Japanese Acupuncture, LLC (480) 246-0624:
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Volume 2, No. 1: November, 2008
Oriental Medicine & On Human Conditions
(This newsletter is dedicated to the late Joseph Campbell.)
Chapter One
Liver: Anger, Love, and Redemption #9
月落鳥啼霜満天 (1) 江楓魚火対愁眠 (2)
姑蘇城外寒山寺 (3) 夜半鐘声到客船 (4)
--- 張継『楓橋夜泊』
The above Chinese poem has long been loved by the Japanese. Personally, I think because it has a characteristic that Japanese uniquely love, namely 情緒 (pronounced Jou-Cho in Japanese). The word is quite hard to translate but roughly is aesthetic atmosphere, emotional longing, delicate emotions, or thoughts on living, on nature, etc.* The poem is an honest and straight forward explanation of what the poet saw, heard, and experienced. It explains his pure experience in the style of Jou-Cho.
*Japanese Wikipedia does not have a page on the word.
The first line reads:
"The Moon had set, crows cried, mist is rising, filling the area as if to fill the Heaven."
The second line reads:
"Barely awake, seeing the fisherman's fire and maple trees, sensing melancholic (愁)"
The third line reads:
"Outside of Ku Su City, there is a temple called Han Shan (Cold Mountain)"
The fourth line reads:
"Past mid-night, the sound of the temple bell could be heard even on my boat (making me more melancholic)"
Zhang Ji (張継) traveled to Su Zhou (蘇州). Su Zhou is known for its canals and round bridges. He was tired and sleeping on a boat. When he woke up a little in the late hours, he realized the scenery around him had something reminiscent, then as if to tally the feeling, he heard the sound of the distant bell of Han Shan Temple, intensifying the experience of being there at the moment. Because of this poem, many Japanese visit Han Shan Temple (寒山寺) today.
The poet's experience is about transforming what is on the level of sentiment (the melancholy and the reminiscence) to become (identification of himself with the moment), and what has become has transcended to being (the sound of the bell triggering a Zen moment of "Oneness") on the plane of consciousness.
In my last newsletter, I have encouraged readers to experience life as it reveals to you without judgment. Find out what the universe provides for you, and then you will find a doorway to bliss. The poem is a perfect example of experiencing life as it reveals. Nothing complicated. The poet just jotted down what he had experienced. Can you be as sensitive to nature and life as he was? Can you live in the moment? Can you merge your psyche to your own inner nature as it reveals to you? Zen master said to an apprentice, "what did you hear this morning?" Young apprentice said, "a chirping of birds," and the master replied, "why don't you start from there?"
The direction, east, is assigned to the Liver in the Five Elements.* Its virtue is benevolence (仁): the highest virtue that Confucius gave. In the Buddhist mandala, the east is represented by Amida (in Japanese) or Amitabha (in Sanskrit). Amida means compassion and "bha" means radiance. Amida is a celestial Buddha whose compassion radiates and permeates even the darkest places of hell, transcending time and space. It is the realm of Dalai Lama.*
*Five Elements: please read my past newsletters.
*Dalai Lama: Joseph Campbell, The Mythic Dimension.
Transforming anger into excitement rendering the process to personal salvation, and transforming it to spiritual love is the Liver Element of healing. Out of the healing comes compassion. However, compassion is met by its opposite, attachment, especially to love. We must turn attachment to virtue so that true compassion manifests and radiates the transcended love (Amida and Christ in us all).
How do we free ourselves from attachment by acupuncture? This is a very difficult question, for it is more of psychological and spiritual province than the physical domain of acupuncture. I may evade the cardinal rule that what is best is not teachable and cannot be expressed in words (行不言之教---老子: teach without words---Lao Zi*).
*Teach without words, for the second best is easily misunderstood.
I believe I must refer back to the Five Elements once more. As I mentioned in my last newsletter that there is a natural transition of five Elements which is called the Sheng Cycle (相生-AKA: Harmonious or Generating Cycle – the cycle of health and living). As in Yin and Yang, there is a counter movement to the cycle called Ko (相剋-AKA: Controlling or Destructive Cycle – the cycle of harmful imbalance and unhealthy relationship). For example the Heart (Fire Element) can adversely affect the Lung (Metal Element), and the Lung can affect the Liver (Wood Element). It mutually destroys their functions and the end result of the cycle is death.
We have been talking about the Liver, the Wood Element, and as I have already mentioned that the Lung, the Metal Element, destroys the Wood Element. If the Metal Element is not controlled, it influences the negative aspect of the Liver, such as anger, to rise. Now, the emotion assigned to the Metal Element is grief or sadness. Going back to attachment, attachment is clinging; and grief is also clinging, and is intensified by fear (Water Element). We must cut this destructive cycle if the Wood Element were to transcend.
There are a few emotional points in the acupuncture body system for grief and sadness. Some were already introduced in my past newsletter, such as Ren-17* as the Receiver of Emotion, and Ren-9* (the Water Point) as the Carrier of Sadness. In addition, we have UB-42,* the Door of the Corporeal Soul* and all the points in the Lung Meridian line. UB-42 is indeed the door to the lungs. It is not only good for the functions of the lungs but also for any emotional disturbance by lung ailments. I would choose Lu-6, 7, 8, or 10 among the Lung Meridian. Lu-6 is a Xi-Cleft point.* Lu-7 is a Luo-Connecting point and opens the Ren Mai.* Lu-8 is the Metal Point* of the Lung Meridian (metal of the Metal).
