Dawn-Day-Dusk-Night
Monday, 17. December 2007, 15:05:49
Firstly my apologies again for the delay in updating this blog, it has been an odd year.
Yo will have noticed I'm sure that in this blog and my website the yin-yang features heavily as it does in Daoism, Tai Chi, Qi Gong and many other martial arts and paths.
I am equally sure that you will have noticed that often even the most basic meaning of the yin-yang is misunderstood or misrepresented. Some even wondering if there is a point to it other than to confuse.
While I have found that at its various stages of understanding (and i'm in no way claiming to know all these stages) one either has the meditation and cultivation experience to know itsmeaning or one does not, it is not something that can be understood in its fullness at any level, just through reading or listening.
I do think that there is some information that for a variety of reasons many folks do not know, oh it might be said but little practical knowledge and application is behind the words.
Although nothing can replace that imho meditation practice and learning often a good combination of a moving meditation and a stationary meditation, some words have more help than others. I hope this post helps to point ot the origins and hence meaning of the Yin-Yang.
The origin of the Yin-yang comes from charting the lunar cycle the cycles of nature or the multiverse.
As we can see when we look then at the symbol in its original context it makes sense almost instantly at its most basic level. It is pointing to the cycles the circles the flow of nature and natural forces.
We can then see how all things flow into each other, e.g. Spring-Summer-Autum-Winter-Spring .... Dawn-Day-Dusk-Night-Dawn ..... Hot-cold- ... Water-fire-..... male-female .... chi/forces/energies flow into and out of each other (obviously this is then true for all energies). The symbol above includes not only the lunar cycle but also the 24 solar segments, the foundations of the Y Jing. In short the yin-Yang has more than an application to Daoism it is a corner stone a foundation of Daoism.
A poem i wrote a while ago whcih covers my current understanding of the Yin-Yang rather than the yin and Yang or yin or Yang ..... whether it is helpful or accurate ... i do not presume to know.
Dao
There is one voice, there is no voice
There is right there is no right
There is light and dark
There is love there is hate
There is anger there is peace
There is chaos there is harmony
There is knowledge, there is no-knowledge
There is water, there is fire
There is earth, there is air
There is life, there is death
There is no life, there is no death
There is serenity, there is harmony,
There is yin there is yang,
There is the place without yin or yang
This is yin-yang
This is harmony
This is Dao
peace to you
beccaxx
Handy link, but nothing can beat the understanding that comes with meditation and cultivation ....
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/yinyang.htm
WIDGETIZE
Anonymous # 22. December 2007, 12:18
Becca,
That was an insightful entry; thank you for writing it. :) May you be well.
Peace and Blessings,
Aalar
Becca James # 24. December 2007, 19:26
beccaxx