典藏书目

Question: Moxibustion acupoints must be selected according to the meridians, so that the Qi can easily connect and the disease can be easily eliminated. However, all 365 collaterals of the human body converge at the head; can the head be frequently moxibusted? If the moxa does not blister after application, what method should be used to induce blistering?

I have said that acupoints on the body have various names, while for the practitioner performing moxibustion, there is a supreme unity in understanding. If one does not know the names, one becomes confused and at a loss, unable to grasp the principles of the whole body; if one does not observe their convergence, one becomes scattered and misses the essentials, how can one reach the source of integration? Therefore, "names" are used to exhaustively cover all acupoints of the body, without being overly complex; "convergence" is used to integrate all acupoints of the body, without being overly simple. If one understands this, one can manage complexity with simplicity and grasp essentials through convergence. Thus, beyond treating diseases according to the meridians, what disease would remain incurable, failing to achieve benevolence and longevity?

You raise this inquiry, emphasizing that acupoint selection must follow the meridians, stressing that the head should not be frequently moxibusted, and asking about methods to induce blistering from moxibustion, questioning scholars. This truly reflects a concern for the people's ailments. Though I am not intelligent, how dare I not recount what I have heard in response?

I have observed that the Qi of our body circulates among the hundred bones, yet it has a central master; just as the primordial Qi of creation surges within heaven and earth, its convergence has key points. Looking up at the sky, the distribution of stars is countless, but seeking the essence, we take the Seven Mansions as the longitude and the Twenty-four Lunar Lodges as the latitude. Looking down at the earth, the flow and standing of mountains and rivers are countless, but seeking the essence, we take the Five Great Mountains as the center and the Four Rivers as the tributaries, ignoring others. Even heaven and earth are thus, let alone the human body! Internally, the Zang-Fu organs; externally, the four limbs and forms. The exterior and interior correspond, and the meridians connect. Why do they generate endlessly and mirror heaven and earth? Is there no network or discipline governing them? Thus, the 365 collaterals describe complexity, not essence; the twelve meridian acupoints describe rules, not convergence. Summarizing, the Qi of the body has Yin and Yang, and the movement of Yin and Yang involves the meridians. Following the meridians and pressing them ensures Qi connectivity and correct acupoint placement, eliminating diseases. It is like Cook Ding carving an ox: following the natural gaps, he needs no axe, and in an instant, the ox is disassembled. Why? Because he grasped the essence. Without the essence, even many acupoints cannot save people; with the essence, even simple convergence suffices for success. It depends only on the skilled moxibustionist paying attention.

From current perspectives: for wind, select Fengchi (GB20) and Baihui (GV20); for consumptive disorders, select Gao Huang (BL43) and Bailao (EX-B1); for Qi disorders, select Qihai (CV6); for Water disorders, select Shuifen (CV9); to remove abdominal diseases, moxify Zusanli (ST36); to treat head and eye diseases, moxify Hegu (LI4); to cure waist and leg issues, select Huantiao (GB30) and Fengshi (GB31); to rescue arm issues, select Jianliao (TE14/SJ14) and Quchi (LI11). Other diseases vary by person and treatment varies by illness. What is understood in the mind manifests in the hand, clearly due to the meridians. Grasping this makes one a good physician; losing it makes one a crude worker. As for the head being the convergence of all Yang meridians and the ancestor of all vessels, although diseases are numerous, our moxibustion should be distinct. If one does not examine the mechanism and frequently moxibusts the head, can one avoid dizziness and blurred vision? If one does not examine the location and applies moxibustion indiscriminately, can one avoid the taboos of stagnant Qi and blood and thin muscles? Therefore, although all vessels converge at the head, the head should not be frequently moxibusted, which is what those selecting acupoints by meridians should study deeply.

Regarding the induction of blistering, whether fast or slow depends on the patient's strength, but our treatment methods should not be neglected. Li Dongyuan moxified Zusanli (ST36) for seven burns without blistering, then added five more burns, causing blistering. Qiufu moxified Zhongwan (CV12) for nine burns without blistering, then soaked it in dew, warmed it with hot shoes, and applied crushed red scallions, ensuring blistering. These are recorded in *Tu Jing* and *Yu Shu*, clearly documented and verifiable. If I seek the origin according to the meridians and use various methods to induce blistering, I need not worry about unconnected Qi or untreated diseases, mastering half the principles of moxibustion.

Furthermore, I have another view: following meridians is the rule, but the mind is what makes it divine. Su Zi said: A person lives normally but is sorrowful; asking where they hurt, they cannot say. This is considered harmless by mediocre physicians but alarming to Bian Que and Cang Gong. Why alarming? The disease has no obvious signs, but the mind recognizes it silently, beyond ordinary thought. Now people say: I can follow meridians, I can select acupoints. But they do not seek in the mind. This is like carving the boat to find the sword or gluing the tuning pegs to play the lute. Rarely do I see them curing what others cannot. So what should a skilled moxibustionist do? Cultivate stillness to empty the mind, observe changes to utilize the mind, and seek widely to broaden the mind. Let the mind connect with creation, clearly perceiving the hidden and manifest aspects of disease. Then, by seeking the opening and closing of acupoints, observing the speed of climate/Qi, clarifying the appropriateness of respiratory tonification and sedation, reaching the mechanism of following and opposing insertion, and weighing the essentials of taking Qi from Wei and placing Qi from Ying, will one not achieve hand-mind correspondence and forget the trap after catching the fish? This is the secret art of Qi Bo and Huang Di, stepping forward from the top of a hundred-foot pole. I wonder what you think?