Chapter Twenty-Two: The Cosmological Implications of "The Pinnacle of Vital Essence"

I. The Relationship Between Vital Essence and the Myriad Things

Throughout the full "Neiye" chapter, the relationship between vital essence and all things is discussed multiple times:

"The vital essence of all things -- this is what brings them to life. Below it gives birth to the five grains; above it forms the arrayed stars. Flowing between Heaven and Earth, it is called spirits and gods. Stored within the breast, it makes a person a sage."

This passage establishes a complete cosmological framework:

• Vital essence is the root from which all things are generated -- "this is what brings them to life"
• Vital essence descends to the earth and produces the five grains -- the material world
• Vital essence ascends to the sky and becomes the arrayed stars -- the celestial world
• Vital essence flows between Heaven and Earth and is called spirits and gods -- the spiritual world
• Vital essence is stored in the human breast and makes one a sage -- the human world

The material world, the celestial world, the spiritual world, the human world -- all four share a common source in vital essence, and therefore all four are interconnected and mutually responsive.

Within this cosmological framework, the meaning of "the pinnacle of vital essence" becomes still clearer: when the cultivator refines his or her vital essence to the uttermost, he or she reconnects with the fundamental source -- vital essence -- of all things (the five grains, the arrayed stars), of the spirits and gods, and of the sages. At that point, the cultivator is no longer an isolated individual but an existence that communicates with the entire cosmos through vital essence. This is why "concentrate qi as though spirit-like, and the myriad things are fully present within" -- the myriad things are "fully present" within the cultivator through the interconnection of vital essence.

II. Vital Essence and the Heart-Mind of Heaven and Earth

The Zhouyi, Hexagram Fu (Return), Tuan Commentary: "In Return, does one not see the heart-mind of Heaven and Earth$24" Heaven and Earth have a "heart-mind" -- the operation of Heaven and Earth is not blind or random but has direction, rhythm, and pattern. The sum of this direction, rhythm, and pattern is "the heart-mind of Heaven and Earth."

Within the cosmological framework of the Neiye, vital essence is the concrete expression of the heart-mind of Heaven and Earth. Vital essence is the motive force of Heaven and Earth's operation -- it makes the five grains grow, the arrayed stars move, the spirits and gods circulate, and persons become sages. The operation of vital essence follows an inherent rhythm ("the Dao must be thorough and dense, broad and expansive, firm and steadfast"), and this rhythm is the pulse of the heart-mind of Heaven and Earth.

When the cultivator, through the cultivation of vital essence, comes into accord with the heart-mind of Heaven and Earth, "the whole heart abiding at the center" means not only that the human heart-mind is centered but that it is in accord with the heart-mind of Heaven and Earth. When the human heart-mind and the heart-mind of Heaven and Earth are perfectly one, the person becomes a conscious participant in the operation of Heaven and Earth -- no longer passively subject to the influence of Heaven and Earth's qi but actively resonating with it.

III. The Intellectual Lineage of Pre-Qin Qi-Theory

The qi-theory of the Neiye is not isolated but belongs to the great tradition of pre-Qin qi-theory. Here is a comparison of the qi-theories of the various schools:

Qi-theory of the Laozi: "The Dao gives birth to the One; the One gives birth to the Two; the Two gives birth to the Three; the Three gives birth to the myriad things. The myriad things carry yin on their backs and embrace yang; the blending qi (chong qi) creates harmony." Dao -> One -> Two (yin and yang) -> Three (yin-yang blending) -> the myriad things. Qi (the blending qi) is the product of the harmonization of yin and yang.

Qi-theory of the Zhuangzi: "Human life is the gathering of qi. Gathering, there is life; dispersing, there is death." (Zhi Bei You, "Knowledge Wandered North.") The gathering and dispersing of qi determine life and death. And: "All under Heaven is one qi" -- there is only one qi in the world; all things are its different forms.

Qi-theory of the Neiye: Vital essence is the root of all things; the cultivation of vital essence can reach the realm of "spirit-like." "Not by the power of spirits and gods, but through the pinnacle of vital essence."

Qi-theory of Master Xun (Xunzi): "Water and fire have qi but no life; plants and trees have life but no awareness; birds and beasts have awareness but no sense of right; human beings have qi, have life, have awareness, and moreover have a sense of right, and therefore are the most precious under Heaven." (Wang Zhi, "The Regulations of a King.") Qi is the basis for the hierarchical differentiation of all things.

These different qi-theories each have their own emphasis but share one common premise: qi is the fundamental constituent of all things, and to understand qi is to understand all things. Within this common premise, the distinctive contribution of the Neiye is its tight integration of qi-theory with cultivation practice, establishing a complete theory leading from the cultivation of qi to supra-ordinary cognition.