The Secret of the Golden Flower The Secret of the Golden Flower (Chinese: 太乙金華宗旨; pinyin: Tàiyǐ Jīnhuá Zōngzhǐ) is a Chinese Taoist classic about neidan (inner alchemy) meditation. History[edit] The text of The Secret of the Golden Flower is attributed to Lü Dongbin of the late Tang dynasty. Methods[edit] First stage of meditation Second stage of meditation Despite the varieties of impressions, interpretation and opinion expressed by translators, the meditation technique described by The Secret of the Golden Flower is a straightforward, silent method; the book's description of meditation has been characterized as "Zen with details". Sitting primarily relates to a straight posture. The meditation technique is supplemented by descriptions of affirmations of progress in the course of a daily practice, suggesting stages that could be reached and phenomenon that may be observed such as a feeling of lightness, like floating upward or slight levitation. Translations[edit] Notes[edit] Bibliography[edit] External links[edit]
Wu Xing Diagram of the interactions between the Wu Xing. The "generative" cycle is illustrated by white arrows running clockwise on the outside of the circle, while the "destructive" or "conquering" cycle is represented by red arrows inside the circle. Some of the Mawangdui Silk Texts (no later than 168 BC) also present the Wu Xing as "five virtues" or types of activities.[7] Within Chinese medicine texts the Wu Xing are also referred to as Wu Yun (五運 wŭ yùn) or a combination of the two characters (Wu Xing-Yun) these emphasise the correspondence of five elements to five 'seasons' (four seasons plus one). Another tradition refers to the wŭ xíng as wŭ dé 五德, the Five Virtues (zh:五德終始說). The system of five phases was used for describing interactions and relationships between phenomena. The Phases[edit] The five phases are usually used to describe the state in nature: Cycles[edit] Inter-promoting (mother/son)Inter-acting (grandmother/grandson)Over-acting (kè cycle)Counter-acting (reverse kè) Bagua[edit]
www.thoughtco 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. Yin-Yang The yin-yang philosophy says that the universe is composed of competing and complementary forces of dark and light, sun and moon, male and female. The philosophy is at least 3,500 years old, discussed in the ninth-century BCE text known as I Ching or Book of Changes, and influences the philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism.The yin-yang symbol is related to the ancient method used to track the movements of the sun, moon, and stars around the year. Generally speaking, yin is characterized as an inward energy that is feminine, still, dark, and negative. A Subtle and Cosmic Duality The balance of yin and yang is important. The Yin Yang Symbol Origin of Yin-Yang Medical Use
I-Ching and Six-element theory This comment was made: ...... How does this system tie into the hexagram I ching system, if at all? Obviously the six elements and the hexagram are very similar in nature. Now, there is really only one way to view a hexagram according to six-element theory. In this hexagram, the Yang triangle of Essence is pure Yin. These Yin meridians are actually more dynamic than their Yang counterparts (Small Intestine, Large Intestine and San Jiao). So, even though this Yang Essence trigram is all Yin, it is the most actively dynamic and potentially unstable of all Yang Essence trigrams. Chinese herbology Dried herbs and plant portions for Chinese herbology at a Xi'an market Chinese herbology (simplified Chinese: 中药学; traditional Chinese: 中藥學; pinyin: zhōngyào xué) is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The term herbology is misleading in the sense that, while plant elements are by far the most commonly used substances, animal, human, and mineral products are also utilized. Thus, the term "medicinal" (instead of herb) is usually preferred as a translation for 药 (pinyin: yào).[1] The effectiveness of traditional Chinese herbal therapy remains poorly documented.[2] There are concerns over a number of potentially toxic Chinese herbs.[3] History[edit] Chinese pharmacopoeia Chinese herbs have been used for centuries. The first traditionally recognized herbalist is Shénnóng (神农, lit. Raw materials[edit] Some animal parts used as medicinals can be considered rather strange such as cows' gallstones.[12]
