Wuxing is causative, correlative or descriptive?

[Yasjua]

From a section on the wuxing (five phases):

 

The idea of qi as a conveyor of resonant influence, on the ganying principle of 'like responds to like,' seems to have originated with Zou Yan and his followers in the Jixia Academy of the state of Qi in the third century BCE. In this conception qi is an active correlative principle. As Graham puts it, "once spring is correlated with the color green and the ruler's bounty, [qi] will be conceived as changing the weather to spring, making leaves green and moving the heart to bounty. In the Huainanzi, as we have seen, qi functions in that sense as an intangible conveyor of influence, but it also was regarded as an immaterial substance ("primordial qi") that, in the self-organiziing cosmogonic process, condensed into the material fabric of all things in heaven and earth. Things within a correlative category (whether a simple or complex one) interact (even over long distances, and without any mechanical connection) on the "like responds to like" principle not only because they emit imperceptible "vibrations" through the medium of qi, but because they are made of the same kind of qi.

-Heaven and Earth in Early Han Thought (pg. 30)

 

Graham seems to suggest that the wuxing operate on a correlative principle of resonance called "ganying," wherein like affects like (the way a Bb tuning fork will cause a Bb tuned string to vibrate). Moreover, he seems to suggest that the wuxing may be primordial in their influence - they may in fact be laws of creation itself, so as the phases change on an immaterial level their resonance can "make leaves green and move hearts to bounty," so to speak (this would be Wood phase). I previously thought the wuxing were primarily descriptive and prescriptive, and hadn't considered their cosmogonic origins. The above came as a shock to me, as it seems to suggest a "beyondness" of the laws that guide change that I hadn't considered before.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Yasjua

[dawei]

http://www.turtleluck.com/history/wu-xing/

 

WU XING

Wu Xing (Five Element Theory) is found in ancient Chinese history from around 1000 B.C, and was formulated by the same philosophical school that is credited with developing the theory of Yin-Yang from the I Ching, also about 3000 years ago. This school was called the ‘Yin-Yang School’ or the ‘Naturalist School’.

The birth of Yin-Yang and Wu Xing theories, and their application to, for example, medicine, helped to create a new system that represented a major shift towards an empirically scientific approach based on observable, inductive and deductive methods of patterns of differentiation and away from the shamanistic view of mystical causes of sickness and disease.

The basic foundation of this knowledge is that there is a fundamental and intrinsic source of energy in the Universe. This source gives birth to everything – including the Five Elements (or Five Phases), which are the fundamental phases, forces, or energies, in the universe, which can be understood to create  everything that happens in the universe, both material and non-material, as a result of the interactions between these five elements. They are named after natural substances commonly found on earth, but they should not be viewed as physical objects at all, but instead states of a never ending series of interactions and processes, in a way, like the earth’s four seasons, which are just a sub-division of one year of the earth’s cycle, in which time it goes once around the sun.

Thus, as they are in fact five kinds of phases – invisible, interacting energies – they can be applied to every aspect of life, including human behaviour. The Five Elements exist in every living being and are essential to life. Ultimately, an individual’s unique element profile determines personality, physical and emotional health, other aspects such as physical characteristics, and the way in which life unfolds.

At the time of birth, when we leave the direct energetic influence of our mother – we receive our individual, unique ‘element profile – or code’ – just like a genetic code that is created and passed on from a combination of each parents’ unique genetic material. This unique five element energy code is created from a combination of that moment’s unique Earthly cyclical and static magnetic and energetic fields – plus the cyclical energetic fields that the Earth is subject to from the Sun, Moon and other Solar Systemic and Universal influences. All these aspects are in turn subject to their own five elemental phases’ particular balances at any one time.

Therefore, it is possible to see that an incredibly complex series of interactions are existing at any one time. This complexity was painstakingly studied and systemised by scholars of ancient science and arts into the system that is still used today, to great effect. However, to understand such an extraordinarily complex system requires someone to be exceptionally skilful themselves.

Thus, this unique five element energy code is constantly and eternally changing, according to cyclical patterns, meaning that no two babies can have the same code within a certain time frame, unless they are born as twins, triplets etc., within a specified period of time.

This code influences every aspect of our selves, including the major part of determining personality; physical and emotional health; and even the way in which life unfolds throughout our lifetimes – for example, are we lucky… or not… Only other aspects, such as soul aspects, personal Feng Shui, lifestyle behaviour and experiences – and of course our genes – can also influence these aspects.

[Daeluin]

The "wuxing" can be seen as a circle, spiral, or vibration. The stages of development used to describe the changes within a circle, spiral, or vibration ARE the five phases:

• A beginning - an expansion, growth.
• An expression - growth changes.
• Settling - the cresting of expression invites a settling, or experiencing phase.
• The return - the lowest point between the settling and next phase of growth.

And all of these cycle-ings are relative to a common center. This center is relative to both the current dynamic of doing and non-doing, and to the original center at times referred to as the tao, or source. We all know how easy it can be to go, go, go, without rest: the return is only as deep and still as we allow it to settle. So the wuxing can help us to understand how balanced we are in relation to our many different "centers," all the way back through the mysterious gate.

 

Using the wuxing to study cosmology is deeply poignant.

[Gerard]

From a section on the wuxing (five phases):

 

Theoretical stuff that doesn't make any sense.

 

Don't read, practice, please.

 

The only way to understand higher teachings is by walking, walking, walking, stimulating your feet and hands (feet more than anything else) as they both are highly sensitive spots (the others are eyes, lips and tongue) and in the natural environment, shutting off the monkey mind.

 

The wuxing is the imprint on your spirit (samsaric) according to your karmic evolution which is renewed on each rebirth according to the karma at the moment of physical "death" (not the best word to use, but let's use it as it is the most accepted one). And then:

 

You disconnect from the yang level, connect back to the yin/spirit world, experience rebirth (enter the yang world again) and in that precise moment right before the embryo (you) is formed the 5 elements are distributed/imprinted in your mind according to your collected karma and as the resulting big bang that is experienced in the mother's womb (yin and yang energies are brought together during conception, give rise to you (5 elements Mr X) and the 10 thousand things you'll hold inside as a mirror of the macrocosm.

 

Through consistent and disciplined PRACTICE (using a proven method that has been developed by generations of masters and their dedicated apprentices) and you'll both grasp the MIND and how the 5 ELEMENTS/PHASES operate as well as the entire mechanism of Samsara and Nirvana.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Gerard

[dwai]

The "wuxing" can be seen as a circle, spiral, or vibration. The stages of development used to describe the changes within a circle, spiral, or vibration ARE the five phases:

• A beginning - an expansion, growth.
• An expression - growth changes.
• Settling - the cresting of expression invites a settling, or experiencing phase.
• The return - the lowest point between the settling and next phase of growth.

And all of these cycle-ings are relative to a common center. This center is relative to both the current dynamic of doing and non-doing, and to the original center at times referred to as the tao, or source. We all know how easy it can be to go, go, go, without rest: the return is only as deep and still as we allow it to settle. So the wuxing can help us to understand how balanced we are in relation to our many different "centers," all the way back through the mysterious gate.

 

Using the wuxing to study cosmology is deeply poignant.

A very poignant description. I find myself "going going going" sometimes right after practice and then wonder why I didn't feel effect of what was a good practice session. But then as I settle down, slow down and observe, the feeling is still there, I'm just masking it with activity...

 

Also per my lineage, (my) our understanding is that qi is essentially a vibration of energy/consciousness. As we connect deeper and subtler we let go of tensions , thereby losing the gross vibrations. Then we sense the fine vibrations and can tune to them. Eventually we tune to the primordial vibration.