Yin and Yang

in

The Delicate Balance of Yin and Yang Has Been Broken

The Yin and yang could be a very difficult concept to understand to us because western philosophy is based on the theory of duality, which denote eternal opposition. In our dualistic perception of the world, there is evil and good, light and dark, life and death, truth and false, left and right, moral and unmoral, heaven and hell, Jesus and Lucifer.

The Perfect Balance

Conversely, in eastern philosophy, there is not a supreme good or evil. There is not or like in western philosophy, where something is right or wrong. Things are not opposed; they complement each other, trying to find a perfect balance. In this sense, the eastern perception of the world is more natural, more organic. Therefore, the yin and yang are two primordial forces controlling the whole of the universe according to Taoism. Together, yin and yang, make a whole, neither one is more important than the other or better than the other.

The dark and light of the yin and yang represent the masculine and the feminine. The light (yang) is masculine, which represents intelligence, logic, action, aggressiveness, strength. The dark (yin) is the feminine that represents passion, emotion, inaction, softness, weakness. Yin and yang symbolize the ideal harmony between logic and passion, aggressiveness and weakness, action and inaction, in other words, it represents a delicate balance between light and dark. When they are equally present, all is calm. When one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and disarray.” For instance, too much light could blind the eye, like too much action could cause a disaster (for example, too much wind could cause a tsunami),

Symbolize the principle of complementation.

Yin is white with a small circle of black and yang is black with a small circle of white, which represents the belief that there are two sides to everything, all things carry yin yet embrace yang. In this sense, for Taoism, if there were no yin, there would be no yang and if there were no yang there would be no yin. So, there is no light without darkness, there is not life without death, it is no good without evil.

All of them are opposite concepts but at the same time, they complement each other. If one disappears the other too. For instance, if there were no light, what would be dark? Without ugliness, what would be a beauty? If there were no souls, would there be bodies? Without noise, what would be silent?

Another strong belief behind the yin and yang symbol is that we will reach the balance associating opposites when yin dominates yang or vice versa, we are in chaos and have to find the harmony between them again. Unfortunately, our western culture has broken this harmony and everything seems being dominated by the yang. It is to say, the rational dominates the emotional. Thus, science is the enemy of spirituality, materialism dominates mysticisms, respect for nature is an adversary of the progress, war prevails to peace, the extinction dominates life. The question is how to restore the balance? How to make this world a better and harmonic place to live? According to the yin and yang concept, only through the perfect union of these two forces, we could correct our mistakes.

“Taoism,” at: http://ssd1.cas.pacificu.edu/

Tao Te Ching, by Lao-Tzu complete online text at http://www.wright-house.com/religions/taoism/tao-te-ching.html

Leave a Comment

Related Posts

Karma and Grace

How do karma and grace relate to one another? Initially, it would seem that karma and grace are opposing principles in the universe. After all, karma is law, and grace ... Read More

Attention through Meditation

These days, ADD and ADHD run rampant in the United States. I, myself, have ADD but have recently found a bit of hope in the concept of meditation. Buddha taught ... Read More

The Arts of Zen Explained

The art forms associated with the practice of Zen Buddhism are a way of approaching the artisan’s role in the totality of their existence. To practice Zen is to achieve ... Read More

The Three Universal Characteristics in Buddhism

If and when practicing Buddhism, you will come across various principles grouped together. Examples are the: Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Three Poisons (if you are studying Tibetan Buddhism), Ten ... Read More

What is the Tibetan Wheel of Life

The Bhavacakra, or Tibetan Wheel of Life, is a graphic depiction of Tibetan Buddhism’s philosophy of existence. Although there are several versions of the Wheel of Life, the symbols maintain ... Read More