As we have just seen, the Mind, and therefore the Heart, plays a pivotal and leading role in all
mental activities. Yu Chang in "Principles of Medical Practice" (1658) says: "The Mind of the
Heart gathers and unites the Etheral Soul and the Corporeal Soul and it combines the Intellect
and the Will-Power".15(179) However, all other organs also play roles in mental activities, very
often overlapping with that of the Heart. In particular, the Yin organs are more directly
responsible for mental activities. Each Yin organ "houses" a particular mental-spiritual aspect of
a human being. These are:
Mind (Shen) - Heart
Ethereal Soul (Hun) - Liver
Corporeal Soul (Po) - Lungs
Intellect (Yi) - Spleen
Will-Power (Zhi) - KidneysThe "Simple Questions" in chapter 23 says: "The Heart houses the Mind, the Lungs house the
Corporeal Soul, the Liver houses the Ethereal Soul, the Spleen houses the Intellect and the
Kidneys house the Will-Power".16(180) In chapter 9 it says:
The Heart is the root of life and the origin of the Mind ... the Lungs are the root of
Qi and the dwelling of the Corporeal Soul ... the Kidneys are the root of sealed
storage [essence] and the dwelling of will-Power ... the Liver is the root of
harmonization and the residence of the Ethereal Soul ....17(181)The commentary to chapter 23 of the "Simple Questions", also based on passages from the
"Spiritual Axis", says:
The Mind is a transformation of Essence and Qi: both Essences [i.e. the
Pre-natal and Post-natal Essences] contribute to forming the Mind. The
Corporeal Soul is the assistant of the Essence and Qi: it is close to Essence but it
moves in and out. The Ethereal Soul complements the Mind and Qi: it is close to
the Mind but it comes and goes. The Intellect corresponds to memory: it is the
memory which depends on the Heart. The Will-Power is like a purposeful and
focused mind: the Kidneys store Essence ... and through the Will-Power they can
fulfil our destiny.18(182)These five aspects together form the "Spirit" which is also called "Shen" or sometimes the "Five
Shen" in the old classics. The five Yin organs are the residences of "Shen" i.e. the Spirit, and
they are sometimes also called the "Five-Shen residences" as in chapter 9 of the "Simple
Questions".19(183)
The 5 Yin organs are the physiological basis of the Spirit. The indissoluble relationship between
them is well known to any acupuncturist. The state of Qi and Blood of each organ can influence