Psychophysical development of a person through the system of "Five elements". Ayurveda: The Theory of the Five Elements

Ayurvedic science is based on the theory of five primary elements: Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth. It is believed that everything in the universe, including human bodies, consists of these primary elements. Rather, everything is endowed with the properties of these primary elements. Here an inquisitive reader may object, they say, all matter consists of atoms, and those, in turn, consist of smaller particles: electrons, photons, protons, and so on. Everything is in order, one does not contradict the other. The smallest particles also have the properties of primary elements.

When we say the primary element of air, we do not mean the oxygen we breathe. This refers to the nature or function that the primary element of air possesses, that is, lightness and mobility. This is an important point, catch it. The same thing, when speaking about the primary element of Fire - it does not mean the fire that burns in the stove, although, of course, the primary element of fire is present in it in the form of heat, but this is not the primary element of fire itself. We are talking about the nature of the primary element - heat. The same with the rest of the elements. For example, in a flame burning in a fireplace, the primary element of fire is present, but in a saucepan this primary element is not.

In the metal from which the pan is made, there is the primary element of the earth, the nature of which is hardness. But, we put the pan on the fire, it heats up and the primary element of fire enters it. The red-hot pan did not lose its hardness (its primary element of earth), but also acquired the primary element of fire in the form of heat. Or maybe ice. It is solid, that is, its primary element is earth. Despite the fact that it consists of water (H2O), the primary element of water is formed in it when it melts and takes on a liquid form under the influence of heat, that is, the primary element of fire. And during evaporation, the primary element of air will be present, since the vapor is light and mobile. The vapor will dissolve in space, that is, in the ether.

The nature of the ether is space. Wherever there is space, the primary element of ether is present. All other primary elements are formed from the ether.

The nature of air is lightness and mobility. Everything that moves contains the primary element of air.

The nature of fire is warmth. Any heat contains the primary element of fire.

The nature of water is fluidity. It is present in all liquids.

The nature of the earth is hardness. Everything solid has the nature of the primary element earth.

How did the elements appear?

As we know from the Vedas, before the creation of the universe, the world existed in an unmanifested form of consciousness. Then from this cosmic consciousness came the sound "AUM" or "OM", this sound created a vibration from which the first element "ether" (space) appeared. Then the element of ether began to move, which gave rise to the primary element of air (here we are talking about the primary element of air, and not about the earth's atmosphere). The nature of air is mobile. Movement created friction, and friction produces heat. This is how the third primary element appeared - fire, the nature of which is warm. From heat, other elements liquefy (ice, iron melt, etc.) and become fluid, so the primary element of water appeared. Losing heat, the primary elements solidify, become solid, so the primary element of the earth appeared.

Thus, the ether was transformed in the four primary elements, it is present in each of them: in air, fire, water and earth.

All life on the planet was created from the element of earth: plants, animals and humans. I remember the Biblical story about the creation of man, when God created Adam from the dust of the earth.

The primary element of earth is found in inorganic matter, in minerals. Throughout the material world, there are 5 primary elements. They interact with each other. The forms of matter change, but the primary elements do not go anywhere, they simply pass from one matter to another, acting on it.

What is the source of the primary elements? Where did they come from? The answer is simple. Source - energy emanating from the Universal consciousness - God. Thus, energy and matter have a single beginning.

Primary elements and the human body.

Man (human body), as part of the universe and the material world, also consists of primary elements.

Ether manifested in the human body in the mouth, in the nostrils, in the nasopharynx, in the gastrointestinal tract, in the abdomen, in the respiratory system, in the chest, vessels, capillaries, lymph, tissues and cells.

Ether in motion, as we already know, forms the primary element of air.

Air in our body it is manifested in a variety of movements: muscles, heartbeat, expansion and contraction of the lungs, the movement of the walls of the digestive system. Nerve impulses are also movement; cells move under their influence. All movements of the central nervous system are controlled by the primary element of air.

Fire. In space, the source of fire is the stars; in our solar system, the source of fire (heat and light) is the sun. And in our body (microcosm), the source of fire is metabolism - metabolism. Fire manifests itself in the digestive system during the digestion of food. In the cells of the brain, fire is manifested as intellect. In the retina of the eye, fire is responsible for the perception of light. All metabolic processes are controlled by fire. Vision, thinking and digestion are also the area of responsibility of the primary element of fire.

