and/or the Essence. In most cases it will affect Qi first since all emotional stress upsets the
normal functioning of Qi. Emotional stress will tend to weaken the Essence either when it is
combined with overwork and/or excessive sexual activity, or when the Fire generated by
long-term emotional tensions injures Yin and Essence.
Of all the organs, the Mind is most closely related to the Heart which is said to be the
"residence" of the Mind. The "Simple Questions" in chapter 8 says: "The Heart is the Monarch
and it governs the Mind...".5(169) The "Spiritual Axis" in chapter 71 says: "The Heart is the
Monarch of the 5 Yin organs and 6 Yang organs and it is the residence of the Mind".6(170)
The "Mind" residing in the Heart or Heart-Mind is responsible for many different mental
activities including:
thinking
memory
consciousness
insight
cognition
sleep
intelligence
wisdom
ideas.In addition to these, the Heart-Mind is also responsible for hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell.
Of course many of the above activities are also carried out by other organs and there often is an
overlap between the functions of various organs. For example, although the Heart-Mind is
mainly responsible for memory, the Spleen and Kidneys also play a role.
Let us now briefly look at the above functions in more detail.
Thinking depends on the Mind. If the Mind is strong, thinking will be clear. If the Mind is weak
or disturbed, thinking will be slow and dull. The Chinese characters for "thought" (yi), "to think"
(xiang) and "pensiveness" (si) all have the character for "heart" as their radical.
Memory has two different meanings. On the one hand it indicates the capacity of memorizing
data when one is studying or working. On the other hand, it refers to the ability to remember past
events. Both of these depend on the Mind and therefore the Heart, although also on the Spleen
and Kidneys.
Consciousness indicates the totality of thoughts and perceptions as well as the state of being
conscious. In the first sense, the Mind is responsible for the recognition of thoughts, perceptions
and feelings. In the latter sense, when the Mind is clear, we are conscious; if the Mind is