China 32B. Yin-Yang Theory & the I Ching

Transcendence of yin-yang/cause effect

I Ching, all-inclusive?

According to I Ching theory, these 4000 changes encompass all the changes of human existence. As Ta Chuan, The Great Treatise on the I Ching states:

“‘8. When we continue and go further and add to the situations all their transitions, all possible situations on earth are encompassed.’

[Commentary] ‘Each of the 64 hexagrams can change into another through the appropriate movement of one or more lines. Thus we arrive at a total of 4096 transitional stages, and these represent every possible situation.’”

Just as the bigrams indicated a basic pattern that could be expanded or contracted in essence so too were these 4000 changes to be expanded or contracted in a similar way. Hence these changing hexagrams are just an exhaustive categorization of the types of possible changes. Of course the whole yin yang theory is based around the polarity of yin and yang. Hence these theories are incomplete if there is more than the polarity of yin and yang.

Monkey-mind not contained within yin yang boxes

For instance in Journey to the West, Monkey is cooked in Lao Tzu’s brazier of the 8 trigrams. The Monkey has been so impossible, challenging the authority of the Jade Emperor and stealing the wine of the gods and their peaches of immortality that they first attempted to kill him or cut him into pieces. This was unsuccessful so Lao Tzu volunteered to cook him up in his brazier of the trigrams to melt or incinerate him. After the appropriate amount of time the brazier was opened and Monkey slipped out, a little leaner and more refined, but essentially unharmed. This is not just a fantasy tale. Instead it indicates that the unpredictable monkey mind cannot be contained in the polarities of the trigrams.

Yin-yang and cause-effect powerful theories

The yin yang theory is similar to the cause-effect polarity of the physical scientists. They both are such powerful theories that they are at the root of the explanation for many elements of reality. Furthermore they are each such powerful tools that the scientists or theorists associated with these polarities become so intoxicated by success that they assume that the whole universe falls under their sway. The theory behind the I Ching is that the changes described therein encompass all the changes of the known universe. Similarly prominent cause and effect scientists have postulated that scientists are on the verge of discovering fundamental equations, which will explain all the phenomena of the universe as we know it.

Yin-yang and cause-effect powerful but not complete

While Newtonian physics, i.e. cause and effect physics, needed the probabilistic wave functions of quantum theory based upon the uncertainty principle to take the next step, similarly the yin yang theorists can put a lot into their yin yang boxes, but the Monkey-mind will always escape. Sheer wild life will always transcend the polarities of both cause/effect and yin/yang relationships. This is not to take away from the incredible power of these theories; it is only to express a little Awe at the wondrous mystery of Existence unfettered by Mind Boxes. Rational numbers and thought are only a small subset of the real number line and Reality. A system that is logically consistent can never be complete and a system that is complete cannot be logically consistent. The cause-effect and yin-yang realities are logically consistent within themselves but are not complete.

I Ching’s Ta Chuan: spirit transcends yin & yang

The incompleteness of the yin-yang theory of the I Ching is also expressed in the Ta Chuan, one of the 10 Wings of the I Ching. In the 5th Chapter entitled ‘Tao in its Relation to the Yin and the Yang’ the 9th statement is:

“9. The aspect of the tao which cannot be fathomed in terms of the yin and the yang is called spirit. [In explication] “This ultimate meaning of tao is the spirit, the divine, the unfathomable in it, that which must be revered in silence.” (Wilhelm p. 301)

Thus spirit transcends yin-yang polarities. It is the essence of the Tao. Unpredictable, untamable. Life.

Universal background of the I Ching

Military background of the hexagrams

Many of the hexagrams have a military background. Indeed it is easy to imagine the gua, the yin yang diagrams, used in planning military strategy. The war leaders might have sat around planning strategy using the firm and yielding lines. The firm line would represent the invincible chariot while the yielding line would represent the soldiers breaking formation to let the chariot through. The most ancient texts don’t refer at all to yin and yang lines. They only refer to firm and yielding lines. The military foundation behind the hexagrams is frequently suggested. The hexagrams are regularly read as in motion from bottom to top. If the top is not strong or stable enough to balance the bottom or contain it then the hexagram represents an out of balance situation.

