The Image of the Cosmos in the I Ching: the Yi-globe
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IV. The Yi-globe and the human microcosm
The I Ching and the Nei JingThe Yi-globe as the symbol of the microcosm
According to the teachings of the I Ching, a wise man is supposed to contemplate on the hexagrams, understanding thereby their meanings. As the book says: 'In this way man comes to resemble heaven and earth, he is not in conflict with them. His wisdom embraces all things, and his Tao brings order into the whole world; therefore he does not err.' [Baynes: 295.] This saying includes the traditional idea that man was originally created in the semblance of heaven, that is he represents a certain kind of microcosm, having thereby an inherent ability to apply the heavenly laws to himself, thus harmonizing with heaven. The I Ching renders guidance for the solution of this exact task, disclosing the rules of harmonious human life. Therefore the book, since ancient times, has exerted its influence not only on the spiritual development of men but on the preservation and curing of bodily health as well. Also the theoretical fundaments of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) reflect the spirituality of the I Ching, or are directly originated from it. The frequently quoted saying of Sun Simiao, a Taoist priest and medical expert (581-682), is generally accepted in this sphere, according to which: 'You cannot master medicine until you have studied the I Ching.'
In the previous passages the Yi-globe was discussed as the symbol of the macrocosm but it seems to be probable that also the human world, the microcosm, should be manifested in it. This consideration encourages the discussion on the Yi-globe and the human microcosm as on comparable ideas. Hereafter, such elements will be revealed in the Yi-globe, which are considered as the fundamental features of the human organism.
THE I CHING AND THE NEI JING
To demonstrate the relationship between the I Ching and Chinese medicine, the oldest ancient work of the vast TCM literature, the Nei Jing serves the purpose best. The theoretical and practical material of this book forms the basis of each following Chinese medical work, and therefore still exercises its influence in our time. The survival of the Nei Jing through millennari can be attributed to its versatility; being not only a medical book but rather a philosophical treatise on health and illness. Ilza Veith writes that in the ancient China: 'Medicine was but a part of philosophy and religion, both of which propounded oneness with nature, i.e. the universe.' [Veith: 10.] Thus it is impossible to understand the Nei Jing without being familiar with the Chinese thinking of that time, with special regard to the three fundamental concepts: the Tao, the yin/yang duality and the theory of the five elements. From among these concepts the first two are cardinal ideas in the I Ching as well, and so, as common spiritual base, create a thorough relationship between the two works.
The Tao, “the Way” stands for the general ordering principle of the universe. One has to follow it to attain internal peace and complete enlightenment. The following of the Tao means performing the balance between the two principles of existence: the yin and the yang.
Instead of further speculations, some citations below will illustrate how the Tao and the yin/yang duality appears in these two cardinal works of Chinese philosophy and Chinese medicine.
1.) Structure of the universe: the role of the Tao and the duality of the world.
In the I Ching:
'The Book of Changes contains the measure of heaven and earth; therefore it enables us to comprehend the Tao of heaven and earth and its order.'
The same in the Nei Jing:
'The principle of Yin and Yang is the basic principle of the entire universe. It is the principle of everything in creation.'
2.) The aim of the wise man: to understand the changes in the world, and to follow the Tao accordingly.
I Ching:
'As the firm and the yielding lines displace one another, change and transformation arise.'
Further on, according to the previously cited saying: 'Since in this way man comes to resemble heaven and earth, he is not in conflict with them. His wisdom embraces all things, and his Tao brings order into the whole world; therefore he does not err.'
Nei Jing:
'If Yin and Yang change the people will change likewise and their destiny can then be prefigured. ... In ancient times those people who understood Tao patterned themselves upon the Yin and the Yang and they lived in harmony with the arts of divination.'
'Obedience to the laws of Yin and Yang means life; disobedience means death.'
3.) Parting of spirit and form.
I Ching:
'In the heavens phenomena take form; on earth shapes take form.'
Nei Jing:
'In Heaven there are ethereal spirits; upon earth there is form and shape.'
4.) Yin and yang: dark and light.
I Ching:
'That which lets now the dark, now the light appear is Tao.' (Here the original Chinese text applies the words yin and yang, and those are replaced by dark and light in the English translation.)
Nei Jing:
'Heaven was created by an accumulation of Yang, the element of light; Earth was created by an accumulation of Yin, the element of darkness.'
As the citations show, the ideas of the I Ching appear in the Nei Jing almost word for word; however, in the latter, these statements serve first of all to support the guidelines in respect to the restoration of the balance of the bodily state. For that matter, nowadays, the principles of the I Ching also find an ever increasing application in the western world and not only in spiritual field but also in everyday practice. Medical practitioners and doctors, moreover medical centers and hospitals, work and cure patients using these traditional principles (the methods of divination are applied for example in diagnostics as well).
The third spiritual base of the Nei Jing, the five element theory, is not included in the I Ching. This does not mean that this theory was unknown at the time the book was written, but rather denotes that the I Ching deals with such higher levels of existence where the differentiation of the world to the five elements is not yet taken into consideration.
