Library

For those engaged in manual labor, who constantly strain their sinews and bones, a heavy and turbid pulse is naturally inevitable. As for the commoners who sit with hands clasped and drag their robes, avoiding physical exertion, if their pulses are also heavy and turbid, is this not due to their innate constitution?

If a person's pulse is normally neither heavy nor turbid, but becomes so due to vigorous pathogenic factors, urgent attack and dispersal should be employed to open and drain the pathogens. If a person's pulse is habitually heavy and turbid, and subsequently becomes choppy and obstructed due to illness, this indicates stagnation of Qi and Blood, and tenacious phlegm-fluids; it should not be diagnosed merely as habitual choppy and turbid pulse.

A disciple asked: "Reading your master's teachings illuminates my wisdom like a great fire, sweeping away the infinite gloom in my chest. However, our capacities are sparse and crude, and we still harbor unresolved doubts. For instance, regarding the Sanjiao (Triple Burner) and Mingmen (Gate of Life), there are divergent theories, and we lack definitive criteria. We hope you will bestow true knowledge to dispel the confusion of learners."

The Master replied: "What is called Mingmen is actually another name for the True Fire of the Sanjiao. Because its function governs rotting and ripening, it is termed 'Jiao' (Burner). The Classics state it is the 'House of Central Essence,' referring to the essence and Qi it governs. It is also said: 'The Upper Jiao is like mist, the Middle Jiao like foam, and the Lower Jiao like a ditch.' These phrases describe the phenomena of Qi transformation. Qibo stated: 'The Cun position reflects the Upper Jiao, the Guan position reflects the Middle Jiao, and the Chi position reflects the Lower Jiao.' This describes the pulse positions of the Sanjiao. 'Reflecting' means projecting from below upwards; thus, the pulses are respectively attributed to the Cun, Guan, and Chi positions. All mechanisms of pulsation originate from the Sanjiao. Therefore, it can be known that within all six pulse positions, none is devoid of Sanjiao Qi. Since the Sanjiao is the source of True Fire, it bears the title of Mingmen. *Nan Jing* uniquely assigns the Right Chi position to Mingmen, while *Mai Jue* distinguishes between left and right for males and females. In males, who prioritize Essence and Qi, the Right Chi is Mingmen; in females, who prioritize Essence and Blood, the Left Chi is Mingmen. Thus, the diagnosis of Mingmen particularly emphasizes the inner Chi pulse. The Sanjiao stands tripartite between the two Kidneys; it is Fire within Water, harmonizing Yin and Yang. As Zhao Xike said: 'Heaven cannot generate things without this Fire; humans cannot sustain life without this Fire.' It is the master of life and nature, hence called Mingmen. Yue Ren (Bian Que) claimed it has a name but no form because Fire is Qi, and Qi is inherently formless, unlike Essence, Fluids, or Blood which have substance. However, while it is acceptable to say Qi transformation is formless, it is incorrect to say the Sanjiao itself is formless. *Ling Shu: Ben Cang* states: 'The Kidney corresponds to bone. Those with dense texture and thick skin have thick Sanjiao and Bladder; those with coarse texture and thin skin have thin Sanjiao and Bladder; those with loose interstices have tense Sanjiao and Bladder; those with beautiful and coarse hair have straight Sanjiao and Bladder; those with sparse hair have knotted Sanjiao and Bladder.' Examining these explicit descriptions of thickness, thinness, tension, and knotting, how can one claim it is formless?"