Origins

Lao Tze was one of the founders of Taoism as well as its greatest scholar. Named Li Er at birth he soon proved himself to be a natural genius. When he was just a toddler his extraordinary wisdom earned him the appellation Lao Tze, meaning “Old Great Master” (Lao Tse, Lao Tzu or Lao Tsu are other variations. The definitive PinYin pronounciation is L�o (�o is like the ow in how that also inflects down and then up) Zi (Z is the tz in blitz and i is a sound between e in end and u in up that is short-ened; hence the confusion manifested in so many translation variations). The title Tze or “Great Master” is a title of great respect given only to highly esteemed and respected people. Later on he served as Director General of the National Library and Treasury for the Chou Dynasty (1122-249 B.C.) Emperors. One day, at an extremely old age one hundred and sixty by some accounts Lao Tze decided to leave. Riding on a water buffalo he headed west. Upon reaching Han Gu Pass he met a customs official, Yin Shi, who already admired his teachings. The official insisted Lao Tze leave some-thing behind as a remembrance. Lao Tze handed him his book Tao Te Ching (pronounced Dao De Jing) and continued on his journey, vanishing without a trace.

Lao Tze’s penetrating understanding of universal, spiritual truths was written down in the famed Tao Te Ching for our betterment, word for word, by his own hand. Although the Tao Te Ching, which could be said to be the first classic, was written almost 3,000 years ago, its teachings about the Tao or the “Way” have magnified in importance and beneficence through time. It stands out in particular because no other work attributed to a scholar of that period in time was written by the author’s own hand, true to his thoughts. All other works were written by disciples, sometimes hundreds of years after their founder-teacher’s time, leaving contemporary readers without any means to prove whether the teachings were those of the founder or those of the disciples (who placed their under-standing whether limited or adequate of their teachers’ words or their own words in their teachers’ mouths). Only with Lao Tze can one be sure that his words are true not only 3,000 years ago, but also today and in the days to come. His truth is not only the truth of heaven and the universe, but is also relevant as well as usable and beneficial to all of humanity in all walks of life. Perhaps that is why, without any kind of organized advocacy or publicity, the Tao Te Ching is snatched up by the hundreds of millions in the west, second only to the Bible.

Xuān Yuán (pronounced Shoo-an Yoo)- is better known by his appellation Huáng Dì, meaning “Yellow Emperor.” He was another of Taoism’s most important founders. After becoming emperor he left his throne for the Bo Wang mountains to devote himself entirely to the cultivation of Taoism. After about three years he came to a complete understanding of the Tao and returned to rule the country using Taoist management principles. In four years he turned the mess that preceded his rule into paradise on earth. To this day, more than 5,000 years later, he is still remembered as the first successful leader with complete integrity. Many still abide by the calendar prescribed by him; the year 2000 A.D. is Yellow Emperor year 4999.Besides being the inventor of Taoism’s many healing methods, he is also the author of Yin Fŭ Jīng (or Yin Fu Ching), only 338 words long with every word utilized to the full breadth of its meaning.

What is Tao?

The word Logos generally connotes life, light, creation, power, wisdom, love, healing, spirit, force, knowledge, rational, logic, reality, and method. The Chinese word Tao has the same connotations as the word Logos. Since Tao is life, light . . . it is everything and everywhere. Since Tao is omnipresent, it is in you and me as long as we are alive; there-fore, it can be experienced in our daily living.Mankind’s concern since the beginning has been and is that of survival. To survive one must learn to understand oneself, one’s needs, one’s functions, and one’s goals. Mankind is prone to experiment. Experimenting wisely with knowledge and understanding of cause and effect is progress. Without awareness mankind faces sickness, disease and oftentimes sudden death. Subconsciously we all realize sickness is a road to death. No one wants or cares to be ill in any degree however small, for to suffer discomfort or pain detracts from the joy of living. To suffer is to die a thousand deaths.

Many important religions and philosophies of the world have taught that the conscious-ness, spirit, or soul cannot die and that there are specific ways to prepare the conscious-ness for an after-life. Among all of these teachings we find no mention of how to prepare for the immortalization of the present physical body. It is really unnecessary to teach the preparing, or knowing, of the undying consciousness, for the spirit is not limited by space and time (it cannot cease to exist). The spirit is not limited by space and time because it is formless. In contrast our bodies are physical forms which are limited by birth and death. Since the spirit has no beginning or ending it is infinite. The purpose of Taoism is to immortalize the present physical body by providing tech-niques that are practiced by human beings to promote a longer, healthier, happier, and wiser life. That is Taoism.

Taoism is a science because it is based upon a detailed understanding of underlying physi-cal, chemical, biological, mathematical, psychological, and political theories and laws. Science rests on the assumption that all events of the entire universe can be described by physical theories and laws. But the sciences studied in our universities deal with the ma-terial universe; they cannot deal with the spiritual or immaterial universes, which cannot be observed directly or indirectly through our senses. Taoism acknowledges that all elements of the universe are subject to the same physical theories and laws; therefore, the physical theories and laws of the material universe are applicable to the spiritual uni-verse. Taoism is a complete science, and an understanding of Taoism results in the com-plete understanding of the entire (material and immaterial) universe. In this century the teachings of Taoism are continuously being proven effective through scientific means. Valued preciously even more presently, the Eight Great Systems of Taoism or Eight Pillars of Taoism, which will be explained later, are tremendously beneficial for people of all walks of life and ages.

YIN-YANG THEORY

How the ancient Taoists incorporated the principles of philosophy, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, etc. into a system called Taoism can be summarized by the prin-ciples of Yin and Yang and the evolution of these principles into the sixty-four hexa-grams. The Nei Ching states that “The entire universe is an oscillation of the forces Yin and Yang.” While many people who have given much time to the study of Eastern phi-losophies totally accept this statement as fact, very few have subjectively experienced or understood the elements by which it can be proven valid.

