In both Chinese and
Tibetan medicine each element relates to a specific organ, emotion/mind
state, aspect of spirit or wisdom, time of day, season, sense organ,
taste, color, food, etc. One method of addressing distress in the
body no matter what the cause is through the five elements. All things
are made of different aspects of the five elements which are always
in a state of change.
The Chinese View of the 5 elements
In the Chinese point of view the elements break down to the movement
of yin and yang. Yang being in a state of most un-manifest and yin
as most manifest.
 The cycle of yin and yang as seen through the five
elements is the blueprint that keeps all things in a state of change.
One example
can be seen in the change of seasons, starting with winter which
relates to the water element and is considered to be the most yin.
It is the season that is coldest and darkest. As yang rises we
approach the spring. The days begin to get longer, the sun brighter
and we
move to the wood element. There is a lot of yin but yang is rising.
Yang continues to rise as we come to the fire element which is
summer, most yang. The sun is strongest, the days are long and hot.
As fall
approaches there is a lot of yang but it begins to descend so yin
increases.
The warm days are marked by cool, crisp air and we move to the metal
element. Yin continues to increase leading back to winter. In the
earliest models the earth element was shown in the middle of the
five element cycle. In more contemporary models it is shown between
fire and metal but it represents the most balanced state of yin and
yang in the movement of chi. Seasonally the earth element is that
point of about 10 days right in the middle of each cycle where yin
and yang are just about equal.
When working with the elements the Chinese use two cycles. The first
is the mother/child or Sheng cycle as shown by the outside arrows.
The second is the control or Ko cycle and is shown by the inside
arrows. These cycles allow the physician to determine which element
would best balance a specific state of distress in the body.
The Chinese Five Element Correspondences
Water:
Organs - Vital (yin) Kidney / Hollow (yang) Bladder, Color
- blue or black, Sense - ears/hearing, Taste - salty, Season - winter,
Emotion - fear, Aspect of Spirit - Chih (will/deepest level of consciousness)
Wood:
Organs - Vital Liver / Hollow Gall Bladder, Color - green,
Sense - eyes/vision, Taste - sour, Season - spring, Emotion - anger,
Aspect of Spirit - Hun (determination/movement/assertion)
Fire:
Organs - Vital Heart / Hollow Small Intestine and lesser fire
Vital Pericardium / Hollow San Jiao Color - red, Sense- tongue/touch,
Taste - bitter, Season - summer, Emotion - joy, Aspect of Spirit
- Shen ( mind)
Earth:
Organs - Vital Spleen / Hollow Stomach, Color - yellow, Sense
- mouth/taste, Taste - sweet, Season - Late summer, Emotion sympathy,
Aspect of Spirit - "I" pronounced "ee" ( sense
of self/boundaries)
Metal:
Organs Vital - Lungs / Hollow Large Intestine, Color - white,
Sense - smell/nose, Taste - pungent/spicy, Season - Fall, Emotion
- grief, Aspect of Spirit - Po ( primal forces of attraction/desire)
The Tibetan View of the Five Elements
Other than for the reading of the energetic pulses Tibetan medicine
does not use the Chinese model of the cycles of the five elements
to work with the balance of the elements in the body. Rather than
yin and yang the Tibetans use the principle of the Three Humors,
or substances which in the body are responsible for the physiological
functions and are composed of the elements. Wind (movement) which
is the air element, Bile (heat) the fire element and Phlegm (cold/moist)
a combination of the water and earth elements. In the Tibetan system
we work with the elements as antidotes, introducing an element to
bring balance to the body. As an example, an excess of Phlegm may
create congestion in the chest. This is a result as to much earth
and water. The antidote would be to introduce more of the fire element,
or heat to balance the body.
The Tibetan Five Element Correspondences
Earth:
Organs Vital Spleen / Hollow Stomach, Color - yellow, Sense
- smell, State of Mind - pride, Buddha Wisdom - Equality
Water:
Organs - Vital Right Kidney / Hollow Bladder and Vital Left
Kidney / Hollow Seminal Vesicle/ovaries, Color - white, Sense - taste,
State of Mind - Dislike/Hatred (anger), Buddha Wisdom - Mirror Like
Wisdom. In the Bon tradition the color is blue, the sense is hearing
and the state of mind is jealousy.
Fire:
Organs Vital Liver / Hollow Gall Bladder, Color - red, Sense-
vision, State of Mind - attachment, Buddha Wisdom - Discriminative
Wisdom
Air: Organs - Vital Lungs / Hollow Large Intestine, Color - green,
Sense - touch, State of Mind - envy, Buddha Wisdom - All - Accomplishing
Space: Organs Vital - Heart / Hollow Small Intestine, Color - blue,
Sense - hearing, State of Mind - ignorance/delusion, Buddha Wisdom
- The Wisdom of Emptiness . In the Bon tradition the color is white,
the sense is sight and the state of mind is anger.
The Six Tastes reflect a combination of elements:
Sweet - earth and water
Sour - fire and earth
Salty - water and
fire
Astringent/Pungent - wind and water
Bitter - wind and earth
Hot/Spicy - fire and wind. |