Water in our body it appears in the form of liquids: gastric juice, saliva, mucous membranes, plasma and protoplasm. The primary element of water is vital for us. Loss of the primary element of water (vomiting, diarrhea) should be avoided.

Earth in our body is responsible for everything solid: bones, cartilage, tendons, muscles, skin, nails, hair.

Foods and medicines also contain primary elements. Each product has its own primary element. Knowing the nature of this or that product / plant, you can choose a treatment or diet that will allow you to maintain health and youth for many years.

Let's analyze the situation with an example. The person has digestive problems. Food is poorly digested, vitamins are not absorbed, from which he eats more and, accordingly, grows fat, while experiencing a deficiency of trace elements.

So, applying the knowledge of the primary elements, we understand that the primary element of fire is responsible for the digestive system in the body. Weak digestion - lack of fire! What caused it?

Firstly, it can be caused by body type (doshas - predisposition). Kapha dosha consists of the primary elements of earth and water, and earth and water, as we know, extinguish fire, that is, the fire of a person with a predominant kafa dosha will be initially weak!

Secondly, it is, of course, related to nutrition. If in his diet there is food with predominant primary elements of earth and water (cold, heavy food), this also extinguishes the fire of digestion. And if this person also pours a drink after dinner on his already weak fire of digestion, then, as a result, the fire will go out. The food will not be digested! It will not burn, but will be deposited in the body in the form of fat and toxins.

Another cause of indigestion can be eating at the wrong time. For example, late at night or early in the morning. At different times of the day, the fire of digestion has different strengths. So, at noon, the strongest fire is connected with solar activity, the fire in the body (microcosm) is interconnected with the fire in the universe (the sun).

So, how to help this person with the help of knowledge about the primary elements?

First, it is necessary to increase its fire of digestion. To do this, he should take light food (with the absence of the primary elements of water and earth) in the morning and evening, so that his digestive fire is able to “burn” it, that is, digest it. At lunch, when his fire flares up more strongly, you can give him some heavy food (with the element of earth and water), but do not fill the fire after eating (drinks should be consumed 30 minutes before eating, not after). You should also eat foods and spices containing the primary element of fire to help flare up his own fire. Such spices can be ginger, black pepper, turmeric. Ghee also contains the element of fire. Add oil to the fire, and it flares up even more! Digestion is in full swing, all trace elements are absorbed and, most importantly, no excess on the hips and stomach! By the same principle, you can treat any ailment, the main thing is to know the nature of your body and the nature of the products.

Primary elements and organs of human perception (feelings).

All five primary elements are manifested in the five sense organs of a person according to the same principle as they are manifested in physiology. These elements are responsible for the perception of the world around us. They are also associated with the five corresponding functions of the sensory organs (hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste).

Ether - it is a conductor that transmits sound. Thus the ether is connected with the function of hearing. The organ of hearing is the ear.

Air manifests itself on the skin, the organ of touch. The arms are constantly mobile and convey a sense of touch. The skin of the hands is very sensitive. Air is connected with the skin, mainly the skin of the hands.

Fire is responsible for vision, it perceives light. The eye is connected with the legs, they give direction when walking.

Water is responsible for the taste. Her organ is language. A dry tongue has no taste, so water (saliva) is needed. The tongue is connected with the genitals. According to Ayurveda, the tongue in the mouth is the upper tongue, the penis or clitoris is the lower tongue. A person who does not control his tongue (speech) does not control his genitals (promiscuity). Conversely, one who watches his language (speech) is restrained at the level of the genitals and devoted to one partner.

Earth. This primary element is associated with the sense of smell. Its organ, the nose, is related in function to the excretory organ (anus). For example, if a person has constipation or an unclean rectum, bad breath, as a rule, such a person has a dull sense of smell.

This is how Ayurveda, giving knowledge of the primary elements, enables any person to bring his body and mind into harmony.

Be healthy and happy!

According to this theory, the life force, in its countless manifestations, is born and dies through the interaction of the five elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood. This five-element model belongs to Taoism; ancient Western philosophies, as well as Indian, were based on a model that included only four elements, or elements: earth, air, water and fire. For Taoists, air is included in the concept of fire, because fire cannot burn without air.

There are two cycles, illustrating the interaction between elements. In the first cycle, which is called the "generation cycle", each of the elements generates, or produces, the following element: wood produces fire, fire produces earth, earth produces metal, metal produces water, and water produces wood, which naturally leads to the beginning of a cycle . In the second cycle, which is called the "cycle of destruction", each of the elements destroys, or absorbs, the element that follows it. Thus, water destroys metal, metal destroys wood, wood absorbs water, water absorbs fire, fire destroys metal, and the cycle begins anew.

