Guest guest Posted September 18, 2002 Report Share Posted September 18, 2002 Note the phrase " It is a purely relativistic system " So, it would seem very much like using the words near and far, or old and young, big and small. Michael The following is from the book " Five Elements and Ten Stems " by Kiiko matsumoto and Steven Birch Yin and Yang " In Chinese philosophy, the system of Yin and Yang was conceived as a way of explaining the Universe. It is a purely relativistic system; any one thing is either Yin or Yang only in relation to some other object or phenomena, and all things can be described only in relation to each other. " Theory " In the Yin-Yang system, we are able to explain relationships between different phenomena or entities. Theoretically, we could explain the relationship of all entities in the Universe. The Chinese themselves attempted to do this in a very general way. They discussed the relationship of Heaven (Yang) to Earth (Yin) and how the two interact. They discussed the relationship of Heaven to Man, and of Earth to Man, and of thecomplex web of interactions that are set up between these three entities. " From " A dictionary of chinese medicine " by Nigel Wiseman Yin and yang are divisible but inseparatable " the principle that although all phenomena can be divided into yin and yang, and each yin or yang phenomenon can be divided into into yin and yang aspects, either phenomena of a pair that stands in a mutually dependent yin-yang relationship cannot be separated from the other without the loss of both. " division " here means a cognitive distinction, whereas " separation " is the sctual parting of the two. Yin and yang can be divided ad infinitum. For example, whereas motion is yang and stasis yin, within motion there is a distinction between upward motion, which is yang, and downward motion which is yin. Upward motion is yang within yang, whereas downward motion is yin within yang. However though yin and yang can be differentiated in this way,they cannot be separated: the two are always interdependent and therefore inseparatable; one cannot exist without the other. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2002 Report Share Posted September 19, 2002 There's something that Ibn-Arabi, one of the greatest Sufi masters, wrote around the 12th.century. He says that physically man is more 'active' than woman(who is more 'passive'), emotionaly women are more 'active' than men, mentally men are more 'active' than women and spiritually women are more 'active' than men. So if you put that in yinyang terms there's a lot of yin within yang within yin...etc,...etc,..! Marcos _____________________ GeoCities Tudo para criar o seu site: ferramentas fáceis de usar, espaço de sobra e acessórios. http://br.geocities./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2002 Report Share Posted September 19, 2002 marcos wrote: There's something that Ibn-Arabi, one of the greatest Sufi masters, wrote around the 12th.century. He says that physically man is more 'active' than woman(who is more 'passive'), emotionaly women are more 'active' than men, mentally men are more 'active' than women and spiritually women are more 'active' than men. So if you put that in yinyang terms there's a lot of yin within yang within yin...etc,...etc,..! Marcos Great quote!!! Marcos In a seminar I attended last year on the meaning of chinese characters, Elisabeth Rochet used the example of the hand to represent yin and yang. " You cannot have a hand without a palm and a back. The chinese passion for oneness can only be expressed though duality. " Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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