Yin- yang

Yin-Yang

The Yin-yang symbol is my favorite symbol because it represents balance. This symbol also represents the ancient Chinese understanding of how things work. The outer circle represents everything while the black and white shapes within the circle represent the interaction of two energies, called "yin" (black) and "yang" (white) which cause everything to happen. There not completely black or white, just as things in life are not completely black or white. And they cannot exist without each other. Like if there no war then there would be no peace if the was no light then there would be no darkness. While "yin" would be dark, passive, downward, cold, contracting, and weak, "yang" would be bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong. The shape of the yin and yang sections of the symbol, actually gives you a sense of the continual movement of these two energies, yin to yang and yang to yin, causing everything to happen. Just as things expand and contract, and temperature changes from hot to cold. The concepts of Yin and Yang and the Five Agents provided the intellectual framework of much of Chinese scientific thinking especially in fields like biology and medicine the organs of the body were seen to be interrelated in the same sorts of ways as other natural phenomena, and best understood by looking for correlations and correspondences. Illness was seen as a disturbance in the balance of Yin and Yang or the Five Agents caused by emotions, heat or cold, or other influences. Therapy thus depended on accurate diagnosis of the source of the imbalance. The earliest surviving medical texts are fragments of manuscript from early Han tombs. Besides general theory, these texts cover drugs, gymnastics, minor surgery, and magic spells. The text which was to become the main source of medical theory also apparently dates from the Han. It is the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine, supposed to have been written during the third millennium BCE by the mythical Yellow Emperor. A small portion of it is given below. The Yellow Emperor said ''The principle of Yin and Yang is the foundation of the entire universe”. It underlies everything in creation. It brings about the development of parenthood it is the root and source of life and death it is found with the temples of the gods In order to treat and cure diseases one must search for their origins. Heaven was created by the concentration of Yang the force of light earth was created by the concentration of Yin, the forces of darkness. Yang stands for peace and serenity Yin stands for confusion and turmoil. Yang stands for destruction; Yin stands for conservation. Yang brings about disintegration, Yin gives shape to things, the pure and lucid element of light is manifested in the upper artifices and the turbid element of darkness is manifested in the lower orifices. Yang: the element of light, originates in the pores. Yin: the element of darkness, moves within the five viscera. Yang the lucid force of light truly is represented by the four extremities- and Yin the turbid force of darkness stores the power of the six treasures of nature. Water is an embodiment of Yin as fire is an embodiment of Yang. Yang creates the air, while Yin creates the senses, which belong to the physical body when the physical body dies; the spirit is restored to the air, its natural environment. The spirit receives its nourishment through the air, and the body receives its nourishment through the senses. Nature has four seasons and five elements. To grant long life, these seasons and elements must store up the power of creation in cold, heat, dryness, moisture, and wind. Man has five viscera in which these five climates are transformed into joy, anger, sympathy, grief, and fear. The emotions of joy and anger are injurious to the spirit just as cold and heat are injurious to the body. Violent anger depletes Yin violent joy depletes Yang. When rebellious emotions rise to Heaven the pulse expires and leaves the body when joy and anger are without moderation, then cold and heat exceed all measure, and life is no longer secure. Yin and Yang should be respected to an equal extent. One should watch for things out of the ordinary One should observe minute and trifling things and treat them as if they were big and important. When they are treated the danger they pose will be dissipated. Experts in examining patients judge their general appearance; they feel their pulse and determine whether it is Yin or Yang that causes the disease. To determine whether Yin or Yang predominates, one must be able to distinguish a light pulse of low tension from a hard. Pounding one with a disease of Yang, Yin predominates with a disease of Yin, Yang predominates when one is filled with vigor and strength, Yin and Yang are in proper harmony.