Just like the Universe, which maintains balance due to the interaction of the five elements, the human body, which is a microcosm of the Universe, maintains the harmony of the mental and physical principles thanks to the same interaction of the five elements. Energy circulates in the body, using the meridians and the corresponding organs and viscera for this, following strictly defined cycles. And these cycles, illustrating the circulation of energy in the body, are a reflection of those two cycles, which were the interaction between the five elements. For the Taoists, each of the human entrails is associated with one of the five elements.

In the first cycle each of the organs connects with its corresponding element, which leads to the following result: the heart (fire) supports the spleen and pancreas (earth), the spleen and pancreas (earth) support the lungs (metal), the lungs (metal) support the kidneys (water) , the kidneys (water) support the liver (wood) and the liver (wood) supports the heart (fire). The viscera are also subject to this cycle: the small intestines (fire) support the stomach (earth), the stomach (earth) supports the large intestines (metal), the large intestines (metal) support the bladder (water), and the bladder (water) supports the gallbladder ( wood).

Elements and their correspondence to organs and entrails:

Fire- a heart
small intestines
triple heater
(endocrine glands)
Master of the heart
(blood vessels)

Metal- lungs
large intestines
leather

Water- kidneys
bladder
bones

Earth- spleen -
pancreas
stomach
muscles

Wood- liver
gallbladder
nerves

If the balance is disturbed in any of the organs, it not only can no longer support the organ following it on the meridian path, but also has a negative effect on this organ or provokes a negative effect of another organ on itself. However, this is what shows us second cycle, that is, the cycle in which each of the elements destroys or absorbs the element following it. When the balance of energy in the heart (fire) is disturbed, the heart (fire) negatively affects the lungs (metal); lungs (metal) negatively affect the liver (wood); the liver (tree) negatively affects the spleen-pancreas (earth); spleen - pancreas (earth) affects the kidneys (water): and the kidneys (water) adversely affects the heart (fire). This model also applies to the viscera: an imbalance of energy in the small intestines (fire) leads to a negative effect on the large intestines (metal): the large intestines (metal) adversely affect the gallbladder (wood); the gallbladder (tree) has a negative effect on the stomach (earth); the stomach (earth) negatively affects the bladder (water); and the bladder (water) has a detrimental effect on the small intestines (fire).

By showing that the cyclic interaction between organs and viscera is identical to the interaction between the elements, the Taoists gave their followers a plausible explanation for such statements as "what is above is no different from what is below" and "the microcosm is a mirror of the macrocosm", which allowed them to subsequently say about the exchange of energy between organs and viscera as an established fact, since they proved that this interaction is based on the same logic that makes it possible to instinctively perceive the interaction of the five elements as an undeniably existing phenomenon.

Five primary elements and Three vital principles.

Geshe Rinchen Tenzin

Translated from Tibetan owl rigpa"- literally " recovery science". Or for short " sorig". This name is used in the ancient text "Zhud Shi". Or, in other words, in the "Four Tantras" (four books), as it is now customary to call the main text on Tibetan medicine that has survived to this day. There is no such term in Indian or Chinese medical science. There is an assumption that this is the designation of ancient systemic knowledge, which the Tibetan tradition brought to us through time.

Tibetan medicine works differently than Western medicine. The effect of Western drugs, as you know, can be immediate. Tibetans, of course, know how to make medicines that help immediately, but if the medicines are very strong (they just include fast-acting medicines), then they can help one organ, but harm another. For this reason, Tibetan medicines are made mild in effect in order to avoid harm to the patient's body, but only bring benefits. For the same reason, Tibetan medicines are made from many components - from three to more than eighty components in one preparation.

Such medicines have the special quality that, despite their slow action, they heal only the ailment itself, without causing imbalance or damage to other parts of the body. And if you combine proper nutrition and lifestyle with taking medications, then the fight against the disease will be more effective and the results will be faster.

Some say that Tibetan medicine can cure any disease, but this is not entirely true. There are certain diseases that in the later stages of their development become incurable. Tibetan medicine recognizes this, of course. There are also diseases that are well treated by Western methods, and vice versa, there are diseases that are easier to cope with by means of traditional Tibetan science.

It is best to learn how to use Western and Tibetan medicine together in curing diseases, depending on the characteristics of the particular case. This will give the best result in helping sick people.

