Shen Chin., deity, spirit; in Taoism shen refers both to the deities that inhabit the universe (and, in the view of some schools, the human body) and to the personal spirit (or mind) one of the three life energies of man.
The macrocosm, i.e., the universe, is inhabited by 36,000 deities, who, according to the Inner Deity Hygiene School, exist also within the body of each human being. To attain immortality, the Taoist adept must prevent these deities from leaving his body by the performance of various meditative, breathing, and hygiene exercises. Each of the shen has its own name and area of responsibility. The highest shen are the three pure ones (san-ch’ing).
In addition, shen designates the personal spirit of a human being, which arises from the union of ching, the essence, with the primordial energy (yüan-ch’i) of the universe and enters the body with the first breath of a newborn child. This shen leaves the body at the moment of death. While in the body, it determines our thoughts and feelings. Its seat is in the upper cinnabar field (tan-t ‘ien).
In the Confucianist view shen constitutes the spiritual element inherent in the ancestral family tree that is venerated by the relatives of the dead.
In the sense of “mind,” shen according to the meditative schools of Taoism refers to ordinary consciousness (shih-shen) and spiritual consciousness (yüan-shen). The former consists of the senses, feelings, thoughts, perceptions, etc. accumulated by a person in the course oflife. The spiritual consciouness, on the other hand, exists already before birth and is part of ihe energy that pervades the whole of the universe. After birth, it becomes invisible, because it is covered over by our ordinary consciousness. By meditating (nei-tan) the Taoist adept is able to reestablish contact with his spiritual consciousness and at the same time eliminate the influence of his ordinary consciousness.
Frequently shen is considered to be the opposite of kuei, in that it refers to the heavenly yang spirits as opposed to the yin demons (kuei) (yin-yang).
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
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