Thrusting Vessels

The thrusting vessels run through the center-left and center-right of the torso, and have to do with very deep levels, reservoirs, of jing, blood, often emotion.  In the Indian and Tibetan traditions they are emphasized, along with the central vessel, as the main vessels of meditation... that the three are open, filled, and interact.  In Taoism, the thrusting vessels are acknowledged as an important part of heaven-earth integration, intersect the bone marrow (particularly of the legs), all of the major organs (from gonads through the lobes of the brain), and are related to prenatal jing.  So, what does that add up to?  -  That they're worth exploring.

microcosmic orbit, including the elixir fields

    This specific m.o. method includes important preparatory work with the core vessel.

five elements

    Any method that you've cultivated in your own practice, to activate and balance the organ energies.

gentle marrow washing

    Discussed later in this essay.

The following diagrams show the thrusting (also the core, du / governing, and ren / functional) vessels, both as a cross-section view of the torso and as towards a standing person.  The thrusting vessels run vertically within the center-left and center-right of the body, from the feet to the top of the head and through the major organs on the way.

As with the above microcosmic orbit technique, this method of working with the thrusting vessels utilizes the centers (tan tiens, elixir fields, chakras).  The resulting technique is very simple, and readily activates/refines/harmonizes the energy in the thrusting vessels.

Starting with the lower-most center,...

Put your attention on two points: one on each thrusting vessel, on either side of a center - and make the center gently radiant and slightly expansive.

...and doing the same, successively, with each center on up.  

Work your way back down again, if you like.  Repeat until well blended.

That's it. (Did I say this was simple?)

There is no need to visualize the vessels.  You need only focus your attention, your "yi", on the center and the two points; the rest takes care of itself.

Four Directions, Six Directions, "Zen Pakua"

The above technique can be expanded to include du and ren (the back and front channels of the orbit, respectively).  Simply focus your attention on four points: du, ren, and each thrusting channel, on a plane at (or near) the level of the center of your choice.

I think you'll find that the polarities will play across and amongst themselves, and result in a balanced blend.  Your job is to sustain steady attention at the four points, and just let the polarities play out.  In the beginning, leave the core unattended - as it's usually enough to start with the outer points.  As the polarities play out and as you feel comfortable, ready for the next step, you can include core work (gentle radiance, gentle openness, nourishing pearl, and later deep-center meditations).  You can work with a single center, or a succession of centers, in this way.  I think that you'll also find that this will naturally begin to include up and down (perineum~crown), resulting in a natural six-direction meditation.

Du, ren, and the thrusting channels are recognizable because they'll all have the substantive feel of jing.  The thrusting channels do go through the gonads, btw.  The core's nature is more open and radiant.  Though there are important concentration meditations within the core, they are not about density in the usual sense, but about connection to the primordial through stabilized focus.

In my experience, this does a lot of what the HT's visualized pakua is intended to do, but with no visualization, nothing added, solely relying on the naturally present subtle anatomy of the body.

This "zen pakua" meditation is very balancing, stabilizing, on its own, and is also effective when applied to lower tan tien breathing.

In Chinese medicine, the thrusting vessels are referred to as "the sea of blood".  The bones in the legs, particularly, produce blood that feeds directly into the thrusting vessels.

When you use gentle marrow washing techniques to drive jing into the marrow, the resulting jing-rich blood deeply nourishes the thrusting vessels. Then, as this jing-rich blood in the thrusting vessels interacts with the consciousness of the tan tiens... deep, deep emotional nourishment and healing occurs.  Not to mention the general nourishment of organs and tissue.

I recommend, though it is not absolutely necessary, that you develop some comfort with pulsing the bones and/or bone breathing before taking up the thrusting vessel practices.  If you are dealing with a yin / blood deficiency, the thrusting vessels might be somewhat undernourished - and this can make the heavy emotional processing frequently associated with thrusting vessel work more difficult to process.  If you don't have a yin / blood deficiency, then marrow washing will just make the thrusting vessel work all the more rich.

As far as sequence within a single practice session, consider keeping marrow washing and thrusting vessel meditations separated.  I find that rush of blood-nourishment produced by bone breathing doesn't occur until at least some hours after I bone breathe, so the blood is not immediately available for thrusting vessel work.  Additionally, in some methods of marrow washing, you are working to really drive the energy deep into the marrow - and leave it there to do its thing.  Personally, immediately after bone breathing, I have an aversion to any practice that disperses the concentration of energy from within the marrow.  I simply suggest including marrow washing and thrusting vessel meditations a number of times each, somewhere within your week.

As I've mentioned, the thrusting vessels are often related to deep emotion.  On the up side, work at this level can be deeply gratifying and healing, physically as well as emotionally.  Initially, however, this work can be... well, work... and can require a measure of willingness to endure whatever comes up.  Pace yourself.  Take time away for physical exercise (which can be excellent for processing turbid energies), other practices, and other activities, as needed.  Balance and harmony.

Also note, James McConnell's comments regarding the thrusting vessels in relation to kan & li.

Dedication

Gratitude and reverence towards Kuan Yin, Goddess of Compassion.

May all beings know love, clarity, health.