Yin and Yang

I-Ching or the "Book of Changes" is an ancient Chinese divination manual and book of wisdom. Know more about it.

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fisherman
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Yin and Yang

Post by fisherman » Mon Oct 30, 2006 2:11 am

hello all... :)

i would like to share some realisations i've had recently, while contemplating on this symbol.

Image
The concepts of Yin and Yang originate in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. Yin (Chinese: literally "shady place, north slope (hill), south bank (river); cloudy, overcast") is the darker element; it is sad, passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night. Yang ("sunny place, south slope (hill), north bank (river); sunshine") is the brighter element; it is happy, active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day.
wikipedia
Yin and Yang
i guess most of us are familiar with the Yin and Yang symbol and with the idea that both Yin and Yang qualities are present in all of us. nothing new there, but today i do have a bit of an issue with the passive/feminine and active/male associations and thus the fact that we find it normal to associate women more with the Yin and men with the Yang... personally, i find this a limiting view and i feel this may be more of a consequence of a male-driven society that insists in "relegating" the passive polarity to women while also perceiving it as "weaker" (old judgements which are fortunately falling apart in modern times). my perspective is that those two polarities (passive/active) are androgynous and exist in both males and females of all species. so, i feel we often tend to read (interpret?) the Yin and Yang so that it mirrors a human society made up of individuals with unbalanced polarities, rather than looking at it as an independent model of perfection that should be reflected in every individual (the ideal)...

while one could easily argue that women are generally more in touch with the passive polarity and men with the active polarity, this is not always the case for individuals (particularly in liberal societies) and so i feel one should question if this is "natural" or a product of our male-driven history and traditions. we only have to look at the animal kingdom, where females actually tend to have a much more active role than males. take, as an example, lionesses hunting or female bees doing most of the colony work. my simplistic view on it is that all individuals aspiring to reach their full potential strive to achieve the balance expressed in the diagram, regardless of being male or female. i feel that when an individual is close to this ideal, there is no longer a predominantly active or passive force because of the defining sex but - rather - the individual acts passively or actively according to what is perceived as appropriate to the moment. ultimately, there is no clear division but a constant flux of both... like when you are discussing whatever issue, you must listen appropriately (Yin) and respond appropriately (Yang).

more recently i feel that my past extreme expressions and repressions of either my Yin (passive) or Yang (active) sides were a demonstration that i was not one with myself and this caused emotional instability at times. i'm talking for myself here so these are my feelings... here's a story to illustrate this... last year, i had two avatars in a forum. originally i created one identity which evolved naturally and i believed it was a faithful representation of the real "me". this "me" was striving to be nice, sensible, tolerant and non-conflictive but turned out somewhat passive when, a couple of months later, i found myself discussing some very polemic issues, such as abortion, immigration and religion. i had to deal with some very aggressive - sometimes even rude - arguments... i didn't know how to respond to a guy who defended that all european muslims should be repatriated, except white ones, or to a girl that reduced a 4 month's old human foetus to a parasite, in order to justify her position on abortion. of course, these are the extremes... but how do we deal with such arguments? ignore and be silent, while words like these spread around?  

i wanted to restrain myself from responding harshly but i also wanted to fight back, only i didn't know how to maintain the balanced, non-conflictive "myself" i was working hard to maintain. my "escape crutch" was to create another character which was a very satirical evil character (his name was Satan hehehe), a lot more active, which i used to ridicule what went clearly against my most fundamental values, such as "equality" and "human dignity"... i could turn to those i perceived as "extremists" and offer them a place or a job in hell and actively expose consequences of their extreme positions while playing on their side. with racism i was comically merciless... with abortion i had to be somewhat cynic but a lot more cautious... anyway... i found myself playing these comical acts to "level" my empathy levels regarding certain groups of humans with those of whom i was communicating with...

most certainly, i can look back and think this was therapeutical and even fun... until the day someone didn't discern i was being satirical and fictional and complained to a moderator, when i realised that my exploration had gone far enough... chance or providence agreed and the moderator kicked Satan out. ... time to move on... what started as a playful act eventually produced what i felt were some very important realisations about myself:

1. i was hiding behind a mask (the satirical identity) to protect the reputation of the original identity ("myself"). as a satirical Satan, i could say practically anything and leave "myself" unstained.

2. today, i realise that the original identity was not the true and balanced me. rather, for me to reach the full balanced me, i had to find a way to merge both active and passive identities, without suppressing/repressing either one or the other.

3. the character Satan allowed me to set free, explore and work on my active side.