One of the main differences between the Western and the Tibetan method is the nature of the effects of drugs: the Tibetan ones act gently, long-term use is required to obtain the result. Medicines all consist of natural substances and in fact, not being an artificially produced chemical substance, they completely coincide with the nature of the human body. Also, most of the compositions are multicomponent, in addition to the main ones, herbs balance the activity of drugs, removing the possibility of side effects. Tibetan medicine, unlike Western medicine, pays more attention not so much to eliminating the symptoms of the disease, but to eliminating the cause: after all, if you remove the root of the disease, the symptoms will disappear by themselves.

So, returning to our main topic, namely, understanding what kind of food suits us and what harms us, we should first find out how Sova Rigpa explains what the human body consists of.

Our body, like the body of any living beings and everything material, be it a plant, an animal or any other living organisms, consists of five primary elements: SPACE, WIND, FIRE, WATER and EARTH. We are surrounded by various physical phenomena, they can have different properties: they can be warm, cold, hot, liquid, solid, etc. It depends on the proportions in which they contain the percentage of primary elements, whichever is greater, that one prevails. But there are always five available. If the listed five primary elements do not come together, nothing material can be formed.

What images will help us understand what these five primary elements are? Let's try to figure it out.

SPACE is what gives birth to everything, it is the potential for everything to appear, “space is always pregnant”. This is the sphere within which something happens, it is something limited by its limits. Boundaries have been outlined, limits have been defined - and we are talking about the emergence of the primary element SPACE. SPACE appears - a field for activity appears. A field for the occurrence of something. Sphere. Place.

And the WIND appears first inside the Space. It is like the first thought in the universe. A goal point is outlined, to which all the movement of the masses of space rushes, and this activity, this driving force, this similarity to an electric current is simply WIND.

So, a Place appeared - SPACE and Movement - WIND - was born inside. While SPACE is still empty, the WIND becomes more active, stronger, there is no resistance and obstacles on the way, and the wind accelerates to a hurricane. The quality of its vibration passes into the quality of the vibration of Fire. (Recall how a spark of fire is produced by active friction - movement).

Together, SPACE and WIND give birth to the third primary element - FIRE.

And here FIRE is already heat, it is already energy, it is already a characteristic of strength. Wind as a guiding activity, like a black line on the plane of a white sheet of paper. And Fire as power, as Energy, red-orange color, burning a leaf, it fills the space with a new quality - Warmth or heat.

The WIND is thin and neutral, like a thought, just a directed movement. He can move in all directions. FIRE - hot, melting everything around. Its quality is lightness, and it aspires to the top. And now, inside the space, the upward direction was determined.

The fire flaring up, melts everything around and the quality of Fluidity appears in space, connecting everything - this is the appearance of the primary element WATER. WATER is born as opposite in direction to FIRE, it flows down, it is heavier and denser, it tends to go down. WATER is the bottom, FIRE is the top, because WATER is heavy. Due to its internal gravity, the light Wind is forced out and begins to dry it along with the FIRE, the movement slows down, the WIND becomes less and less inside it, the WIND outside knocks the water into a ball, compacting the mass.

And WATER in its fluidity acquires a stop - its quality of gravity accumulates, it condenses, and a denser component is obtained - the fifth primary element EARTH.

Now we have images of the birth of 5 primary elements - Space, Wind, Fire, Water and Earth, the combinations of which represent all living and non-living matter on our planet.

Why do we need to understand this? The fact is that each of the five primary elements has its own set of characteristics. It is these properties and qualities that explain the interconnection of natural phenomena in their entirety. And we, in fact, do not even need to study them, they are well known to us from our experience from early childhood. It is enough just to focus on them - the fire is hot, it burns, the water is cool, the earth is heavy, cold, if the sun has not heated it. There is nothing original in the foregoing, but, precisely, attention to the essence of the nature of things gives us the opportunity to control our life force.

Remember, for starters, quality characteristics essential elements for us.

Wind- lightness, mobility, roughness (roughness), coolness (freshness), subtlety (fineness), hardness (elasticity), dryness

Fire- warmth, pungency, oiliness, lightness, fetidity (giving a smell), moisture (as opposed to dryness).

Earth and Water can be united by a common set of qualities, since it is they who are responsible for the created forms of the entire world around us.

Earth-Water- heaviness, coldness, fatness, dullness, softness, smoothness, firmness or stability and stickiness or stickiness.

