Understanding Of IChing And Tai Chi In Relation To Our Lives

Tai Chi, The Great Ultimate, was found earliest in the Book of Change, or otherwise known as I-Ching. Legend said that this scripture has written by the first emperor of the Zhou Dynasty - Zhou Wen Wang. Thus I-Ching is also known as Zhou-Yi.

I-Ching, or the Book of Change, with its name implies, stated that life is in constant flux of change. The word I (Yi in pinyin) means 'change' in Chinese. It is formed from the characters of the sun and the moon, which represents yang and yin respectively.

It has a verse stating, Changes has the Great Ultimate, which give rise to the Two Elements. The Two Elements give rise to the Four Phenomena, and the Four Phenomena give rise to the Eight Hexagrams...

Lets begin with the word Tai Chi the Great Ultimate. It actually means the earliest, the beginning... of all events and things. In some case, it refers to the Universe by ancient Chinese.

In one of the scripture, it stated that One yin and one yang is the Way ... This means that the all changes of events and things in the universe come from this opposing, yet united forces of yin and yang.

This is why in from Tai Chi, there arises in the Two Elements - yin and yang. Take a look at the Tai Chi diagram, which is better known as the 2-Fishes diagram in Chinese. It is a circle divided into 2 sections in proportion. The circle is representing Tai Chi, or the Universe Whole, and within this wholeness, theres the Two Elements.

The division of the yin and yang in Tai Chi means that there are 2 opposing elements, represented by the black section and white section respectively. Yet, the division is not a straight division, but a curved division meaning that the 2 opposing elements actually accommodate each other in order to form the complete circle.

Firstly, this means that while it is divided as opposing elements it is united in a way to form the complete wholeness. The opposing yet united forces of yin and yang became the basis of the thinking in I-Ching. And Tai Chi uses the concepts in the I-Ching, the yin and yang elements as the core concepts to explain the both physical and meta-physical aspects of the world.

Secondly, the curved division gives a sense of balance. Here, we are talking about balancing the yin and yang elements here. There's this statement in I-Ching: When the yin goes to the extreme, the yang is born. And when the yang goes to the extreme, the yin is born.

Look at the 2-fishes diagram again. If you go in counter-clock wise along the diameter of the Tai Chi circle, you will find that as one element grows more and more and reach its peak, the other elements will begin to grow in replacement. For example, if you move along the diameter on the black side, you will see that the half represented by the black will become bigger and bigger and then suddenly shrink and the white half will begin to grow instead. This means that if one element goes to the extreme, t he other will begin to set in.

What does this mean to us then?

Simple: we have to balance our life in every aspect, and do not just focus only on one or a few. We have to balance between work and personal life, between family and friends, between material and spiritual, and the list goes on. Otherwise, there will be disharmony in our lives.

Thirdly, the movement growing or shrinking of the yin and yang elements within the Tai Chi diagram suggests that life changes constantly to and from between good and bad, joy and sorrow, happiness and sadness, high and low and between any two extreme qualities. This is the dualistic principles in I-Ching.

In any events or things, there are two qualities within. There's no such thing as complete good or perfectly bad things. It is the degree of good, or bad that matters.

Take for example, can we say that a person is good because there's no bad quality in him, or a person is bad because he or she have never don e any 'good' at all??? A good person may at times been guilty of small bad deeds, and a bad person may at times have some good in him or her. Isn't it?

A good thing may have some negative side in it. And vice versa, a bad thing may have some positive side in it. It depends on how we perceive the issue. Thats the dualistic principles in I-Ching.

This goes to the next concepts. In the diagram, within each element, there's a dot in it. The black section has a white dot, while the white section has a black dot. What does this means? We move now to the next statement: The Two Elements give rise to the Four Phenomena. This means, in the yin element, there will be yang element and vice versa, in the yang element, there will be yin element.

What does it means to us?

In any events or things, there will be some good in the bad, and some bad in the good. Just like there's some yin in the yang, and some yang in the yin. For example, when a person wins a race, oth ers will lose the race. There's bad news within the good news, there's sorrow amongst joy, there's losing among winning and so on.

In life, there will be mixtures of good and bad, joy and sorrow, happiness and sadness, winning and losing, high and low, and it all come in a 'package'!

Therefore, we should learn to be more give and take - and accept the nature of life as it is. Enjoy the good things, and accept the bad one bravely and gracefully. This will then help us to achieve a more balance and harmonious life.