4. i realise today that what caused most of my past internal and even external conflicts was my own passivity (repression of the active) towards certain situations and to avoid confrontation, which then caused bottling up until i couldn't take any more of an issue, when i finally exploded in anger (very rare, but when it happened it reaaaally happened).


this now reminds me of someone once telling me about allowing ourselves the time to write discussions between our conscious and subconscious... it also reminds me of the fictional character Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and even the very real and severe psychological cases of split personalities. i'm a layman in psychology but this makes me wonder if the most extreme cases of the later may be the consequence of an extreme suppression/repression of either one and/or the other polarity, which then causes bursts that last shorter or longer periods that seem to be "out of character"... i realise this is a very simplistic view which becomes much more complex when you start exploring the causes (which can be plenty and feed each other) but i do feel this split personality syndrome (in a perspective of the split of the two polarities) tends to exist in the large majority of us, to whichever extent. it can happen one moment and not in the next. with some of us this is almost imperceptible while in others this split can take dramatic proportions. is the person at work exactly the same as the person at home? is a child molester always a "monster"?

the bursts of the repressed polarity are not necessarily negative though. on one side you could have a woman who's had enough of her husband's unfaithfulness and, after years of saying nothing, suddenly explodes and decides she's had enough of it (she had been repressing her active side). on the other, you could have a man who is usually known as cold and unemotional but whose soft-side comes out when he becomes a father (he had been repressing his passive side). when i see, as i have seen, a mother running across a busy road carrying her baby in her arms, i get the sense that her passive polarity must be anywhere but in her conscious; all she's thinking is how to cross the road as quickly as possible... now, say a man who is always submissive to his superior's rude and unfair behaviour and doesn't respond out of fear of loosing the job... here, i sense a repression of his active polarity.  

personally, i feel that modern lifestyles tend to be generally more repressive/suppressive of our passive polarity (we rush a lot) and i would even dare guess that there are more women becoming more and more in touch with their active polarity than men becoming in touch with their passive polarity (though i feel the number is growing). however, we have to put up with a lot of unfairness in our professional, personal and civic lives and our active polarity often gets repressed out of some fear (loosing a job, a relationship, being ridiculed, etc.) or because we feel we simply don't know how to respond without loosing our temper. when our lifestyles push us to repress/suppress both polarities at different times, what effect does that have on our psyches? what chances do we have to reach this balanced ideal?

more recently, i have come to the realisation that these two polarities are both present in me and they should not be conflictive. i've let go completely of the association "passive/feminine" and "active/masculine"... rather, i've accepted these two polarities as both part of me and i feel they should be aligned with each other and be never repressed, if i wish to be coherent in thought and actions and avoid internal and external conflicts. all my life i've tended to repress the active to avoid confrontation and the end product was that the issues grew internally like a snowball and eventually crashed after a period of relative peace. now i am exploring much more the active front and the results have been quite amazing; i am letting it out but in more constructive ways... i feel that, until we sort our polarity conflicts out we tend to feel that a part of us is out character when - really - both polarities are part of us and we just have to find the way for them to be consistent with each other and non-conflictive. presently, i tend to perceive the passive polarity as my "rest mode", from which action emerges. in this sense, they are no longer opposites but complementary; assisting eachother. i feel this gives priority to observation of the moment to then act as appropriately as i can. constant contemplation without action is useless and action without contemplation risks being inappropriate.

as i said, the effects on both my emotional stability and those that surround me is clearly positive, even if at times i am misunderstood or even ridiculed. the fact is, it doesn't trouble me anymore as i'm not worried a single bit by what anyone thinks of me. on the contrary, i am very happy to be perceived as a fool, as it is a small price to pay if only to be so emotionally stable. i win and so do the people closest to me. surely, wherever there is communication between two fundamentally different perspectives, serious misunderstandings will always be a risk. still, after a very turbulent last year in my life, i have recently rediscovered the feeling of having just met someone, only that this someone is exactly the same person i've been with for 5 years. my ability to love has recovered exponentially, to the point that today i realise that love can be ever lasting and eventually become quite effortless... for that, all i need to do is to work on recovering my own active and passive balance and watch how it also slowly and effortlessly assists my other-half to reach inner balance. i don't stay quiet anymore when there is a difference of opinion or when i feel my personal space is being attacked, i don't allow myself to bottle up issues but - simultaneously - i tend to deal with these differences in a much more gentle, patient and persevering way... i am far from perfect, but i'm working to get as close as i possibly can.

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fireraven
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the four characteristics of yin and yang

Post by fireraven » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:51 am

Firstly:
Fisherman, that was a brilliantly beautiful story. I am glad that the symbol of yin-yang was able to generate such deep, personal introspection and healing. I could really relate to some of your plight.... I'd venture to say that most of us could...
Awesome, man. Truly awesome.

