Question Show
Answer The concept of yin yang (often called “the yin and the yang”) is a Chinese philosophical idea used to explain how opposite forces are interconnected and interdependent upon each other. In other words, black could not exist without white, dark without light, cold without heat, etc. The yin yang concept is the basis of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine, and different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, including tai chi. As with much of Chinese philosophy and culture, the concept of yin yang is mysterious and complex, and a full treatment of it is not possible here. The connection between yin yang and Taoism, however, is undeniable. Tao deals with the flow of the universe, or the force behind natural order that keeps all things balanced and in order. It is considered to be a source of existence and "non-existence." Most adherents of Taoism believe anything from polytheism (belief in many gods) to ancestor worship. Taoists tend to worship mostly on holidays in their calendar when food is set out as a sacrifice to the gods or the spirits of departed ancestors. Other forms of sacrifice include burning paper money so it will rematerialize in the spirit world for a departed ancestor to use. A number of martial arts disciplines such as T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Bagua Zang have their roots in Taoism. Taoism and the yin yang concept are directly contradictory to biblical Christianity. While it is true that evil would not exist without goodness, the converse is not true. Goodness can and does exist without evil. Evil is not required to understand good or to have good. A doctor does not have to have asthma, in order to know how to treat asthma. Rape does not have to exist in order to understand the joy and intention that God has for sex. DaVinci’s mural The Last Supper is an example of terrific workmanship, yet today it is faded, chipped, and marred by decay. Must the decay exist in order to appreciate the beauty of the art? Not at all. The holiness of God is eternal, complete, and undivided. God’s righteousness admits no admixture of sin; there is no “balance” or “integration” or “interdependence” between the holiness of God and the evil that exists in the world. Return to:Questions about Cults and Religions What is the meaning of the yin and the yang?
A Taijitu or yin-yang symbol. In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang (Simplified Chinese:阴阳; Traditional Chinese:陰陽 Pinyin:yīnyáng), which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only exist in relation to each other. The concept lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine,[1] and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as baguazhang, taijiquan (tai chi), and qigong (Chi Kung) and of I Ching divination. Many natural dualities—e.g. dark and light, female and male, low and high, cold and hot— are thought of as manifestations of yin and yang (respectively). Yin yang are complementary opposites that interact within a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, but either of these aspects may manifest more strongly in particular objects, and may ebb or flow over time. The concept of yin and yang is often symbolized by various forms of the Taijitu symbol, for which it is probably best known in Western cultures. There is a perception (especially in the West) that yin and yang correspond to evil and good. However, Taoist philosophy generally discounts good/bad distinctions and other dichotomous moral judgments, in preference to the idea of balance. Confucianism (most notably the philosophy of Dong Zhongshu, c. the 2nd century BCE) did attach a moral dimension to the idea of yin and yang, but the modern sense of the term largely stems from Buddhist adaptations of Taoist philosophy.[2] The nature of yin–yangIn Taoist philosophy, shade and light (☯) yin and yang, appears in the Tao Te Ching (道德經) in Chapter 42.[3] It becomes sensible from an initial quiescence or emptiness (wuji, sometimes symbolized by an empty circle), and continues moving until quiescence is reached again. For instance, dropping a stone in a calm pool of water will simultaneously raise waves and lower troughs between them, and this alternation of high and low points in the water will radiate outward until the movement dissipates and the pool is calm once more. Yin and yang thus are always opposite and equal qualities. Further, whenever one quality reaches its peak, it will naturally begin to transform into the opposite quality: for example, grain that reaches its full height in summer (fully yang) will produce seeds and die back in winter (fully yin) in an endless cycle. It is impossible to talk about yin or yang without some reference to the opposite, since yin and yang are bound together as parts of a mutual whole (i.e. you cannot have the back of a hand without the front). A way to illustrate this idea is to postulate the notion of a race with only men or only women; this race would disappear in a single generation. Yet, men and women together create new generations that allow the race they mutually create (and mutually come from) to survive. The interaction of the two gives birth to things.