LEARNING THE MASTER POINTS
In the Appendix of the last paper the Master Points were mentioned briefly. The Master Points include Shu-Mu, Luo-Yuan, Five Phase, Xi-Cleft, Hour, Test and RYODORAKU electro-test points.
These points are important in AP and some of them, especially the paravertebral Shu points, the Front Mu points, the Luo-Connecting points, the Yuan-Source points and the Xi-Cleft points are very useful in diagnostic and therapeutic AP. They should be learned. Memory aids help the learning process. Memory aids are given below but if they don't suit you, make up your own versions.
THE 18 SHU POINTS
There are 18 pairs of Shu points; 12 relate to one of the 12 main COSs (LU-LI / ST-SP / HT-SI / BL-KI / PC-TH / GB-LV) and 6 relate to other functions (see below).
The 18 pairs of Shu points are BL13-30, on the 1st BL line, paravertebral from T3 to S4. The Chinese name for each point indicates its function, i.e. FeiShu (BL13) means Lung Shu; HsinShu (BL15) means Heart Shu; KeShu (BL17) means Diaphragm Shu etc.
The Shu points (BL13-30 inclusive) are located 1.5 TSUN from the dorsal midline (GV line), at the lower border of the spinous process of the vertebra indicated in the memory aid and tables below.
Shu points are called the Back-Association, or Paravertebral Reflex points. (The Mu points are called Front Alarm points, see later). Shu (and Mu) points often are tender to palpation when their associated organs are diseased. Each COS has a corresponding Shu and Mu point.
If the Shu and Mu point is tender to light palpation, this indicates hypofunction (Deficiency, Yin) of the associated organ; if tender to heavy palpation, this indicates a hyperfunction (Excess, Yang) of the associated organ. In AP diagnosis, always palpate the Shu and Mu points. Note: Injury/scar on a Shu or Mu point can disturb the function of the corresponding organ!
Shu points may be combined with Mu points (see later) in treating disorders of the associated organs. For instance, needling BL13 and LU01 (LU Shu and Mu) helps in asthma; BL18 and LV14 (LV Shu and Mu) helps in hepatitis.
Also, Shu and Mu combinations can help in diseases of the sense organs of other functions associated with the corresponding internal organ. For instance, the eye/vision and ear/hearing are associated with the LV and KI COS respectively. In eye diseases, needling BL18 and LV14 (LV Shu and Mu) or in ear diseases BL23 and GB25 (KI Shu and Mu) respectively would be indicated. Bone and throat are also associated with KI function. Thus, BL23 and GB25 could be used in bone and throat diseases. The skin is controlled by LU, so BL13 and LU01 (LU Shu and Mu) can be used in skin diseases. Speech is controlled by HT COS. BL15 and CV14 (HT Shu and Mu) help speech disorders.
MEMORY AID FOR THE SHU POINTS:
T 3 - T 7
Lung Constricts HearT VeryGood Diana
Shu point of LU PC HT GV Diaphragm
Name (x-Shu) Fei ChuehYin Hsin Tu Ke
Below spine of T3 T4 T5 T6 T7
BL point 13 14 15 16 17
T 9 - T12
Live Gall Splutters & Stutters
Shu point of LV GB SP ST
Name (x-Shu) Kan Tan Pi Wei
Below spine of T9 T10 T11 T12
BL point 18 19 20 21
L 1 - L 5
Though Kidney Seas Colon's Gate
Shu point of TH KI - LI (Uterus)
Name (x-Shu) SanChiao Shen ChiHai TaChang KuanYuan
Below spine of L1 L2 L3 L4 L5
BL point 22 23 24 25 26
S 1 - S 4
Small Bladder Midback White-Circle
Shu point of SI BL - -
Name (x-Shu) HsiaoChang PangKuang ChungLu PaiHuan
Below spine of S1 S2 S3 S4
BL point 27 28 29 30
