Update at the bottom.
I’m not an authority on this subject. This is just what I think.
My friend John from Owl and Terrapin had a yin to hear about Yin. I didn’t think that would be a big deal, but it has turned out to be more Yang than I imagined. I’ve spent a few days doing a little research, consulting with one of my mentors, and getting my thoughts together.
A very little bit of history.
Yin is part of both Confucianism and Taoism. Confucius didn’t know about Yin. It became part to that system of thought after his death. Confucius taught moral and ethical behavior. When Yin/Yang was absorbed by Confucianism, both Yin and Yang were endowed with moral attributes. Yin and Yang, as part of a ethical dichotomy carry moral judgements.
Taoists see Yin a bit differently. Yin is part of a wave, an oscillation. It isn’t part of the dichotomy of good and evil or black and white.
Yin has been described as feminine, cold, wet, slow, soft, passive, yielding, and diffuse. It has been associated with darkness, water, earth, the moon, and night.
In either system Yin has no meaning apart from Yang. They give rise to each other. They compliment each other. The difficulty in discussing yin arises from Yin’s reliance on Yang for its existence and meaning. There is no wave it one half is missing.
Yin and Yang try to look as different as possible while being identical. And reversible. It’s the idea of identical differences. Check out Alan Watts for more on this.
Yin is part of an energy wave.
Before “let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) was there only dark. No….there was no dichotomy. There was no dark. “Let there be light” Yang and Yin.
If there was only Yang, you would create Yin.
There is nothing to do
and everything to do
Now
Tao
The Universe
God
Spirit
The Divine
The word is not the thing
Don’t grasp
Expand containing all things
What can you know? Words are obscured by their proliferation.
The 10,000 things
This from that
That from this
The affirmation is rooted in denial of the other?
They ate from עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע? (Genesis 3:6). God tried to warn them. Avoid the dichotomy. They didn’t. And we still eat there.
It’s this and that.
Not this or that.
Yin/Yang
Mind/Universe
Wave/Particle
UIDst = 7hd + 4hd
The illusion that one will win over the other is a silly illusion.
UPDATE
Same Differences
“Which meaning brings meaning
when brought to mind?
Which meaning brings meaning
when brought to heart?
Feel meaniong, know purpose.
Know meaning, feel purpose.
Witness the qualities within their differences
and know that the Tao…rests in their sameness.”
~ The Tao of Circles by Carl Garant
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Mar 08, 2014 @ 15:27:46
I have talked with J-Boy about this. I find it all very interesting!
Do you think we as humans have BOTH yin and yang “in” us?!
I will check out the Alan Watts link.
Hope your weekend is going well!
HUGS!!! 🙂
PS…”a yin” to hear about Yin…”more Yang”…made me laugh. 🙂
Mar 09, 2014 @ 17:56:00
They aren’t separate things. They are one thing.
Mar 10, 2014 @ 18:03:40
My dumb.
Mar 10, 2014 @ 19:42:42
That’s wasn’t dumb. That’s what almost every one thinks. It’s the being as different as possible while being the same think.
Mar 11, 2014 @ 01:33:12
I like how you put that. 🙂
Mar 11, 2014 @ 01:33:32
Oh. I posted a new post. Can you see it?! I still am having trouble with my site.
Mar 11, 2014 @ 20:50:18
I commented on your post.
Mar 11, 2014 @ 21:50:13
Thank you, JR! 🙂
Mar 08, 2014 @ 18:41:44
Yin or yang and in my case it is all wrinkles and it all hangs.
Opps maybe that is something different.
“chuckling”
Mar 09, 2014 @ 17:56:19
lol
Mar 13, 2014 @ 02:06:00
Man, thank you. ! this is excellent. the last part, about them eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – that being the living in the world/living of yin/yang – I had not seen it in that way, before. even though i’ve been thinking about that passage quite a bit, lately.
thanks, again, for doing this, jr. I apologize for not realizing that you had posted this, already. I almost missed out. I’ve been remiss.
I have much to think about, now.
there is much here I’ve thought about, but you’ve dredged it up, again, and in a different way.
now, to think ….
j.
ps: I don’t have a wordpress site, anymore, even though it seems to show it. odd. I had trouble handling more than facebook for awhile. I’m not sure what to do – how to have only one place to present myself, or deal with life, online.
Mar 13, 2014 @ 06:15:18
this is one of those things that i only understand if i’ve had too little coffee or too much wine.
it’s surprising to me how often i end up thinking about adam and eve. this is another perspective that i’ll have to jive with what i’ve worked on. anyhow.
cool
Mar 13, 2014 @ 19:50:51
Thank you. I find it hard to communicate what this means in words.
Mar 13, 2014 @ 15:31:40
I’m still ruminating
Mar 13, 2014 @ 19:51:32
Ruminating is good. hugs
Mar 15, 2014 @ 10:37:49
I’m going to need a pot of Irish blend before I can soak this in.
Mar 15, 2014 @ 22:28:32
A little Irish blend is good for you.
Mar 15, 2014 @ 13:07:29
This is interesting. Thanks for posting it. Funny enough, I just started a book by Watts a few days ago.
Mar 15, 2014 @ 22:29:19
He is one of my favorites.