Tai Chi's concepts of yin and yang became influential to the ancient Chinese, and found its way into the philosophy, theories, medicine, art of war, religion, arts and the way of maintaining life. It has found its way into Daoism, which in some ways, people claimed that Tai Chi is under the idea of Daoism, which is not quite true. It should be the other way round.

Whatever it is, understanding the principles of I-Ching does help us to underst and the nature of life itself to better balance and manage our ups and downs to face our daily chores and challenges. And I wish all of you success and harmony in your life. May the Energy of Tai Chi be with you!

Written by:
C. Guan Soo
http://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com

*************** Note ***************
You may distribute or publish this article freely provide you do not make any changes or alteration on the article content, or remove my name and website from the article. Thank you!

C. Guan Soo
A Tai Chi Practitioner and love who practice meditation, martial arts, energy healing and Tai Chi Chuan since the age of 10. He has also strong interest in the eastern philosophies like I-Ching and Buddhism. He combined his understanding of I-Ching into Tai Chi Chuan practices to further enhance the effectiveness of the art.

Author:: C Guan Soo
Keywords:: Tai Chi, Tai Chi Chuan, I-Ching, I-Ching Philosophy, The Book of Change, Principl es of Life
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Art is Rain for Thirsty Souls

I believe I know what the Void feels like. Do you? It's cold...and very lonely, because it's wanting creation and nothing exists there as of yet.

Spend enough time there, and you may fear that you could die of it. Too much emptiness for the Soul to endure; too much nothing. Until you hear (or see, or feel) it...the voice of one who has been there, too - endured it and survived to tell the tale.

I believe that we love Artists most when they get us in touch with our inner selves in a way that the world outside us cannot. Much has been said about the price that they pay for their wondrous creations: loneliness and misunderstanding, addictions, emotional imbalance and depression, the life of a misanthrope. What are seldom conjectured, though, are the reasons for the Artists' sufferings.

Well, th ey're living somewhere beyond the safely-defined place we call reality. They are the Frontier Explorers of the unknown. And that means that they exist in a place where they have nothing but their own intuition and insight to guide them...because they got there first! No one else has experienced what they have; these impressions are new, hard to fathom and even much harder to Articulate. No wonder the Visionaries of our world are oftentimes so lonely and desperate. Who can they confide in, and who can offer them condolences? Mankind may not catch up to the place where the Artist succumbed until long after he or she is gone.

When we DO reach that place, we feel the chill too. But we have one consolation: the words or music or visual images bequeathed to us from one who has gone before. The Art of our visionary creates a veritable map for us to find our way. We are no longer in the Void where nothing makes sense; Art has given form to our world.

I never believed tha t Art and science were at such odds with each other. Both are approaches to structuring our universe, and neither are strong and true for all time. Evolution continues - Art offers up new inspirations, and science gives us new explanations. Joseph Campbell said that the motifs of myth had to be constantly reinvented, lest the life-giving forces slip away. Our Artists keep that mythic fire alive so that it can be passed, intact, to succeeding generations.

And each generation must make its own Journey into the unknown and face the long stretch of trials. Perils lurk in the wood, upon airy mountain heights and deep within the bowels of the EArth. But we will have help: the wise old guide, the maiden who knows the way out of the labyrinth...

And we'll know that we're embarked upon the only noble adventure left for modern man: the exploration of the inner world. Where else can we go? Everything has been settled and claimed, turned into megamalls and urban sprawl. We h ave to take the classic hero's lead, and trust that the way within will illuminate the way out.

I doubt that our political leaders can offer us much in the way of good advice for that Journey. But Tolkien provided me with some useful roadmaps, as did Stephen R. Donaldson, Arthur Rimbaud, Joseph Campbell, Rumi, Kandinski, and so many others.

Art is rain for thirsty Souls.

Seth Mullins is the author of Song of an Untamed Land. Visit his complete blog at http://www.writingup.com/blog/sethmullins

Author:: Seth Mullins
Keywords:: Artists,Art,Void,Frontier,Explorers,Visionaries,Journey,Soul
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On the Matter of Courage

To the philosopher Aristotle, there were many types of virtues and they came in many forms. He viewed virtue as the habit of the soul. It was the mean between two vices: one of deficiency and one of excess. And this mean was defined through reason as the prudent man would define it. He was careful in his analysis of mankind and all the basic components that should make the species as is. To Aristotle, virtue was the sign that meant the man and his soul was at happiness, which was the ultimate goal of life. Though he carefully examined many virtues, one of the more interesting and analytical in his studies is his perception on the virtue of Courage.