THE LOCATIONS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE 18 PAIRS OF SHU POINTS ARE:
BL
Shu Point point Location Organ- function Sense/other functions
LU Shu BL13 below T 3 lung/respiration touch/skin/mucosa
PC Shu BL14 below T 4 pericardium/circ./sex
HT Shu BL15 below T 5 heart/circulation speech/tongue
GV Shu BL16 below T 6 spine/local function
KeShu BL17 below T 7 diaphragm blood, haemorrhage
LV Shu BL18 below T 9 liver/metabolism vision/eye/muscles
GB Shu BL19 below T10 gallbladder proprioception/tendons
SP Shu BL20 below T11 spleen/pancreas taste/mouth/lips/muscle
ST Shu BL21 below T12 stomach/digestion
TH Shu BL22 below L 1 respir./digest./reprod. endocrine
KI Shu BL23 below L 2 kidney/gonad ear/throat/bone/brain
ChiHaiShu BL24 below L 3 back, general energy
LI Shu BL25 below L 4 colon/elimination
KuanYuanShu BL26 below L 5 uterus, back
SI Shu BL27 below S 1 small intestine
BL Shu BL28 below S 2 bladder/urination
ChungLuShu BL29 below S 3 back/bladder/urethra
PaiHuanShu BL30 below S 4 back/anus
Six pairs of Shu points (BL16,17,24,26,29,30) do not belong to a specific pair of the 12 main COSs. They have local uses:
Shu Chinese Name Translation Therapeutic uses
BL16 Tu Shu GV Shu GV problems, spine, endocarditis,
borborygmus, abdominal pain, hair
loss, pruritus, hiccough
BL17 Ke Shu Diaphragm Shu Diaphragm, hiccough, respiration,
blood diseases, haemorrhage
BL24 Chi Hai Shu Sea of Qi Shu Lumbago, haemorrhoids
BL26 Kuan Yuan Shu Gate Origin Shu Uterus, enteritis, cystitis,
urinary incontinence, lumbago
BL29 Chung Lu Shu Middle of Back Shu Lumbo-sacral pain, sciatica,
enteritis
BL30 Pai Huan Shu White Circle Shu Anus, sacral pain, sciatica,
endometritis
THE 12 MU POINTS
As Shu points are called the Back Association or paravertebral reflex points, the Mu points are called Front Alarm points.
Mu (and Shu) points often are tender to palpation when their associated organs are diseased. Each COS has a corresponding Mu and Shu point. If the Mu and Shu point is tender to light palpation, this indicates hypo-function (Yin) of the associated organ; if tender to heavy palpation, this indicates a hyper-function (Yang) of the associated organ. In AP diagnosis, always palpate the Shu and Mu points. Note: Injury/scar on a Shu or Mu point can disturb the function of the corresponding organ!
Mu points may be combined with Shu points in treating disorders of the related organs and of the local area. For instance, needling LV13 and BL20 (SP Mu and Shu) helps in chronic diarrhoea, with undigested food in the stool (Deficient SP Qi) and GB24 and BL19 (GB Mu and Shu) helps in cholecystitis. In disorders of the large intestine/ appendix, needling ST25 and BL25 (LI Mu and Shu) can help. Similarly, LV14 + BL18 can help in hypochondriac pain and ST25 + BL25 can help in lower abdominal pain.
Also, Mu points may be combined with Shu points in diseases of the sense organs of other functions associated with the corresponding internal organ. For instance, the eye/vision and ear/hearing are associated with the LV and KI COSs respectively. In eye diseases, needling LV14 + BL18 (LV Mu and Shu) or in ear diseases GB25 + BL23 (KI Mu and Shu) respectively would be indicated. Bone and throat are also associated with KI function. Thus, GB25 + BL23 could be used in bone and throat diseases. The skin is controlled by LU, so LU01 + BL13 (LU Mu and Shu) can be used in skin diseases. Speech is controlled by HT COS. CV14 + BL15 (HT Mu and Shu) help speech disorders.
