China Yin And Yang

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They also stand for the harmony of yin and yang (with the phoenix representing yin). A related symbol is the flaming pearl, which may be seen on such roofs between two dragons, as well as on the hairpin of a Celestial Master. In general though, Chinese Taoist architecture lacks universal features that distinguish it from other structures. The Creation of Chinese Yin Yang Tai-Chi Symbol. By observing the cycle of the Sun, we can use a pole, post at right angles to the ground, and record the lengths of the shadow about every 15 days for a year. The shortest shadow is found on the day of Summer Solstice in China. The longest shadow is found on the day of Winter Solstice. Yin and yang (or yin-yang) is a complex relational concept in Chinese culture that has developed over thousands of years. Briefly put, the meaning of yin and yang is that the universe is governed by a cosmic duality, sets of two opposing and complementing principles or cosmic energies that can be observed in nature. The Chinese yin and yang are an important element of Chinese philosophy and religion, representing the principle that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, the correct balance of which creates harmony. They are mutually dependent and contain at their core an element of their opposite, represented by the dots.

Yin and Yang (pronounced yong, as in 'gong') is one of the most fundamental concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as it is the foundation of diagnosis and treatment. The earliest reference to Yin and Yang is in the I Ching (Book of Changes) in approximately in 700 BC. In this work, all phenomena are said to be reduced to Yin-Yang.

From Dr. Cousens’ book, Conscious Eating:

The interrelating and complementary principles of yin and yang are key concepts in traditional Chinese philosophy that are used to describe the dynamic nature of the universe. The principles of yin and yang, though polar opposites, do not exist without each other. According to traditional Chinese thought, everything, even the personality, can be viewed from the perspective of yin and yang elements.

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Yang attributes are contractive, hot, fiery, dense, heavy, flat, and low to the ground. A yang personality is powerful, strong-willed, extroverted,grounded, outgoing, focused, concrete, active, and prone to getting angry easily. An unbalanced yang personality can be overly aggressive, tense, coarse,and irritable and angry. Excessive intake of yang foods can intensify and amplify these yang mental characteristics. For example, although in ancient India they did not call it yin or yang, they fed their warriors flesh foods as a way to increase their warlike characteristics.
Yin attributes are expansive, receptive, cool, dilated, light, vertical, and thin. The yin personality is introspective, receptive, self-contained, quiet,mellow, easy-going, reflective, sensitive, and has an expansive, spiritually oriented mind. An unbalanced yin personality may be “spaced out,” timid,ungrounded, weak-willed, and passive. An excess of yin foods without other yang-balancing factors could cause yin imbalances in the mind and body.

Foods are also classified by their predominant yin and yang characteristics. Foods are not all yin or yang. Each food has a combination of yin and yang elements that are complementary, existing in that food in a dynamic balance. Yin foods are predominantly alkaline-forming, but a few yin foods are acid-forming. Yang foods are predominantly acid-forming, but a few yang foods are alkaline-forming as well. The following categories of foods are listed in the order of most yin to most yang: chemical additives, processed foods, fruits, vegetables, sea vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans, grains, dairy, fish, poultry,pork, beef, eggs, miso, and sea salt or commercial table salt.

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Chinese Ideology (Yin And Yang) - Spiritual Cave

Yin alkaline-forming foods are fruits, vegetables, and honey. Seeds, nuts, and beans are acid-forming but slightly yin to neutral. The basic yang foods,such as grains and flesh foods, are acid-forming. Yang alkaline-forming foods are radishes, pickles, miso, and salt. Yin acid-forming foods are sugar, chemical drugs, soft drinks, and alcohol.

Each of these foods has its own yin and yang force and can be said to be an energy in itself that influences the mind toward more expansive or contractive tendencies. Choosing the proper balance of yin and yang food intake is relative to many different factors in a person’s life and total environment. A few of these factors are constitutionally determined. For example, a constitutionally hot yang person will be balanced by cooler yin foods. In the Chinese system, the organs and glands of the body are classified by their yin or yang nature or state of imbalance. Appropriate yang or yin foods are given to help balance and heal these particular organs or glands. One’s work in the world, environmental conditions, spiritual practices, and level of awareness are all forces that affect the yin/yang balance in a person. Food is one of the main factors influencing yin/yang balance.