THE YI-GLOBE AS THE SYMBOL OF THE MICROCOSM
As it has been demonstrated in this study, the macrocosm can be found in the Yi-globe symbolically and structurally as well. The spherical form itself represents the whole world, its unity and completeness, with the fire-water triangle pairs and the yin-yang diagram embraced by it, representing the duality of the world. Moreover, the internal structure of the sphere truly follows the structure of the fundamental elements of the macrocosm: the directions of space (four and six directions), the cycles of time and their duodecimal distribution, the World Axis, and the Center, etc. These ideas denote the elements of traditional cosmological worldviews as the sages imagined them at the time when the hexagrams and the I Ching were compiled. It is obvious that to find the signs of the microcosm in the Yi-globe, it is required to know the Chinese approach to the human organism in the Zhou-age and in the times preceding it. It is the Nei Jing again, that offers help to solve this problem. At first, however, it is necessary to highlight the features considered as determining factors in the comparison with the Yi-globe. This means that it is useful to deal with the fundamental elements of acupunctural healing, this being the method that best expresses the cosmologic theories in Chinese medicine.
The acupunctural method is based on the theory that the organs of the human body are interrelated among each other through a well-defined channel system, the so-called meridians, and through these channels energies (qi or chi) flow, regulating (promoting or hindering) the operation of the organs. It is important to note that the meridians are not some physically or anatomically specified organs (as e.g. the blood vessels), but rather routes or lines of force; however, their existence has already been proven by modern scientific methods as well.
According to the Nei Jing a person has twelve internal organs, from among which six are solid (these are the viscera) and six are hollow (the bowels)*. The principle of duality consequently manifests itself in this case too: the solid organs are of yin, while the hollow ones are of yang character.
Within the channel system there are twelve main meridians**, running more or less parallel with the center line of the body and further along the limbs, under the skin of the arms and the legs. Inside the body each of them is joined with an inner organ, and named after it; thus there are heart, lung, gall-bladder, etc. meridians. The special features of the main meridians lie in their having so-called acupunctural points near the skin surface. Through these points they can take in and drain off energy. By the stimulation of these points (by puncture, burning, or other, modern techniques) one is capable of regulating the energy conditions of the organism. The remaining — 60 in total — secondary channels supplement the functions of the main meridians, dispersing the effects in each part of the body, but have their own individual functions as well. Consequently, together with the main meridians they constitute a complex but harmonized system embracing the body as a whole.
The main meridians are of yin or yang character, identically with their adjoining inner organs. Thus, there are six yin and six yang meridians. In three of the yin meridians the life energy flows from the toes towards the relevant organ, and in the other three this flow starts from the organ towards the fingers. In the yang meridians the flow is of reversed direction: from the hand towards the organ, and from the organ towards the toes. Based on this distribution there are leg-yin, arm-yin, arm-yang, and leg-yang meridians, three of each one. If a man stands with his arms stretched upwards, it can be taken that in the yin meridians the energy passes upwards from below (quasi having the origin in the earth), while in the yang ones the energy flows downwards from the top (from heaven). The yin meridians always go over the front side of the body and on the inner side of the limbs, while the yang ones (with two exceptions) go over the back side and on the external surface of the limbs. All the twelve meridians are connected in a series, thus constituting a closed circuit, which enables the continuous circulation of the energy.
The places where the meridians join one another are as follows:
- the yin and the yang meridians: at the lower section of the limb concerned, that is to say at the part under the elbow and the knee respectively,
- two yin meridians: on the breast,
- two yang meridians: on the face.
Table 4 summarizes the process of the energy flow and the junction points of the meridians.
Table 4. Energy circulation in the meridians
The energy in the different meridians is not time-constant: it has a two-hour daily maximum in each meridian; between two maximums the energy gradually changes: decreases to the minimum and then increases again. That is to say the daily maximum circulates among the meridians during 24 hours, passing over bihourly from one to the other following the above sequence. The last column of the table shows the time when this maximum resides in the given meridian.
Based on the location of the main meridians and the time of the energy-maximums, a schematic drawing can be made, showing the daily circulation of energy in the body (figure 43).
Fig. 43. The meridians and the energy-maximums - Symbolic representation
In the figure the following features are demonstrated – in a very simplified manner:
- The location of the meridians: they are allocated on the dial-circle at the time of their energy maximum.
- The location of the surface sections: on the arm (above the dial-circle) or on the leg (under the dial-circle).
- The connection between the adjacent meridians: horizontal line of dots.
- The character and the direction of the energy: according to the arrows (upwards: yin, downwards: yang).
Comparison of the above diagram with the Yi-globe reveals several analogous features:
1.) The most remarkable common feature is the identical numbers (i.e. 12) of the two kinds of meridians and their unique, balanced distribution in the daily time cycle, at two-hour intervals.
