ChangingYang

"Under Heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil." If there were no evil, could we even comprehend good? Good compared to what? If evil as we know it was gone, would "okay" things then be considered the ultimate evil without a darker evil to compare it to? If good and evil didn't exist at all, maybe the world would be a more shallow place, lacking, stagnant. Perhaps both good and evil have their purposes and places where they belong in the world. I wonder what would happen if we were able to eradicate the major evils? Poverty, suffering, wars, disease, death. It would be great at first, but then after several generations, would utopia be incredible boring and full of lethargic people? Is there a way to curb evil on a world scale and further the good without chopping ourselves off at the waist? Are psychopaths evil? They are born without empathy, they are capable of horrifying things. Yet they were born that way, their choices not to do evil revolve around avoiding herd retaliation. Does that make them good? Their choice of good because of their fear of punishment? What about ignorant people born in terrible conditions, who have to do awful things to just survive? Are they evil? Good and evil exist in nature, but both are more exaggerated in the human world. Are we cosmically/karmically punished if we choose evil? Maybe, maybe not. Do we punish ourselves and punish others in the world when we catch them in an evil act? Certainly. Could the advantage of evil be to give value, meaning and depth to goodness? Perhaps evil is only a disadvantage if you get caught, and/or if you aren't able to "drop" the evil action, most of us hold on to a kind of stress, guilt, or expectation of divine punishment. I think it was socrates that said - he who is capable of the greatest evil is also capable of the greatest good.

I have used the yijing as an oracle for many years, and I have also found this to be true. While the yijing does give answers that often seem too eerily correct and appropriate, looking back on the decisions I've made based on the yijing, the decisions themselves never actually mattered either way. The insights and habits I gained from reading it, and trying to understand what it was telling me, and then putting myself out there to win and fail based on the readings were the true treasures. Now days, I've come to look at the yi as an exercise in non attachment, and trust in something beyond me. Also, having read and reread it so many times (because I have used it as a daily oracle), the passages became internalized and pop into my head when relevant situations come up in the real world. I also really like Terence McKenna's interpretation of what the yijing is (I set it to start at 16:20, at a juicy part, but the whole video is worth a watch):

I suppose that is true. Perhaps you are right in pointing this out, it may not be so obvious to some. Lead and mercury should not be taken literally in any daoist literature. But keep in mind you'll be dismissing wisdom if you reject teachings just because you don't like the metaphors they use.

You don't need to be a chemist to know that Pb and Hg are poisons and should not be ingested! This isn't about Pb and Hg, and I certainly wouldn't advocate anyone to take them literally. You say you realize they have been used metaphorically but then seem to miss the point of what a metaphor is, stating they are poisons. A lot of these older texts were written purposely obscure to prevent people from trying to learn without a master's guidance. Indeed many people misunderstood as you have, thinking they were to take literal poisons into themselves as a physical alchemical process to gain immortality. This is absolutely a bad idea! This was not what the texts mean, and that is obvious if you read them. That is why I have recommended this book, lead and mercury are explained as metaphors for different "energies" (shen/jing/qi) that are already inside of yourself, and not actual substances that you use or ingest. For example the first couple of paragraphs from the book: And of course it goes on. It may well not be for you, but there are some valuable gems I've found, maybe others might find value in it too.

I am also interested in learning more about internal work, I don't have many contributions to offer, but I am currently liking "the inner teachings of taoism" by chang po-tuan (you can just google the author and title and read it for free). A lot of the internal alchemy texts I've come across refer to concepts such as cultivating "lead" or "mercury" inside ourselves, and this book explains one way of interpreting them as metaphors. The passages can be a bit dense to understand clearly though. Hope you find what you are seeking.

Thank you. Yes, when I was younger I had a more forceful type of personality, aggressive almost, in pursuing the things and goals I thought I wanted. So, this moniker helps remind me to be more calm and accepting. : ) It is a term that comes from the yijing having to do with the changing lines. Yang will change to yin (changing-yang) and yin will change to yang (changing-yin).

Hello bums! I'm an artist, a bum, and I have been a daoist for about 15 years (am 32). I have focused my study around the yijing, the daodejing, and meditation. I've been off and on this site for a while but this is my first time creating an account. I finally created an account because I'm interested in talking with others who are on similar paths, and maybe gain insights from the discussions, I suppose. I don't have much to say about myself though... ....so hi! : )