yinyang

[billzant]

Dear Forum,

I wish to incorporate an understanding of yinyang into my daily life. can anyone help with references?

Hope you are keeping well

All the Best


Bill Z

[seattlegal]

"Therefore it is said, 'In representing the Dao of Heaven, one uses the terms Yin and Yang, and in representing the Dao of Earth, one uses the terms Soft and Hard, while in representing the Dao of Man, one uses the terms Love and Righteousness.'"
--Zhou Dunyi

[Snoopy]

Hi Bill and welcome to CR

Originally Posted by billzant

incorporate an understanding of yinyang into my daily life

so how does this work then?

Snoopy.

[billzant]

Dear Snoopy,

In a way that is what I am asking "what does it mean to live according to yinyang principles?"

Some background - My interest in yinyang arose out of starting a macrobiotic diet. Once started I realised that as these are fundamental universal laws in nature I should know how to act accordingly. Within the diet certain things are recognised as yinyang concerning the foods and the cooking, but it also concerns time of day and other types of energy/interaction. In what way does it go beyond the food? How can I begin to understand how yinyang affects my daily life?

That is the purpose of my question.

Hope you are keeping well,
All the Best
Bill Z

[Snoopy]

The books that I might reference would be the books that I imagine that you’ve got (Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Lieh-tzu) – with your interest in Daoism. My understanding of yinyang is simply one couched within the broader philosophy of Daoism. I’m not really interested in the religion of Daoism, but in the philosophy (of the aforementioned people – whether or not they existed or wrote these books!) insofar as it appears to be related to (or identical with?) Ch’an (Zen). I may be going off track here….?!!

s.

[billzant]

Dear Snoopy,

How are you?

I am kind of reaching a dead end with my macrobiotic contacts. The basis of macrobiotic eating is that you eat locally produced, and you try to eat according to yinyang principles. Natural foods with no processed stuff, additives etc.

I get the feeling as with many such that it is a club, follow their rules and it is OK. Step outside the lines and they don't want to know whilst expressing the desire for any form of deep consciousness.

So I ask about mind, and there is no answer. There's a kind of notion that the mind will look after itself if you eat well. Whilst there is no doubt in my mind that mind functionality will improve if the body's condition is good, at some point mind must be addressed - meditation.

Anyway I found these principles by George Ohsawa - the starter of the macrobiotic movement:-

http://zarendhara.net/buddspir.htm#64

None addresses mind directly.

Western education separates mind from body, unless some form of re-integration takes place I find it diofficult to see yinyang in practice.

I am a Buddhist, usually Theravadan. Mind and body are discussed there a great deal. As you are into Ch'an (Zen) perhaps you have some views.

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best

Bill Z