Extraordinary Chinese Medicine by Thomas Richardson

Author:Thomas Richardson
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780857013712
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Published: 2018-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

The Three Dantian: Uterus, Blood Vessels, and Brain

The perspective of the three dantian provides a perfect lens through which to examine the correspondences of the Uterus, Brain, and Blood Vessels with three of the extraordinary vessels—the ren mai, du mai, and chong mai, respectively. As seen previously, within the three dantian, the lower dantian is in correspondence with Earth, the upper dantian is in correspondence with Heaven, and the middle dantian is in correspondence with Humanity; together these three dantian correspond to the vertical axis of integration.

This trinity is also reflected in the three treasures of jing, qi, and shen. Jing is the dense, material, yin substance, the essence, the physical basis for experiential reality that corresponds to Earth and the lower dantian. Shen is the ethereal, the spirit, the pure awareness that corresponds to Heaven, yang, and the upper dantian. Qi is the connection between jing and shen in the process of internal alchemy, and regulates the connection between above and below and the inside and the outside (vertical and horizontal integration) and thus corresponds to Humanity and the middle dantian—the pivot of the dynamic flow of qi at the level of humanity.

As the extraordinary organs relate to the deep, constitutional, pre-heaven aspects of being, it makes sense that they would have direct correspondences to the three dantian and the three treasures, which are foundational aspects in the formation and physiology of the human being. As noted by Larre and Rochat de la Vallée, the extraordinary organs “are closer to the original formation of the body, and they are also more ancient, primitive and deep and more able to ensure the continuity of life” (2003, p. 205). Looking at it from this perspective, it is of note that the literature (as well as the anatomy of the body) suggests that the Uterus corresponds to the lower dantian and jing, and the Brain corresponds to the upper dantian and shen. As noted by Yuen, “The Jing Essence begins in the level of the Uterus” (2006, p. 69).1 And Li Shi Zhen stated that, “The Brain is the Palace of the Original Shen” (as cited in Maciocia 2005, p. 231).

Which extraordinary organ would then be in correspondence with the middle dantian? Again, in looking at the literature as well as anatomical correspondences, it seems clear that the Blood Vessels are the extraordinary organ that corresponds directly to the middle dantian. It is at the level of the middle dantian that we find the Heart and the greatest concentration of mai—the blood vessels of cardio-pulmonary circulation as well as the major vessels relating to systemic circulation. Further, it has been said that “the Blood Vessels are primarily influenced by the Heart as this governs Blood and controls blood vessels, but also by the Lungs as they control all channels and vessels” (Maciocia 2005, p. 233), and also that, “There is a strong relationship between the mai and the heart because the heart is the master of the mai” (Larre and Rochat de la Vallée 2003, p.

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