The Yin (Darkness) is superior according to Lao Tzu and many ancient teachers...

This is what Lao Tzu says in The Dao Te Ching. He says to know the masculine (Yang/Light) but HOLD to the feminine (Yin/Darkness).

According to many QiGong Masters, they understand that Yin is superior from The Daoist Texts as well.



Yin: Feminine, Darkness, Potential, Softness, Spiritual, Chaos, Take

Yang: Masculine, Light, Manifestation, Hardness, Physical, Control, Give


The "potential" comes before the "appearance (manifestation)". The "Space" is available before the "object" fills it.

So maybe it is true that the egg (potential) does come before the chicken (the appearance).


The light blind the eyes (yang).
Darkness makes the eyes more sensitive (yin).

Sound deafen the ears (yang).
Silence sharpens the ears (yin).

The Way of Yin (which Lao Tzu believes to be superior) is to Flow (go with Dao) / Accept.

The Way of Yang is to Do, to Act, to Change, to Expect.



Yin is silence from which all thought, speech, and action arises.

Yang is the actual thought, speech, and action...




Yin is Soul (Observation / SIlence)

Yang is Light Body - Spirit (Your intentions and thoughts / heart)


What do you think of this?

Oh, let's also not forget that the female comes first and then it becomes a male, which is why males have nipples...

reply to post by arpgme


It can't be "superior" that throws the whole "balance" thing (that yin/yang is built upon) off...if its an imbalanced concept then one would overtake the other until it is just "1" or "yin"...

also lets not forget that yin/yang are 2 parts of a whole which is actually 3 total parts. you have yin and you have yang and you have yin+yang which is the entirety in balance similar to "zero" or "infinity"

You won't find pure states of yin or yang they are always intertwined to give contrast...this is what allows them to exist and be perceived in the first place...

If the concept of yin/yang has a superior "half" then the whole concept makes no sense...the whole point is to understand balance between opposing concepts...

Yin's superiority gives her the grace to share and thus allow the illusion of balance.

Originally posted by arpgme
What do you think of this?

Well, what do you think of this?

Do you agree with the above, or are you undecided and interested in any or all replies?

I find it interesting that you chose to include the word 'darkness' in your title to describe the Yin...

Gnobody

Yes the OP is correct. The fastest way for a man to discover his Yin and convert to the proper side of the force is by feminization hypnosis, this however will not relieve you of your current child support obligations. Send my regards to Lord Voldemort.

Your Truly,

Miss Asmoday Lucifer, Secretary of the UN council for Women

reply to post by Sly1one


I believe Sly has nailed the idea of "The Way" here, you cannot put one over the other, or the entire system of Dao fails. From the Dao Te Ching:
"Being & non-being give birth to each other,
Difficult & easy complete each other.
Long & short form each other.
High & low fulfill each other.
Tone & voice harmonize each other.
Front & back follow each other-
it is ever thus.

reply to post by CenterSet


Well yeah. Aside from those happy go lucky moments when one side or the other tries to win the nonexistent fight, then all hell breaks loose.

The darkness can blind as much as the silence can deafen. Without light and sound to give meaning to nothingness, you are no better off.

Just like fire cannot burn if there is no difference between the flame and the air, you need both to create the balance that sustains it.

Everything is simply the ebbing and flowing of thought and energy. Like the weather can be calm then stormy, it's the change that you notice.

Originally posted by Sly1one
reply to post by arpgme

 

It can't be "superior" that throws the whole "balance" thing (that yin/yang is built upon) off...if its an imbalanced concept then one would overtake the other until it is just "1" or "yin"...

also lets not forget that yin/yang are 2 parts of a whole which is actually 3 total parts. you have yin and you have yang and you have yin+yang which is the entirety in balance similar to "zero" or "infinity"

You won't find pure states of yin or yang they are always intertwined to give contrast...this is what allows them to exist and be perceived in the first place...

If the concept of yin/yang has a superior "half" then the whole concept makes no sense...the whole point is to understand balance between opposing concepts...

edit on 28-8-2012 by Sly1one because: (no reason given)

Excellently said.

As per QiGong and kung-fu, yin is best to "hold" to as the yin movements are superior within the realm of combat. You yield to gain superior striking position then a small amount of yang(force) delivers the power after. Although, wuji should be sought as it is the precursor to both. An ordered chaos if you will. Both yin and yang must be combined into a cohesive unit. Sticking to yin or yang exclusively is only needed in the beginning till each is understood. Most will stray from the concept as they believe good and evil somehow are in this system, when they are truly not. Both are just opinions and not based on any natural law or fact.Neither exist outside of opinion.

reply to post by arpgme

It was the nipples that proved it for me.

