ki the universal life force
TRANSCRIPT
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Ki TheUniversalLifeForce: PhilipDHolmes1990
1
Ki:TheUniversalLifeForce
ThePhenomenonattheHeartofOrientalMedicineandtheOrientalMartialArts
Extracttaken
from
'Ki
A
Philosophical
Review',
Chapter
2,
ICOM
Thesis,
1990
WrittenbyPhilipDHolmes
Therootofthewayoflife,ofbirthandchangeisKi,
Thesourcewherefromthesun,moonandstarsderivetheirlight,
Thethunder,rain,windandcloudtheirbeing,
Thefourseasonsandthemyriadthings,
theirbirth,growth,gatheringandstoring,
AllthisisbroughtaboutbyKi(1)
The general theory of Ki(2)
is one of a mysterious, invisible, intangible, underlying material
substratumthatpervadesandanimatestheentireuniverse.Itrelatestoabeliefsystemthathas
emergedoveraperiodofpossiblythousandsofyears,withinaphilosophythatseesman,nature
andtheuniversethroughdifferenteyesandsubtleminds.
FortheOrientalphilosopher,manifestationofKicanbeanightingalesingingallthesecretsofthe
universe; for the Oriental doctor, Ki can be the sparkle radiating from a person's eyes; for the
Oriental
warrior,
Ki
can
be
the
primordial
scream
erupting
from
the
deepest
depths
of
the
human
form.FortheOrientalmind,theentireuniverse isavibrating,resonating,wondrousspectacleof
diversemanifestationsofKi,dancingallaroundusandwithinus;theveryessenceofallthatis...
Although Ki in general is most widely associated with the idea of animation, the ancient
philosopherssawnoultimatedistinctionbetweenanimalandvegetable,solidor liquid;theysaw
justKiexistingindifferentstatesduetocontrastingdensitiesofYinKiandYangKi.JustastheKiof
manhaditsroletofulfill,sotoodidaplant,arockoranoceanhaveitsspecialKiandroletofulfill.
Theancientssawalsothat,onanotherlevel,Kicouldchangeitsstatesofexistence.Forexample,
whenwaterevaporates intosteam,orhardens intoice,becauseofatmosphericchanges,does it
notstillremainwater?To takethis further,perhapswecanseewhyeven the ideaofbirthand
deathareconsideredtobejustKiindifferentstates,expressedmostpoeticallyinthefollowing:
Everybirthisacondensation,everydeathadispersal
Birthisnotagain,deathisnotaloss(3)
SoperhapswetoocanseeKiinasimilarway,theoneuniversalKi theultimaterealityunderlying
allthings,butmanifestinginmanydiversewaysandonmanydifferentlevels.
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TherearetwoideogramsforthegeneraltermKi,andanetymologicalstudyoftheseisdescribed
asfollows:
Diagram1a: KiAncientForm Diagram1b: Ki ModernForm
TheancientformKi(diagram1a),showsvapoursrisingfromearthandforminga layerofcloudsabove.
Themodern,morecompleteform(diagram1b) tucksagrainof riceunder thecurlof thevapours.This
givestheimageofsteamrisingfromthecookedgrainswhichrepresenttheessentialbeing...Thesound
forKiisagentlehissingofvibratingair,thesoundofbreathexhaledindefinitely,endlesslychangeable(4)
It is perhaps not too difficult to see how the ancients conceived the idea of a substance that
surreptitiouslypervades theuniverse,byobserving themanifestationsof these rising vapours
sometimesvisible foronlya fewmoments,beforevanishingbacktotheunseenworld,ormists
that lingered and hungover fields, hills and valleys giving familiar terrain the appearanceof a
ghostlyapparition.
It isextremelydifficulttoascertainexactlywhenthenotionofKiwasfirstconceived,whereand
by whom. It was certainly well established by the time the 'Huang Di Nei Jing' (The Yellow
Emperor'sClassicofInternalMedicine)waswrittenandcompiled,circa300 100BCE(5)
However,
wecan
see
at
the
very
beginning
of
the
first
chapter
that
even
at
that
time
period
the
idea
of
Ki
wasquiteancient:
TheYellowEmperoraskedtheHeavenlyteacher:
"Ihaveheardthatpeopleofancienttimeshad livedas longasonehundredandtwentyyearswithno
signsofweakening inmovements,butpeoplenowadaysbecomeweakened intheirmovementsatthe
ageoflessthansixtyyearsold.Isthisduetoachangeinnaturalenvironments,orduetoman'sfaults?"
