The energy mechanism of meditation

1. The meaning of Yin and Yang

The law of Yin and Yang was discovered in China and Vietnam around 2000 years before the Common Era. From this principle of Yin and Yang, the ancients developed the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams as a basis for observing human beings and the universe. What is special is that this philosophical system has been applied to a great many fields, such as medicine, divination, martial arts, geomancy (feng shui), physiognomy, horoscopy and so on, and even warfare. The survival of this philosophical system for several thousand years also leads us to observe that the ancients too achieved certain results by relying on it.

First, Yin means the hidden part.

Yang means the part that is displayed.

For example, in a tree, the roots buried below are Yin, and the part growing out above the ground is Yang.

In a house, the foundation sunk deep in the earth is Yin, and the walls and roof that appear for us to use directly are Yang.

In a computer, the microcircuits inside the case are Yin, and the monitor screen that we look at on the outside is Yang.

In a human being, the front, which people see when they face each other, is Yang, and the back is Yin; the part above the navel is Yang, and the part from the navel down to the feet is Yin; the outer skin and appearance are Yang, and the internal organs are Yin; outward behaviour and speech are Yang, and inner psychology is Yin, and so on.

The Yang part is the part we use and come into contact with directly, and the Yin part is the part we pay little attention to but which is the root, the base, the place from which Yang comes. The larger and firmer the Yin, the more room Yang has to develop. A large root system is the condition for a tree to become a giant. A deep, large foundation is the condition for a house to rise high. A generous psychology is the condition for fine behaviour and speech.

If the Yang part is larger than the Yin part, the whole structure begins to risk early decline and will not last long. If a tree's roots are smaller than the trunk and branches above, that tree has a short life. If the foundation is not set very deep, the house will soon sink. If a person's ethics are slight, talent does not develop greatly. Therefore, understanding this nature, we must always reinforce the root, that is, the Yin part, of life, of health, of the work of spiritual practice, of our work, and so on.

2. The energy mechanism of meditation

According to the system of the Three Karmas of body, speech and mind, the mind and thought belong to the Yin part, which cannot be seen. But according to the energy system of the body, the activity of mind and thought up in the head is the extreme Yang part. Opposed to the head are the soles of the two feet, the extreme Yin part.

Because the head is the extreme Yang part, if we use the brain too much, or if in practising meditation we focus too much on the head, then within our bodies the Yang part is gradually encroaching on the Yin part, and the danger of decline, illness and collapse is slowly approaching.

Anyone who has strong legs will certainly also have a strong spirit. Anyone whose legs are weak will have a weak body overall and a weak spirit as well. In physiognomy, someone with weak legs will find it hard to build a lasting career. Therefore, in protecting health and spirit, training the legs is of the utmost importance.

Usually, when practising meditation, people tend to focus a great deal on the head, that is, to lean towards Yang, so the Buddha taught us to do walking meditation and move the legs to make up for the Yin part that is easily forgotten. The lower abdominal system, from the Đan điền point (dantian) down to the reproductive organs with the Hội âm and Dương cường points, is also an extremely important Yin part for spirit and health. If that whole system is healthy and firm, a person will be steady and at ease. If that system is weak, a person will be frail and easily shaken. Those who follow the Taoist path always regard training the lower abdominal system as the first priority. Even for those who practise meditation, without a strong lower abdomen they cannot gather the mind. In the method of practice of mindfulness of breathing, the Buddha's teaching to know the whole body clearly also means training the Yin part below.

The Cố căn method (securing the root)

There is a method that strengthens two important points, Hội âm and Dương cường, and thereby also makes the mind clearer and more spacious: the Cố căn method. Because the anus lies between the two points Hội âm and Dương cường, tightly contracting the anus reinforces those two points. When breathing in, we hold the breath and perform Cố căn three times, then breathe out. When Cố căn is practised in this way, it is very easy to collect the mind, and diseases of the nerves of the brain can be cured. Many people who practise Qigong practise Cố căn in this way, and when they turn to practising meditation they always get good results.

Apart from the time of practising "Cố căn", we should also often keep the mind on the part below, the abdomen and the legs, and on the two palms when we place the hands beneath the abdomen while sitting in the full lotus posture, which also helps to reinforce the Yin part of the body.

Practising meditation means controlling the mind, but if we only know how to pay attention to the part above the head, the Yin force will gradually be lost. When the Yin force is no longer there, nervous disease will appear. Nervous diseases of the brain are mostly due to tension, which means that force rushes up to the head too much. The Yin force in the abdomen and legs has the effect of keeping the force from rising up into the head. When the Yin force is lost, the force freely rises up and makes the brain tense, worn out and sick. A very severe nervous disease of the brain can even destroy the state of mind, that is, cause madness.

Therefore, although we must control the mind above, we must divide the mind downwards and gently know the part below. Later, when the mind enters concentration, we still keep seeing the whole body clearly and do not abandon the body. Many people do not know this; they practise meditation focusing only on the head, and when they enter concentration they lose the body even more, so the force surges upwards in great waves, and before long the brain is ruined and they become invalids.

3. Protecting the true Yin

True Yin (Chân Âm) is a term from Eastern medicine that refers to the latent, invisible energy of the Yin part in the lower body. Abundant true Yin is the condition for the brain to be durable and for the work of meditation to advance. Some people are blessed from birth with strong true Yin; some have weak. A person who practises meditation must know how to protect true Yin carefully.

• Do not overuse the brain, or the sense organs of the head and face. Even watching a great deal of television makes the energy rise upward. Reading, listening, writing, composing and so on, too much, also make the energy rise. As human beings we must use our brains, but we must know how to balance moderately and how to release stress, that is, how to move the hands and feet in simple ways, how to sit in meditation and bring the mind down below, and so on.

• Worldly sensual pleasures also deplete the true Yin. This is precisely why a person who wants to advance spiritually must live a pure and clean life. Noble joy arising from ethics is very good, but sensual pleasures are the opposite.

• Pungent foods such as chilli and pepper, and alcohol, also deplete the true Yin. Certain food chemicals, such as borax, MSG, formaldehyde used to preserve food, artificial colourings, chemical sugars and so on, also deplete the true Yin.

• Some chemical medicines treat certain illnesses quickly but gradually destroy the true Yin, especially painkillers.

We must be careful to avoid agents that are harmful to the true Yin in order to help the work of meditative concentration.

Question: Observe further the structure of Yin and Yang in many areas of life.