THE 12 MU-ALARM POINTS:
COS LU LI ST SP HT SI Mu Point LU01 ST25 CV12 LV13 CV14 CV04 COS BL KI PC TH GB LV Mu Point CV02 GB25 CV17 CV05 GB24 LV14
Memory aid for the Mu points (6 of the points are on the CV line):
CV03,04,05 = BLoody SIlly THeme (= BL, SI, TH)
CV12,14,17 = STuffed HearTs Constrict (= ST, HT, PC)
Lung and Liver, First and Last (LU = LU01, LV = LV14)
Spleen before Liver (SP = LV13)
KI = free tip of last rib (last costal arch in animals) (KI = GB25)
GB before KI (GB = GB24)
LI = McBurney (appendicitis) point = ST25
THE NAMES AND LOCATIONS OF THE MU POINTS:
| COS | Mu | Name | Location |
| BL | CV03 | ChungChi | 4 TSUN below umbilicus, in midline |
| SI | CV04 | KuanYuan | 3 TSUN below umbilicus, in midline |
| TH | CV05 | ShihMen | 2 TSUN below umbilicus, in midline |
| ST | CV12 | ChungWan | 4 TSUN above umbilicus, in midline |
| HT | CV14 | ChuChueh | 6 TSUN above umbilicus, 1 TSUN below xiphoid, in midline |
| PC | CV17 | ShangChung | Midline of sternum, level with 4th intercostal space, midway between nipples |
| LU | LU01 | ChungFu | In 1st intercostal space, 2 TSUN lateral to nipple, below coracoid process. (In animals, LU01 is in 2nd intercostal space, behind the shoulder) |
| LV | LV14 | ChiMen | In 6th intercostal space, directly below nipple (4th intercostal space) |
| SP | LV13 | ChangMen | At free tip of rib 11 |
| KI | GB25 | ChingMen | At free tip of last rib |
| GB | GB24 | JihYueh | In 7th intercostal space, 1 rib or 1.5 TSUN below and just lateral to LV14 |
| LI | ST25 | TienShu | In rectus abdominis m., 2 TSUN lateral to umbilicus |
LUO-CONNECTING POINTS
Referring back to Diagram 1, you will remember that each of the Five Phases has a Yin-Yang (Wife-Husband) pair of COSs (the Phase-Mates) and the Fire Phase has two pairs:
| Yin | Yang | ||
| Limb | Phase | (Wife) | (Husband) |
| Arm | Metal | Lu | LI |
| = | Fire | HT | SI |
| = | Fire | PC | TH |
| Leg | Wood | LV | GB |
| = | Water | KI | BL |
| = | Earth | SP | ST |
Each of the 12 main COSs has a Luo point, used in classic AP to transfer Qi from the Husband to the Wife (or vice versa) of each linked pair of COSs (LU-LI / ST-SP / HT-SI / BL-KI / PC-TH / GB-LV).
The Luo point for each COS is distal to the elbow or knee. Luo points are used in two main ways in AP:
a. the Yuan-Luo combination and
b. in balancing Excess Qi in one COS and Deficient Qi in another, using Five Phase Principles.
b. In Five Phase Theory, when there is Excess Qi in one COS and Deficient Qi in another, the Luo point of the Deficient COS is always used. For instance, if LU is Deficient and LI has Excess Qi, needle the Luo point of LU (LU07). This will remove the Excess from the Husband (LI) and restore Qi to the Wife (LU). If GB is Deficient and LV has Excess Qi, needle the Luo of GB (GB37). This will remove the Excess from the Wife (LV) and restore Qi to the Husband (GB). (For details of other uses of Luo points, see paper on Holistic Concepts and on The Use of Five Phase Theory in Medicine).
NAMES AND LOCATIONS OF THE 12 LUO-CONNECTING POINTS:
| COS | Luo | Name | Location |
| KI | KI04 | TaChung | Just above calcaneus (medial ankle), in front of Achilles tendon (opposite BL60) |
| SP | SP04 | KungSun | On medial side of foot, distal to upper head of metatarsal 1 |
| HT | HT05 | TungLi | On the ulnar-palmar forearm, 1 TSUN above pisiform bone |
| LV | LV05 | LiKou | 5 TSUN above medial malleolus of tibia, just behind tibia |
| TH | TH05 | WaiKuan | 2 TSUN above dorsal wrist crease, between radius and ulna |
| LI | LI06 | PienLi | 3 TSUN above LI05 (which is in the "snuff-box", on the radial-dorsal part of the wrist, between the tendons to the thumb and index finger) |
| PC | PC06 | NeiKuan | 2 TSUN above the palmar wrist crease, between the flexor tendons of the hand |
| LU | LU07 | LiehChueh | just above the radial styloid process, 1.5 TSUN above the wrist |
| SI | SI07 | ChihCheng | On the ulnar side of forearm, 5 TSUN above the wrist, on a line between SI06 and SI08 |
| GB | GB37 | KuangMing | 5 TSUN above tip of external malleolus of tibia, just behind the fibula |
| ST | ST40 | FengLung | 8 TSUN below patella, 1 TSUN lateral to tibia |
| BL | BL58 | FeiYang | 7 TSUN directly above BL60, which is between the Achilles tendon and the lateral malleolus of tibia |
MEMORY AID FOR THE LUO-CONNECTING POINTS:
4 = KISP (KI04, SP04)From '37-'40 GreatBritain STarred 58 BLondes (GB37, ST40, BL58)
THUS, THE 12 LUO-CONNECTING POINTS ARE:
COS LU LI ST SP HT SI Luo Point LU07 LI06 ST40 SP04 HT05 SI07 COS BL KI PC TH GB LV Luo Point BL58 KI04 PC06 TH05 GB37 LV05
THE YUAN-SOURCE POINTS
Each of the 12 main COSs has a Yuan point, which is often tender to palpation when its COS is diseased. The Yuan point may be used alone (or with the Shu-Mu combination) in disease of its organ. The Yuan-Luo combination uses the Yuan of the affected COS with the Luo of the linked COS (Husband or Wife), i.e in lung disease, LU09 (Yuan of LU) plus LI06 (Luo of LI).
