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TIw Chart of Inner Luminosity

Qjgong Med.itntion T HB CHA RT O F IN N E R L U MIN O S ITY

153

In Daoism qi may be visualized as energy, breath, or luminous spirits. By pracricing qigong, the spirits are well-nourished and happy and help to mainrain the health of the body. The Chart of Inner Luminosity* is a symbolic represenration of the human body and the spiritual forces that dwell within it. The bottom of the chart is the tailbone, the top, the crown. The Chart was carved in srone at the White Cloud Temple of Beijing (seatof the Quan Zhen Sect of Daoism) in 1886by a Daoist priestnamed Liu Cheng-yin. Reading the chart from bottom to top, qigong philosophy interprers it asfollows: The boy and girl working the water treadmill represent the need to balance yin (feminine) and yang (masculine) energy.They also represent the right and left kidneys, which in Chinese medicine are considered reservoirsof sexual potency. The accompanying inscription says,"Kidney water reversesits course." This means that by practicing meditation, the waterlike sexual energy is conserved and made to flow upward, repairing the spine and brain and recharging the body with vitality. Next we seea man plowing with an ox. The inscription says,"The iron bull tills the earth and sowsthe gold coin." This meansthat qigong requiresthe perseverance a of farmer and the stamina of a bull. Regular practice enables one to plant the seedof long life and wisdom ("the gold coin"). The earth element, related to the spleen,is also a symbol of qi acquired through a balanced diet and harmonious lifestyle. The four circular yin-yang symbolssuspended above a flaming cauldron represenrrhe lower dan tian, the "field of the elixir," below the navel. The dan tian is like an alchemical vessel.By practicing abdominal respiration, the internal energy begins to cook. Eventually it "steams," healing, repairing, and energizing the body. The four yin-yang symbolsare radiating energy in all directions. The weaving maid and the boy standing above her symbolize the unity of yin and yang. The weaving maid is yin, the ability to store energy,to go inward, to maintain tranquillity. Inner quiet is a prerequisite for energy cultivation. According to Chinese legend, the weaving maid spins a silken garment out of moonlight, which we see as the Milky Way. Here, the silken garment is the internal energy rising up the spine. The boy representsyang, the active and outgoing. He stands in a ring of blood; he is the spirit of the heart and the middle dan tian. According to a Chinese legend, the boy, usually called "the cowherd boy," and the weaving maid were once lovers, but becausethey neglected their duties, the ruler of the heavens, the Jade Emperor, changed them into stars at opposite ends of the sky. One night a year, the seventh day of the seventh month, celebrated as Lover's Day in China, the lovers crossthe heavens and meet. In the Chart of Inner Luminosity, a bridge of qi joins the distant lovers. Thus qigong is the means to unifu intemal energy. The boy also represents * The name of this chart, Nei Jing TL, is usually translated "The Chart of the Inner Texture of Meditation." Jing (not to be confusedwith the homonym jing, meaning sexual energy) commonly refersto the warp and woof of a fabric. However, I believe that the au. thor is making a deliberate pun on another word with a similar pronunciation that refers to the brilliant spirits (jing) sensedin meditation.

L54

The Wny of Qigong

spiritual wisdom, innocence, simplicity, and youthful vitality regained through qigong practice. o !7e see the stars of the Big Dipper constellation protruding from the cowherd,s crown. This meansthat a qigong student should absorbqi from the starsand seek harmony with the cosmos. Daoistsbelieve that the Dipper handle is like a lightning rod' drawing qi from the starsinto the Dipper bowl. During the courseof the year, the handle of the Dipper makesa 360-degree rotarion. Since it thus points to all of the stars,it is a reservoirof astralpower. o The forest is the wood element and the liver. It represenrs largestorgan in the the body and thus has a prominent place in the chart. The liver, u..o.di.,g ,"ochi.,.r. medicine,controls the even flow of qi. A healthy ,,forest" extremely important is for success qigong. However,we cannor improve our health by focusingon only in one organ exclusively.Kidney-water helps the liver-wood ro grow. \7ood provides fuel for heart-fire. Heart-fire createsashesand nutrients that are necessary the farmer for to reap a good harvesrfrom the earth (spleen).The earth produces gold and metal, the element and energy of the lungs. Metal becomesa morten riquid, f.edi.rg the kidneys.The organsthus form a circle ofmutual interdependence. r The twelve-tieredpagodarepresents the throat and the back of the neck. During meditation, qi is pumped from the sexualcenter, up the spine, passingthe middle dan tian and internal organs,to the throat, continuing over the crown and then down the front of the body. The throat is an area where the qi is easily sruck, a result ofpoor posture,tension in the neck, or the concentrationrequiredto keepqi flowing upstream' From a western psychologicalperspective,qi may be impeded at the "pagoda"because difficulties in self-expression communicatiorr.Th" p"god" of and may also symbolizethe importance of having a high vantagepoint, of not getting boggeddown by details. o To the left of the pagoda we see a recrangurarpool of water with the word ,,drawbridge" writren next to it. The pool is the mouth and saliva. The bridge is the tongue. The pool provides water that prevents the mouth from drying out during breathingexercises. Saliva alsoabsorbs during meditation; the meditator swallows qi salivaperiodicallyand imaginesit dropping into the lower dan tian, replenishing it. The tongue forms a bridge between two major meridians, the Governing channel that follows the spine and extendsover the crown, ending at the upper jrrat", a.r,i the conception channel that begins at the tip of the tongue and descends to the perineum.Touching the rip of the tongue to the upperpalate closes the circurr so qr can circulateand flow without leakins. o Above the pond are two circles,representing the two eyesand the sun and moon. The qigong student closeshis eyesand rurns rheir light inward, illuminatins the inner world. By practicing self-awareness becomes sagesuch as Lao Zi, ti" he a *"ditating figureabove the right eye,or Bodhidharma,the founderof Zen Buddhism, the figure standing under Lao Zi with upstretchedarms. The presenceof Lao Zi and Bodhidharma, esteemedfounders of Daoism and Zen, signifi, the importance of meditation as the meansto awaken intuirion and wisdom.They also represent the fundamentalunity of different spiritual paths,all leadingto,th. ,"-. go"i. -Mountains o continuing up the spine, we seethe head as a series sacredpeaks. of are funnels that draw down srellar and heavenryenergy;this energy is concentrated in caves.Daoistsgo to mountain cavesto meditateand communewith heavenlvpower.

Qjgong Med.itntion

f 55

The human body is a microcosm of the universe, a "small heaven and earth." In the Nei JingTu, the meditation ."u", Jr. within the meditator's own head. I At the top of the head are phrasesthat read, "Nirvana [Enlightenment]," "Realm of the Sages,"and "Longevity." These are the goals of qigong meditation.