Overview Overview of the Work as a Whole The first Introduction formulates the question to be asked: "What is the meaning of Being." Important orientation: Heidegger will seek to gain access to the meaning of Being as such by interpreting a particular being viz., Human Being. In consequence of this, the central task in Being and Time will be to gain access to the meaning of Human Being (Dasein). And this will form our main interest viz., the Dasein Analytic. The second Introduction describes the method Heidegger will use to uncover the meaning of human Being. The investigation will be ontological in nature. Now let me give you an indication of what I mean by this. Particular acts such as walking to the store, etc. can be viewed as occurring on an 'ontic level' whereas the nature of Human Freedom would underlie these actions on the 'ontological level.' Thus the ontological structure of Freedom becomes the ground for the possibility of all particular (ontic) manifestations of freedom. Chapter 1
How to Consult the I Ching - Divination Foundation An ancient method for casting an I Ching reading involved a relatively laborious process of sorting fifty stem stalks of the yarrow plant. A more modern method uses a series of coin tosses using three identical coins (copper pennies will work) with an identifiable heads and tails. In each case, the process is done six times, with each outcome producing one line of the hexagram. Like a building, the hexagram is assembled from the ground up, bottom line being considered the first line in the text interpretations. A much easier hands-on method for casting the I Ching is to use three coins. If you are using Chinese bronze coins with the square hole in the middle, where there are no obvious heads or tails, be sure to choose for yourself which is which before beginning, and stick with that decision every time you use them. 1. 2. 3. The hexagram you’ve just created can be called your “present hexagram.” Alternate I Ching Books and References , a modern I Ching scholar from Shanghai.
Kōan A kōan (公案?)/ˈkoʊ.ɑːn/; Chinese: 公案; pinyin: gōng'àn; Korean: 공안 (kong'an); Vietnamese: công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement, which is used in Zen-practice to provoke the "great doubt", and test a student's progress in Zen practice. Etymology[edit] According to the Yuan Dynasty Zen master Zhongfeng Mingben (中峰明本 1263–1323), gōng'àn originated as an abbreviation of gōngfǔ zhī àndú (公府之案牘, Japanese kōfu no antoku—literally the andu "official correspondence; documents; files" of a gongfu "government post"), which referred to a "public record" or the "case records of a public law court" in Tang-dynasty China. Commentaries in kōan collections bear some similarity to judicial decisions that cite and sometimes modify precedents. Gong'an was itself originally a metaphor—an article of furniture that came to denote legal precedents. Origins and development[edit] China[edit] [edit] Those stories came to be known as gongan, "public cases". Literary practice[edit] Interaction[edit]
www.britannica Yinyang, Wade-Giles romanization yin-yang, Japanese in-yō, in Eastern thought, the two complementary forces that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. Yin is a symbol of earth, femaleness, darkness, passivity, and absorption. It is present in even numbers, in valleys and streams, and is represented by the tiger, the colour orange, and a broken line. The concept of yinyang is associated in Chinese thought with the idea of the Five Phases (wuxing)—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—both of these ideas lending substance to the characteristically Chinese belief in a cyclical theory of becoming and dissolution and an interdependence between the world of nature and human events. The origins of the yinyang idea are obscure but ancient. Yinyang, Wade-Giles romanization yin-yang, Japanese in-yō, in Eastern thought, the two complementary forces that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. The origins of the yinyang idea are obscure but ancient.
I Ching & the kabbalah – Esoteric Online Ever since the earliest times, philosophers have been searching for the underlying patterns of order that sustain our world. These efforts have resulted in a great many systems of symbolic expression purporting to illuminate the various mysteries of reality and life. Careful inspection of these different systems reveals that many of them are based on remarkably similar fundamentals. The Tree of Life from the Hebrew Kabbalah and the I Ching of Chinese philosophy are two of the most remarkable systems of analogy based upon numbers. We present an arrangement of the Tree of Life which divides it into four parts, corresponding to the Hebrew name of God (Yod-He-Vau-He). The way that can be spoken of Is not the constant way; The name that can be named Is not the constant name. - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching (D.C. The Second Arcanum represents the primordial Distinction which causes the previously undifferentiated Cosmos to split apart and come into being. Arcanum I: The Philosophers' Stone Software