Ziporyn on Yin-Yang III: A Nod to Transformation

Scott Bradley

The Zhouyi (Book of Changes) has its roots in ancient attempts at prognostication, but we need not subscribe to any superstitious hocus-pocus to discover helpful insights within it. What it can provide is a structural means by which to understand the dynamics of change so as to make better informed decisions which do affect our future. According to Ziporyn, the original two lines, the unbroken (Yang/Yes) and the broken (Yin/No), rendered a Yes/No answer to questions posed about the future. "Will my endeavor succeed?" With the combining of these two lines, this developed into a structural representation of the more dynamic character of events. Rather than a straight-forward Yes/No, the answer might be "possibly yes, but" or "possibly no, but."

The first level of combining the lines is in pairs, of which there are four possibilities: Two Yangs is Yes. Two Yins is No. A Yin over a Yang is a Yang-to-Yin transition. A Yang over Yin is a Yin-to-Yang transition. In answer to the question whether my endeavor will succeed, disregarding any attempts to predict the future through the chance occurrence of one of these four, I might instead consider my decision in the light of all four. Success might lead to a larger failure (Yang-to-Yin). I may win the contract, but then my competitors will unite to destroy my company. Or it may not succeed, but this will enable a still greater success (Yin-to-Yang). I may lose the contract, but being uncommitted, be able to obtain a much better one.

We can see then how such a structural representation of the dynamics of transformation can open us up to a more dynamic interface with our being in time. Yet this is, from the Daoist point of view, still largely Yang-ish (seeking to know) if unaccompanied by, and indeed not subsumed under Yin, in this case understood as not-knowing, or more simply, Doubt. We do not know what will happen. We apply our understanding to our decision making to the fullest extent possible — and then "hand it all over to the unavoidable", namely, what actually happens. And whatever happens is ultimately of no great consequence since we have hid the world in the world so that nothing can get lost. This is the value of the non-value Yin, the usefulness of the useless, the empty space (window) that fills the room with light, the hole at the center that makes the wheel work.

There is the old Chinese parable of the farmer who lost his horse and his neighbors who said, Bad fortune! He replied, Who knows? The horse returned with several friends. Good fortune! Who knows? His son was thrown from one and badly injured. Bad fortune! Who knows? The military came to draft new cannon-fodder and his son was passed over. Good fortune! Who knows? And so it goes. This demonstrates the truly unpredictable nature of the unfolding of events and suggests an attitude of non-attachment to any particular outcome. But still the farmer and his neighbors seem to believe that there is 'good' and 'bad' fortune, despite our inability to know which is which. And although philosophical Daoism would concur that such is the case on one level, it also suggests another sense in which there is no such distinction at all. This is the view from Dao.

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Ziporyn on Yin-Yang II: Who Was on Top?

Scott Bradley

It might be remembered from our discussion on the Laozi that at least one version previous to our received version was clearly more favorably disposed to the Confucian virtues and might be said to have evinced a form of "pre-ironic proto-Daoism". The irony of philosophical Daoism consists in its prioritization of Mystery — it suggests a way to most happily live as honestly admitting that life does not admit to any fixed and sure explanations. Its knowing is not-knowing; its dao is not-Dao.

We find a similar, but opposite, reversal of priority in the hexagrams of the Zhouyi (The Book of Changes). The present edition begins with the six unbroken lines of Yang; this is call Qian, and represents pure Yang, Heaven. Ziporyn points out that both tradition and archeology tell us that there was a much older version in which the first hexagram was the six broken lines of Yin; this is called Kun, and represents pure Yin, Earth.

This reversal of priority might, Ziporyn suggests, have been a conscious attempt to counter the influence of the ironic tradition "which places the source of all being in the hyper-motherliness of Dao, a la Laozi."

Archeology reveals that the earliest religious expressions focused on the mystery of our emergence from nowhere as represented by images of the pregnant female. Primitive humanity was in awe of the Mysterious Female, the Earth-Mother, just like Laozi. But then God showed up, and he explained it, told us that he Yang-ed it all, and we should follow his example and go into all the earth and Yang it all up. And we have.

Yang is not evil, needless to say. We are Yang. Existence is Yang. But existence arises from and returns to non-existence, Yin. The most honest and fulfilling way to live our Yang is thus in the context of our embedding in Yin. Shenzi, who suggested we be as passive as a rock, might be said to have gone overboard on Yin. Most conceptions of God make of him pure Yang and thus leave us with nothing else. The Yin-Yang construct addresses the need for balance. Philosophical Daoism suggests the most authentic and fulfilling way to do our Yang-ing, that is our living, is as informed by Yin, and this helps us avoid Yang-ing everything — ourselves, others, and the very Earth — up.