Let's try to turn on our intuition again and through the characteristics to see in ourselves and around us these five primary elements. Words translated from Tibetan cannot immediately fully explain to us the concepts that our Teacher has in mind, but in the process of reading the book, everything will become clear. In the future, throughout the lectures, the Teacher constantly operates with these terms.

When we consider a person as a part of living nature, simplifying, we are already talking about three vital principles – WIND, FIRE and EARTH-WATER, implying that all of this is within Space and Space is within everything. A WATER-EARTH. as a material, it is always a kind of Suspension, or Dough, or Stone, depending on the quantitative proportions of earth and water, this material is a mass, so that something can be molded from it.

Why do we operate with three Vital Beginnings or, as the Tibetans say, “first causes”, and not just 5 elements? Because we consist of 3 levels (the quality of the purity of the primary elements):

- the first level, subtle - the level of thought, our consciousness,

- the second level - energy or "speech",

- the third level, the roughest - the level of the physical body or the manifested form, with which, due to ignorance, we identify ourselves.

And it is this manifested form - our body (Earth-Water) that we come to treat to a doctor. At the same time, forgetting that it is all three levels or three Life Principles, united, that create a living being. Who has thoughts, activity, movement (Wind) and energy, strength of feelings, strength of faith, desires (Fire). And in order to heal a Human, it is necessary to control all three Life Principles. And this is also why - the patient's faith (the combination of Wind and Fire) in his doctor enhances the effect of the medications taken.

And the science of Sova Rigpa, considering the interconnection and interweaving of the three vital principles diagnoses, prescribes medicines and methods of treatment that help not only at the level of the physical body (Earth-Water level), but also at the level of Fire and Wind - energy and psyche.

In Tibetan - WIND, FIRE, WATER-EARTH will be Lung, Tripa, Beken, which was previously translated into Russian as Wind, Bile and Mucus, respectively, and the Life Beginning was translated as "Dosha", although this word is in Sanskrit, the correct term is Tibetan would be "Nyepa". For practitioners of Sowa Rigpa, these words have developed completely different concepts than the reader's usual meaning of these words. Since the book is aimed at a wide range of readers who are ignorant of the peculiarities of the Tibetan approach, we have taken the liberty, with the blessing of the teacher, to introduce into everyday life simple meanings that correspond to the semantic understanding of the nature of the phenomena under consideration.

Our teacher explains further...

How can Fire, Wind be present in the body? Earth and Water? This means that we have the purest, most subtle particles of the five primary elements. When human life is born, it arises from the combination of the white element* of the father and the red element** of the mother. In these two components of mom and dad, five primary elements must be present: fire, water, earth, wind and space.

To better understand the logic of this process, I will give an example with baking bread. The earth acts as the foundation of reproduction: in the case of bread, flour is needed for this purpose - this is what any form or substance can appear due to. When we bake bread, in order to give it certainty at the level of form, we add water to the flour. By analogy, water is added to the primary element of earth in the human body. Water holds flour together, but just a lump of dough mixed with water will not be strong enough. You need to mix it, work with your hands, add movement. In the human body, this work is performed by the primary element Wind. The combination of Earth, Water and Wind gives strength to each formation... But in order for the bread to be ready, fire is needed, just like the body needs warmth.

All these are the subtlest elements and matters, invisible to the eye, which should not be taken literally, as if there is fire in the body as in a hearth. But, if we lack at least one of these components, then the body cannot be formed, the child will not be born.

If any of the elements is in excess or deficiency, the child will accordingly be born with the advantage of the characteristics of WIND, FIRE or EARTH-WATER. And if the preponderance of one of the Vital Principles is very significant, then the child will be born sick. And the disease according to its characteristics will correspond to WIND, FIRE or EARTH-WATER, which turned out to be in excess. If something is too much, then something becomes too little - and there should be a harmonious balance. A slight disharmony is easily restored.

And when we go beyond our balance, an IMBALANCE occurs, and it manifests itself in our body as DISEASE.

Similarly, as with bread, if there is too much flour, the bread will be dry, a lot of fire will burn, the wrong wind will stir the movement, the bread will turn out lumpy and loose.

If in the white element of the father and the red element of the mother, the three vital principles are in balance, balance, then the child will be born completely healthy. When the child has already grown up, has acquired the permanent form of an adult, it is already possible to speak about the balance of the three Vital Principles in his body. You can define its individual norm - it is the prevalence of one of the three vital principles or two together, or a harmonious combination of all three.