*Ren-17 (壇中: Zhong-Wan = Middle Cavity, on the centerline, at the 4th intercostals, between the nipples).
*Ren-9 (水分: Shui-Fen = Water Separation, on the centerline, about ½ inch superior to the navel).
*UB-42 (魄戸: Po-Hu = Door of the Corporeal Soul, level with the third thoracic vertebra, about 3 inches lateral to the midline. When there is heat in the zang organ, you need to disperse the energy
*Corporeal Soul (魄: Po): connects between the corpus (body) and the spirit (psyche).
*Xi-Cleft Point (aka: Alarm Point): where energy gathers
*Luo-Connecting Point: connected to the paired organ, in this case, with the Large Intestine. Lu-7 opens the Ren Mai (an extra Meridian, closely related to spiritual functions).
*Metal Point: each Meridian line has its own five Elements (elements within the Element).
I would tonify* UB-42 with moxa* or may disperse the Metal energy from Lu-8 (or 10), and may open the Ren Mai by Lu-7. Ren-17* and Ren-9* may be needled or just a gentle touch by a finger would suffice. Keep in mind it is more important to sense how the body is reacting than performing techniques. You must sense that grief, sadness, or anxiety is dissipating, or at least, whether the body is relaxing or not.*
*tonify: strengthening
*moxa: Chinese herb to warm the body
*Ren-17: if there is pain, you first need to take the pain out. If there is pain on the right side, it is due to the Blood (Yin/female) and the left side is due to the Qi (Yang/male). Try to find out which points reduce the pain at Ren-17 for youself.
*Ren-9: if there is pain, needle the right ST-24 first.
*anxiety is dissipating, or … at least: sorry, I cannot teach you this - you must experience.
In addition to cutting the destructive connection of the Ko Cycle, two others must be done. The Liver, the Wood Element, is the time of regeneration. It is the springtime, a beginning of the year and the season when seeds start to germinate and come up from the ground as young plants or trees. Everything is the Yang energy. In order to help the Yang energy further, we need to strengthen it by cutting out the Yin energy, especially from the Kidney (Water Element). Not only do we need to shut down the fear aspect of the Kidney, but also reduce its Yin energy so that the Yang energy of the Wood Element is nourished (by the Yang energy of the Kidney). I might choose Kid-4 or Kid-6* to disperse the Yin energy of the Kidney, or tonify the Yang energy by UB-23, UB-52, or GB-25.* I might use Hua Tou Jia Ji* at L-2 (the Ming Men*: at the second lumbar vertebra).
*Kid-4 (大鐘: Da-Zhong = Great Bell, at the anterior border of the Achilles tendon): Kiiko Matsumoto suggests this point for over worrying and obsessive thinking.
Kid-6 (照海: Zhao-Hai = Shining Sea, slightly inferior to the medial malleolus): Manaka's Mu Point of the kidneys, the adrenal reflex point (for shock, trauma, stress, fear of dying, psychological abuses, etc.).
*UB-23 (腎喩: Shen-Shu = Kidney Shu, lateral to the lower border of the second lumbar vertebra): the kidney point.
UB-52 (志室: Zhi-Shi = Residence of the Will, lateral to the UB-23): activates the will to live. Master Sawada took this point slightly lower than a regular location
GB-25 (京門: Jing-Men = Capital Gate, anterior and inferior end of the 12t rib): the Source point of the kidneys.
*Hua Tou Jia Ji (華陀穴: Hua Tou's Paravertebral Points, slightly lateral to the depression of each vertebra): According to Master Sawada, this line is the first UB line. Master Sawada was the master of the points.
*Ming Men, the Gate of Life: please read my last newsletter.
The third is to tonify the Liver itself. UB-18, UB-47, Liv-3, Liv-8* come to mind. Lastly, the three steps should be performed in the sequence starting from cutting off the Ko Cycle and helping emotions to settle, then to disperse the Yin energy and tonify the Liver.*
*UB-18 (肝喩: Gan-Shu = Liver Shu, lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of the ninth thoracic vertebra): the liver point.
UB-47 (魂門: Hun-Men = Gate of the Ethereal Soul, lateral to UB-18): increases the spiritual as well as the physical aspect of the liver.
Liv-3 (太衝: Tai-chong = Great Rushing, on the dorsum of the foot, in the depression between the first and the second digits): the Source point of the liver.
Liv-8 (曲泉: Qu-Quan = Spring at the Crook: tonifying, particularly good for GYN functions.
*and to tonify the Liver: this strategy of tonifying the Wood Element is culturally ingrained in Chinese and Japanese springtime traditions. Hiroko Yoshino: Yin & Yang Five Elements and the Japanese People (陰陽五行と日本の民俗).
Selected points are arbitrary. They are meant to inspire you. Acupuncture is merely a tool and guidance. We transform attachment by identifying with the inner nature, finding happiness and having strength to turn it to its highest virtue. In another words: strike the ground and find the root being. When we can do this, we see the bright light of enlightenment.*
*The bright light of enlightenment: I often think that enlightenment is like going down the black hole. It is the dark matter that sucks everything in the universe (including the light), and when we pass the point of no return, we get sucked into the vortex, our body elongates, atoms of the body disintegrate, approaching the speed of light, and then what do we see in the abyss? We will be illuminated by zillions of lights trapped by the black hole, and that is our end.* We become one with the Light. (*The end (nirvana): a dissipation of the Self like a drop of drew into the vast sea.)
"All is impermanent. All is without self."
Namaste!
蘇 州 楓 橋 Su Zhou, Maple Bridge
© 2008 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi/Japanese Acupuncture