KiPoreplied:
"Theancient
people
who
knew
the
proper
way
to
live
had
followed
the
patterns
of
the
Yin
and
Yang,
which istheregularpatternofHeavenandEarth,remained inharmonywithnumericalsymbolswhich
arethegreatprinciplesofhumanlife,ateanddrankwithmoderation,livedtheirdailylivesinaregular
patternwithneitherexcessnorabuse.Forthisreason,theirspiritsandbodieshadremained inperfect
harmonywitheachotherandconsequently,theycouldliveouttheirnaturallifespananddieattheage
ofoveronehundredandtwentyyears.
Ontheotherhand,peoplenowadaysarequitedifferentbecausetheyintoxicatethemselvesexorbitantly,
replaceanormal lifewitha lifeofabuse,havesexual intercoursewhile intoxicated,exhausttheirpure
energy (Ki) through gratification of their desires, waste their true energy (Ki) through careless and
prolongedconsumption,failtoretaintheirenergy(Ki)inabundanceandtoguardtheirspiritsconstantly,
rushtothegratificationoftheirheartstothecontraryofthetruehappinessoflife,livetheirdailylivesin
anirregularpattern.Itisforthisreasonthattheycanonlylivehalfoftheirlifespan.(6)
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WecanonlyassumethatwhentheYellowEmperorstated,"peopleofancienttimeshad livedas
longasonehundredandtwentyyearswithnosignsofweakening,"thathisviewof'ancient'was
approximately the sameasours. Then, forexample,justaswe consider theGreekandRoman
Empiresofsome2000 yearsago tobe in the realmsofancient, it isconceivable thatOrientals
livingcirca4,500BCEhadperceivedthenotionofKiandthecosmologythatsurroundsit.
To gain greater insight into this perception, it is now necessary to see man, nature and the
universe in the way those thoughtful men perceived these things all those centuries ago.
ForthoseearlyChinesephilosophers,therewasnocreatoroftheuniverse.Questionsconcerning
origin, creation, or ultimate cause were considered unanswerable. Although the meaning of
existence was an inaccessible mystery, it was not considered absurd, that is to say, like the
Sartrian existential philosophical notion that existence is neither designed nor predictable, but
irrational and meaningless. Rather, the visible manifestations oflife gave clues to the great
invisible mystery, that a certain order of things existed, but was beyond our understanding.
Thisnotionof implicitperceptionwasdescribed ratherwellbyaWestern scientistwhogained
relativefame intheearly20thcenturywithhisuniquecontributiontoourunderstandingofthe
greatmystery.
Thehumanmindisnotcapableofgraspingtheuniverse.Wearelikealittle
child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceiling with
bookswritten inmanytongues.Thechildknowsthatsomeonemusthave
writtenthese
books.
It
does
not
know
who,
or
how.
It
does
not
understand
thelanguagesinwhichtheyarewritten,butthechildnotesadefiniteplan
in the arrangement of the books.Amysterious orderwhich it does not
comprehend,butonlydimlysuspects(7)
AlbertEinstein: 18791955
So,tocometotermswiththesequestionsconcerningcosmologyandthephenomenalworld,the
allembracing term 'Tao'was introduced. This is a fundamental key concept inChinese (Taoist)
philosophy,fornotonlydoesitrepresentcosmicorderononelevel,itcanalsobeseenasaway
ofdoing
things
in
relation
to
the
phenomenal
world
and
thus
give
meaning
to
existence
on
anotherlevel.Thatistosay,becomingawarethatmanisapartofnatureandtherefore,theneed
to live inacertainway tobe inharmonywithnatureand theuniverse,and thus (re)createor
maintainaunifiedwhole.