So, a person can be with an advantage:

nature wind

nature fire

nature Water-Earth

Nature Wind - Fire

nature Water-Earth - Fire

Nature Wind - Water-Earth

nature Wind - Water-Earth - Fire

Also, it is important to say that in all tissues of our body, the primary elements are in different proportions, which element is greater, belongs to that element ... In particular, bones, muscles, skin and other rigid components of the body belong to the earth element. Blood, lymph and body fluids belong to the element water. Breathing, the ability to flex and extend the limbs, the ability to talk and move in general, refers to the elements of the wind. The blood itself belongs to the Earth - Water, and its movement is carried out due to the Wind. Fire maintains the vital heat of the body and ensures the digestion of food. The primary element Space is present in our hollow organs, but at the same time it is the space in which the body is located, where it can expand and grow. If there is no space, for example, a seed has fallen into a stone, but the plant will not grow, because there is nowhere to grow. The primary element SPACE is not so easy to detect, but without it, nowhere, everything is in it and it is in everything.

From book: Geshe Rinchen Tenzina "Health Science"

Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth… Five primary elements. Which one suits you? What does it give you? The interaction system of the 5 primary elements is very interesting, informative, and understanding it can even bring tangible benefits in life.

There is a Western European system/concept of the five elements (air, water, earth, fire, ether) and a Chinese one coming from Taoism. In this post, we will talk about the Chinese, which is called Wu-sin.

The concept of Wu Xing has been and is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, divination practices, martial arts (there is even a fighting style based entirely on this system - Xing Yi Quan), numerology, Feng Shui, etc.

Monad Yin-Yang

Many probably know another concept of Yin / Yang and the famous monad, illustrating the unity and movement of opposites (day / night, soft / hard, male / female, etc.). In fact, behind the seeming simplicity there are many subtleties and nuances (starting with the fact that there are two of them, rotating clockwise and counterclockwise), we will talk about it in the future.

U-Sin. Theory and concept of the five elements

The concept of the five primary elements is not as well known, but no less deep and interesting.

According to Chinese cosmogony, the world is based on the mutual generation and mutual overcoming of the five primary elements (beginnings, elements): earth, metal (sky), water, fire and wood.

The nature of water is to be wet and flow down.
The nature of fire is to burn and rise up.
The nature of wood is to bend and straighten.
The nature of metal is to obey external influences and change.
The nature of the earth is manifested in the fact that it receives crops, produces a harvest and is present in everything.

Graphically, the Wu-sin concept looks like this:

Interaction of 5 elements in Wu Xing

Two processes are distinguished here (in fact, there are more of them, but these are the main ones):

1. The circle of generation (or nutrition), goes clockwise: Fire generates earth, earth - metal, metal - water, water - wood, wood - fire and the circle closes.

2. The circle of destruction, goes along the star: Fire destroys metal, metal destroys wood, wood destroys earth, earth destroys water, water destroys fire, and everything closes again.

It turns out that each element has 2 close to it. One that feeds him and the other that he feeds. There is one "hostile" - which destroys it. And there is one addict who is destroyed by himself.

This is important to understand in order to use the table further.

Which element matches you?

Now it is also important to find out what element you are in this concept (there are no intersections with the zodiac tradition, but there are coincidences, for example, I am "Fire" in all of them). Finding out who you are is very easy! You need to look at the last digit of your year of birth:

0 and 1 - you are "Metal".
2 and 3 - you are "Water".
4 and 5 - you are "Tree".
6 and 7 - you are "Fire".
8 and 9 - you are "Earth".

You can also remember your animal from the 12 animals of the eastern horoscope and get a complete bunch. For example, I was born in 1977. This is the year of the snake. The element "Fire" corresponds to me. So I am the Fire Snake.

But back to the elements. So, I am Fire. I have three "allies". I am nourished and given energy by people, things, products and phenomena of the elements "Wood" and actually "Fire". I myself feed the "Earth". What destroys me is what is connected with the element "Water". And, finally, I have the following relationship with the element “Metal”: it cannot particularly influence me, but I can destroy it when interacting.

