Perennial Question: Nature of Yin/Yang . . .

[Lataif]

Anyone willing to listen to another attempt to interpret/understand Yang and Yin (?)

 

I've been concentrating on that traditional characterization of Yang being "expanding" and Yin being "contracting" . . . and trying to find a way to make it work for me.

 

My current re-interpretation of it is something like this:

 

(1) there's Unity of things (universal or local))

(2) there's differentiation from that Unity into Multiplicity (Yang)

(3) there's unification of the Multiplicity back into Unity (Yin)

 

The difficulty with seeing this practically . . . has to do with the cycles of differentiation and unification (of which 5 elements is the working model):

 

** happening all over the place simultaneously

** interpenetrating one another

** with each having a different periodicity (one minute, 1 day, 1 year, 1 millennium, etc)

** and each at a different stages (1 thru 5) .

 

So . . . at 10pm tonight, I myself may be almost stage 5 (Water) of my 24-hour sleep-awake cycle.

At same time, if I'm 40 years old . . . I'm at stage 3 (Earth) of my 80 year life cycle.

Meanwhile, since it's nearly Summer here. . . the seasons are nearly at stage 2 (Fire) of their 12 month cycle.

 

And so on for ALL the things in this Universe (big and small) . . . each with its OWN cycle, periodicity, and stage . . . simultaneously interpenetrating one another.

 

Does this interpretation work for anyone (?)

Or any way it obviously doesn't work . . . for re-interpreting any specific traditional perspective of Qigong (?)

 

Thanks . . .

Edited May 28, 2014 by Lataif

[Andrei]

Yes that's how they interpret the Chinese astrology, a BaZi reading will tell you which element is your energy based on the birth hour, month, year, and location. Because each one of us are surfing on energetic waves of maximum and minimum of solar, lunar and planetary cycles. Normally on top of the wave the energy is yang and the element is fire, while on the bottom of the wave the energy is yin and the element is water. And many combinations in between, BaZi is quite complicated.

 

Ps. Earth is when the energy is crossing the neutral line between max and min. Earth means balance but is momentary, it does not last long.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Andrei

[allinone]

yin is within yang, yang is within Yang that means yang becomes yin to Yang. Within yin there is also yang.

 

within hour there is minutes within minutes there is hour. Thats why you need MCO to speed up your electrons to get hour out of the minutes.

And also learn to sense unmanifested to do so, because minutes themselves have no knowledge of the hour.

Edited May 30, 2014 by allinone

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Anyone willing to listen to another attempt to interpret/understand Yang and Yin (?)

 

I've been concentrating on that traditional characterization of Yang being "expanding" and Yin being "contracting" . . . and trying to find a way to make it work for me.

 

My current re-interpretation of it is something like this:

 

(1) there's Unity of things (universal or local))

(2) there's differentiation from that Unity into Multiplicity (Yang)

(3) there's unification of the Multiplicity back into Unity (Yin)

I agree for the most part that unification is the trajectory of yin, and multiplicity is the trajectory of yang; but, these might also be caused simply by imbalance. Both multiplicity an unity have their place. Example: someone is meditating, they have clear awareness and balance of yin stability and yang attentiveness, they then become too yin and start reveling/day dreaming. Thus yin results in multiplicity. The meditator then realizes their reverie and opens their eyes to become more focused - so yang brings about the unity again, balancing yin and yang.

 

The difficulty with seeing this practically . . . has to do with the cycles of differentiation and unification (of which 5 elements is the working model):

 

** happening all over the place simultaneously

** interpenetrating one another

** with each having a different periodicity (one minute, 1 day, 1 year, 1 millennium, etc)

** and each at a different stages (1 thru 5) .

 

So . . . at 10pm tonight, I myself may be almost stage 5 (Water) of my 24-hour sleep-awake cycle.

At same time, if I'm 40 years old . . . I'm at stage 3 (Earth) of my 80 year life cycle.

Meanwhile, since it's nearly Summer here. . . the seasons are nearly at stage 2 (Fire) of their 12 month cycle.

 

And so on for ALL the things in this Universe (big and small) . . . each with its OWN cycle, periodicity, and stage . . . simultaneously interpenetrating one another.

 

Does this interpretation work for anyone (?)

Or any way it obviously doesn't work . . . for re-interpreting any specific traditional perspective of Qigong (?)

 

Thanks . . .

 

I think, as my above comment shows, these things are all very relative, and even less finite when you get into the multitudinous cycles of the 5 elements. For example, at 40, this is the Earth stage. Sounds very yin right? Well, it is also the harvest time of your life. All those seeds you planted in your 20's and 30's are now waiting to be picked. Time to collect.

 

Following earth is metal phase. Surely we must be winding down right? Metal is associated with the Heaven trigram - 3 yang lines. The Heaven trigram signifies the patriarch. Still yang.

 

Maybe look at it this way: The traditional Chinese musical scales consist of 5 notes, (do, re, mi, so, la, in western terms). Played in order of do-re-me-so-la, you have a major tonality. Played in order of re-mi-so-la-do you have a minor tonality. Played in order of so-la-re-mi-do you have a mixed tonality. So depending on the central note, the other notes play different roles, harmonizing and supporting the other notes in different ways. Some may even seem really out of tune, but then when they release to the central note, the dissonance even plays a supporting role.

[dawei]

yin is within yang, yang is within Yang that means yang becomes yin to Yang. Within yin there is also yang.

 

I believe it was Heshang Gong who said: "There is heaven within heaven"...

 

And one could say, in the beginning there was Tao within Tao...

 

I think his main point, as he stated: The Tao of Heaven is the same as the Tao of humanity".

 

You can view the pieces but it is still Tao (singulartiy) within Tao (multiplicity)

[Silent Answers]

I think you've got it spot on... But at the same time it doesn't necessarily need to be thought of as so complex to grasp these 2 ends of the scale. The more effort you exert into advanced patterns and inner workings doesn't ultimately equal progress on the path....although it's interesting for sure.

 

You could plot out a map and navigate the way with precision, knowing exactly how many stones make up the road...but just following the path and letting it take you to where it leads has the same result.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Silent Answers

[Kajenx]

It sounds like a big fractal. Or maybe clockwork.

[GrandmasterP]

No matter which way we slice it nor how finely there's still Yin and Yang, indivisible and co- existent.

In everything and all parts of everything, Yin and Yang continuously dance.

All is Tao.

Edited June 8, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Miles]

 

(2) there's differentiation from that Unity into Multiplicity (Yang)

 

 

Why Yang?

Can we consider this differentiation as a decay? I think it's a Yin process.

[dawei]

Why Yang?

Can we consider this differentiation as a decay? I think it's a Yin process.

 

Or initial birthing... still Yin