You can check out Scott's other miscellaneous writings here.

Ziporyn on Yin-Yang I: Who's on Top?

Scott Bradley

Yin-Yang is a philosophical construct to which I make occasional reference, but have failed to explore in any depth. Speaking of one of the "Wings" (the Shuogua commentary) to the Book of Changes, the core of the Yin-Yang development, Legge calls it "silliness" and "drivel". I admit that I would like to take refuge in his dismissal, but Ziporyn (Ironies of Oneness and Difference) demonstrates not only how important "The Yin-Yang Compromise" (his chapter heading on the subject) is to understanding the course of Chinese philosophical development, but also to illuminating some of the implications of the ironic Dao of Daoism.

Ziporyn begins by dispelling some of our (Western) superficial understandings about Yin-Yang. Perhaps most important among these is the belief that they are co-equal; they are not. One is inevitably prioritized over the other. This is probably in part due to the fact that they are not intended to summarize the ultimate coherence of Reality, but only to point in that direction. They are not the final word, but are seen as a means to approach that coherence.

So, who gets to be on top, Yin (the "female") or Yang (the "male")? Not surprisingly, in the Book of Changes and subsequent philosophical adaptations, it is Yang. Yang (represented by a solid line) is Heaven or father. Yin (represented by a broken line) is Earth or mother. Yang on top (a tri- or hexagram assembly of Yin-Yang lines is read from the bottom up) is most auspicious. (Yet, the cognitive versatility of the images also allows for auspicious Yin on top.)

Staying with this imagery (which has, I hope, materialized in your mind), we can allow that a good tumble may involve a high degree of shuffling of relative positions; this is the interplay of Yin and Yang, the one merging into and transforming the other, so that the Yang that was is not the Yang that is — yet it remains Yang still. (As does Yin.) In our contingent world, Yin and Yang are mutually dependent and define each other, and on this level appear as if co-equal, but the final bias is toward Yang.

The prioritization of Yang can be seen as an insistence on the ultimate intelligibility of Reality. Yang is knowing, initiating, doing. Yin is not-knowing, letting things happen, not-doing. Yang is making one's mark, being somebody. Yin is attaching to no 'merit', being no one. We can see then how the ironic Dao of Daoism with its advocacy of Yin prioritization was incorporated into a Yin-Yang system where it is given its due, yet at the end of the day Yang is made to come out on top.

A parallel might be drawn here with Jesus, who in some respects was very much an advocate for Yin ("Blessed are the meek . . ., etc.), yet this being found incompatible with the acquisition of worldly power (Christianity became the Roman Empire and many believe it to now be the American Empire), was reworked into a warrior King. Thus, we have American fighter pilots praising God for protection as they drop bombs on the innocent.

You can check out Scott's other miscellaneous writings here.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 - The Lines, Part 6

Nine at the top means:
There is drinking of wine
In genuine confidence. No blame.
But if one wets his head,
He loses it, in truth.

Before completion, at the dawning of the new time, friends foregather in an atmosphere of mutual trust, and the time of waiting is passed in conviviality. Since the new era is hard on the threshold, there is no blame in this. But one must be careful in all this to keep within proper bounds. If in his exuberance a man gets drunk, he forfeits the favorableness of the situation through his intemperance.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 - The Lines, Part 5

Six in the fifth place means:
Perseverance brings good fortune.
No remorse.
The light of the superior man is true.
Good fortune.

The victory has been won. The power of steadfastness has not been routed. Everything has gone well. All misgivings have been overcome. Success has justified the deed. The light of a superior personality shines forth anew and makes its influence felt among men who have faith in it and rally around it. The new time has arrived, and with it good fortune. And just as the sun shines forth in redoubled beauty after rain, or as a forest grows more freshly green from charred ruins after a fire, so the new era appears all the more glorious by contrast with the misery of the old.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 - The Lines, Part 4

Nine in the fourth place means:
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Remorse disappears.
Shock, thus to discipline the Devil's Country.
For three years, great realms are rewarded.