Literally translated, Tao means 'road', or 'way'. However, its meaning is relative to the
interpretation.Forexample,intheConfuciantradition,Taoisbasicallylimitedtobehaviourinthat
itsuggestsacorrectwayormoralcodeofconductthatshouldbefollowed.Inmoregeneralterms,
awarenessofthevisible,everchangingprocessesofnature,madeitpossibleforthoseperceptive
followers of the Tao to perceive, or intuitively grasp, the existence of a mysterious, invisible,
intangible,underlying
material
substratum
that
they
probably
considered
as
the
primordial
source
andcontinuationofallthings.Thisphilosophybecametrulycrystallized intheschoolofthought
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whichbecameknownasTaoism;andforitsfounder,LaoTzu,(8)
questionsconcerningcosmology,
hitherto unanswerable, could be answered indirectly by subtle inference of language, using
parablesandmetaphorsthatcould leadtoanintuitive,ormystical,understandingoftheeternal
Tao:
Itissomethingmysteriouslyformed,thatexistedbeforeHeavenandEarth.Itsnamewedonotknow,
Taoisthebynamewegiveit.Forcedtosaywhatclassofthingsitbelongsto,callitimmense(9)
AlthoughLaoTzuascribedthetermTaotothenamelessentitythatprecededHeavenandEarth,
hewasatgreatliterarypainstopointoutintheveryfirstlineofhisgreatclassic,theTaoTeJing,
thateventheverynamingof'it'wasnot'it',because'it'wasbeyondwords.
TheTaothatcanbespokenofisnottheeternalTao(10)
EncompassedwithintheconceptoftheeternalTaoarethreeideas:
1) TaiYi,ortheGreat(undivided)One2) TaiJi,ortheGreatUltimate3) HunDun,orthePrimordialChaos.
Allareconsideredtoprecedetimeandspace,andtheseparationofKiintoitsprimordialpolarities
of Yin Ki and Yang Ki. Tai Yi does not create, but has the potential of being (becoming) and
existence. Tai Ji, encompassed within Tai Yi, has the nature of duality, and therefore is the
progenitorof
the
subsequent
separation
and
relative
polarization
of
Ki.
Hun
Dun,
again
encompassedwithinTaiYi,relatestotheunseparatedKi inastateofperfectbalanceperversely
describedas 'chaos'.However, toattempt todiscuss thesedifferent ideas in isolation isalmost
impossible because, basically, they all come to mean the same thing. Separately, they are the
sameaswhentheyareconsideredtogetheraspartofthesamereality!
It isbecomingrelativelyclearthatfortheancientOrientalphilosopherscosmologicalbeginnings
arecenteredaroundthegeneralconceptofKi,primordialKiinanundifferentiatedstate.Itisalso
becomingclearthat,inthisparadoxicalstate,time,spaceandexistence,asweknowthem,didnot
exist.If
anything
did
exist,
it
was
in
astate
of
perhaps
what
one
could
only
describe
as
dormant
potentiality.So,tobringustotherealityofeveryday life,aneventmusthaveoccurredtoaffect
theprimordialstateofKiandinitiate itsseparationintothedifferentiatedstatesknownasYinKi
andYangKi(11)
At that criticalevent, space came intoexistenceand timebegan,as thepurer,
clearer, lighter and more rarefied (Yang) Ki ascended to become Heaven, and the less pure,
denser,heavier,moreturbid(Yin)KidescendedtobecomeEarth.(12)
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Diagram2: SymbolrepresentingYINKIandYANGKI
Sonowwe see that from theTaiYi,orGreat (undivided)One,wehave theperceptionof two
distinctprimordialpolarities,theconstantinterplayofwhichaffectsman,natureandtheuniverse
witheverypassingmoment,and,assuch,maybeconsideredastheprimordialmatrixfromwhich
everythinghasitsbeginning,itscontinuationanditsend.
YinKi
and
Yang
Ki
are
the
eternal
opposites
of
nature:
the
dark
and
the
light,
the
quiet
and
the
loud,thecoldandthehot,thefemaleandthemale,andsoon.Theancientsbelievedthatwithin
the totalityofall things, that is to sayeverything that couldbeobservedaswellas (implicitly)
everything that could not be observed, these two basic types of Ki existed; and within every
polaritythereexistedthepotentialfortheother.Bydefinition,thismeantthateverything inthe
universewasrelative,becausenothingwasevertotallyYinortotallyYang.Itwasalsoconsidered
that in this state of constant flux, certain phenomenon would reach an extreme, and then
graduallytransformintoitsoppositestate:
SotheYinYangisdividingthewaystheuniverseisrollingonitself.Whatthey(theancientphilosophers)
callTian
Yun
(Heavenly
distribution
of
influx).
