Page 605 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

JI NG, QI , SH EN

Fig. 49. Primordial Pneuma
(*yuanqi). Xuanlan renniao
shan jingtu K ~ A ,q IlJ f.:~
!; (Scripture and Illustration
for the Mysterious Contem-
plation of the Mountain of
the Bird-Men; CT 434), 5a.
See Lagerwey 1987C, 161-67.

context of gymnastics (*daoyin) and breathing techniques. In an even more
restricted sense, jing designates the energy attached to sexuality (semen in
men, menstrual blood in women). This meaning applies for instance to the
expression "returning the essence to replenish the brain" (*huanjing bunao).
Qi is positioned between essence and spirit and therefore at the intersection
point between matter and mind. Whereas jing is a carrier of life and has a
nourishing function, qi is a dynamic force and has a transforming function.
The term originally means "vapor." Shen evolved from the original sense of
"divinity" and outer and inner "spirits" into the designation of a single force,
whose connotations include those of psychic essence and even of "sou!." To
some extent, shen applies to anything that exists within the cosmos but has
no material aspect, such as deities and human thought.

Neidan. The idea of transmutingjing, qi, and shen is especially important in
neidan, where the phrases "refining essence into pneuma" (lianjing huaqi i*m
it ~ ), "refining pneuma into spirit" (lianqi huashen ~ ~ f-t ;f$), and "refining
spirit and reverting to Emptiness" (lianshen huanxu ~;f$ ~ EIR ) define the three
main stages of the inner alchemical practice.

In neidan, jing is refined by repeatedly making it ascend along the back of
the body and then descend along the front of the body (see *zhoutian). Qi is
cultivated through meditation, stillness of mind, and breathing practices such
as "embryonic breathing" (*taixi). These practices are related to each other, as
the more the mind is concentrated, the more outer breathing becomes refined
and is replaced by embryonic breathing. Shen is compared to fire, particularly