Unity Of Opposites

The dark of night or the brightness of a sunny day. Freezing cold or piping hot. Celebrating a birth or mourning death. Many in the West are used to classifying these opposing concepts as contradictory and removed from each other. Yet there is another approach to looking at these differences: the Taoist tradition teaches that there is a unity in opposites, as presented in the Yin-Yang philosophy.

Yin-Yang is an essential teaching in the canon of Chinese wisdom, and is described in the writings of the I-Ching. In Yin-Yang, ideas that appear to be conflicting are believed to simply be extremes of an underlying essence that is always the same. Yin is attributed to "female" qualities - a cool, passive, modest energy; while Yang is attributed to "male" qualities - hot, active, and vigorous. The opposing traits both attract and repel each other, giving birth to the constant activity of life. This philosophy may be elusive to grasp at first, but can be applied to all areas of life in a way that emphasizes moderation over excess. The familiar black-and-white Yin-Yang icon is more than just a basic image of balance. It is a fitting symbol for the entire philosophy of balance, as many of the universe's essential pairs are all contained within it: summer and winter, full moon and new moon, the earth and the heavens. No element of the world is made of purely Yin, or only Yang. Understanding the essential balance of energy in all things can help us celebrate the harmonious potential of any situation.

As we learn more about the ebb and flow of energy as described in Yin-Yang, its message of balance can remind us that our actions, our attitudes, even the food we eat can serve us best when chosen in balanced combinations.