The
only
sure
thing
is
that
there
is
Heaven
and
there
is
a
motion which is regular, some sort of transportation of something. So under Heaven's influence,
everythingistransportedsomewhere.Withus,thisgeneralcirculation,thisnaturalmotionoftheuniverse,
thismaybedivided into twoaspects, theYinaspectand theYangaspect.Andaspectsofwhat?OfKi.
Thereissomearisingandthere issomefallingback,fallingdownoftheKi.Toriseinordertofallandto
fallinordertorise,andthatmakesthiscirculation.Itissohighthatwecannotperceivetheessenceofit.It
issouniversalthatweareaffected,ourselves,ourneighbours,everything,everybody,everyanimal,every
plantisunderthesameTianYun,thesamenaturalmovement.Andtheregressionofthisisseenthrough
thefourseasons.Thefourseasonsarenotfourtimesintheyear,theyarefourdifferentaspectsoftheTian
Yun,whichweseeveryclearlyinspring,summer,autumn,winter.Sofaraswemaysaythateverythingis
spring,andeverythingissummer,andeverythingisautumn,andeverythingiswinter,butthemostvisible
spring is inthespring inthefield,or thespring inthebirthof insects,orthespringseen insmallgreen
bladesof
vegetation,
or
the
feeling
that
everything
is
in
an
awakening
process
..
(13)
Here,wenowseeexpressedtwootherfundamentalkeyconceptsinOrientalthought:firstly,that
oftwoopposing,butcomplementary,typesofKi,and,secondly,thatofthecyclicallychanging
natureofKi.Asmentionedabove,boththesestatesofrealitytheancientsmostreadilyobserved
inthechangeoftheseasons.Fromthemostprimordialpolaritiesofwinter(Yin)andsummer
(Yang),itwasseenthatthesestateswerenotpermanent,butgraduallychangedintoeachother;
moreover,thatfourdistinctseasonswereidentifiable.However,afifthstate,or'season',wasalso
consideredtoexistbetweenthedecline,orend,ofoneseasonandtheemergence,orbeginning,
ofanother.ThiswasconsideredtobeEarthitself,theplacewheretheseasonsmanifestedand
wherethe
transformation
took
place.
(Diagram
3)
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Diagram3:TheFourSeasonswithEarthattheCentreofallChange
Aftermakingtheseassertions,theancientsrealizedtheycouldalsomakevalidassociationsbased
on the theory of the constantly changing state of Yin Ki and Yang Ki. They considered that all
naturalphenomena
fell
into
five
categories
or
states
of
existence:
Wood,
corresponding
to
spring;
Fire,correspondingtosummer;Earth,correspondingtolate,orIndiansummer,oratthecentreof
allchange;Metal,correspondingtoautumn;Water,correspondingtowinter.Otherassociations
include tastes,sounds,colours,directions,climates,emotionsandorgansof thebody.However,
essentially, the fundamentalpolarityofYinKiandYangKiremainedpresentand integralas the
ultimaterealityunderlyingandmotivatingallthingsandallchange.(Diagram4)
Diagram4:TheFivePhasesandtheOrganCorrespondence
So, how is this theory represented, or seen to work, in man and nature? The answer may be
interpreted in different ways. However, if we apply the basic theory of Ki, we may find one
possibleanswer.If,astheancientshavesuggested,Kihasacyclicalnature,thatthingsreachtheir
fullestexpressionandthenrevertbacktotheiroppositestate,wemaythenseethatinmanand
natureallthingshavea(relative)beginningand(relative)endandthatnothingcangoonforever
beingthesamething.Thishasbeenexpressedsuccinctlyinthefollowing:
When someparticular effect initiated by an action has been completely structed and thus stabilized in space, it
becomestheobjectofnewactionstendinginturntoneutralize,tocounteract,ortoannihilateit.Viewedinthisway,
everystructionissucceededwithinthecycle,organismiccosmosbyeventual(self)destruction(14)
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Therefore,inrelationtonature, ifaseasonbeginswithspring, itbeginswith(Old)YinKi,turning
into(Young)YangKi,which,inturn,changesto(Old)YangKiasthespringturnsintosummer,and
soonuntilthecyclereturnstothe(relative)beginningofspringonceagain.(Diagram5)
Diagram5: TheEverchangingCyclesofKiinrelationtotheSeasons
However,whatmustbeunderstoodisthattherearealwayscycleswithincycles.IfKiisliterallythe
breathoflife,andbreathhasarenewablecycle,thenperhapsweseethatforKitoinitiatechange,
it has to have this pulsating cycle from the centre outwards and back to the centre again. So,
wheretheseasonsareconcerned,beforeeachchangecantakeplace,therehastobeareturnto
thecentre,thatistosay,areturntoEarth.However,ifEarthinthiscontext isconsideredasthe
ultimateYinandvisible,then,bydefinition,Heavenexistsasitsexactopposite,theultimateYang
and invisible,sothe impetusforoutwardexpressionandchangemustcomeeachtimefromthe
invisibleultimateYangatthecentreofthecentre.(Diagram6)
Diagram6:ThePulsatingNatureofKi,anditsInevitableReturntotheCentreforRenewal
We can also see this theory working in man. If we accept as axiomatic the organ associations
attributed toboth theChineseClockand theFivePhases (seeDiagram3),we see thatKi flows
throughthe
12
channels
and
organs
of
the
body
in
acontinuous
(clockwise)
cycle.