Modern I Ching foundations in military aristocracy

The military overtones of the hexagrams of the yin-yang theory suggest a military origination. In fact King Wên, the military ruler of the Chou wrote the Judgments on the hexagrams during a very militaristic time. Furthermore the commentaries written by Confucius, or somebody from the aristocracy, would have furthered the military and patriarchal nature of these interpretations. Thus we can say that the judgments of King Wên and the Duke of Chou with the commentaries by Confucius certainly have a militaristic and patriarchal foundation. Hence our modern foundations of the I Ching lie in the military aristocracy, not in the peasantry.

Origination of yin/yang in the Hunter-Gatherer

While this suggests that the origination of the yin yang theory lies in the ruling class, we must remind ourselves of the essentially egalitarian nature of yin yang theory and look back further to the Hunter Gatherer societies. One hint of this archaic origination is the interpretation of the trigram, Tui, the youngest daughter as the sorceress. Sorceresses were not a common social class during the militaristic imperial dynasties of historical China. Also, the 8 trigrams are broken up into mother, father, 3 sons and 3 daughters. This is not Confucian. While including father/son and mother/son, the classic Confucian relationships do not even mention the daughters.

Hunter-gatherer equality

Let it remembered that Fu Hsi first introduced the gua, the yin yang diagrams, in the hunting gathering era. Further let it be remembered that the hunter-gatherer tribes were potentially very egalitarian based upon the fertility of Nature rather than the fertility of the soil. Hence the equality of the firm and yielding lines.

The Hunt and Nomadic lifestyle lead to divination

Furthermore the hunt is quite unpredictable and based a lot upon chance. We see many of the Shang oracle bones asking about the success of the hunt. Additionally the nomadic nature of the Hunter-Gatherer society would lend itself to divination. Shall we stay here or should we move on? Shall we hunt this way or that way? Should we cross the river or stay on this side? Some of the judgments of the hexagrams reflect this hunter-gatherer background.

Crossing the Great River

A one way crossing

In five of the Judgments on the 64 hexagrams by King Wên, one of the lines reads, “It furthers one to cross the Great Water.” We can imagine the importance of the decision of crossing the Great River for these early hunter-gatherer societies. First the river crossing would not be easy. Most likely the ancient tribes would only cross one way because of the difficulty and danger in crossing the river at all. Hence this in many ways would be a one-way decision. Furthermore the timing is crucial. If the river is frozen through then the crossing is safe and easy. If it is not quite frozen through then one might easily lose property and even life. If the river is rising because of snow melt or heavy rainfall, should one attempt the crossing before the river rises any further or should one wait with great delay until the water level of the river falls. The motivations to move could have been inspired by many factors including climatic changes, population pressures or the over-harvesting of the resources of the area.

The Great River is the Hwang Po, the Yellow River

In a general sense the Great River could have referred to any of the Great Rivers of eastern Asia. On a more particular level it probably refers to the unpredictable rivers of Northern China. The Book of Changes with its hexagrams seems to be most connected with the hunting and military cultures of Northern China. On the most specific level the Great River is the Hwang Po, the Yellow River, of Northern China. It’s nickname is ‘China’s Sorrow’ – indicating its treachery.

Metaphysical Great River

Of course, in a metaphysical sense crossing the Great River indicates moving forward on a great endeavor from which there is no turning back, making a key decision that will have long term ramifications, an either/or point. In terms of questions of ‘to move or to remain’; Crossing the river refers to big courageous change. How courageous this change is determined on an individual level. Crossing the River for a teenager could be asking someone out on a date, while for a couple it could be getting married or having children, in a career it could be changing jobs.

