Yin And Yang: The Principle Of The Duality Of Existence

The yin and yang are concepts from Chinese philosophy, Taoism more precisely. The latter is a framework of thought created by Lao Tzu, a figure of which there is no certainty if he really existed. The truth is that these concepts have been present since approximately the 6th century before our era.

The philosophy of Lao Tzu was recorded in a book called Tao Te King, a name that means something like ‘path to virtue’. In this, the concepts of Yin and Yang are raised for the first time, which have been translated as ‘dark and bright’.

Lao Tzu speaks of yin and yang as a duality that is present in everything that exists. Day and night, man and woman, life and death, etc. These are two opposite states that are not in contradiction, but rather complement and depend on each other. The one does not want to impose itself on the other, but coexists in balance with it.

Duality in Yin and Yang

For Taoism, everything is constantly changing  naturally. Winter follows fall and so on, without us doing anything to make it happen. The same is true of human realities. The way of virtue consists of not altering these changes, neither in nature, nor in life itself.

Desires and personal goals are what lead someone to want to alter that natural order. The “no action” , on the other hand, allows things to flow and unfold as they should, without changes introduced from outside.

The yin and yang represent that continuous change. Harmony consists in keeping the duality expressed in these two concepts in balance. In turn, disharmony has to do with the excessive predominance of one of these two aspects.

The yin corresponds to everything that is feminine , soft, moist, earthy, passive, absorbing and dark. The yang has to do with the masculine, rough, dry air, active, sharp and bright. Both elements and characteristics are present in everything that exists.

The principles governing yin and yang

According to Taoism, the concepts of yin and yang are governed by a series of principles, which are their own. These principles define the dynamics that exist between these two factors and serve as a guideline to apply them to specific situations.

The principles in question are the following:

• The yin and yang are opposites. However, they are not exclusive: there may be something yin in a yang reality and vice versa. For example, in the middle of the darkness of the night is the light of the moon.
• Interdependency. The yin can not exist without the yang and vice versa. For example, there is no death without life, nor life without death.
• They maintain a dynamic balance. When yin increases, yang decreases and vice versa. When one of the two grows excessively, it forces the other to concentrate and this triggers a transformation. For example, excess heat leads to thawing in an area and this in turn causes flooding.
• When one disappears, it transforms into the other. They do not form a separate reality, but coexist. That is why one disappears, relatively, only to make way for the other. For example, day and night.

• In yin there is always a trace of yang and vice versa.

Practical applications

It is important to insist that the concepts of yin and yang are part of a philosophy and not a scientific theory, although quantum physics has developed theses that coincide to some extent with these. Likewise, this idea of ​​the duality inherent in everything has various practical applications.

The concepts of yin and yang apply directly to martial arts practices. Ideas like defense and attack, or concentration and relaxation, come directly from these. Likewise, Chinese medicine uses duality and complementarity, both to diagnose and to treat all diseases. They express it with this principle: ” sedate the excessive and tone the deficient “.

Similarly, the concepts of yin and yang are applied in daily life to achieve inner harmony. They call for detachment and acceptance. Let it flow. May the nights of our lives follow the days, sadness, joy and so on. Do not pretend that everything is positive or full. Admit that duality exists.