Now it is the time of struggle. The transition must be completed. We must make ourselves strong in resolution; this brings good fortune. All misgivings that might arise in such grave times of struggle must be silenced. It is a question of a fierce battle to break and to discipline the Devil's Country, the forces of decadence. But the struggle also has its reward. Now is the time to lay the foundations of power and mastery for the future.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 - The Lines, Part 3

Six in the third place means:
Before completion, attack brings misfortune.
It furthers one to cross the great water.

The time of transition has arrived, but one lacks the strength to complete the transition. If one should attempt to force it, disaster would result, because collapse would then be unavoidable. What is to be done? A new situation must be created; one must engage the energies of able helpers and in this fellowship take the decisive step-cross the great water. Then completion will become possible.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 - The Lines, Part 2

Nine in the second place means:
He brakes his wheels.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

Here again the time to act has not yet come. But the patience needed is not that of idle waiting without thought of the morrow. Kept up indefinitely, this would not lead to any success. Instead, an individual must develop in himself the strength that will enable him to go forward. He must have a vehicle, as it were, to effect the crossing. But he must for the time being use the brakes. Patience in the highest sense means putting brakes on strength. Therefore he must not fall asleep and lose sight of the goal. If he remains strong and steadfast in his resolve, all goes well in the end.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 - The Lines, Part 1

Six at the beginning means:
He gets his tail in the water.
Humiliating.

In times of disorder there is a temptation to advance oneself as rapidly as possible in order to accomplish something tangible. But this enthusiasm leads only to failure and humiliation if the time for achievement has not yet arrived. In such time it is wise to spare ourselves the opprobrium of failure by holding back.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 - The Image

Fire over water:
The image of the condition before transition.
Thus the superior man is careful
In the differentiation of things,
So that each finds its place.

When fire, which by nature flames upward, is above, and water, which flows downward, is below, their effects take opposite directions and remain unrelated. If we wish to achieve an effect, we must first investigate the nature of the forces in question and ascertain their proper place. If we can bring these forces to bear in the right place, they will have the desired effect and completion will be achieved. But in order to handle external forces properly, we must above all arrive at the correct standpoint ourselves, for only from this vantage can we work correctly.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 - The Judgment

BEFORE COMPLETION. Success.
But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing,
Gets his tail in the water,
There is nothing that would further.

The conditions are difficult. The task is great and full of responsibility. It is nothing less than that of leading the world out of confusion back to order. But it is a task that promises success, because there is a goal that can unite the forces now tending in different directions. At first, however, one must move warily, like an old fox walking over ice. The caution of a fox walking over ice is proverbial in China. His ears are constantly alert to the cracking of the ice, as he carefully and circumspectly searches out the safest spots. A young fox who as yet has not acquired this caution goes ahead boldly, and it may happen that he falls in and gets his tail wet when he is almost across the water. Then of course his effort has been all in vain. Accordingly, in times “before completion,” deliberation and caution are the prerequisites of success.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 64 (Wei Chi)

above LI THE CLINGING, FLAME
below K'AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER

This hexagram indicates a time when the transition from disorder to order is not yet completed. The change is indeed prepared for, since all the lines in the upper trigram are in relation to those in the lower. However, they are not yet in their places. While the preceding hexagram offers an analogy to autumn, which forms the transition from summer to winter, this hexagram presents a parallel to spring, which leads out of winter's stagnation into the fruitful time of summer. With this hopeful outlook the Book of Changes come to its close.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 63 - The Lines, Part 6

Six at the top means:
He gets his head in the water. Danger.

Here in conclusion another warning is added. After crossing a stream, a man's head can get into the water only if he is so imprudent as to turn back. As long as he goes forward and does not look back, he escapes this danger. But there is a fascination in standing still and looking back on a peril overcome. However, such vain self-admiration brings misfortune. It leads only to danger, and unless one finally resolves to go forward without pausing, one falls a victim to this danger.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 63 - The Lines, Part 5

Nine in the fifth place means:
The neighbor in the east who slaughters an ox
Does not attain as much real happiness
As the neighbor in the west
With his small offering.

Religious attitudes are likewise influenced by the spiritual atmosphere prevailing in times after completion. In divine worship the simple old forms are replaced by an ever more elaborate ritual and an ever greater outward display. But inner seriousness is lacking in this show of magnificence; human caprice takes the place of conscientious obedience to the divine will. However, while man sees what is before his eyes, God looks into the heart. Therefore a simple sacrifice offered with real piety holds a greater blessing than an impressive service without warmth.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 63 - The Lines, Part 4

Six in the fourth place means:
The finest clothes turn to rags.
Be careful all day long.