Aristotles view of bravery and Courage is a unique look at a characteristic in mankind. It is very situational and personal by definition. Each being has its own interpretation of how to be brave and how to overcome the mortal fears, whether naturalistically feared or at least logically defended. There is no defense for fears that have no real threat or act of bravery to overcome. So the first point of understanding Aristotles stance in the matters is to know that there is a wrong definition for being brave, meaning that there is no true act of bravery for the mortal man to overcome, and a right definition for being brave, where it is a natural and/or logical fear that is understood and overcome by the individual. Once one can recognize the specifics of Aristotles assessments, they can aim at the requirements to become brave.

The brave man, to Aristotle, is a wise man. For even in being brave and Courageous one must still have fears. It is a part of human kind to understand and acknowledge this. It is almost in a way like a humble, though in some cases not so evidently humble, manner of recognizing your own mortality and imperfection in life. If one did not have fear or fears, then one could not overcome them and truly never achieve greater peace or self-accomplishment in life. And it is required to not only have the fear, but also to be able to recognize the fear. The individual must be able to know what it is that he fears before he can overcome it. So there is some intellect and self-awareness necessity in being brave. Once the person can admit to their own being that they do indeed fear like all humans and that they can identify what it is to fear, they can proceed in the steps to overcome their fear.

The problem with this is that it th ere is a fine line between the instinctive sense of Courage and the intellectual sense of Courage. Aristotle looks down on those who rush in to overcome their Courage and do not fully assess what it is that they should be brave against and for. It is not in their wisdom that they do such acts and therefore do not understand that they are truly being brave. On the other hand, though one may act almost fool-heartedly when put in a situation requiring bravery, it does not necessarily mean that the person has a vice of excess in the virtue, which is what on even grounds Aristotles work seems to express. The problem arrives that does the man truly need to consciously recognize the act of bravery or can instinctively his mind and body realize this without making it consciously aware? If so, then he destroys any other factors in his decision to be Courageous and is not being manipulated or influenced by any forces other than his own conscious. This gives expression that there is also a vice of over-thinking.

As stated, Aristotle clearly expresses an act of intellectualism and reason being a part of bravery. To what extent this goes is what splits his definition of the virtue into paths of interpretation. Man requires reason to exist as man. This part is clear in all forms and analyses, but that reason can be an innate feature at times, acting as an instinctive part of mans being. By looking at it in this way, Courage would require mainly just being able to overcome the fear and a certain amount of analysis of it. Lack of analysis would mean improper reason and recognition of reality, while over analysis would inevitably bring in other elements and components other than the pure act of overcoming a fear and being brave. So Courage relies on a means between two vices of reason. One would fail at truly gaining the virtue of Courage if they were to be fool-hearted and not fully understand what it means to be Courageous, and also one would fail if they were over-analytical and let the influence of other elements besides their own judgment and conscious persuade their acts and being.

So we can gather this from the end analysis: the virtue of Courage is an act of understanding mans own mortal fears, both natural and logical, and the ability to keep the act of overcoming fear, of being Courageous, between two vices of reason where one is the lack of judgment and intellect while the other is the excess of judgment and analyzing. This leaves Aristotles view on Courage in an unlikely path. Though he deeply expresses the power of reason, it is this same reason that creates a vice if used to much. There seems to be some expression that reason is a force that is innate to man and so in saying so one does not need to overexert themselves to use it. Thus, reason is the understanding of life, mortality, and virtue, and is the creation of all things expressed in a balanced form within mankind.

In the end, Aristotles view on Courage seems to leave one important fact: it is not by our own choice that we have it. Not to say that man does not recognize his fear and overcome it, but in definition to say that we have the conscious power not to express the virtue rather than the conscious power to express it. In other words, it is natural for man to achieve this virtue of Courage, but to not achieve it is by his own actions and determinations. This is in a sense a contradiction to his teachings of choice and freedom of action. There is this instinctive essence to Coura ge that Aristotle emphasizes. It comes from the very definition of man being a reasonable, analytical and intelligent creature. Though man must make some efforts to be able to properly use the powers of reason, man is defined as the only creature to have reason and therefore it is a power within man that is interconnected and not an outside force to rely on. The virtue of Courage therefore requires the power to recognize that man possesses it and not the power to reach its goal. Sustaining the means between the vices of deficiency and excess in reason is the endeavor that mankind endures to reach a virtue. It is the function of the human being to reason.