Now it is important to understand how different things and phenomena are related to elements and thus interconnected. This is easy to see from the table below:

Analysis and application of table of elements data

Again, for example, let's analyze in relation to me. Two elements “Wood” and “Fire” give me energy. So, this is what is good for me (does not contradict nature and gives strength / energy):

spring and summer;
emotions and material;
red, blue, green colors;
sit facing east or south;
practice in the morning and afternoon;
take care of the eyes, liver, gallbladder;
get annoyed and laugh;
eat lamb, poultry, wheat, oats, carrots;

The element “Water” destroys me and it means it is better to avoid or especially control the processes associated with this element. In this case, pay special attention to the kidneys, bladder, blood vessels. There is a higher chance of developing diseases.

Of course, in all this one does not need to reach fanaticism, and, say, shy away from people and phenomena of a destructive sign. Just keep in mind that there are such patterns and take them into account somewhere. Moreover, it is believed that an element that has learned to control its “destroyer” and interact with it receives a special power.

More interesting observations. Why do liver diseases affect the appearance of the eyes? It's simple - this is one element "Tree". Why can pain in the heart be significantly reduced or even eliminated by massaging the thumb and ring finger? Because these are the elements - "Wood" and "Fire", etc. Many interesting patterns can be found.

Independent addition of the table of elements U-SIN

By understanding the principles and nature of the elements, you yourself will be able to expand it and add new elements. For example, I will show how I painted a typical business project into elements (this is especially true for startups).

What does it usually consist of? First, there is an idea, a concept. Then the person evaluates the resources, whether he can implement it, if not, he attracts the necessary resources. Then you need to find motivation for yourself and your team, "ignite" yourself and others. Then comes the stage of creating documentation, development, debugging of all processes. And finally, you bring the product to the market, test it with your target audience (or focus groups). And the circle closes, then again the idea is corrected (or abandoned), resource assessment, etc. Here's what it looks like visually:

An example of using Wu Xing in a business project:

Idea, concept, creativity - the traditional path of Water.
Everything that is connected with the material and tangible (in this case, resources) is Wood.
Everything that is connected with emotions, "burning", - of course, Fire.
Everything that is connected with solidity, rationality, intelligence, “turnover” refers to the Earth.
Everything connected with society and communications is Metal (aka Sky, Air:)

One phenomenon logically gives rise to another. If we miss at least one element, the circle of destruction begins to operate.

They did not attract resources (human, temporary, financial), - there is no one or nothing to “motivate”, since one idea is not enough.
They didn’t make good motivation, they didn’t “ignite” - the development process will go on forever.
Without making a product at least in a minimally working form, it makes no sense to bring it to the audience.
Well, without checking your product for a long time on the audience, you risk making a “Utopia”.

That is why it is necessary to bring the product to the market as soon as it has at least a minimum performance. Then finish it off based on the reviews and feedback from your audience (i.e., society). Those who develop the ideal product, in the end, perhaps get it, but the niche in the market is already occupied or it just turns out that this “ideal” was not needed by anyone.

Good luck with your application of the Wu-Sin theory!

Sergei Borodin, 2013

This and other topics are covered in more detail in my books in the Phoenix Code. Life-Changing Technologies series.

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Five elements

Now let's pay some attention the theory of the five elements in order to get to know the basics of Chinese medical terminology. The chapter entitled "The Great Principle" in The Book of History draws attention to the harmony between man and the universe in the light of the five primary elements.

These five elements are: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. They can exist in harmony and in a complementary and inextricable relationship with each other, or they can act against each other and thereby destroy each other. The doctrine of the primary elements, no doubt, has a very ancient origin. Perhaps it can be expressed as follows: the fire devours the tree; after the fire is burnt out, ash remains, which then turns into earth, in which metal is found, from under which water bubbles; water feeds the trees, thus completing the cycle and returning to the tree again.

This sequence, in turn, is confirmed by the traditional art of healing. But on the other hand, these elements oppose each other: the antipode of fire is metal; the antipode of earth is water. Metal and wood balance each other, the same happens with water and fire or with wood and earth. The following diagram will help clarify this.

Judging by the chapter "Hong fan", the sequence of elements is as follows: water, fire, wood, metal, earth.

The number five, as stated in the same chapter, refers not only to the five primary elements, but also to other groups of five components, such as five types of taste, five seasons, and five probabilities of achieving happiness. Traditional teaching also establishes connections between the constituent elements of various groups, and thus, in this case, a closed closed system arises; constant efforts to improve and improve it led to the fact that the Chinese art of healing absorbed excessive formalism. At the same time, numerous beneficial processes in practical terms were associated with the theory of the five elements, and this is used today as an integral part of the traditional art of healing.

