What is the Vital Hidden Force of Life?

Article VI.

What is the Work of the Moving Energy Within the Core of the Lower Elixir Fields (Don Qi Dan Tian Gong)?

Numerous traditional Chinese practitioners of energy work or energy meditation often use the Anterior Lower Elixir Field (Qian Xia Dan Tian) for cultivating vital energy and essence. Some of them, albeit not too many, use the Posterior Lower Elixir Field (Hou Xia Dan Tian) as well.

The Anterior Lower Elixir Field (Qian Xia Dan Tian) is situated within the front part of the small abdomen just behind the acupoint Guan Yuan (Gate Origin). This acupoint can be located 3 units directly below the navel or 2 units above the symphysis pubis provided the length between the navel and the symphysis is equally divided into 5 units. The acupoint Guan Yuan (Gate Origin) is where the Original Yin and Original Yang of the body are passing through and are stored. The Anterior Lower Elixir Field (Guan Xia Dan Tian) is where different sources of vital energy and essence are more passively stored, cultivated and converted.

The Posterior Lower Elixir Field (Hou Xia Dan Tian) is situated within the back part of the middle abdomen just in front of the acupoint Ming Men (Life Gate). This acupoint can be located in the depression just below the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra. The acupoint Ming Men (Life Gate) is where the life force congregates, and enters and exits. The Posterior Lower Elixir Field (Hou Xia Dan Tian) is where different sources of vital energy and essence are more actively stored, cultivated and converted.

By virtue of the presence of the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys (Shen Jian Don Qi), both Lower Elixir Fields (Xia Dan Tian) become well connected and animated to form a biomechanical core. Within this core, the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys incessantly and rhythmically descends from the center of the Posterior Lower Elixir Field (Hou Xia Dan Tian ) to the center of the Anterior Lower Elixir Field (Qian Xia Dan Tian ), and then ascends from the center of the Anterior Lower Elixir Field (Qian Xia Dan Tian) to the center of the Posterior Lower Elixir Field (Hou Xia Dan Tian) and so forth. The two field centers of this biomechanical core can be regarded as a binary pulsating system. In this system, the posterior center is more a proactive one while the anterior center is more a reactive one.

As the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys (Shen Jian Don Qi) is the inherent driving force behind this binary pulsating system, the rhythmic patterns of motion of the whole biomechanical core are considered to be automatic and natural. With some special training, the overall abdominopelvic cavity can be observed to be rhythmically narrowing and widening following the descending and ascending Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys. The Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys is the abbreviated title of the Work of the Moving Energy Within the Core of the Lower Elixir Fields. Within this core of the Lower Elixir Fields, the main aim of this work, like numerous other Chinese energy works, is to store, cultivate and convert various sources of vital energy and essence in the abdomen. In reality, however, the means to achieve such an aim is completely different or even opposite.

The presence of the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys (Shen Jian Don QI) within the abdomen may have been disclosed for more than 1800 years but its inherent rhythms and activities within the core of the Lower Elixir Fields (Xia Dan Tian) have not - yet. This work is one of the first if not the first in the history of practising Lower Elixir Field Energy Works (Xia Dan Tian Qi Gong ) to engage the automatic instead of the conscious process of storing, cultivating and converting various sources of vital energy and essence within the abdomen. The main focus of this work is to let the inherent rhythmic activities of the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys (Shen Jian Don QI) guide the practice. This means that during practice, the whole body and mind have to follow this energy harmoniously so as to provide more space, time and freedom of movement for this energy to automatically store, cultivate and convert various sources of vital energy and essence in the abdomen. On the other hand, as the presence and rhythmic activities of the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys (Shen Jian Don QI) were or are not well known by past or present practitioners of Elixir Fields, they had or have to consciously guide the process mostly through pulmonary breathing, visualization or both. Hence such process can be regarded as postnatal instead of prenatal, and less natural. Sometimes, it can even interfere with or hamper the natural rhythmic activities of this energy. Considering it is a primary necessity to become well aware and familiar with the presence of the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys (Shen Jian Don Qi) first before letting this energy guide the practice of the automatic process of storing, cultivating and converting various sources of vital energy and essence in the abdomen, it is prerequisite to practice well the Work of the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys (Shen Jian Don QiGong).

For more about the Moving Energy Amidst the Kidneys (Shen Jian Don Qi), please read the preceding and the following articles.