Rivers in The Journey

The ambiguity and danger of river crossing is referred to frequently in Journey to the West. Large rivers are regularly dangerous obstacles for the Band. Two members of the Band, the Dragon/Horse and Sha Monk, join the Quest at dangerous river crossings. Indeed, the Dragon and Sha Monk were both part of the problem and part of the solution to the crossing of their respective rivers. In order to get to our Heaven ordained goal we must cross some dangerous rivers. Let us look at the meaning of the first of these rivers.

Eagle Grief Stream

The first river was called Eagle Grief Stream because it so clearly reflected the sky that eagles would mistake the river for the sky and fly into the river and drown. The danger of the River has to do with self-absorption. The Seeker can’t tell the reflection from the reality and drowns in the reflected reality. A Dragon lives in the river. When Tripitaka gets to the river the Dragon eats his horse. Monkey battles the Dragon, until Kuan Yin reveals that the Dragon is to become the White Horse that will carry Tripitaka to the Buddha because he is so flexible.

The White Horse of the Will

The White Horse, who was a dragon, is constantly referred to as the Horse of the Will. Symbolically the Will, the Dragon, is engaged to get past the problem of self-absorption. The Will represented by the Dragon is complex. The Dragon had already almost been executed for committing an unfilial act towards his father. Evidently Will exerted for personal gain in an ‘unfilial’ way was due for execution. But Kuan Yin offered to save the Dragon if he came to her Way, Heaven’s Way, and would carry Tripitaka to see the Buddha, to acquire the Truth. Thus the Dragon goes to this river to wait for Tripitaka to carry him to the Western Heaven. Thus Will when it is aligned with Heaven’s Will is powerful, while when it is focused upon self is doomed for disaster. Personal Will aligned with Heaven’s Will allows us to cross this early river.

Horse represents the Breath

Master Ni says that the Horse represents the Breath. In this reading, when Tripitaka, who, on his good side, represents the stillness of Meditation, is joined with the horse of Breath, then the journey can proceed forward effectively. The Taoist text, The Secret of the Golden Flower , mentions that thoughts are endless as is breathing. If the one can be chained to the other then they can tame each other.

“IV. 5. So should one have no thoughts? It is impossible to have no thoughts. Should one not breathe? It is impossible not to breathe. Nothing compares to making the affliction itself into medicine, which means to have mind and breath rest on each other. Therefore tuning the breath should be included in turning the light around.”[i]

This is one of the messages of joining Tripitaka and the White Horse. When Mind is chained to Breath then Will emerges naturally without effort. Indeed whenever Tripitaka leaves the Horse, i.e. when Mind forgets the Breath, he gets into troubles which threaten the Journey. Whenever he is startled or frightened he falls off his horse, of course forgetting to be mindful of breathing. Being mindful of breath acts as the antidote, a vaccination, against stupid fears and anxieties.

Will too hard or too fast

The first out of balance scenario is when Tripitaka leaves the horse, i.e. forgets to be mindful of breathing. The other out of balance scenario is when the Horse moves too fast. We mentioned this when speaking about the chi as the horses of the chariot. Basically whenever Tripitaka is in a hurry to reach the Western Heaven or Piggy anxious to find a place to sleep, then Monkey will scare the Horse, and Tripitaka will get carried away into trouble. Cheng Man-ch’ing says, “If one’s will is too strong, it will not only harm one’s primal energy, but will also harm the root and trunk of one’s life span”[ii].

Crossing the Great River prematurely

The problem with excessive eagerness to reach enlightenment is illustrated in an episode of The Journey when Tripitaka wants to cross a frozen river before the right time because he is over-anxious to reach the Buddha and crashes through the ice. This is an example of the danger of crossing the Great River prematurely.