[4] Yin and yang transform each other: like an undertow in the ocean, every advance is complemented by a retreat, and every rise transforms into a fall. Thus, a seed will sprout from the earth and grow upwards towards the sky – an intrinsically yang movement. Then, when it reaches its full potential height, it will fall. Fractal setThe Yin Yang are fractal set, fractal dimension is 1, Df=1 [5] "Yang" and "Yin" in place namesMany places in China, such as Luoyang, contain the word "Yang", and a few, such as Huayin, the word "yin". This is a very old way to assign place names. "Yang" means that a place is on the south slope of a mountain or on the north bank of a river – for example, Luoyang is on the north bank of the Luo River. "Yin" means that a place is on the north slope of a mountain or on the south bank of a river – for example, Huayin is on the north slope of Mount Hua. Symbolism and its importanceYin is the black side with the white dot on it and yang is the white side with the black dot on it. The relationship between yin and yang is often described in terms of sunlight playing over a mountain and in the valley. Yin (literally the 'shady place' or 'north slope') is the dark area occluded by the mountain's bulk, while yang (literally the 'sunny place' or 'south slope') is the brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed. Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity and nighttime. Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime.[6] I ChingIn the I Ching, yin yang are represented by broken and solid lines: yang is solid (⚊) and yin is broken (⚋). These are then combined into trigrams, which are more yang or more yin depending on the number of broken and solid lines (e.g., ☰ is heavily yang, while ☷ is heavily yin), and trigrams are combined into hexagrams (e.g. ䷕ and ䷟). The relative positions and numbers of yin and yang lines within the trigrams determines the meaning of that trigram, and in hexagrams the upper trigram is considered yang with respect to the lower trigram, allowing complex depictions of interrelations. TaijituThe principle of yin and yang is represented in Taoism by the Taijitu (literally "diagram of the supreme ultimate") diagram. The term is commonly used to mean the simple 'divided circle' form, but may refer to any of several schematic diagrams representing these principles. Similar symbols have also appeared in other cultures, such as in Celtic art and Roman shield markings.[7][8][9] TaijiquanTaijiquan, a form of martial art, is often described as the principles of yin and yang applied to the human body. Wu Jianquan, a famous Chinese martial arts teacher, described Taijiquan as follows:
Religious and philosophicalThe Taijitu and concept of the Zhou period reach into family and gender relations. Yin is female and yang is male. They fit together as two parts of a whole. Practitioners of Zen Yoga, a system of exercise created in 2007, see yin-yang as a flow.
See also
References
External links
Welche Religion hat Yin Yang?Yin und Yang sind die dualistischen Prinzipien des Daoismus, zwei Kräfte, die sich ergänzen. Und Yin und Yang sind auch wichtige Begriffe der chinesischen Philosophie.
Wer steht zu Yin und Yang?Mann und Frau, Tiger und Drache: Zusatzbedeutungen
Mit Hinblick auf die Gegensätze, für die Yin und Yang stehen, wird die Philosophie oft auch auf Geschlechter übertragen. Dann ist von dem Kontrast zwischen Frau (Yin) und Mann (Yang) die Rede, manchmal aber auch von der Einheit zwischen Tiger (Yin) und Drache (Yang).
Für was stehen Ying und Yang?Yin und Yang stehen für die Gegensätze, auf denen nach der chinesischen Philiosophie alles in der Welt beruht: Beispiele für Yin- und Yang-Paare sind etwa weiblich und männlich, Himmel und Erde, Ruhe und Bewegung. Die Lehre von Yin und Yang bildet das Fundament der Traditionellen Chinesischen Medizin (TCM).
Woher kommt das Yin und Yang?In der chinesischen Mythologie wurden Yin und Yang aus dem Chaos geboren, als das Universum zum ersten Mal erschaffen wurde. In der chinesischen Mythologie wurden Yin und Yang aus dem Chaos geboren, als das Universum zum ersten Mal erschaffen wurde, und man glaubt, dass sie in Harmonie im Zentrum der Erde existieren.
|