Tai Chi, the last Grand, was found in the First Book of Changes, or otherwise known as I-Ching. The legend says that this scripture is written by the first emperor of the Zhou Dynasty - Zhou Wen Wang. Thus I-Ching is also known as Zhou-Yi.
I-Ching, or Book of Changes, with his name, said that life is in constant flux of change. The word I (Yi in pinyin) means 'change' in Chinese. It 'consists of people of the sun and moon, which represents the yang and yin, respectively.
It has a verse saying: "Changes Ultimate has the Great, giving rise to two factors. The two elements give rise to phenomena Four, and give rise to phenomena Four Eight Hexagrams ..."
We begin with the word Tai Chi - the last Grand. Means in fact the first, the beginning ... of all events and things. In some cases, it refers to the ancient Chinese Universe.
In one of the scriptures, it says that "one yin and one yang is the Way ..." This means that all changes of events and things in the universe come from this conflict, but united forces of yin and yang.
For this reason in from Tai Chi, there arises in two elements - yin and yang. Take a look at the diagram of Tai Chi, who is best known as the diagram 2-fish in China. It is a circle divided into 2 sections in proportion. The circle represents the Tai Chi, or the whole universe, and within this total, there are two elements.
The division of yin and yang in Tai Chi means that there are two opposing elements, represented by black and white section section respectively. Yet, the division is not a straight division, but a curved division - which means that the 2 opposing elements actually accommodate another to form a complete circle.
First, this means that, if it is broken down as opposing elements - joined to form the complete whole. The opposing forces of yin and yang together but became the basis of thought in I-Ching. It uses the concepts of Tai Chi-Ching, yin and yang elements as basic concepts to explain the physical and meta-physical aspects of the world.
Secondly, the division curve gives a sense of balance. Here we are talking about balancing yin and yang elements here. There is this statement in I-Ching: "When the yin is extreme, the yang is born. And when the yang goes to extremes, the yin is born".
See diagram 2-fish again. If you go counter-clock wise along the diameter of the circle Tai Chi, you will see that as something grows more and reach its peak, the other will begin to grow instead. For example, if you move along the diameter on the black side you will see that the 'half' represented by the black makes it big and then suddenly shrink and white 'means' begins to grow instead. This means that if an item goes to extremes, the other starts to set in.
What does this mean for us then?
Simple: we must balance our life in every aspect, and not just focus on only one or a few. We need to balance work and personal life, family and friends, between material and spiritual, and the list goes on. Otherwise, there will be disharmony in our lives.
Third, increase or decrease the movement of yin and yang elements within the Tai Chi diagram suggests that life changes constantly to and from the joy of good and evil, and pain, happiness and sadness, and high and low quality between the two extremes. This is the dualistic principle in I-Ching.
In all events or things, there are two qualities within. There is no such thing as good or perfectly bad things complete. And 'the degree of good or bad that matters.
Take for example, we can say that a person is good because there is not a bad quality in him, or a bad person because he or she have never done any 'good' at all? A good person can sometimes guilty of small bad deeds, and a bad person can sometimes get something good in him or her. Do you?
A good thing may have some downside in it. And conversely, a bad thing might have some positive side in it. It depends on how we perceive the problem. This is the dualistic principle in I-Ching.
This goes to the following concepts. In the diagram, within each element, there is a point in it. The black section has a white dot, while the white section has a black dot. What does this mean? We move now following statement: The two elements give rise to phenomena Four. This means, in the yin element, there will be yang element and vice versa, in the yang element, there is yin element.
What does it mean for us?
In all events or things, there will be something good or bad, the good and some bad. Just as there are some yin yang, yin and some yang. For example, when a person wins a race, the other will lose the race. There is bad news before the good news, there is pain, of joy, there is between winning and losing so on.
In life, there will be mixtures of joy, good and evil, and pain, happiness and sadness, winning and losing, high and low, and all come in a 'package'!
Therefore, we must learn to be more give and take - and accept the nature of life as it is. Enjoy the good things, and accept the bad with courage and grace. This will then help us to achieve a more balanced and harmonious life.
Tai Chi concepts of yin and yang became influential to the ancient Chinese, and has found its way to the philosophy, theories, medicine, art of war, religion, art and how to maintain life. Has found its way into Daoism, which in some way, people claimed that Tai Chi is under the idea of Daoism, which is not true at all. Should be the opposite.
Whatever it is, the understanding of the principles of I Ching helps us understand the nature of life itself to a better balance and manage our ups and downs to face our daily chores and challenges. And I wish you all a great success and harmony in your life. May the Energy of Tai Chi be with you!
Written by:
C. Soo Guan
http://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com
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