To Aristotle, everything aims at a greater Good. This Good is not some unseen God(s) to worship and follow, or the goal to change the world and make it a better place without any clear, unbiased view on what would be indeed better. It is simply to reach the state of Happiness. And to do so, man needs the virtues to fully understand his place in the world. The virtue of Courage is no different. It is the way for one to overcome the difficulties and suffering of life. Without it, man would not be so vibrant in life. It is the virtues, this balance of the soul between deficiency and excess, from reason that allow man to be what it is. Aristotle clearly understood this in his wisdom and was kind enough to share it with the world.

Jake Rose is an artist and an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Fiction Writing.

Author:: Jake Rose
Keywords:: Aristotle,Philosophy,Philosophers,virtue of Courage,Courage
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Mankind and His Unnatural Environment in Modern Civilizations

Mankind has lived as a social animal for hundreds of thousands of years and our Chimpanzee Cousins do too. It might seem that Mankind has been thrust into a high-tech world, which is so foreign to its genetic displacement yet, here we are. Some say;

Mankind is nothing more than hunter gatherers running around in SUVs and sporting cell phones and they are just having a grand old time acting out in every possible way!

Indeed and your comments about moder n society and civilization are correct I believe, it takes time to evolve and when you through Mankind into a completely modern context, well they are still humans underneath all that is new. But it also causes the brain to get a work out to adapt and that means nurture is running redline trying to make up for evolution, which is trying to speed up. And it appears that evolution might be speeding up too, as if Mankind is commanding it too.

There is more fog of information flow and more to conquer than ever before as well. I see many people unable or unwilling to keep up and fall back on being comfortable and well you know what th at option makes sense too really. There is a sense of calmness in simplicity. Personally having experienced both, I am okay with either; that is to say the fast paced world at the Speed of Thought or the slow mellow pace of an inner peace so to speak. Although like many I gravitate often towards the most challenging, fastest and exciting because well, because it is fun.

One would suppose there is a big difference between living near or in the Great Redwood Forest or in Tokyo, NY, Beijing, Los Angeles, DC or Boston. Human Beings seem to be adaptable to either, very interesting species really. Perhaps we might consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Author:: Lance Winslow
Keywords:: Mankind, His Unnatural Environment, Modern Civilizations
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Human Life Who Would Want To Do It?

Obviously life is not easy or fair. It is not even close. And as folks reach their later years more and more seem to wonder if it is all worth it. Sure there are the great times and the not so great events which we endure, however all in all it isnt so bad. Now then the question of the day, if you had to choose to do it all again; would you? Would you choose to come back and live again, as a different person and go thru the trials and tribulations of a different life story or saga? Well would you? Ah, human life; who would want to do it?

You know some cultures and religious belief systems believe that you get to choose who your parents are and who you will go thru life with. That is an interesting notion indeed. Other religious beliefs say that you are re-incarnated, fairly interesting concept too? What if you could choose, would you choose to go for it? Do it all again? Or would you simply say, I have had enough and choose not to partake in such activities such as t he life experience?

There are some who actually believe that life is nothing more than the worlds greatest virtual reality game or similar to the Matrix, if so, it is a very interesting game. But is it one you would wish to play? Well, would you go again? Would you choose to re-wind a little? Would you consider yourself privileged to play or to have been chosen to be a given character? Would you? Consider this philosophical thought for moment. Ill get back to you with another one later.

Lance Winslow

Author:: Lance Winslow
Keywords:: Human Life, who would want to do it
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You

There was a time when I was obsessed with the concept of The One; the magical yang for a yin and yin for a yang.

But my writings have recently shifted from that plane to another, a planet surrounded by the concept of You. Maybe I dont believe in that perfect other for every soul anymore, or maybe Ive just gotten bored. I am more concerned with us exploring You, an offspring of a Supreme Creator, that perfect being that must have passed on special and wonderful talents into You.

The Creator is aglow with these powers, but You is layered up with a crust of human restrictions that hold the inherited essence and keep You ignorant and blind of Yous inner light. I desire greatly for You to break free. And then maybe I could contemplate the idea of You wandering freely enough in Yous spiritual surroundings to find The One.

I am not conjuring up a theory about Yous isolation from the rest of humanity or the rest of creation; I am only suggesting that we view our Worlds from a different angle. From the inside.