A spontaneous emergence of Will through mindful breathing

Thus Will can be too self-centered and result in self-destruction as in the dragon son being disrespectful of his father. If Mind forgets the Breath then there is no Will to carry it forward. If the Mind is too anxious, too attached to destination, then Will and breathing become too strong threatening the Journey because of moving too fast. Hence the fine solution to this quagmire is the spontaneous emergence of a Balanced Will as the result of Mindful Breath.’ As Cheng Man-ch’ing says, “Gradually, gradually.”

Flowing Sand River

The next river that was a problem/solution river was the “Flowing Sand River”. The Flowing Sand River is so wide that they need some help in crossing it. In addition to being wide, nothing will float on the Flowing Sand River. Further there is a monster guarding the river. The Band realizes that this monster is swimming in the river without sinking and so must understand the river and will be able to help them find a way across. Monkey and Piggy do battle with the monster, but scare him and he hides. Kuan Yin is called and reveals that this monster is the Curtain Raising Captain of the Jade Emperor, who has been exiled from Heaven for being careless. He is to accompany the Band and protect Tripitaka to redeem his carelessness by earning merit. He is called Sha Monk.

The Problem of Leakage

This is the last member to join the Pilgrimage. His job of protecting Tripitaka has to do with leakage. He has been exiled for being too careless, i.e. leaking, and must redeem himself by preventing the Elixir, Tripitaka, from being damaged or leaking out. While the Horse will carry Tripitaka forward, while Monkey and Piggy combine forces to fight the monsters threatening Tripitaka, Sha Monk is needed to just guard Tripitaka and the White Horse. Indeed just before Sha Monk joined the Group, Monkey and Piggy join forces to defeat a demon, who evades them to capture Tripitaka. Monkey and Piggy are a great fighting team but need Sha Monk to focus upon just Tripitaka. Whenever Sha Monk is drawn away to fight monsters, to help or find Piggy, Tripitaka gets in trouble.

Sha Monk, Body Structure

While Tripitaka is the Mind and the Horse is the Breath, Sha Monk is the Body itself. More specifically Sha Monk represents proper body structure. Indeed he was able to swim around the Flowing Sand River because he was so light and yet still maintained form and structure. If he had been too insubstantial he would have been washed away; if he had been too heavy he would have sunk. Proper body structure has do minimizing forces through proper body alignment.

The Spine, Pillar of Heaven

Indeed many times the spine is referred to as the Pillar of Heaven. If the spine is aligned as a Pillar to Heaven, then everything that is aligned to it naturally falls into place. The spine must be light, i.e. pulled up from the top, but simultaneously substantial enough to support and order the rest of the body. When somebody is too heavy, i.e. out of alignment, they are inevitably destroyed by the gravity of the earth. They sink beneath the waves of the Flowing Sand River.

Taiji Quan symbolism

In Taiji Push hands, one must be light enough to sense your opponent while substantial enough to be able to ward off his blows. Further no matter how good your fundamentals are, if your body structure is not attended to the elixir will leak out and be destroyed. All the practice in the world is useless without the proper body structure to contain it. Thus Sha Monk is the container for the Elixir – Tripitaka and the Horse over Time. He must contain the energy, not letting it leak out to intensify the heat. Thus Sha Monk to redeem his carelessness must prevent leakage. He himself must be light enough not to sink and yet substantial enough not to get washed away.

Summary

Thus symbolically Tripitaka is able to cross the two rivers, first by becoming mindful of breathing in order to generate spontaneous Will, and then second to tend to body structure in order to be both light enough not to sink and to be substantial enough not to get washed away. One way of interpreting river crossings is that the first had to do with the incorporation of breath to generate will, while the second river crossing had to do with becoming mindful of body structure to prevent vital leakage.

Foundational culture of the I Ching.

These are Pilgrims seeking a goal. They have left the family. Thus the River crossing becomes a powerful metaphor. The Hunter Gatherer imagery in the River crossing is apparent. This emphasizes the foundational nature of the I Ching.

Regularity of the Seasonal cycle

While there are many residuals of the uncertainty of the Hunter-Gatherer culture, inherent to the I Ching is the regularity of the seasonal cycle.