The analogy of yin/yang was very nice, made sense.

However, how long will it take before some yin-yang comes along and uses this apparent duality to talk up the dark side as a justification for "evil" whereby "we can't know the good without the evil"..

Betcha if I run back through the thread, at least one fool will be spouting that nonsense.

I prefer the masculine/feminine model, as follows.

4 Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, 5 and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, 6when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, 7then you will enter [the (Father's) domain]."

~ Gnostic Gospel of Thomas 22:4-7

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
reply to post by arpgme

 

However, how long will it take before some yin-yang comes along and uses this apparent duality to talk up the dark side as a justification for "evil" whereby "we can't know the good without the evil"..

Betcha if I run back through the thread, at least one fool will be spouting that nonsense.

I am one such fool who in the context of yin-yang...and the concept of it you cannot understand ANYTHING without its counterpart...how does this make me a "fool"??? Please explain without making yourself sound like one in the process

I challenge you to use a black pen on black paper and draw something that can be perceived...opposing "forces" create contrast which creates the world we perceive and experience...which is also what we interpret as our reality, nothing but perceptions and experiences that only exist because contrasting opposing forces are dancing around creating something for you to perceive and understand...

you cannot argue against this simple concept without at least sounding a little foolish...

oh and unfortunately "good" and "evil" are relative to each individuals perceptions...I'm sure Hitler thought he was on the "good" side...its called relativity and it isn't just for describing physics but in perceived reality as well.

I prefer the masculine/feminine model, as follows.

4 Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, 5 and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, 6when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, 7then you will enter [the (Father's) domain]."

~ Gnostic Gospel of Thomas 22:4-7

all this is describing is balance and symmetry...which yin-yang is also trying to describe...light-dark, right-left, up-down its opposing symmetry explaining one another...this implies the thing above that you thought was "foolish"...

reply to post by CenterSet

Originally posted by CenterSet
reply to post by Sly1one

 

I believe Sly has nailed the idea of "The Way" here, you cannot put one over the other, or the entire system of Dao fails. From the Dao Te Ching:

Also from the Tao Te Ching:

The valley spirit never dies.
It is called “the mysterious feminine.”
The opening of the mysterious feminine
Is called “the root of Heaven and Earth.”
Continuous, seeming to remain.

It is used without exertion.

Know the Masculine, cleave to the Feminine
Be the valley for everyone.
Being the valley for everyone
You are always in virtue without lapse
And you return to infancy.

Notice it says "Know" the masculine (yang) but CLEAVE to feminine (yin). It calls Yin the ROOT of Heaven and Earth. It says that when you be the valley (yin) you ALWAYS have virtue without lapse.

If it were not possible to be stay Yin dominated, why would Lao Tzu who had a deep understanding say something like that?

Yes, both must exist, but Yin is superior which is why he said "KNOW" (yang), "CLEAVE TO" (yin).


reply to post by NewAgeMan

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
It was the nipples that proved it for me.

The analogy of yin/yang was very nice, made sense.

However, how long will it take before some yin-yang comes along and uses this apparent duality to talk up the dark side as a justification for "evil" whereby "we can't know the good without the evil"..

I am not sure why "Yin", "Darkness" is considered evil in the first place. When Lao Tzu talked about darkness he called it "玄 [Xuán]" which means "mysterious", or "hidden". No "evil" implied behind it.

According to Lao Tzu, heaven works in "Yin (Darkness)". It helps those who lack and it does so in secret (darkness) it does not worry about letting everyone knows of the good it did for others (ego). As Lao Tzu says "it doesn't ask for merit and so it never loses it".


Yin (Darkness) is Potential, Freedom, Softness, Feminine, Acceptance, and Spirit

Yang (Light) is Appearance, Control, Hardness, Masculine, Aggression, and physical


But here is the thing... In reality there is no "darkness", darkness is just a lower amount of light, just like physical is a more solid form of spirit.

So Yin (Darkness) is not evil and death, it is just lower forms of emotional (mental) excitement encouraging peace and acceptance (which is why Space allows any object to fill it).

Of course, from Yin comes Yang, from darkness "Let there be light!", however, you should BE the silence (Yin) and let the Yang arise naturally, rather than being Yang and becoming restless or caught up in many complicated and confusing thoughts.


From silence, my soul speaks.
[letting the thoughts become words from silence]


From thoughts, my mind speaks.
[letting the many random thoughts become rambled out into words]

That's a very wise statement.

And on that being said, I offer this:

THE DEFAULT BIOLOGICAL STATE OF A HUMAN BEING IS FEMALE AT THE POINT OF CONCEPTION. It is only a bit later that the expression of the default state or "male" state is expressed, being outwardly noticed.