2.) Relation with Heaven constitutes the foundation of human life; this is defined by the Nei Jing as follows: 'The Yellow Emperor said: From earliest times the communication with Heaven has been the very foundation of life; this foundation exists between Yin and Yang and between Heaven and Earth and within the six points.' [Su Wen, Ch. 3.] Ilza Veith's comment added thereto: 'The six points are: the four points of the compass, the Zenith and the Nadir.'
– The cardinal points of the Yi-globe are exactly the same: the Creative (the Heaven, the Zenith), the Receptive (the Earth, the Nadir), and the end points of the horizontal cross: the four cardinal points.
3.) In the main meridians the energy of Heaven and Earth, the yang and the yin energy, flows up and down. This is the energy that nourishes the different organs and gives life to the human being.
– Previously, the meridians of the Yi-globe were considered as lines of force between the Creative (Heaven) and the Receptive (the Earth). The hexagrams placed along these lines can be taken for the elements of the created world, produced by the interaction of the two principal powers. They represent the whole world in their totality. Consequently, a close interrelation can be revealed here between the human body and the universe.
4.) The opposite meridians have contrary features in every respect: if one of them is leg-yin, the other will be arm-yang, if it is leg-yang, the other will be arm-yin and so on. When the energy in one of them is at the maximum, it is at the minimum in the other and vice versa.
– On the Yi-globe a hexagram and its inverse (complementary) pair are placed at antipodes, that is to say, on meridians opposite to one another. Thus, the place and the characteristics of the opposites are identical to those experienced in the case of the human body.
The features of the meridian network, shown in the four passages above, are almost completely reflected in the Yi-globe as well. Drawing a variant of the Yi-globe, where the twelve “heavenly” meridians are replaced by the twelve human meridians, it will be apparent how these features correspond to the structure of the globe (figure 45).
Fig. 45. The human microcosm in the Yi-globe
On the basis of the visible conformities this figure can be rightly regarded as a symbol of the human microcosm.
In addition to these features the Yi-globe has even more elements, which to a great probability bear microcosmic implications, but the exact determination of the relations requires further analysis. Some of these elements are listed below, together with their possible analogies:
5.) The hexagrams on the surface
– The hexagrams are located on the meridians of the Yi-globe according to definite rules. The question arises: Are there any relations between the hexagrams of a meridian and the corresponding human meridian? Here the associated internal organ, its illnesses, the acupunctural points etc. can be taken into consideration.
6.) The five levels of the Yi-globe
– One of the basic concepts of the TCM is the theory of the five elements, which is not discussed here. It is possible, however, that the five levels of the hexagrams have some connections with the five elements, the five so-called antique points, or many other things symbolized by the five elements in Chinese philosophy.
7.) The triangles and the six-pointed stars
– In figure 45, the connections of the meridians of the same type (the leg-yang, leg-yin, etc. meridians) show four equilateral triangles; the symbolic connotation of them not known yet.
8.) The signs of Before Completion and After Completion in the center of the globe
– These signs represent the Beginning and the End, their position refers to the Center, the Center of the World, wherefrom everything derives and whereto everything will return. In them, the firm and yielding lines are alternately distributed, demonstrating thereby the balance and harmony of the yin and yang elements. It is this balance that forms the basic condition of health in the body and mind as well.
9.) The Sun-line
– In a human body, apart from the 12 main meridians, there are eight “extra” meridians yet, but only two of them have own acupunctural points: the Conception Vessel (Ren Mai) and the Governor Vessel (Du Mai). The Conception Vessel (alias: Sea of Yin Channels) is of yin character, with its surface section passing from the groin on the abdominal side up to the lower lip along the centre line of the body. The Governor Vessel (Sea of Yang Channels) is of yang character, and it has the origin at the same part of the body as the Conception Vessel, but goes along the back side, in the line of the backbone and reaches the palate through the head top. These two channels constitute a complete circle, and have the main function of regulating the energy flow in the 12 main meridians, being in connection with each of them.
The Sun-line consists of two parts. One of them passes upwards along the eastern side of the Yi-globe from the Receptive to the Creative over six calendar hexagrams, all of which belonging to the house of the Receptive (thus being of yin character). The other one is the continuation of the former, returning to the Receptive on the western side, through the other six calendar hexagrams belonging to the house of the Creative (thus being of yang character). In such a way a complete circle is formed, crossing each of the 12 meridians (the 12 months), passing from the earth to heaven and returning to the earth again.
Thus, it can be seen that the route and the character of the Sun-line fully comply with the two extra meridians in many respects, and it can be taken as their symbolic representation.
10.) The Equator and the Axis
– Similar relations can be established on one part between the Dai Mai (Belt Channel) extra meridian and the Equator of the Yi-globe, and on the other part between the Chong Mai (Sea of Blood Channel) and the vertical axis of the globe as far as the routes and the roles are concerned.
These similarities in content and form – even if being only partial ones – offer the possibility to suppose that the Yi-globe, apart from representing the macrocosm, can be taken for the symbol of the human microcosm as well.
(10) The Yi-globe is supposed to be the symbol of the human microcosm.
The further revelation (or denial) of this theory will be the task of the scientists that have full knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine and well understand the I Ching too.
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