Four seasons -> Four bigrams

In yin-yang theory, first there is wuji, nothing; then there is Taiji, something, which breaks the world into yin and yang. The primal yin and yang elements combine into the 4 images, i.e. the four combinations of two yin-yang lines. These images represent the unchanging 4 seasons of the year, oriented in every culture by the solstices and equinoxes. The order of these ‘images’ is fixed, immutable and unchangeable. See below.

As Ta Chuan, the Great Treatise on the I Ching, states,

“There is nothing that has more movement or greater cohesion than the four seasons.”[iii]

Seasons fixed, no room for variation

The images, the bigrams, start with double yin culminating at or around the winter solstice. Yang enters from the bottom, culminating with equal yin and yang around the spring equinox. The yang continues to grow into two firm yang lines by the summer solstice. Now as the days get shorter the yin begins to grow from the bottom, reaching equality at the fall equinox. Now the days are getting shorter, the yin is increasing, until it is all yin around the winter solstice, Then the cycle begins all over again, with the Return of the Yang. This cycle is an incredibly important symbol in Taoist thought.

The trigrams create ‘great field of action’

When the next line is added, variation is introduced. While the fixed seasonal cycle of the images is contained in the trigrams, there are two wild card trigrams, Water and Fire, which don’t fit into the cycle. The combination of these errant trigrams creates many different potential positive, negative and neutral cycles. Indeed the proper placing of the trigrams of Water and Fire has filled volumes[iv]. Improper alignment causes misfortune and dissipation while proper alignment creates good fortune and vitality. As the Great Treatise on the I Ching comments,

“6. The eight trigrams determine good fortune and misfortune. Good fortune and misfortune create great field of action.” p 319

Good and bad fortune

While the ‘field of action’ for the bigrams is fixed, resulting in no possibility of good or bad fortune, there is no logical sequence to the 8 trigrams that is fixed in every situation, hence there exists choice and thereby the possibility of good and bad fortune. See seasonal trigram cycle below with missing trigrams that begin to expand the ‘field of action’.

Seasonal Cycle extended but incomplete

Note that the seasonal cycle of yin yang diagrams could easily be extended to four, five, or six yin/yang lines, or even indefinitely, depending upon the complexity. Indeed this natural seasonal cycle is especially used when referring to the hexagrams. Indeed the hexagram Fu, Return, refers to the Return of the Yang and is represented by one yang line at the bottom of five yin lines. While this system is all-inclusive when referring to the combinations of only two lines, with the addition of a third line, the trigrams of Fire and Water aren’t included in this logical cycle of six. In the Hexagrams only 12 of 64 possible combinations are included in the agricultural cycle. See below.

Hence while the seasonal cycle is determined by a fixed number and order of a limited number of gua, i.e. yin-yang diagrams, there are many more gua which give free choice with its potentials for good and bad fortune.

Return of the Yang

Contained in this seasonal cycle is the concept of ‘The Return of the Yang’, an incredibly important concept for Taoism. Because of the fixed nature of the seasonal cycle, after the cycle reaches the point of all yin, annually at the winter solstice, inevitably there emerges a solitary yang at the bottom of the gua, the yin/yang diagram. This is ‘The Return of the Yang’, which begins growing at this point until it peaks out with an all yang diagram at the summer solstice. Because seasons follow inexorably, cultural, family and genetic conditioning inevitably pollute this pure Yang. To avoid these polluting influences Taoists attempt, through meditation and quietude, to regularly return to the state of all yin in order to take advantage of the unpolluted nature of the initial return of the Yang. They attempt to cultivate this pure yang through regular purifications by the pure yin of quietude.

