Ancient Cosmology And The Natural Laws Of The Universe

Yin and Yang is a Chinese philosophy. Yin and Yang connects to Taoism, because it symbolizes balance between opposing sides. It is made of two principles. Yin, the predominately black side,

In Chinese culture, health and illness concentrates on the balance between body, mind, and spirit, expressed as Yin Yang. It symbolizes the idea that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. There is a belief in part of the Chinese culture, that a physical illness is caused by an imbalance of Yin Yang.

As stated by the Shen-nong website, “Ancient people were greatly interested in the relationships and patterns that occurred in nature. Instead of studying isolated things, the viewed the world as a harmonious and holistic entity” ("Yin yang," 2005, p. 1). Yin and yang

Yin and Yang is an ancient Chinese philosophy that shows the perfect balance between two things. The yin and yang sign is considered an energy which keeps the concept flowing. It is two

life sciences and medicine drawn from the Taoist traditions of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements

At the core of any nation’s culture are its religious beliefs. In China there are the “Three Jewels” Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, as described in Lopez (1996). There are small numbers of people practicing other religions such as Christianity and Islam, but these are the three dominant beliefs of the region. While they are separate in content, they have coexisted for several thousand years. Lopez (1996) goes on to say, “Historical precedent and popular parlance attest to the importance of this threefold division for understanding Chinese culture…Buddhism is the sun, Daoism the moon, and Confucianism the five planets…suggesting that although they remain separate, they also coexist as equally indispensable phenomena of the natural world.” Each belief system stands alone, and at the same time needs the other(s).

Yin and Yang are both created together but then separate into two different beings one representing all that is light and good in the world while the other represents all that is dark and heavy but are both necessary for the creation of the world. In the creation myth of “The Women Who Fell from The Sky” both of our creators are brothers who fight with one another in order to create the world I their image. Like Ying and Yang, one is good while the other is evil. Both Myths need the bad and the good; they both represent the good and bad in the world. The morality of both stories is that both Ying and Yan balance each other just like both brothers are a reflection of each other.

Another important concept is the yin-yang symbol. This helps apply to the world view of the chinese due to their influence

The Yin Yang symbol also commonly referred to as the Tai-Chi symbol is easily thought of in today’s popular culture as a reference to the Sun (yang) the moon (yin) and the universe. Allen Tsai’s article provides some insight into the origins of the symbol itself, the meaning behind the curvature of the symbol, and how the Chinese symbol has found a place in popular culture. Allen Tsai goes into explicit detail on how the Chinese developed a surprising understanding of the stars and how they used the constellations and the sun to determine the seasons, the length of a calendar year and the time of the earths rotation around the sun. Tsai explains how the symbol is at its basic meaning a “Chinese representation of the entire celestial

Yin and yang achieve a state of balance by mutual control and inhibition. The balance is neither static nor absolute, but is maintained within certain limits. At certain times, yin expands while yang diminishes. At other times, the opposite is true. The change of seasons illustrates this concept. From winter through spring and summer, the weather changes from cold to hot. This is a process where yang (heat) grows

As explained in World Religions Today, in contemporary culture, the discoveries made through science are usually articulated in the structure of mathematical equations. These mathematical equations serve as proofs of the fundamental truths that the particular science reveals. Analogous to this idea is the symbolism in the Yi-Jing system of East Asian Religions. The symbolization of the Yi-Jing system enriches the conceptualization of the universe as incessantly changing. Within the Yi-Jing system, the yin-yang symbol exemplifies the most familiar representation of these uncovered fundamental truths (Esposito 502-3). In this essay, I intend to explain the meaning of the terms yin and yang and discuss the role they play in Chinese religions generally. Further, I will explain the way in which the symbolism of yin and yang contribute to the Chinese conception of the universe and the way that role is played out in religious practices.

This is often portrayed by the Taijitu symbol that most western cultures are familiar with. What is often difficult to understand about Yin-Yang is that it is ultimately a teaching of metaphysical dualism. This is to say that one is only as much itself as it is the absence of its counterpart; light is just the absence of darkness. The concept seems simple when applying it to light and dark but when it comes to questions of existence or consciousness it becomes difficult to understand. Consequently, people, either due to laziness or ignorance, attach themselves to the concrete symbol and the simplest explanation to accompany it. Thus we see that the Taijitu, in western culture, has itself adopted the name the Yin-Yang or more absurdly the “Ying- yang”. I have a friend who to this day thinks he has a tattoo Yin-Yang tattoo. It’s a pretty abstract and unlimited concept to fit in the confines of ones skin; I’m not sure if he even is aware of the word Taijitu; I don’t think I should ask.

There are some unique characteristics that are associated with the yin-yang way of thinking. These characteristics include;

Around 190 B.C, Greek thoughts were dominated by Aristotelian cosmology. However, when the Greek mathematician and astronomer Hipparchus calculated the heliocentric system, it contradicted Aristotle’s idea of the orbits were perfectly circular. Hipparchus abandoned his work because Aristotle's cosmological was believed to be mandatory by the science of the time, even though, Aristotle's model was questioned by certain observations such as changes in the brightness of the planets. Nonetheless, this did not stop Hipparchus’s curiosity in Astronomy. Using the Chaldean and Babylonian astronomical knowledge and techniques, many of his discoveries were widely accepted and proven to be right. Not only did he contribute to Greek Astronomy, he is

A symbol that is used or associated with the religion of Confucianism is the yin-yang. Yin-yang are " the two countervailing forces of the universe, each necessary for balance yet each constantly changing in power." Yin refers to any thing that is negative, yang refers to anything that is positive. The irony is that these two things tell people everything they know, it is impossible for the both not to be in coexistence with each other.This is saying that life attracts opposites, such as: good and evil, light and darkness, and war and peace. " It shows the two opposites, yin and yang, eternally pursuing each other in a harmonious way." It is true they are opposites, but there is no conflict, there is only balance.