bacteria present do not generally pose a threat to health unless the Wei Qi is weak and cannot protect the body.
According to Chinese medicine, disease is more likely to occur when defenses have been weakened and resources have been depleted. If a person maintains an unhealthy diet or doesn’t get enough sleep over time, their Wei Qi is weakened and defenses are unavailable; similarly, if a person is exposed to excessive amounts of damp weather or wind, their Wei Qi and adaptive strengths will weaken and they can more easily develop an external pathogenic disease pattern.
Chinese medicine focuses on maintaining balance throughout the human organism to maintain a healthy Wei Qi.
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4) They provide further connections between the twelve regular channels.
The meridian system of the human body is a delicate, yet intricate web of interconnecting energy lines. If one masters an understanding of this meridian system they will know the secrets of the flow of qi energy in the body.
[BO YONGLIANG IS OP AS HECK IN THIS ASPECT WITH HIS EYES HAHAHA!]
The realms of Internal Cultivation and other cultivation routes of each volume will be separated for each volume and will only include the realms names and meanings revealed in that specific volume. I will explain in more detail about those realms in those chapters. These chapters will be named such as “Internal Cultivation Realms (V1)” etc.
If possible, I could talk about any other things like blacksmiths or alchemists when I introduce it if anyone wants me to.
…1925 words just for this… OMG.
