Yin and yang (English: /jɪn/, /jæŋ/), also yinyang or yin-yang, is a concept that originated in Chinese philosophy, describing an opposite but interconnected, self-perpetuating cycle. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary (rather than opposing) forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts. The technology of yin and yang is the foundation of critical and deductive reasoning for effective differential diagnosis of disease and illnesses.
In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and yang form and matter. 'Yin' is retractive, passive and contractive while 'yang' is repelling, active and expansive; in principle, this dichotomy in some form, is seen in all things—patterns of change and difference, such as biological and seasonal cycles, evolution of the landscape over days, weeks, and eons (with the original meaning of the words being the north-facing shade and the south-facing brightness of a hill), gender (female and male), as well as the formation of the character of individuals and the grand arc of sociopolitical history in disorder and order.
taiji is a cosmological state of the universe and its affairs on all levels, involving the interaction of Yin and Yang, Sanbao (三宝), Four directions and the Wuxing (五行) and finally, all things and their nature in the universe.
| DUALIST | MONIST FORM | |
|---|---|---|
| Puruṣa (consciousness) by its nature is sattva (constructive) | Prakriti (matter) by its nature is tamas (chaotic) | |
| 'yang' is repelling, active and expansive | 'Yin' is retractive, passive and contractive | Taijitu symbol ( yin -yang symbol ) |
| Swastika/astik is Yang | Nastik is yin | brahman/avataar ( the absolute almighty ) taiji |
| Srishti (“creation”) | Samhara (“dissolution”) | Stithi (“sustenance”) |
| Creator | Destroyer | preserver |
| Brahma/ saraswati | Shiva/ durga | Vishnu/ lakshmi |
| Male | female | ardhangini |
| light | dark | |
| divine | devil | |
| citta (mind) | manas (temper, mood, tamasic) | asmita or ahamkara (ego, rajasic). |
| sun or star | moon / planets like earth | |
| Positive | Negative | |
| Open , space , free | Concealed , hidden | |
| north side of river | south side of river | |
| Hill , endless mountain , eternal stair case | pit , bottomless pit , eternal abyss , black hole | |
| upward pointing triangle | downward pointing triangle | six pointed star ( shatkona ) or hexagram |
| yin yang seed or seed of existence and non existence | ||