In a time of flowering culture, an occasional convulsion is bound to occur, uncovering a hidden evil within society and at first causing a great sensation. But since the situation is favorable on the whole, such evils can easily be glossed over and concealed from the public. Then everything is forgotten and peace apparently reigns complacently once more. However, to the thoughtful man, such occurrences are grave omens that he does not neglect. This is the only way of averting evil consequences.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 63 - The Lines, Part 3

Nine in the third place means:
The Illustrious Ancestor
Disciplines the Devil's Country.
After three years he conquers it.
Inferior people must not be employed.

"Illustrious Ancestor" is the dynastic title of the Emperor Wu Ting of the Yin dynasty. After putting his realm in order with a strong hand, he waged long colonial wars for the subjection of the Huns who occupied the northern borderland with constant threat of incursions.

The situation described is as follows. After times of completion, when a new power has arisen and everything within the country has been set in order, a period of colonial expansion almost inevitably follows. Then as a rule long-drawn-out struggles must be reckoned with. For this reason, a correct colonial policy is especially important. The territory won at such bitter cost must not be regarded as an almshouse for people who in one way or another have had themselves impossible at home, but who are thought to be quite good enough for the colonies. Such a policy ruins at the outset any chance of success. This holds true in small as well as large matters, because it is not only rising states that carry on a colonial policy; the urge to expand, with its accompanying dangers, is part and parcel of every ambitious undertaking.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 63 - The Lines, Part 2

Six in the second place means:
The woman loses the curtain of her carriage.
Do not run after it;
On the seventh day you will get it.

When a woman drove out in her carriage, she had a curtain that hid her from the glances of the curious. It was regarded as a breach of propriety to drive on if this curtain was lost. Applied to public life, this means that a man who wants to achieve something is not receiving that confidence of the authorities which he needs, so to speak, for his personal protection. Especially in times "after completion" it may happen that those who have come to power grow arrogant and conceited and no longer trouble themselves about fostering new talent.

This as a rule results in office seeking. If a man's superiors withhold their trust from him, he will seek ways and means of getting it and of drawing attention to himself. We are warned against such an unworthy procedure: "Do not seek it." Do not throw yourself away on the world, but wait tranquilly and develop your personal worth by your own efforts. Times change. When the six stages of the hexagram have passed, the new era dawns. That which is a man's own cannot be permanently lost. It comes to him of its own accord. He need only be able to wait.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 63 - The Lines, Part 1

Nine at the beginning means:
He breaks his wheels.
He gets his tail in the water.
No blame.

In times following a great transition, everything is pressing forward, striving in the direction of development and progress. But this pressing forward at the beginning is not good; it overshoots the mark and leads with certainty to loss and collapse. Therefore a man of strong character does not allow himself to be infected by the general intoxication but checks his course in time. He may indeed not remain altogether untouched by the disastrous consequences of the general pressure, but he is hit only from behind like a fox that, having crossed the water, at the last minute gets its tail wet. He will not suffer any real harm, because his behavior has been correct.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 63 - The Image

Water over fire: the image of the condition
In AFTER COMPLETION.
Thus the superior man
Takes thought of misfortune
And arms himself against it in advance.

When water in a kettle hangs over fire, the two elements stand in relation and thus generate energy (cf. the production of steam). But the resulting tension demands caution. If the water boils over, the fire is extinguished an its energy is lost. If the heat is too great, the water evaporates into the air. These elements here brought in to relation and thus generating energy are by nature hostile to each other. Only the most extreme caution can prevent damage. In life too there are junctures when all forces are in balance and work in harmony, so that everything seems to be in the best of order. In such times only the sage recognizes the moments that bode danger and knows how to banish it by means of timely precautions.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

I Ching: Hexagram 63 - The Judgment

AFTER COMPLETION. Success in small matters.
Perseverance furthers.
At the beginning good fortune.
At the end disorder.

The transition from the old to the new time is already accomplished. In principle, everything stands systematized, and it is only in regard to details that success is still to be achieved. In respect to this, however, we must be careful to maintain the right attitude. Everything proceeds as if of its own accord, and this can all too easily tempt us to relax and let thing take their course without troubling over details. Such indifference is the root of all evil. Symptoms of decay are bound to be the result. Here we have the rule indicating the usual course of history. But this rule is not an inescapable law. He who understands it is in position to avoid its effects by dint of unremitting perseverance and caution.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.