There is You, Yous mother, Yous father, possibly siblings, relatives, friends, pets, Yous possessions, country, president, favorite book, Yous image in the mirror, hair, eyes, hands all a part of Yous World, right? All a part of You. Basically all You.

Then there might be The One, an individual separate from Your You, an individual You that can be joined to Your You for however lengthily or briefly in Your Yous lifetime in the past, present or future [that are all one moment anyway but hopefully the lifetime of now.

I believe that the magic of this joining is as significant as any birth of a star in the cosmos, and must trigger off major events likewise. I could be wrong, I am just a dreamer.

Somehow The One is not just a part of the World of Your You but a whole new element for that instant, a whole new foreign World that would be introduced into Your You so that finally You would be able to ca tch a glimpse of The Ones own perceptions and be able to journey inside The Ones You as The One should be able to journey inside Yours.

You would be able to stand at the threshold of The Ones mind and The One would be able, if The One chooses to at that moment, to stand at the threshold and stare right back into Yours.

Unfortunately I do not believe that this dual Doorway can be brought into existence by mutual agreement or infatuation, obsession, the bond of marriage, the bond created by sex, combat, conversation, or whatever, although the Union of You and The One might take place in any of such circumstances for whatever length of time and whatever degree it manifests. I think that The One most definitely comes along Your Yous by circumstances of fate [which are all mathematic principles, by th e way.

It becomes less easy to grasp as I go on, for soon Ill be contemplating Unions in past lives or Unions in dreams. But You get my drift, right? I just believe theres this dual Doorway that can be created between two Yous for a period of time by some fate in the Universe that will exclude everything else in the World and whoever it is You can journey into becomes The One for that moment before it is eventually captured into Your Yous essence.

Which brings about the fact that I view it as a type of possession by a force that complements Your Yous energy levels at the time.

So that The One is not really a concept about a perfect partner or being but actually about a complementing force at the exact and particular period of time since the Universe and its components are in a constant flux.

I grew bored with the concept of The One because I found The One too unpredictable. Will You be incomplete until You can align itself with The Ones You? Is it intended that Your You waits lifetimes whilst You continues to wake and live and want more? Or that You gathers in bits of The Ones You in thin streams of erratic encounters of daily life, never certain, never knowing for sure, possibly never meeting The One, or meeting The One so many times the moments are watered down into insignificance.

It is unsatisfactory, an imperfect condition. I seek to discover a more reliable way to contact the power inside You, and what better way than to begin with THE ONE that placed it inside You as a prototype of THE ONES YOU. What better way than to concentrate on You, for within lies YOU.

The w hole World and the Universe seems to exist inside The Creators mind, inside YOU, causing the whole World and Universe THE ONE perceives to belong to YOU, and likewise I perceive a large expanse of space sizzling with the power of thought inside Your mind, inside You, causing everything You perceive to belong to You.

Yet it goes further, for I perceive that YOU is in You and You is in YOU and quite frankly, this is the reason I am so fascinated by You.

And perhaps Ive been The One for the time I have spoken to You, but I come to an end [see how insignificant? but You will go on in YOU.

Natasha Ashwe is a writer, poet and an artist that enjoys photography, music and philosophy, and is presently studying law at university.

Author:: Natasha Ashwe
Keywords:: You, Universe, the one, World, the creator, Doorway, Union
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Academic Cadence

Is the pace of academic research and discovery really speeding up? Well most researchers believe it is thanks in part to collaboration efforts, the Internet and massive research funding for some of our top areas of scientific momentum. Yet I also see something else and let me call it Conflicts in Academic Cadence and the premise or thought goes something like this.

As scientific discovery reaches the pace of a break-away rider at the Tour de France in the early miles of a 180 mile day filled with hills, one has to ask is that gentleman for real, can he sustain or will he get himself so far behind the fatigue curve that he is quickly reeled back in and finds himself at the back of the back the rest of the day?

What I am speaking of is the rush to move faster and faster, to receive the funding to keep going and thus more and more research is put out as scientific fact before it is duplicated and it hits the scientific journal online newsletter, both the popular p ublic ones and the semi serious ones and goes around the world in less than 18-hours and for this they stay in the news and hope to continue funding on into the next period.

Unfortunately this causes conflict and takes funding away from more staunch academic researchers who will not dare risk life or limb; academic publish or perish credibility, in the rush to outpace the public relations and media press release war? Do you see what I am getting at now? I sincerely hope you do and well, consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Author:: Lance Winslow
Keywords:: Academic Cadence
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