asbc_tao

Hello Daobums, I'm wondering what Taoism has to say about the left-right polarity. Can you folks help me? From my readings so far, it looks that Taoism goes to a lot of depth on two spatial polarities: the up-down and the front-back. The first appears as the duality of heaven and earth. You find the second in the Microcosmic Orbit, with the contrast between the Conception and Governing meridians. In each case one side is yin (Earth, Conception meridian) and the other is yang (Heaven, Governing meridian). But what about the left and right? One place I find it is in the contrast between the Liver on the right (which is yang) and the Spleen on the left (which some consider to be yin, though others say is neutral). In his book on craniosacral chi-kung Mantak Chia says the heart has a left and right aspect too. And of course so does the brain. As far as I know, the thrusting meridian has a left and right (and central) channel, and each of the 12 standard meridians is mirrored on both sides. But what I'm not seeing is a clear-cut way of interpreting left and right in Taoism. By contrast, take the Tree of Life from the Kabbalah: There the left-right polarity maps very clearly onto the two pillars: the Pillar of Severity/Justice (left brain, right body) and Pillar of Mercy (right brain, left body). The left and right attach to very specific moral qualities/attitudes. And you have strong emphasis on left/right in the Hinduist system, with the Ida and Pingala weaving around the Sushumna. Or in some systems there is a sideways orbit that goes left-right rather than forward-back as the MO does. Does Taoism put less emphasis on the left-right split? If so why? If not how do we think of left-right in Taoism? Do they simply correspond to yin and yang? Is there any other meaning that attaches to the left/right duality? Are there any Taoist meditations that help to unify the left and right and create a 'middle pillar'? I've tried running the Microcosmic Orbit sideways, but it's not the same. I'm not even sure what points would be included in a 'sideways' orbit. And in Kan-Li meditation you can sometimes feel the upper and lower regions (head and pelvis - heaven and earth) come into contact at the heart. But what about left and right? Thanks.