Aspects of Spirit: Hun Po, Jing Shen, Yi Zhi in Classical Chinese Texts

In 'Aspects of Spirit' Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée explores the concept of spirit and its relationship to the development of human consciousness through the classical Chinese literature. Beginning with a section on hun and po (the yin yang aspects of the human soul), moving on to jing shen (vital spirit), and concluding with yi and zhi (intent and will), each section examines the characters for each term, followed by examples of their usage in the classical philosophical texts and concludes with a study of their specific application within the medical texts of the Huangdi Neijing, Suwen and Lingshu. Because of her intimate knowledge of both the medical and philosophical texts of this period, Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée is uniquely placed within the scholarship of classical Chinese medicine. We are very fortunate that she has brought the depth of her understanding and insight to this fascinating and often misunderstood subject. There has been much debate in recent years concerning the treatment of the spirit within Chinese medicine. This book establishes a firm grounding for that discussion, as well as providing inspiration for our own spiritual cultivation.