MEMORY AID FOR THE 12 YUAN-SOURCE POINTS:
They are very easy to memorise if you know the YU point for the COS. (See Five Phase points, next section!)
b. For Yang COSs, the Yuan point = 3 points proximal to the most distal point (with the exception of GB, for which the Yuan is 4 points proximal to the most distal point). Thus, for Yang COSs, the Yuan point = one point proximal to the YU, Wood point. These are:
THUS, THE YUAN-SOURCE POINTS ARE:
COS LU LI ST SP HT SI BL KI PC TH GB LV Yuan point LU09 LI04 ST42 SP03 HT07 SI04 BL64 KI03 PC07 TH04 GB40 LV03
LEARNING THE FIVE PHASE POINTS AND THEIR USES
Each of the 12 main COSs has a point for each Phase (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). There are thus 60 points (5 x 12 = 60). The theory of the Five Phases and the use of the 60 Phase POINTS to drain Excess Qi in one COS to augment Deficient Qi in another is covered in detail in the paper The Theory of Five Phases and its use in Medicine, to which the reader is referred. Methods of using the Phase points to balance imbalances of Qi are discussed in that paper.
LOCATION OF THE PHASE POINTS:
The Five Phase points are located between the digits and the elbow or knee (stifle). Let us call the most distal location (at a nail) Position 1 and the most proximal (near the elbow or knee) Position 5. The Chinese terms and their translation for the 5 positions are:
Position 1 2 3 4 5
Chinese term TSING YUNG YU CHING HO
TING YONG YU CHING HO
(Jing) (Ying) (Shu) (Jing) (He)
Translation Well Spring Stream River Sea
Location most distal (....... see later .......) most proximal
at finger/toe nail at elbow/knee
(LU11, LI01 etc) (LU05, LI11 etc)
Apart from their use in balancing Qi in the Five Phase Cycle, the TSING points are used in emergencies (shock, collapse etc), in mental disorders and in sensations of suffocation or fullness in the chest. YUNG points are used in fevers. YU points are used in bone and joint rheumatism and in diseases/pain caused by exposure to wind and damp. CHING points are used in asthma, cough and disorders of the throat. HO points are used in disorders of the Yang COSs (LI, ST, SI, BL, TH, GB).
The first 3 positions (TSING, YUNG, YU) are easy to remember. They are the 3 most distal points on each of the 12 main COSs, with one exception: GB, in which case the YU point is the 4th point from the end (GB41, not GB42).
Channel
Position LU LI ST SP HT SI BL KI PC TH GB LV
1 (TSING, most distal) 11 01 45 01 09 01 67 01 09 01 44 01
2 (YUNG, one point proximal) 10 02 44 02 08 02 66 02 08 02 43 02
3 (YU, one point proximal) 09 03 43 03 07 03 65 03 07 03 41* 03
The last 2 positions (CHING and HO), unfortunately, do not form an easily remembered number-pattern, but they lie at or above the wrist/ankle (CHING) and at or near the elbow/knee (HO). The HO position (elbow/knee) is the Earth point for the Yang Channels and the Water point for the Yin Channels. The points are:
Channel
Position LU LI ST SP HT SI BL KI PC TH GB LV
4 (CHING, near wrist/ankle) 08 05 41 05 04 05 60 07 05 06 38 04
5 (HO, near elbow/knee) 05 11 36 09 03 08 40 10 03 10 34 08
The relationship between the 5 Positions and the Five Phase points is as follows. Note: To grasp these and following principles, beginners should also study the paper on the Five Phases.
