xing ti shen

[Guest guest]

First thank you Very much to the suggestion of:

 

 

Shenti yu ziran

 

Body and nature, subtitled, taking the Huangdi neijing to discuss the view of the body in ancient and traditional China,

by

Cai Bi-ming

published, NTU Wenshi congkan, 1997

 

Will get hold of it but as for now any one with comments on the content of the book (a review hidden away 6th floor end of the corridor in a grand old university building maybe, or in a clinic "somewhere":-), or can one find excerpts on the internet?

 

 

 

The book The expressiveness of the body and divergence of Greek and Chinese medicine is truly a gem.

 

Within it I am reminded that Chinese medicine has allured to plant analogy to explain the blossoming of human body.

 

 

Since I read (repeat reading) very hastily a question:

 

Since Qi and blood is said to "be" the shen and produce shen (correction if I am totally wrong) one apart from the Se "expression manifest" the pulse will tell such telling sings about shen as to the persons blossoming or potential thereof?

 

Or?

 

A Flourishing Yin: Gender in China's Medical History, 960-1665by Charlotte FurthMentions that shen sometimes refers to the physical body and sometimes to the person with their lived history and subjective consciousness. It also mention that in a classical canonical (?) since Shen was (is) the closes approximation to the English word body.

 

This I found incredibly interesting since in relation with the other words such as:

 

Ti

Xing

 

I am still unclear specially since some preconceived ideas of mine probably would like to have it that ti simply meant body physical and shen simply meant "body non physical"

 

 

Any clarification or exemplifications?

 

 

That Chinese medicine is more concern with process and function is something that can not be underemphasize (presumably there are other tendencies within the long history of Chinese medicine)

 

Something interesting, that Charlotte Furth mentions something like:

 

..."the yellow emprors body" is a metaphor calling attention to the conceptual point of view ...needed to understand the classical medical theory to the human organism it was meant to explain"...

 

 

 

 

Since the book is not physically at hand (yet) any elaborations?

 

 

As for the long history of Chinese medicine what really is interesting is its continues continuation albeit with change and continuity, since for example Maya medicine has a historically speaking a long history but its a history dented with intentional destruction and cultural incomprehension. Hence a big thanks to those that are concern with the "knowing" Chinese medicine.

 

 

 

In the translated Nan Ching edition by Unschuld in Nan 59:

 

The fifty-ninth difficult issue: By what [criteria] can the illness of madness and falling sickness be distinguish?

 

It is like this. During the initial development of madness, one rests only rarely and does not feel hungry. One will [speak of] oneself as occupying a lofty, exemplary position. One will point out one's special wisdom, and one will behave in a an arrogant and haughty way. One will laugh - and fine joy in singing and making music - without reason, and one will around heedlessly without break. during the initial development falling sickness, one´s thoughts are unhappy. One lies down and stares straight ahead. The yin and the Yang [movements in the] vessels are full in all three sections.

 

 

The character kuang for "madness" is translated as mania and the character dian for " falling sickness"as withdrawal in a practical dictionary of Chinese medicine (fascinating the linguistically and extralingustical aspects of Chinese medicine...)

 

Here the pulse at the end to me does not imply the state of Shen-Xing-ti but the indication of a yin evil repletion (?), possibly (most likely due to a Vacuity-depletion).

 

Hence the question:

 

If I was to say that classical Chinese medicine did recognise the state of shen in the pulse (which can mean both body physical and mind-spirit-mental cognitions-blossoming of a person...) would it be totally wrong?