Clearing the Meridians with Needles: Using the laws of the Nature to cure the ills of the human body
A fundamental concept of Chinese philosophy is the "Integration of Humanity and Heaven." It implies that Humanity, Society, and Nature form an integrated system, and that each part is similarly constituted and governed by the same laws -- "As above, so below."Consequently, it is possible to recognize the processes of the human body by observing and analyzing the phenomena of the universe. This is referred to in TCM as "Referring the human to heaven and earth."
The essence of "referring the human to heaven and earth" is reasoning by analogy. The invention of acupuncture arose directly from the application of this analogy between the human body and Nature, or microcosm and macrocosm. The rivers of the Earth and meridians of human body are very similar in both structure and function. Interestingly enough, ancient Chinese philosophers, rather than medical practitioners first recognized the obvious similarity between these two systems of channels. The great thinker Guan Zi (c. 725-645 BC) states in the most unequivocal terms, "Water, the qi and blood of the earth, is analogous to [the substance] flowing in the vessels of the human body."1 This concept was later adopted by medical practitioners. Six Pains (Liu Tong) (c. prior to 179 BC), one of the ancient medical documents found at Zhangjiashanstates "The vessels [meridians] resemble ditches."2 The authors of the Nei Jing further developed this analogy. The twelfth chapter of the Ling Shu, entitled "Regular Watercourses (Jing Shui)"3, deals specifically with the correspondences between the meridians and rivers:
"The twelve regular meridians externally correspond to the twelve regular rivers, and internally pertain to and connect with the zangfu organs. The rivers carry water and meridians convey blood [and qi]...... [specifically,] Foot Taiyang externally corresponds to the Qing River, and internally pertains to the urinary bladder; Foot Shaoyang externally to the Wei River and internally to the gallbladder; Foot Yangming externally to the Hai River [Sea in modern terms] and internally to the stomach; Foot Taiyin externally to the Hu River [Lake in modern terms] and internally to the spleen; Foot Shaoyin externally to the Ru River and internally to the kidney; Foot Jueyin externally to the Sheng River and internally to the liver. Hand Taiyang externally corresponds to the Huai River and internally [to] the small intestine; Hand Shaoyang externally to the [Ta] River and internally to San Jiao; Hand Yangming externally to the Jiang River [Changjiang or Yangtze in modern terms] and internally to the large intestine; Hand Taiyin externally to the He River [Yellow River in modern terms] and internally to the lung; Hand Shaoyin externally to the Ji River and internally to the heart; Hand Jueyin externally to the Zhang River and internally to the pericardium."
The rivers mentioned in the Ling Shu are located in the basins of the Changjiang (Yangtze)and Yellow Rivers. They can all be found in the early literature on watercourses, and most of them are illustrated on a stone map engraved in 1136 AD (链接到“Map of Yu’s Traces (Yuji Tu)”). This fact indicates that the ancient Chinese who compiled this early medical treatise were familiar with the earth's watercourses as well as the meridians of the human body. They were geographers as well as medical practitioners, and philosophers in their synthesis of human and Nature -- the microcosm and the macrocosm.
Holism considers that since the rivers and meridians are similar in structure, the flow of water in the rivers and the flow of Qi and blood in the meridians adhere to the same rules, and that their disorders can therefore be similarly managed. If a river course becomes silted up, the water in the river, which by nature flows downward, will overflow and result in flooding. If a meridian is obstructed, the Qi and blood it carries, which by nature flow in a circulatory path, will become stagnant and various disorders may occur. The healers of the human body therefore cleared the meridians by puncturing with needles to promote the flow of Qi and blood and cure disease, just as the healers of the Earth dredged the river courses using picks and shovels to direct the waters and control the flood.
Is this deduction correct? Let us now listen to a dialogue between Huang Di, the legendary Chinese emperor and ancestor, and his Minister, that occurred sometime over two thousand years ago:
Huang Di asked Qi Bo: "You have told me about the comprehensive nature of zhen dao, the Tao of Needling. In practice, I adhere to it and believe that it can cure many conditions, even some that had been thought incurable, just as an arrow arrives at its target. Did you obtain your profound knowledge through repeated practice, or by analysis and synthesis of the results of your thorough study of the universe?"
Qi Bo answered: "When sheng ren, the sages, created the Tao, they had to adhere to certain regulations. Those regulations must conform to the laws of Heaven in their upper aspect, those of Earth in their lower aspect, and those of Humanity in their middle aspect. In this way, they were able to create principles and criteria, which could then be handed down. This is as natural as the fact that a carpenter cannot measure length without a ruler, draw a horizontal line without a straight edge, make a circle without a [protractor], or draw a rectangle without a square. The wise follow this principle in their practice. Certainly, this principle is natural, simple, and unchangeable."
Huang Di asked further: "I would like to know how the Tao of Needling relates to Nature."
Qi Bo answered: "Those versed in the laws of nature excavate a pond at its lowest point, so that the water within the pond can be drained off and strenuous labor avoided. According to the same logic, they dredge the meridians at the acupoints, the cave-like depressions where qi and blood converge. In this way, the meridians can be freed with ease."4
Believing that the human body is a miniature of the universe, the ancient Chinese physicians needled the human body to treat illness in the same way that they dredged the river courses of the Earth to manage flood. This is as natural as water flowing downwards. In this way, they invented acupuncture.
Notes and references:
1. Guanzi, 39:383. Guanzi (Guanzi 管子). Beijing: Yanshan Press, 1995. 39:383. Guanzi (c. 725-645 BC) was one of the great philosophers of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). The Guanzi is a collection of his ideas and his followers' commentaries, compiled during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The terms vessel (mai脉in Chinese) and meridian (jingluo 经络 in Chinese) were used interchangeably in the Guanzi (c. 475-221 BC) and other early literatures. They were first distinguished from one another in the Neijing (c. 104-32 BC).
2. Five ancient medical documents (c. prior to 179 BC)were unearthed in late 1983 from a Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD) tomb at Zhangjiashan, in Jiangling county, Hubei province. Three of these documents are identical with The Classic of Moxibustion with Eleven Yin-Yang Meridians, Methods of Pulse Examination and Bian Stone Usage, and Indications of Death on the Yin-Yang Meridians found at Mawangdui (see Appendix 1). The remaining two documents had never been seen before. Symptomatology (Bingzheng 病症) is a monograph which discusses a total of sixty-seven symptoms. Six Pains (Liu Tong 六痛) discusses six types of pain, arising from disorders of the bones, tendons, blood, blood vessels, muscles, and qi. For details, see Gao Dalun, Collation and Annotation of the Book of Meridians from Zhangjiashan (Zhangjiashan Hanjian Maishu Jiaoshi 张家山汉简脉书校释). Chengdu: Chengdu Press, 1992.
3. The term jingshui 经水, or regular watercourses, first appears in the Guanzi (c. 475-221 BC). Guanzi defines jingshui as "rivers originating in the mountains and finally converging in the sea." Guanzi, 57:383.
4. Lingshu, 38: 78.