I'd like to perhaps clear up a few things about the concepts of yin and yang however. Please don't take this as a criticism, but I have been reading through some of the posts on this forum and it seems the majority are having trouble grasping the I Ching/Yi Jing and its practical uses.

I am actually thinking of starting a study group on this forum to learn the fundamentals of this, but it will depend on whether people are interested in committing to it... anyway, watch this space....

To begin with understanding the I Ching (I'll stick to the common Wade-Giles transliteration for you all), you do have to grasp the notions of yin and yang.

First step - completely put aside your pre-conceived notions of what is true. Try to forget everything you have learned about life, the Universe and Everything. Chinese thought is 180 degrees from our Western way of looking at the world, and grasping these concepts do require a certain degree of shifting our consciousness and the way we look at the world (even as mystics and spiritualists) that 180 degrees.

The symbol (which Fisherman put at the start of his post) has a name beyond "the yin-yang symbol". It is called the "Taichitu".

It represents in 2-dimensional form the inherent duality of the Universe that is:
1) inter-dependent
2) mutually controlling
3) mutually engendering
4) mutually transforming

Indeed, the chinese characters which form the words "yin" and "yang" do refer to (respectively) "the shady side of the mountain" and the "sunlit side of the mountain".

This is important in understanding the meanings. Think about this image of natural landscape...
... if one side is sunlit, the other side will be shady.
But as the sun moves across the sky, those sides will change, will they not? What was sunlit in the morning, will be shady in the afternoon, and vice versa. This is the idea of 'mutually transforming". This is the idea of change, of the forces of the Universe being in constant flux.

The inter-dependence points to the fact that if the sun is beating down on one side of the mountain, it is blocking the light to the ground on the other side (unless the mountain is made of clear glass, in whcih case it won't - but that doesn't exist in nature, so its a moot point!). So you can't have one without the other. If there is light, then there is also shadow - you can't have one without the other. This also explains the idea of "mutually engendering" - the existence of one stategives birth to the other state.

So also is it "mutually controlling", because as one state shifts/changes, it controls the other state. Like weight-scales: if you add mass to one side it becomes heavier and tilts - the other side has to go up. So it is being controlled by the state of the 'other'.

These four characteristics are fundamental in getting what yin and yang are all about. Meditate on these, on the taichitu symbol, and on the sun-and-mountain imagery. Maybe even think of the Earth's own revolving - where the sun shines it is day; on the other side of the world it is night. The sun is the constant; the Earth's axial rotation brings about the change.

This post has already rambled on too far, but I will continue....

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fireraven
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clearing up some misconceptions

Post by fireraven » Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:15 am

Now that I've shared the four characteristics, I'd like to just dispute some of the many misunderstandings of what yin and yang represent.

Yes, they symbolise polar opposites.

But remember, they are inter-related.

Daoism, and the whole idea of yin/yang, is based on the greater notion of RELATIVITY.
I strongly recommend people see the movie, "What the Bleep Do We Know", because the vanguard of Western Science is starting to pick up on this notion. Read also the works of Fritjof Capra, especially his "Tao of Physics".

The Lakota-sioux have a great saying: "mitakuye oyasin" - it means (roughly) "we are all related" or "everything is related to everything else".

Pretty darn profound, if you ask me....

So too say - rather simplistically too, IMHO - that:
YIN = feminine, passive, darkness, night, etc.
YANG = masculine, active, light, day, etc.
is just plain wrong.
If you approach the concepts from that standpoint, then you have the wrong end of the stick.

And I think Fisherman - like most of us - sense that these simplistic correspondences just don't ring true in the natural world. And I could sense that Fisherman felt mildly offended that to be a woman means to be passive, whilst its the man's prerogative to be active.

And rightly so! But this is not yin, nor yang.

This is a dualism, so inherent in Western thinking, that is so polar, that 'never the twain shall meet'. This is the linear scale, with man at one end and woman at the other.

But if you look at the taichitu symbol, you see a circle. Where one is greater, the other is lesser; and vice versa. Also, note the seed of the other lying in the belly of the one.

The beauty of Daoist philosophy is that it teaches not to be either masculine or feminine (or active or passive); rather it teaches us that both states are within us, but that we learn the appropriate timing of which state we use. And I think Fisherman learnt that lesson well.

Balance isn't equilibrium, for that would be static and non-moving.
Balance is the constant shifting from one state to another.

Its also referred to as "going with the flow". I just love that saying.

And this, my friends and colleagues, is what the I Ching is about.

The first chapter of the Tao Te Ching states:

A way can be a guide, but not a fixed path;
names can be given, but not permanent labels.
Non-being is called the beginning of heaven and earth;
being is called the mother of all things.
Always passionless, thereby observe the subtle;
ever intent, thereby observe the apparent.
These two come from the same source but differ in name;
both are considered mysteries.
The mystery of mysteries
is the gateway of marvels.