(Diagram
7)
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Diagram7: TheChineseClock
However,ifweapplythesametheoryofKihavingapulsatingnaturetotheChineseClock,wesee
thatcertainchannelsororgansofthebodymaybeinfluencedbyKiotherthanthataccordeditby
thecharacter
of
its
specific
phase.
For
example,
here
we
see
that,
although
the
lungs
and
colon
belongto,andhavethe(Ki)characteristicsoftheMetalPhase,theymayalsobeinfluencedbythe
(Ki)characteristicsoftheWoodPhase(15)
(Diagram8)
Diagram8: TheChineseClockandtheFivePhases,RevealingtheInfluentialInnerKioftheOrgans
Asmentionedpreviously,therearedifferentinterpretationsoftheoriginsandcontinuationofKi,
which
can
all
be
valid
in
the
particular
context
they
relate
to
in
trying
to
dissect
the
whole;
interpretationsthatencompasstheoriessuchasTrigramsandHexagrams,andPreHeavenlyand
PostHeavenlysequences,Numerology,YinYang,theThreeTreasures,theFourSeasons,theFive
Phases,theSixDivisions,theSevenEmotions,theEightExtraordinaryChannels,theEightWinds,
theNineContinents,theTenHeavenlyStemsandTwelveEarthlyBranches,theTwelveChannelor
Meridian System and so on. However, ultimately these can only be considered as symbols or
images of man's consciousness, and his attempt at trying to understand himself and all that
surroundshim,whereas theultimate realityof theoriginsand continuationofKimust, for the
mostpart,transcendconsciousnessandremainintherealmofthewhollyother.
But,evenifmanlivesintheenergy(Ki),hedoesnotseetheenergy(Ki),
justasfishesliveinwater,butdonotseethewater(16)
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FOOTNOTES
1. CHANGCHIEHPIN(CHINGYUEH),LEIJINGT'UIor IllustratedWingtotheInnerClassic,1624,Chapter1,pp.2930
2. ThefollowingnotesmaybeusefulingainingafurtherinsightintotheOrientaltermKi/Ki:2.1 Ki canbewrittenaseitherKi,orKi,andisusuallypronouncedas'Chee',inChineseandas'Key',in
KoreanorJapanese.
2.2 TheChinesecharacterforKi,hasbeenvariouslytranslatedintheWestas,interalia,'energy','air','wind',
'power','force','current,'or'breath'andgenericallyas'theuniversallifeforce'or'vitalenergyofthe
universe'.Whileallthesetermshelptogiveusareasonably goodideaofwhattheChineseconceptisall
about,ultimatelyitisprobablybestnottotrytotranslatethewordKi,butrathertoleaveitsimplyasKi.This
willallowtheindividualtointerpretthemeaningoftheconceptinhisorherownway,fromthepersonal
experienceofcontinuedusage.
2.3 Infollowingtheabovelineofthought,thereaderwillfindthateverytimeanyoftheabovetranslations
appearinquotes,oranyotherform,theterm(Ki),inparenthesis,willbeplacedimmediatelyafterasa
constantreminderthatwearealwaystalkingaboutKi!