A Differentiation of Buddhism and Taoism

The concept of ‘Return of the Yang’ differentiates Buddhism from Taoism. Although the Buddhists and Taoists both seek quietude and emptiness, the Buddhists find the void empty, while the Taoists find something there. The Buddhists call it all illusion, while the Taoists seek to cultivate the illusion of the pure yang. According to the Taoists, from the emptiness of the Void, inevitably, the Yang must emerge as part of the cycle of the Tao, just as seasons follow one upon the other.

Divination and the I Ching

While the I Ching is a catalog of all the possible changes based upon polarities, inevitably the individual human wants to know which change they are going through. This is when the I Ching becomes a tool for divination rather than an elaboration of yin yang philosophy. Although many Taoists and Confucians have stressed the philosophical side of the I Ching and attempted to de-emphasize its function as fortune telling device, it is as a fortune telling device that it is most well known.

Theory of correspondences

The theory behind its operation is very similar to Plato’s theory of correspondences. The idea is that Heaven reflects its order in every manifestation. Every event has meaning in this interpretation, no matter how random. Indeed sometimes the seemingly random occurrences of nature are most effective at revealing heaven’s will. Plato used this theory to explain the meaning behind astrology. The Chinese use this theory to explain how the I Ching can reveal a human’s destiny. The Querent, the one asking the question, throws yarrow stalks, or in later days, coins. The random configuration of these stalks or coins reveals which hexagram the Querent is involved in presently and which one that they are changing to. Hence these random correspondences reveal the Way of Heaven or Heaven’s Will. In understanding one’s place in the scheme of things, one might more easily choose the proper course of action.

More ancient precedents

The theory of correspondences is at the heart of most divination. Indeed the Longshan and Shang oracle bone divination was based upon the same concept. The random cracks of a bone after a hot point is applied revealed the will of their ancestors or gods. In a similar way one might randomly open a book, for instance the Bible, and expect to find some passages with relevance to one’s life. Random events such as bird flights have been used since time immemorial to determine divine will. Any omen would fall under this category. The omen is a random event that has a predetermined meaning.

Reactive Fortune telling

There have been many types of divination based upon universal correspondences. However there is both a reactive and proactive form of question and response. The reactive style passively asks what is going to happen. These Querents are victims of fate, believing that their fate is already written in the stars at birth. This type of divination is called fortune telling and requires no effort on the Querent’s part. The reactive style is based upon predestination.

Proactive Divination

The proactive style, based upon free choice, asks which course is best. Which course of action is most in line with Heaven’s Will. The idea is that our free choice allows us to do the wrong thing, leading to misfortune, or the right thing, leading to good fortune. While those with a reactive attitude are victims of Fate, those with a proactive attitude attempt to transcend their Fate. For the latter the I Ching is a technique for avoiding the pitfalls of fate, which enables us to wend our way to our ultimate destiny.

As Cheng Man-ch’ing says, “The most important words in using the I Ching are Good/not Good. Whatever the question - should I take a trip? Should I see this person? Good, not good? Not: What’s going to happen, or what kind of a year am I going to have? You must at least take the effort to form the question; ‘Is it good or not good that I take this action?’”[v]

The easy way, Passive victims of fate

Many, if not most, humans tend to be passive victims of their fate and just hope that fortune telling will reveal a long life, fame and prosperity. This is the effortless way. Unfortunately the proactive way takes effort. Many ask: “Will I achieve fame?” The better question would be: “How do I achieve fame?” or on a higher level: “How do I align myself with the Will of Heaven?”

The hard way, effort to fulfill destiny

Every type of divination, including the I Ching, can be used on reactive or proactive levels. On the proactive level the I Ching acts as a vehicle whereby humans might avoid their fate and achieve their destiny. Unfortunately one’s destiny is not the easy way. Jesus presumably fulfilled his destiny and was crucified. Hence it takes a lot of courage to align oneself with Heaven’s Will. Witness Tripitaka in The Journey who fulfills his destiny by going through 81 ordeals, where demons want to eat him, he is beaten, and threatened with death. Thus fulfilling one’s destiny requires courage as well as effort.