Is Yin And Yang Japanese Or Chinese

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Sometimes when eating a very yin food, one may crave some yang foods to balance. For example, wine, which is yin, balances cheese, which is yang. Beer, which is yin, balances salty pretzels, which are yang. Alcohol, which is yin, balances meat, which is yang. If a diet is too far to one side, it may stimulate cravings of foods from the other extreme in an attempt to achieve some balance. If one eliminates one extreme yang food from the diet, some-times it is best to eliminate an extreme yin food to maintain balance. So, if you give up beer, you may maintain the balance better if you also give up pretzels.

Our degree of spiritual awareness and transformation affects how much our mind is shifted by the yin and yang energy of foods in a somewhat different way than the other factors affecting yin and yang. In the spiritual process, because it is expansive, it is my impression that people spontaneously shift to more yin foods to support the lighter, more superconductive needs of the mind and body. The mucus- and acid-forming, enzyme-less, yang grains, flesh foods, and other cooked foods tend to decrease the spiritualizing energy of the body-mind complex. The uncooked, primarily yin foods support and activate this expansion of consciousness and sensitivity to the Divine. It sometimes happens that spiritual evolution proceeds too rapidly for a person and they become too quickly expanded for comfort.They might find themselves craving yang foods to slow down the process. On the other hand, if a person’s awareness is expanded in a way that is grounded and balanced, then yang foods will not be craved.

A retrospective research project of mine, on a group of 106 people involved in a spiritual program where there was no training or emphasis on diet, found that 63% of the people shifted to a more yin diet as their awareness expanded over a year’s time. It is as if the organism spontaneously shifts to a more yin diet to support the shift in expanded spiritual awareness and sensitivity. The process of eating to enhance spiritual life involves consciously choosing a diet that will support the expansion of consciousness so that we are reactive co-creators of the dietary change process.

As consciousness expands in a mature, balanced way, it is my observation that more and more yin foods can be eaten without developing a yin imbalance. One does not necessarily develop the symptoms of a yin imbalance such as spaciness, lack of motivation, and poor concentration even if one eats primarily yin foods. The power of a shift toward an expanded spiritual awareness of the Divine is often a stronger force than the yin or yang energies of the foods one eats. This does not negate the general observation that the judicious use of yin or yang foods can be helpful when one feels a need to gently counterbalance certain yang or yin mental or physical states. Food is a supportive rather than determining factor in the development of spiritual awareness. Choosing a more yin diet is particularly effective for supporting the development of spiritual transformation.

The ideas behind Yin and Yang developed by observing the physical world. It was observed that nature appears to group into pairs mutually dependent opposites. For example, the concept of night has no meaning without the concept of day.

In understanding the concept of Yin and Yang, the emphasis is on process rather than structure. The Chinese characters for Yin and Yang represent this. The character for Yin translates as “the dark side of the mountain” and represents qualities such as cold, stillness, passiveness, darkness, and within. The character for Yang translates as “the bright side of the mountain” and represents warmth, activity, light, outside, expression.

According to the Chinese, everything has physical existence because everything manifests both Yin and Yang qualities. In observing the organs of the body, for example, the Liver is considered principally to be a Yin organ since it is solid, but it also has the function of promoting the flow of energy, which is a Yang quality. The aspects of Yin and Yang are interdependent of each other.

The Yin Yang: Meaning & Philosophy Explained | Tea Time Taoism

There are many ways in which Yin and Yang can be out of balance.

Types of Imbalance Between Yin and Yang

Too much Yin–characterized by Cold symptoms

Too much Yang–characterized by Heat symptoms

Too little Yin–characterized by Internal Heat symptoms

Too little Yang–characterized by general coldness

Yin And Yang In Ancient China

Chinese medicine views the body in terms of Yin and Yang aspects. A dynamic balance between these aspects is characterized by health, and an unhealthy state is an indication of some imbalance between the Yin and Yang of the body.

Yin Yang And Five Elements In Chinese Culture | ChinaFetching

Change manifests itself as Yin transforming into Yang and vice versa. When this transformation process is blocked an imbalance occurs. Essentially, all disharmonies can be reduced to an imbalance of Yin and Yang. Balance is vital within the body as it is in the universe. This involves constantly readjusting.