3. CHANGTSAI,CHENGMENorCorrectDisciplineforBeginners,1076,Chapter64. LARRE,SCHATZ,ROCHATDELAVALLEE:ASurveyofTraditionalChineseMedicine(Trans.byS.E.Stang),
InstituteRicci,Paris.TranslationfromtheNEIJING,Book1,Chapter5,page51.
5. 5.1ThenomenclatureofBCE(BeforetheCommonEra)andCE(CommonEra)hasbeenusedthroughoutthisarticleandwebsite.TheCommonEraischronologicallyequivalenttotheChristianEra i.e.1CE=1AD(Anno
Domini).
5.2 Agreatdealofmystery surroundsHuangDi TheYellowEmperor.Itisnotknownwhetherhewasan
actualpersonoramythicalfigure;hisnameisoftenprefixedwiththeword'legendary'.Heisconsideredto
havebeenthethirdrulerofChinaandhisreigndatesarecirca.2696 2598BCE.Thisofcoursewouldputthe
datingoftheauthorshipofTheYellowEmperor'sClassicofInternalMedicineandtheDifficultClassic,
consideredtohavebeenwrittenandcompiledbetween300 100BCE,slightlyoutofsynchronization...!
6. Dr.HENRYLU,Ph.D.,ACompleteTranslationoftheYellowEmperor'sClassicofInternalMedicineandtheDifficultClassic,publishedbyH.LU,Vancouver,Canada,1978.BookOne,Chapter1,"OntheHeavenlyTruth
ofAncientTimes",pp.12.
7. ALBERTEINSTEIN.HeformulatedtheSpecialTheoryofRelativity(1905)andtheGeneralTheoryofRelativity(1916),andmademajorcontributionstotheQuantumTheory,forwhichhewasawardedtheNobelPrizefor
Physicsin1921.Hewasalsonotedforhisworkforworldpeace.
8. ThereisverylittleknownaboutLaoTzu,whoselegacy,theauthorshipofthegreatTaoistphilosophicalclassic,theTaoTeJing,iseveninquestion.However,thiscollectionofprofoundparablesandverseslaysout
theideasthatareattheveryheartofthisphilosophy.
9. LaoTzu,TheTaoTeJing,orTheBookoftheWayanditsVirtue,BookOne,verse56.10. Op.cit.,BookOne,verse1.
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11. 11.1Presentastronomicalknowledgepointstotheemergenceofthematerialuniversefromasingleeventbetweentenandtwentythousandmillionyearsago,whenthecomponentsofmatterandperhapswith
them,thedimensionsofspaceandtime,firstappeared.
WILLIAMS,WARWICK,DYSON,andBANNISTER,Gray'sAnatomy,37thedition,fromtheIntroduction, 'Origin
ofLifeonEarth',p.3
11.2Sincewritingthisthesisin1990,theoreticalcosmologistsarenowsuggestingthattheuniversewas
createdwithaBigBangorexplosionapproximately13.7billionyearsago.
12. 12.1 AscensionforHeaven(Yang)anddescentforEarth(Yin),isthedescriptionofchoice(andperhapsnecessity)oftheancientphilosophersinrelationtoplacingthingsinthephenomenalworld.Inultimate
reality,up,down,front,back,etc.,probablyhavenomeaning.
12.2 Earthistakentomeanallmaterialbodiesintheuniverse,i.e.planets,stars,etc.
13. FATHERCLAUDELARRE,SJ,Ph.D.,TheSecretTreatiseoftheSpiritualOrchid,unrevisedtranscriptofaseminargiveninLondon,March,1985,pp.56.PublishedbytheBritishRegisterofOrientalMedicine,EastSussex,
England.(My
emphasis)
14. MANFREDPORKERT,TheTheoreticalFoundationsofChineseMedicine,1978,M.I.T.Press,Cambridge,Massachusetts, andLondon,England,p.29.
15. Dr.J.D.vanBUREN,'ChinesePhilosophy TenHeavenlyStemsandTwelveEarthlyBranches',ICOMlecture,1989
16. FromacommentaryonthetranslationoftheTAIICHUNHUATSUNGCHINorSecretoftheGoldenFlower,translatedbyR.Wilhelm,revisededition,Arkana,London,1984,p.2