(Lao Tzu, from Thomas Cleary's translation)

I hope this helps. Now please meditate and continue the discussion...

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fireraven
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It's all relative....

Post by fireraven » Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:57 am

To continue...

Yin and Yang are not absolute states!

Just because one thing is describes as yin, doesn't mean it will always be (even before it is 'changed' into something else). That which is yin, because it is so in relation to something else specifically which is yang.

Here's the Sesame Street explanantion.

Jack is 10 years old.
Billy is 12 years old.
Freddy is 15 years old.

Now let's assign 'yin' to the state of being younger, and 'yang' to the state of being older.
In terms of the relationship between Jack and Billy, Jack is yin and Billy is yang.
But in the relationship between Billy and Freddy, Billy is now yin and Freddy is the yang.
In the relationship between Jack and Freddy, jack is yin and Freddy is yang.

If we add Lucy into the group, who is 8 years old, then Jack (who in the original two relationships was always yin) is now the yang in that relationship.

And if Katie joins in who is 18 years old, then she is now yang to Freddy's yin (who was always the yang in the original group).

That's looking at age.

What if we looked at personalities?

Well according to the Wikipedia definition (which appears also in soooo many other places), because Lucy and Katie are women, they must be yin, and the boys must be yang.

But what id Lucy was the most dominant and aggressive of the group? She is the youngest, and female - yet her personality suggests otherwise. And what if Charlie Manson jumped into the circle? Who would be the most yang then?

OK, now I'm getting ridiculous.... but hopefully you are getting the point that such linear-polar correspondences to the notions of yin and yang are pointless, misleading, and just plain wrong.

The reasons for this are historical and cultural.
The texts we have from China do liken yin to women and yang to men. But we must have an understanding of the nature of Chinese culture (past and present) to get this. The Chinese - and this is the influence of Confucius and his school of thought, from the Late Chou period (also referred to as the Warring States period) - have a somewhat strict idea of the nature of social relationships.
Often a relationship is given the metaphor of the 'Mother-child' relationship, or the 'husband-wife' relationship.

These relationships are based upon the relationships between male and female in the natural world. And for the most part, the female of the species gives birth to the offspring, and the male is used for insemination and fertilisation of the egg. Gestation and birth usually leads to a more nurturing relationship between mother and child, whereas the male's connection is not as strong; but still present, he stands between his mate and offspring and oncoming danger. Its interesting to note that in some species (and Emus are one example here), it is the male that nurtures and rears the offspring, while the female disappears after laying the eggs. Which one is yin in this relationship? The male of course, because he is the nurturing one (and nurturing is a yin aspect).

Is this clear enough? I hope I'm explaining it okay, because I know how hard it can be to convey such big-picture, profound concepts on a discussion forum...

To make a generalisation, women who have never given birth, have no desire or instinct to have babies, and plan to never do so are not generally yin in character - but they are still women, who still menstruate, have a womb, etc. There are men who are not aggressive, active or protective by nature - they are not yang in character, but they are still male.

And perhaps our childless woman, steeped in corporate western culture is a cold hard b*tch, climbing the corporate ladder, getting into fights, highly competitive amongst her peers, workmates, family, etc (clearly masculine) - in the relationships between herself and the rest of the world, she is yang.
But when she goes home to her single bedroom apartment, she may love and care and nurture her pet cat/dog/etc - in this relationship, she is yin.

Our yin male in the example above may be the reserve - he may actually go home and belt the living snot out of his partner, who is completely submissive to him.

It's all relative.
And it all changes.

But understand that there are some relationships that are constant:
A mother is always a mother - as of today, men are still unable to gestate a foetus and give birth to children.

I am a brother, to my sister; but to my daughter I am a father; to my wife I am a husband; to my mother & father I am a son....

and so on and so forth. I cannot - for example - be a brother to my father. That is not the relationship I have with him. And I doubt whether there has been any culture in the past/present/future where that would be any different. That doesn't mean I can't nurture my father, or vice versa. That doesn't mean that in business dealings, he takes the more masculine role, but in health I take the more masculine role.

These relationships are absolute and are determined by biology. And this is where the misunderstandings lie about how the ancient Chinese tried to describe concepts that were relative and (by their own definition and understanding) difficult to define.

When it comes to understanding the I Ching and how to use it, it really helps to remember all this about yin and yang, because these are the foundations of that system of wisdom.

The eight trigrams of the I Ching define relationships, and understanding these is crucial to understanding the meanings of the hexagrams.

Hope this has been of some help.

P

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