Dr.
Feng Ninghan practices a system of acupuncture called Nine Palace Acupuncture (九宫针法). The system is steeped in the theories of the
He Tu Luo Shuo diagrams and the Yijing, and elucidated by both the Huangdi
Neijing and Zhen Jiu Da Cheng. The creation myth of the He Tu, or Yellow River
map, as mentioned in the Xici commentary of the Yijing, states that Fu Xi, one
of the twin offspring of Hua Xu, created the diagram and the Yijing based on
markings appearing on a Dragon Horse that emerged from the Yellow River around
2600 BC (Theobold, 2012). The Luo Shu diagram was created by King Yu during the
Xia dynasty (2070 – 1600 BC). Yu is credited with controlling the massive
floods that had plagued China by creating channels in the Yangtze and Yellow
Rivers, and upon
taking the throne also divided China into 9 provinces (Bjaaland-Welch,
P. 2008). While King Yu stood on the banks of the Luo
River, a tortoise emerged and on his under-belly were symbols representing the
numbers and arrangement seen in the Luo Shu diagram (Adler, 2017).
Figure 1 – He Tu Luo Shu Diagrams
The He Tu
diagram represents the pre-natal or pre-heaven arrangement of the bagua, and
the Luo Shu represents the arrangement of the post-natal bagua. Nine Palace
acupuncture primarily utilizes the post-heaven bagua, and it is through the
application of these hexagrams that we can apply the theories of yin yang, san
cai (jing, qi, shen), san jiao differentiation, 4 stages (taiyang, taiyin,
shaoyang, shaoyin), wu xing (5 elements or transformations), and 6 stages
(taiyang, taiyin, shaoyang, shaoyin, yangming, jueyin). These theories also support
8 Principle differentiation (yin, yang, excess, deficiency, hot, cold,
internal, external).
Figure 2 – Pre-Heaven and Post Heaven Bagua
From
the post-natal bagua we can draw what mathematicians have called the Magic
Square.
By placing this concept of the
square on different parts of the body, such as the abdomen, we can derive
acupuncture treatments that conform to the philosophical principles outlined
above (Urs, 2014). Dr. Feng emphasizes that all acupuncture treatments must
follow a treatment principle, and that each patient will present differently
even with similar symptoms or even western diagnosis. There are no standard
needle prescriptions as is often the case in TCM.
Most importantly, I have found that
I can utilize Nine Palace acupuncture in my own clinic as an adjunct to more
conventional TCM treatments, and that in no way does Nine Palace acupuncture contradict
such conventional treatments.
References:
-Adler, J.A. (2014). "The Great Virtue of Heaven and Earth 天地之大德: "Deep Ecology in the Yijing 易經.” Religious Diversity and Ecological Sustainability in China, [editor Miller, J.]. London: Routledge.
-Adler, J.A. (2017). Zhu Xi's Commentary on the Xicizhuan 繫辭傳 (Treatise on the Appended Remarks), Appendix of the Yijing 易經 (Scripture of Change). Unpublished manuscript, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, USA.
-Bjaaland Welch, P. (2008). Chinese art: a guide to motifs and visual imagery (p. 262). North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing.