Ironic?

I don't relate to either being superior exactly.
I am aware that in some contexts, one can be more powerful than another.
Something I often find interesting to note is that often, men searching for spiritual enlightment put emphasis on the embracing of the Yin... of learning to flow, to let go, to open to recieve, not try to control,

Whereas me, as a woman, much of that seems to come naturally to me since I was born, and much of my spiritual effort came upon trying to integrate, embrace and manifest the Yang - learning to concentrate and project my focus of will, to have an individual intent and goals, to form an ego, to have boundries, to learn to be selfish, hard, stable....
I sometimes reflect that until somewhere in my mid twenties, I am not sure I had much of an ego at all, I was not very self aware, and had no power over my life, no goals or intents- I rode the waves of my environment and the projected wills of others. That was easy- learning to project my self was very hard to do!

For me it feels more enlightened when I develop balance between the two.

So I find myself wondering- who was Lao Tzu? (I really don't know I haven't studied any spiritual type of masters) I am guessing though, that it was a man?

I'm not certain that yin or darkness is superior. I'm not sure that one element of such a (true) duality is, or could be superior to another. Interesting concept, I suppose. On the other hand, I've always found spiritual traditions that held the "other" view to be interesting. I always find myself wondering why the discord (when present... it does not always seem to be, entirely, as in this case.)

Cool post.
.

I meditated on the subject of Yin and Yang and I came to this conclusion.


Since darkness really does not exist and it is just extreme low forms of light that we can not see, doesn't that mean that even Yin (darkness) is giving? It is giving potential for even MORE light to shine.

So all of it is light, but darkness appears to exist because the light is so low there, but ALL is GIVING light.

Maybe there is "Positive (+) and Negative (-)" or Yin and Yang.


Negative Yin: Chaos, Confusion, Deception, Consuming

Positive Yin: Freedom, Creativity, Potential, Acceptance


Negative Yang: Control, Aggression, Boredom (Order without Creativity)

Positive Yang: Harmony, Stability, Truth


Maybe Positive Yang (Light) is best, since Yin (Darkness) does not really exist since darkness is just low light.

Positive Yang would be to always Give and like Universe / Creator is always giving. There will not be lack.

Just a thought.

There shore breaks onto the beach. The shore moves with rythum and flow and the shore is unmoving and hard. All parts of life no matter how big or small have this as a fractal trait. We are prisioners of the Yin and Yang reality!

Originally posted by arpgme
I meditated on the subject of Yin and Yang and I came to this conclusion.


Since darkness really does not exist and it is just extreme low forms of light that we can not see, doesn't that mean that even Yin (darkness) is giving? It is giving potential for even MORE light to shine.

So all of it is light, but darkness appears to exist because the light is so low there, but ALL is GIVING light.

Maybe there is "Positive (+) and Negative (-)" or Yin and Yang.


Negative Yin: Chaos, Confusion, Deception, Consuming

Positive Yin: Freedom, Creativity, Potential, Acceptance


Negative Yang: Control, Aggression, Boredom (Order without Creativity)

Positive Yang: Harmony, Stability, Truth


Maybe Positive Yang (Light) is best, since Yin (Darkness) does not really exist since darkness is just low light.

Positive Yang would be to always Give and like Universe / Creator is always giving. There will not be lack.

Just a thought.

edit on 29-8-2012 by arpgme because: more detail

In a "spiritual" sense, I generally agree with you. Actually, it is more typically "western" thought which views "nothingness" as equal to "darkness" as is equal to "death" as is equal to "evil." We tend to form some very highly emotionally charged (and sad) connotations in our culture. Certain eastern traditions seem to have a much better understanding of the proper view for a duality.

You may also find kabbalah / Hermeticism interesting, if you haven't already read up a bit.

Originally posted by Sly1one
reply to post by arpgme

 

It can't be "superior" that throws the whole "balance" thing (that yin/yang is built upon) off...if its an imbalanced concept then one would overtake the other until it is just "1" or "yin"...

also lets not forget that yin/yang are 2 parts of a whole which is actually 3 total parts. you have yin and you have yang and you have yin+yang which is the entirety in balance similar to "zero" or "infinity"

You won't find pure states of yin or yang they are always intertwined to give contrast...this is what allows them to exist and be perceived in the first place...

If the concept of yin/yang has a superior "half" then the whole concept makes no sense...the whole point is to understand balance between opposing concepts...

edit on 28-8-2012 by Sly1one because: (no reason given)

Its not really superior, however the darkness is the base for everything, you could say that the darkness is the alpha and the light is the omega.

Everything including light stems from the darkness.