In the following table, the symbol "->" means "engenders, creates, nourishes, fosters or feeds". The symbol "|" means "controls, restrains, governs, disciplines, brings order to".
POSITION
1 2 3 4 5
Well Spring Stream River Sea
TSING YUNG YU CHING HO
Yang COS Metal -> Water -> Wood -> Fire -> Earth
| | | | |
Yin COS Wood -> Fire -> Earth -> Metal -> Water
coal !
For Yang COSs, Position 1 is Metal and positions 2 to 5 follow the SHENG (Creative) Cycle of the Five Phases: (Metal -> Water -> Wood -> Fire -> Earth).
For Yin COSs, Position 1 is Wood and positions 2 to 5 follow the SHENG (Creative) Cycle of the Five Phases: (Wood -> Fire -> Earth -> Metal -> Water).
MEMORY AID FOR THE YIN CHANNELS: Remember a red-hot coal (Fire) in the palm of the hand (YUNG, Position 2)! Therefore, Wood is distal (TSING, Position 1, fingers) and Earth, Metal, Water are proximal (Positions 3-5, i.e. YU, CHING, HO at wrist, forearm, elbow respectively).
MEMORY AID FOR THE YANG CHANNELS: Remember that at each of the 5 positions, the Yang Phase controls the Yin Phase, as in the KO (Controlling) Cycle. In Position 2 (YUNG, opposite the palm of the hand), Water (of Yang Channels) controls Fire (of Yin Channels); in the TSING position, Metal (of Yang Channels) controls Wood (of Yin Channels); in the YU position, Wood (of Yang Channels) controls Earth (of Yin Channels); in the HO position, Earth (of Yang Channels) controls Water (of Yin Channels).
From the tables of points corresponding to the 5 positions (above), we can re-write the table for SI and HT as follows:
POSITION
1 2 3 4 5
Well Spring Stream River Sea
TSING YUNG YU CHING HO
Metal -> Water -> Wood -> Fire -> Earth
Yang COS SI SI01 SI02 SI03 SI05 SI08
| | | | |
Yin COS HT HT09 HT08 HT07 HT04 HT03
Wood -> Fire -> Earth -> Metal -> Water
Rearranging the points by their Phases (starting with Wood), this becomes:
Wood Fire Earth Metal Water
Yin COS HT HT09 HT08 HT07 HT04 HT03
Yang COS SI SI03 SI05 SI08 SI01 SI02
Applying the same principle (rearranging the points for the 5 Positions by Phase rather than by Position), the Five Phase POINTS are:
Channel
Phase LU LI ST SP HT SI BL KI PC TH GB LV
Wood 11 03 43 01 09 03 65 01 09 03 41 01
Fire 10 05 41 02 08 05 60 02 08 06 38 02
Earth 09 11 36 03 07 08 40 03 07 10 34 03
Metal 08 01 45 05 04 01 67 07 05 01 44 04
Water 05 02 44 09 03 02 66 10 03 02 43 08
Thus, the Earth Point of SI is SI08; the Water Point of ST is ST44; the Fire Point of LV is LV02 etc. The 60 Five Phase points + the 6 Yuan points of the Yang COSs make up the 66 Command Points. (The Yuan Points of the Yin COSs = the YU/Earth Points).
THE XI-CLEFT POINTS
Each of the 12 main COSs has a Xi-Cleft Point, which may be used in acute disorders of the associated organ and in pain along the course of the affected Channel.
MEMORY AID FOR THE 12 XI POINTS:
I visualise a lazy Sunday, disrupted by thoughts of pre-war ('34-'36) blabbering between the Kremlin and Whitehall:
Sex at 4 (the PC COS is also called Circulation-Sex; PC04)
KIds at 5 (KI05)
HearTy LUnch of LiVerSI at 6 (HT06, LU06, LV06, SI06)
Stoned (LI-TH) (lith = stone) at 7 (LI07, TH07)
SParkling wine at 8 (SP08)
Between '34 and '36, STalin and GreatBritain / BLabbered 63 times (ST34, GB36, BL63).
