ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces Japanese philosopher Yuasa Yasuo and offers a phenomenological contextualization of the subtle body. Eschewing the ontological problems of articulating the subtle body, Yuasa instead starts with the epistemological standpoint of the “lived-body”, building upon the work of phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty, identifying four information circuits within the body. The first three circuits are relatively familiar, but the fourth is a novel addition; the “unconscious quasi-body.” This is neither strictly psychological nor physiological in nature and is expressed in such systems as the Meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the chakras and nadis of Hindu Tantra. Yuasa emphasizes that the expression of the unconscious quasi-body is not an intellectual matter, but a lived experience that is actualized through practice. This chapter clarifies Yuasa’s position, adding a layer of commentary and context through contemporary philosophers, such as Geoffrey Samuel and T.P. Kasulis. Kasulis in particular will be employed as his categories of “intimacy” and “integrity” add much needed structure to this conversation as they identify the philosophical presuppositions which either inhibit or facilitate discussion on the topic of subtle body.
