What is YIN and YANG?
The Yin and Yang Theory.
Chapter five in the book of Plain Question.
In Chinese philosophy and in the course of living their lives, the people of China came to an understand that all aspects of the natural world could be perceived as having a dual aspect.
QUALITIES
YANG FORCE YIN FORCE
Plus Minus
Light Dark
Hot Cold
Man Woman
The urge to the urge not to
Grow outward Shrink inward
Sol phase Gel phase
The Five-Element Theory
In this segment, the information on the five elements is difficult to comprehend at first glance. I’ve tried to interpret this information with appropriate illustrations and examples. I recommend that the reader take special note of this information and examine this body of knowledge carefully. Understanding the five elements will lead you to genuine understanding of combinations of blocking and striking combinations found in all traditional forms of martial arts, as well as combinations found in the forty four vital points chart which I have translated for you.
It has been said that, the entire created universe is made up of five elements. The Chinese theory of the five elements explains the nature of all materials found in creation by speaking of their interrelationship. The five elements have been designated with the names, wood, fire, water, soil (earth) and metal.
In Chinese philosophical theory, there are four laws guiding these relationships that are governing powers over the five-element theory. According to this theory the viscera are viewed as the key organs of the human body, and the four laws which apply to them. The four laws are as follows Production Control, Attack, along with correspondence between the five elements and the five viscera.
The five elements and the five viscera are listed as follows; Wood corresponds to the Liver, tendons and eyes, Fire corresponds to the Heart, vessels and tongue. The Earth corresponds to the Spleen, flesh and mouth while Metal corresponds to the Lungs, skin hair and nose and water corresponds to the Kidney’s, bones and ears. The correspondence between the organs and its element is shown within the illustration below.
I would like to take a moment to explain to you a side point on the element theory that relates to a given element and it’s being named after a material. It is that, wood is not literally wood it is symbolic of coming out of the earth. Fire is not literally fire it is symbolic of expansion. Nor is Water Soil or Metal literal, they are also symbolic of actions. And the ancient Chinese village community could, thus better realize these actions by using these element names.
Now that we’ve established that each of the body’s internal organs is associated with an element. If the body’s shows a modification or a imbalance of it’s harmonic balance of energy which flows through it’s meridian, the corresponding organ that is joined to that meridian would also have displayed a modification of its natural harmony. This would be evident by the presence of disorders within the organs of the body, displayed in the form of illness and or disease that would eventually result. Eventually an imbalance of natural harmony may result in a shut down of energy to primary organ, bringing a close on the life force itself finally resulting in a complete shut down of energy sequential to life.
The process of the Sheng cycle is as follows. Wood as you know is used to fuel a fire and fire can be used to create earth as in the making of ash. Earth creates or gives birth to metal as in ore also metal is defined as slime being composed of earthy materials, metal gives birth to water. Water brings life to all vegetation or wood. This gives us a look into the creative or generative cycle, which is named The Sheng Cycle.
This cycle has been displayed in the second inner line of the below illustration. The arrows on the line of that cycle are presented for you. The direction of Qi energies that flow as it travels around its circular orbit. This helps use to understand the organ to organ communication that was previously spoken of above.
In the K’O or control (destructive) cycle, the star shaped cycle within the center of your illustration, is another direction of energy flow. And it effects or communicates in a different order. In this cycle, water extinguishes fire and fire is used to melt metal. Metal is used to make tools to cut wood and a wooden plow can be used to turn over the earth while earth is used to dam up water. Take note once again of the arrows and the direction that they travel. It illustrates the way the organs communicate.
In the process of the Cancel Cycle, The Cancel Cycle can be viewed in a similar way. This is a reverse cycle; it is running in reverse of the Sheng Cycle. The outer circle, it maybe noted that the arrow are traveling counterclockwise, starting with fire (fire the child of the parent wood). If fire is over stimulated, it will burn the wood. Again if soil (soil the child of the parent fire) is over stimulated it could and may put out the fire, as if you poured dirt on top of a fire. Therefore, reverse action cancels the parent. This demonstrates the law called, Cancellation of the parent child relationship.
The hearts element is fire and if it were to become weak it would lack correct Qi flow. Either its too strong or too weak and the weak Qi produces and imbalance. An acupuncturist can use the wood element of the Sheng cycle utilizing the liver organ to feed the fire stimulating the heart. Thus strengthening it’s weakness. Or the acupuncturist might use the K’O cycle, he can directly needle a fire point along the heart meridian and achieve the same results. Also in each of the meridians many of their points have their own element as well. If an organ has a excess of Qi, unbalance, excess meaning to much, a water point on a fire meridian may be used to dampen down the over active fire and calm the fire (heart) down.
Now if you’ve followed me so far we’re half way home. If the Qi activity in the spleen is increased, the organ that it generates according to the theory of the elements, the lungs, will also show an increase in activity,(Sheng cycle). But in the K’O cycle, the organ that the spleen destroys is the kidney and it will experience a decrease in Qi activity. All other organs follow the same rule.
A true Grand Master of the martial arts will utilize the three cycles to increase or decrease Qi energy activity in the organs of the opponent’s body. A balanced or well human body may also be granted imbalance or disharmony to create a number of ill effects, in a distinctive way. This maybe accomplished and be utilizing to sustain a sequence or combination of strikes that are products of the five elements.
If we take note of the fact that all illnesses of the human body is in reality an imbalance of Qi energy, ether too much or too little Qi, and this imbalance effects the bodily organs, causing either spasms or laxity in the meridians related organs. If a masterful attack too a vital point has been hit accurately, depending on the direction, angle and techniques used in the strike. This quickly applied pressure will duplicate the above process. Causing a negative adjustment to the previously balanced QI energy within the meridian. This will have an effect on the organs of the now traumatized meridian causing a host of complications.
Using the element hypothesis, pressure points may be hit in many separate processes. One is to strike according to Meridians that fall in to the K”O cycle category. For example striking a fire meridian (heart) and then striking a melt meridian (large intestine), the equation is, fire melts metal. The first of your strikes would go to a fire point and then the second strike would go to a metal point. In the same way all of the elements of the K’O Cycle can be use in a martial arts application. To apply an attack using the K”O cycle speed is the essence of power. This type of striking method is primer in the martial art world.
K’O CYCLE.
WOOD destroys SOIL
Liver & Gall Bladder Spleen & Stomach
SOIL destroys WATER
Spleen & Stomach, Kidney & Bladder
WATER destroys FIRE
Kidney & Bladder, Heart-Small Intestine
Triple Heater-Pericardium
FIRE destroys METAL
Heart, Small Intestine, Lung & Large Intestine
Triple heater-pericardium
METAL destroys WOOD
Lung & Large Intestine, Liver & Gall Bladder
The second way to strike vital a point using the element is, of an individual Meridian. An example of this is, within the lung Meridian, having pressure points that have there own elements. Although the lung Meridian is a metal meridian, L # 10, is a fire point and L # 5, is a water point. Striking L # 5 and then Lung # 10, (water extinguishes fire) puts it’s organ into trauma, the arm will surface as well as the lung.
Experts can transmit hot and cold Qi, Hot Qi has been known to leave a second-degree burn, cold Qi may slow blood flow to a virtual stop. These practices are performed by the highest of the Qi Gong masters in Asia and Java.
I will discuss Qi Gong more deeply at another time. In this same way the skilled Combat martial Men can disrupt the balance of the organs within the body, cause illness or what’s none as Qi crashing, which is when Qi crashes into itself within its own meridian. These are some of the more sophisticated ways of striking vital points. These processes as well will be covered more deeply at another time.