Ying Yang
The concept of yin and yang (Traditional Chinese: 陰陽; Simplified Chinese: 阴阳; Pinyin: yīnyáng; Korean hangul: 음양; hanja: 陰陽; revised: eumyang; McCune-Reischauer: ŭmyang; Vietnamese: Âm-Dương) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. Yin, the darker element, is passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night; yang, the brighter element, is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. Yin is often symbolized by water, while yang is symbolized by fire.
The pair probably goes back to ancient agrarian religion; it exists in Confucianism, and it is prominent in Taoism. Though the words yin and yang only appear once in the Tao Te Ching, the book is laden with examples and clarifications of the concept of
The Yin Yang symbol elegantly expresses the potential for equilibrium and balance between these polarities. We see the black area, representing Yin, female, merged with the white area, representing yang, male. Within the yin element, we see a small round white hole. And within the Yang element, we see a small round black hole. When we access the yin polarity very deeply, it automatically feeds into the Yang and vice versa. This is a very powerful teaching demonstrated succinctly in one symbol
mutual arising.
Yin and yang are descriptions of complementary opposites rather than absolutes. Any yin/yang dichotomy can be seen as its opposite when viewed from another perspective. The categorisation is seen as one of convenience. Most forces in nature can be broken down into their respective yin and yang states, and the two are usually in movement rather than held in absolute stasis.
Shiva Shakti, the Sacred Marriage of Parvati and Lord Shiva, depicts a condition of enlightenment where male and female human principles, anima and animus, yin and yang, are perfectly combined in a balanced way. In this image, the union of Shiva and Shakti expresses the sacredness as a path to spiritual union. Tantric Yoga is also based on the belief that the Universe is made up of Yin-Yang (Female-Male) principles, and that these Yin-Yang energies are also contained within the human body. Unification and harmonization of the Yin and Yang energy forces brings the experience of joyous transcendence and mystical ecstacy.
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