THE XI-CLEFT POINTS ARE:
COS LU LI ST SP HT SI BL KI PC TH GB LV Xi Point LU06 LI07 ST34 SP08 HT06 SI06 BL63 KI05 PC04 TH07 GB36 LV06
THE HOUR POINTS
Each of the 12 main COSs has an Hour Point, which = the Phase Point for each COS.
The Fire points of the Fire COSs are HT08, SI05, PC08, TH06.
The Earth points of the Earth COSs are ST36, SP03.
The Metal points of the Metal COSs are LU08, LI01.
The Water points of the Water COSs are BL66, KI10.
The Wood points of the Wood COSs are GB41, LV01.
THE HOUR POINTS CAN BE RE-WRITTEN:
COS LU LI ST SP HT SI BL KI PC TH GB LV Hour POINT LU08 LI01 ST36 SP03 HT08 SI05 BL66 KI10 PC08 TH06 GB41 LV01
LEARNING THE EARPOINTS
Human Earpoints: Vets who wish to learn AP are advised to study the human Earpoints. There are good ear charts, such as in the Beijing text (1), the Shanghai charts (6), the Hong Kong charts (3) or Practical Ear-Needling Therapy (5).
As one will usually have access to Ear charts, it is not necessary to memorise the locations of all the Earpoints. Certain points are important, as they are frequently used. Their functions are listed in the texts which accompany the charts.
The important human Earpoints are: LU, HT, KI, ST, Adrenal, Shenmen, Sympathetic, Internal Secretion (Endocrine), Subcortex, Occiput. If one is interested in treating pain and lameness, one should note the points for the main body regions: Neck, Thoracic vertebrae, Lumbo-sacral vertebrae, Shoulder, Elbow, Hip, Knee, etc. Note also the Dental Analgesia point on the earlobe.
Sensitive Earpoints are relatively easy to detect. In practice, rather than using Earpoints listed in Cookbook prescriptions, points which may not be sensitive on probing/electrical detection, one is more likely to use the sensitive/reactive earpoints (irrespective of their location).
Animal Earpoints: The ear in animals is anatomically quite different from that in humans. There is little evidence that human Ear-reflex locations (Ear-AP points) can be transposed simply to the animal ear. Some studies have been done in small animals by Jan Still et al (Brno Vet School) and by French, American and other colleagues but documentation of the location and uses of animal Earpoints is incomplete at present.
THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS FOR STUDY
An analysis of a database from > 55 textbooks and other articles on AP indicates that certain points are very frequently used in clinical AP. These points should be studied in detail by beginners. They include the following points, with the more important ones underlined:
Channel Number and Name of Points for Study
In complex cases, if one has difficulty in deciding on a prescription, it is advisable to include a few points from that list.
CONCLUSIONS
This is probably the most difficult paper, which you will have to study on AP. It contains a lot of (apparently useless) detail, much of which needs to be interpreted against other papers, such as those dealing with classical AP and the Five Phases. However, please read and re-read it, using memory aids (mine or your own). When you master this paper, you will know most of the basics relating to the principles of AP and the relationships of the COSs and points.
As aids to your study of AP, the following are suggested:
2. Learn the Channel circuits, the position and function of the first and last points.
3. Study one other point on each COS in detail (LU09, LI04, ST36, SP06, HT07, SI03, BL23, KI03, PC06, TH05, GB34, LV03, CV12, GV26). Add others when you know the location and uses of these.
4. Learn the positions of the Master Points (Shu-Mu, Yuan-Luo, Xi). Add the Five Phase points later. Study the uses of these points.
5. Experiment on yourself, your family and friends, using first-aid AP without needles (transcutaneous electro-stimulation, AP-point massage etc) in common human conditions (headache, toothache, muscle pain etc).
6. Pick a few simple conditions in animals (disc disease, muscle lameness, dystocia, female infertility etc). Study the approach to their treatment, comparing and contrasting the approaches in your reference texts.
The student must not expect to become an expert in all aspects of AP in a short time. It is better to study slowly over months and years than to attempt to learn the complete AP system quickly. It is a difficult, deep subject to master. Long-term commitment and great patience are needed. If you have the commitment, the mental rewards are great.