In the Hong Fan chapter, fire is associated with "bitter", water with "salty", wood with "sour", metal with "sharp" and earth with "sweet". The English naturalist John Needham concluded from this that the connection between fire and bitterness probably comes from the brewing of medicinal herbs, and the association of water with salt goes back to the experience of the inhabitants of the sea coast. The connection between wood and sour is reminiscent of the discovery of certain acidic substances of vegetable origin, and that between metal and sharp or caustic is reminiscent of the acrid smoke produced when metal is smelted. The connection between earth and sweet is suggested by the sweetness of wild honey and grain. Needham also admits that the five elements may not be related to five substances, but to five properties: water represents liquid; fire - about burning and spreading heat; wood - about hardness and suitability for processing; metal - about fusibility and earth - about fertility.

"There are five elements in heaven and also five on earth," says Su-Wen. The macrocosm, as well as the microcosm, in accordance with the five primary elements are divided numerically into five fundamental principles. The relationship between the universe and the human body can best be represented using the following table:

Classification within the macrocosm

If we add to this table the five cardinal points of reference: north, south, east, west and center (in China, the center is also the cardinal point of reference) - along with five well-known planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn , then we get a picture of the manifestation of the five primary elements in nature.

Classification within the microcosm

The five fu organs indicated in the above table are active organs, while the organs zhang characterized as passive and cumulative.

Concepts Yin Yang and the five primary elements are closely related to each other. Energy yang can be increased or weakened by the five primary elements. The same thing happens with yin. The art of healing also distinguishes between organs yin and jan. Every organ yin and every organ yang, as we shall see later, is related to one of the primary elements. Thus, a person is dissolved in nature as a whole, becoming its integral part, and because of this, it follows dao- the universal law of nature.

To complete the picture, it should be added that the concepts Yin Yang and the five elements are also associated with the time of day and with the cycles of the Chinese lunar calendar, each having its own sign, thus suggesting a connection between illness and cosmic forces. On the one hand, it was a way of acquiring useful knowledge, and today modern biometeorologists and cosmobiologists are dealing with similar problems. On the other hand, such an assumption of the dependence of the state of health on the location of the stars led to the wilds of superstition, which affected all aspects of life: the timing of transactions and marriages, as well as the treatment of diseases. An astrological visual aid of this kind is shown in fig. 3.

So far, we have talked about how a small world is represented in the human body, comparable to a large one. This led to the formation of a peculiar anatomical and philosophical view, according to which nature and the human body coincide in many respects. Both man and nature depend on the manifestation Yin Yang and the five elements.

Rice. 3. Astronomical compass Figure taken from a published copy of The Golden Mirror of Medicine (18th century AD).

On this astronomical compass, the time of day, the seasons and their relationship are represented as follows:

1 - "the natural order of things" (the innermost circle);

2 - twelve earthly cyclic signs and division into hours;

3 - the relationship between the five primary elements in relation to each other and their qualities;

4 - connection between ten celestial cyclic signs and primary elements;

5 - favorable and unfavorable arrangements of constellations

In the medical section of this book, we will show that such a philosophical view leads in certain cases to positive practical results, and not because of speculative altruism, but because it is based on experience. The current official medical policy of the People's Republic of China seems to be aimed at giving more weight to traditional healing methods. Within the framework of such rehabilitation, as we have already seen, an attempt is made to combine traditional views and the dominant politico-sociological doctrine. Yet practical considerations may well play an important role in all this, having nothing to do with the stimulus that gives national self-assertion, since, despite the fact that in the People's Republic of China there are about half a million doctors trained in traditional methods, only about 70 thousand of them received one of the types of medical education based on scientific knowledge.

In order to get a more complete panorama of the current situation in the field of medicine in the PRC, we will now quote from several works published recently in mainland China and in the Soviet Union on the traditional art of medicine.

The Compendium of Traditional Chinese Healing Arts attempts to justify the concept Yin Yang and teachings about the five primary elements and combine the philosophy of these teachings with real practice. In this book, the traditional view is permeated with the "materialistic vision of antiquity", although this vision was not able to unite all natural phenomena into an integral system, which, frankly, was not much needed.

Guo Moruo writes in his Book of Tenfold Criticism: “By virtue of their very origin, such concepts as, in particular, Yin Yang and the five elements, are contrary to superstition, or, in other words, they are scientific.

But it is still too early to make hasty generalizations, as these concepts need to be more carefully analyzed and more fully substantiated.

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