26/06/2018

Is Taijitu Is Taijitu (太極图) A Symbol Of Devil?

Further to YinYang 101, here we have the simple ‘divided circle ()’ form, the Taijitu (太極图). A diagram generally refers to an old ancient symbol for the concept of Yin-Yang and also known as the sign of Taoism. People all over, around the globe, especially people with deep Asian cultural background are ways too familiar with this sign, young people may like to emblazon the logo across their garments. But many of them were entirely ignorant of the profoundness of this graph.

Vividly, I remembered,  9-years ago, one Sunday morning, at church corridor, I met with a well-respected itinerant preacher. In confidence, he told me, almost in whispering, that he was very displeased to see one young church member wearing a T-shirt that has the Taijitu as the design pattern, to the minister, the diagram was a sign of demonic. Inside of the church building? As Christians, I wonder,  is that what’s inside of us, are more potent than what’s outside of us (Ephesian 3:20)?

As no one shall take it light-heartedly over comments from a minister. Later, I found out that many of my Christian friends have shared the same disdainfulness over the Taijitu and the concept of YinYang. I was then in the senior year of my study on TCM, it deemed wise for me to keep it close to my chest and in my prayers to my Daddy-God till this day. In His mercy, I had His sustaining power, discerning spirit and peace to finish my study and become a TCM practitioner.

As Yin-Yang is a Oneness with two different premises. It says that ‘no feature is independent of its opposite, nor so trifling that it does not contain its opposite in a tiny little dot form. To me, the Taijitu is a brilliant circle with flowing boundary, in which with the black as Yin and the white as Yang to symbolise this ‘intertwined duality of all things in nature’ without using any of written words. The tiny circle within the vast regions is to pictograph the vague division in between the black and white.

Like our human body, we can’t have the back without having the front. Evidently, the two semi-circles magically depict an idea that ‘totally unobstructed in every direction when there is a small circle within a big circle?’ As to Taijitu’s link to Taoism, according to I-Ching (易经), the Book of Changes, Tao/Dao (道) is about a single Yin and single Yang. So most scholars probably endorse the effectiveness of Taijitu to expound the idea of Yin/Yang in Daodejing (道德经) section 42, the text of Taoism.

We now know that Taoism is a philosophy or even as a religion that distinctively differs from the traditional school of Taoist that is institutionalised to teach the veneration for Laozi; ancestors; immortals; a variety of Exorcism, Divination and many other strange rituals. Maybe it’s not all wrong for people to view Taijitu as a sign of demonic if they failed to realise the distinctive difference between a philosophy (Y-) vs a school of Taoist (Y+).

The word of Tu (图) in Taijitu is about a chart/graph. However, if a simple chart only served to illustrate a concept, it’s illogical for people to conclude that a simple logo has to do with any of the above ‘Voodoo’ rituals practices. Finally, if we look intently, we can see a similar ‘divided circle‘ on the national flag of Korea Republic, that’s Taegeuk (Hangul: 태극기) which is the Korean form of Chinese term Taiji. But comparatively, its a more graphical circle because of the red and blue colour.

What do you think? Is Taijitu a sign of demonic?  The Taijitu is the Tu (图), which effectively relies on two black and white, semi-circles to pictograph nothing is visibly absolute when the different premises is secure. All I know is that I take comfort from what Apostle Paul says in the book of Romans –

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and for him are all …

‘Everything is from Him and by him and for Him… For the universe owes its origin to Him, was created by Him, and has its aim and purpose in Him’

17/06/2018

I was in awe to find out that yesterday marked the first anniversary of setting up my blog. With or without a good reason, I didn’t write anything for months. Finally, it must be HIS Spirit,  and together with my BFF, Linda Lai’s soft nudging, so here I am. I have made a few minor changes to my header; moved away a few of my previous postings and I hope to find time to apply a new coat of colour to boost the outlook of my blog soon.

YinYang 101

People, in general, may profess to know the idea of YinYang ( not Yin and Yang).  But how many could boldly claim to possess this profound Chinese wisdom? I am still in the midst of searching for the essence of it. However, I have perceived that even with my shallow knowledge of it, I can use it as a lead-in to articulate the insights and visions that I have received in the past, in areas of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), my Christian faith and many other issues in life.

The simple concept of YinYang is how ancient Chinese people philosophically take the initial view that of all things that exist on earth through the lens of either a single Yin (Y-) or a single Yang (+) for thousands of years. Today, people would accept, for example, Sun is Yang (Y+), and the Moon is Yin (Y-);  the night is Yin (Y-), the day is Yang, and small is Yin, and big is Yang, and so forth. Soon the ancient Chinese were able to discern that nothing is absolute even with the strong opposite premises.

Like the Shadow is Yin and the Light is Yang, but shadow exists only with the existing light; our Moon is at night, so it’s Yin and Sun is Yang and how the contrast between the Sun and Moon. But if we knew about the various lunar phases, especially the phrase in the relationship between Sun and Moon, then, in fact, we can see the Moon, during the day that’s in the shadow of the Sun. Therefore, it would be a fallacy to say that we see the Moon only at night.

In conception, the single Yin, and Yang has evolved into a two-word phrase concept of YinYang.  And YinYang is seemingly Opposite yet is Complimentary. YinYang is ‘Opposite but not Absolute;’ YinYang is Co-existing and is also ‘Codependent.’ Like the Moon and Sun; YinYang is interconnected; they grow into each other as they interrelate to each other in spite of its Opposite reference. If we expound YinYang with YinYang, then it is the constant ‘Duality within Oneness’ to the point that we can touch the infinity.

Sadly, the downright misconception is that many were led to believe that YinYang is full of Taoism. It’s understandable, as people, in general, would know not the distinctive difference between the Taoism as philosophy and the school of Taoist that teaches the practice of ‘Divination.’ More than 10 years ago, the Tao (道) of Taoism was defined as ‘ineffable’ through my Google search. Only recently, it says that the early Taoism drew its Cosmological notions from the School of Yinyang.

Without having a little Chinese resource, it would be hard for people to fathom the depth of YinYang. Worst of all, if we had ministers irresponsibly, openly labelled YinYang with evil contents from the pulpits, no wonder many Christians curl their lips in disdain. In fact, the idea of YinYang had derived from its original inception in the Chinese Classics of I-Ching (易经), also known as ‘the book of Change’ dated 1000BC and before. Chronologically Taoism didn’t come to China till 5th century BCE.

Thousands of years later, we have the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) finally been wildly accepted in the Western world as an alternative, in the past few decades. Many still look down upon TCM and consider it not scientific when people compare it with the Anatomical medicine. The irony here is that the doctrine of YinYang has always been the guiding principle of TCM in ‘(辨证论治 biàn zhèng lùn zhì),’ the ‘Symptom and Treatment Differentiation. 

In the view of TCM, our stomach, which is inside (Y-) of the human body, so that’s Yin, but the stomach is also the powerhouse of the human body to generate temperature  (Y+) to digest the food, and our stomach, it is Yin because of its position, it is also a Yang because of its function. Therefore, our stomach is Yin/Yang.  TCM is not scientific, that’s Yin whereas modern medicine is Yang. As of now more and more no cures found in many chronic conditions, TCM has become a compelling alternative, but it has also offered scientists a new direction for research, so TCM is Yang, and modern medicine becomes Yin. 

Stay tuned