Yin-Yang: a Taoist Symbol Essay Example
Yin-Yang: A Taoist Symbol
Introduction
It's everywhere. The classic yin-yang symbol, seen more and more these days, is a circular symbol, half-black and half-white, with a small dot of white on the black side, and a small black dot on the white side (see example in Appendix A). It is recognized by most people. This symbol is also called the Tai Chi Tu. The term "yin-yang" is drifting into popular speech, usually along such lines as, "Well, everything has its yin and yang side." Many believe that this symbol represents balance, peace or harmony. Others believe that it means there is a little bad in the good, and a little good in the bad, which would ultimately mean that there is no absolute good or evil. What does the yin-yang symbol mean to Taoism?
Methodology Statement The methodology for answering the question "what does the yin-yang symbol mean to Taoism" is researching academic articles, books, and websites for the Taoist meanings found in the yin-yang symbol.
Origins of yin-yang The terms yin and yang originally referred to the dark and sunlit sides of a mountain, respectively. The shadowy and sunny sides of the mountain combine to make a unified whole. They are not separate and do not struggle with one another. Furthermore, the very perception of both a dark and light side of the mountain is made possible by a powerful source of constant energy. (Feuerstein). While the contrast theory is integral to early Taoist theory, yin-yang theory, though compatible, was not a central part of the early philosophy. Classical thinkers barely mentioned the originator of yin-yang cosmology, Zou Yan. The Laozi uses the terms yin and yang only once in passing in only two of the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi. Yin-yang was most prominent in the Yi Jing (I Ching, or Book of Changes). The association of yin and yang with Taoist ideas actually stems from the most influential early commentator of the Daode Jing, Wang Bi, who wrote after the fall of the Han dynasty. He
Introduction
It's everywhere. The classic yin-yang symbol, seen more and more these days, is a circular symbol, half-black and half-white, with a small dot of white on the black side, and a small black dot on the white side (see example in Appendix A). It is recognized by most people. This symbol is also called the Tai Chi Tu. The term "yin-yang" is drifting into popular speech, usually along such lines as, "Well, everything has its yin and yang side." Many believe that this symbol represents balance, peace or harmony. Others believe that it means there is a little bad in the good, and a little good in the bad, which would ultimately mean that there is no absolute good or evil. What does the yin-yang symbol mean to Taoism?
Methodology Statement The methodology for answering the question "what does the yin-yang symbol mean to Taoism" is researching academic articles, books, and websites for the Taoist meanings found in the yin-yang symbol.
Origins of yin-yang The terms yin and yang originally referred to the dark and sunlit sides of a mountain, respectively. The shadowy and sunny sides of the mountain combine to make a unified whole. They are not separate and do not struggle with one another. Furthermore, the very perception of both a dark and light side of the mountain is made possible by a powerful source of constant energy. (Feuerstein). While the contrast theory is integral to early Taoist theory, yin-yang theory, though compatible, was not a central part of the early philosophy. Classical thinkers barely mentioned the originator of yin-yang cosmology, Zou Yan. The Laozi uses the terms yin and yang only once in passing in only two of the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi. Yin-yang was most prominent in the Yi Jing (I Ching, or Book of Changes). The association of yin and yang with Taoist ideas actually stems from the most influential early commentator of the Daode Jing, Wang Bi, who wrote after the fall of the Han dynasty. He