To explain Yin and Yang as they apply to the universe, it is necessary to imagine that state of pure being that preceded the creation of the cosmos. The ancient, sacred manuscripts that talk about the creation of the material universe begin with the question, “What thought could be the only thought that could possibly arise in that infinite state of omni-presence that preceded the creation of the cosmos?” We know that a thought is the result of perceiving an object in the world, but what would be the nature of a thought if the world of objects had not yet been created? The only thought that could possibly arise in that initial state of being would have to be one of self-awareness�there would be no other object in the world for that being to focus its attention on other than on itself. In other words, that initial state of omnipresence became aware of itself as being omnipres-ent. The first thought then was the exclamation, “I am omnipresent!” It’s the same thing that happens when we reflect upon ourselves in a mirror and suddenly become aware of a particular physical characteristic that had been present all the while but which we had taken for granted only because our gaze was always directed outward. A logical second thought was, “Since I am omnipresent, I am all-powerful and can give birth (create) to anything I imagine!” As each thought “died” and another thought was “born,” the high intensity energy of each of those thoughts began to vibrate less and less until solid matter, which any scientist will tell you is really energy, resulted.

Thus the material world was created by the “birth and death” of thought that “molded” the energy from the initial, infinite source. Many wise men in history, after a sudden flash of illumination have exclaimed, “Why! The whole universe is nothing but a mass of thoughts!” Yang is the causative, active, creative principle life; Yin is the resultant, pas-sive, destructive principle death. The universe is an oscillation of the forces commonly referred to as Yin and Yang.

The relationship of Yin and Yang to that of the world is often illustrated in another way by equating them to the negative and positive poles within a galvanic current flow; each is separate and distinct in expression, but both are an integral part of the same current. The current could not possibly exist without the bipolarity of its Yin and Yang elements and hence Yin and Yang are distinct and individual but they are also inseparable. Within every object in the universe is the constant, dynamic interaction of these two polar opposites.

Consideration of the principles regarding the natures of Yin and Yang has led Taoists to conclude that the feminine is Yin and the masculine is Yang.

Also, life, goodness, justice, righteousness, light, peace, heat, happiness, beauty, heaven, risings . . . the active, that which is on the surface, is Yang.

And, death, evil, injustice, unrighteousness, darkness, war, cold, sadness, ugliness, earth, sinkings . . . the passive, that which is deep or hidden, is Yin.

Just like seeds that cannot sprout in spring if they were not over-wintered, we cannot know what heat is if we’ve never been cold, or what happiness is if we’ve never been sad. So too Yin and Yang can never exist in total isolation from one another each is a different side of the same coin; both are constantly interacting and changing. In the end all activi-ties that are Yin in nature culminate in the appreciation of all that is Yang note the posi-tion of the Yang symbol relative to the Yin. This inseparable dualism persists through all things: food, attitudes, personal characteristics, thoughts, etc.

Yin and Yang represent every conceivable pair of opposites: birth and death, growth and decay, health and illness, etc. Everything that is born must die, and everything that grows will one day decay, and we can assume that what is Yin today is destined to become Yang in the future, and vice-versa. The relativity of Yin and Yang and the dynamic tension of their interaction are the basis of thought and expression in Taoism. Maintaining a balance between Yin and Yang results in perfect health of body, mind and soul.According to archeological evidence, these concepts were understood and utilized as early as twelve thousand years ago. About eight thousand years ago during the Emperor Fu-Shi Dynasty, people began to use the male symbol to represent Yang and the female symbol to represent Yin. Yin and Yang and their interactions and interrelations were rep-resented by the Tai-Chi symbol (intertwined black and white “fishes” shown above). It is also during this time that Taoists simplified the Yin-Yang Tai-Chi symbol into a “digram” and used it in an algebraic formula:

The Yin and Yang diagram is called Liang Yi, and through “evolution” it gives rise to com-plex symbols (trigrams and hexagrams) that embody a profound explanation of the nature of the universe and of the life contained within it.

The Liang Yi can be equated to the atom. Just as the atom is composed of protons (which possess positive charges) and electrons (which possess negative charges), the Liang Yi is composed of positive and negative charges. The atom can be composed of one or many protons and electrons. To the Liang Yi many Yin and Yang (negative and positive) symbols may be added. Unlike the atom, the Liang Yi symbolizes spiritual insights into the basic nature of the universe.

Scientists have traced the complex organization of atoms into material objects. Taoists have traced the “evolution” of the Liang Yi into a “blueprint” of the universe, describing all levels of transmutation in the universe; from creation through growth, maturity, decline, dissolution, and recreation. The “evolution” into the universal blueprint is a three-step process.

The first step involves the application of an algebraic formula, (a + b)3 = a3 + 3a2b + 3ab2 + b3, to the Liang Yi:

Eight trigrams are produced, and Taoists have assigned manifold attributes to each trigram to reflect such phenomena as: familial relations, cosmic phenomena, directional phenomena, and the Eight Pillars of Taoism.

FAMILIAL RELATIONSTo each of the trigrams was assigned a familial title:

You may have noticed that two Yin symbols are found in the “Son” trigrams and that two Yang symbols are found in the “Daughter” trigram. These trigrams reflect the patterns of parental trait domination discovered through genetic research. Boys possess more ma-ternal traits than their sisters, and girls possess more paternal traits than their brothers.

COSMIC PHENOMENA

On earth, we orient ourselves according to the points of the compass. According to Taoism the directions are divided into nine basic directions: North, South, East, West, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and the Middle Direction. When the trigrams are arranged specifically in their appointed positions around the Yin and Yang symbol, which occupies the Middle Direction, a Pa-Kua is formed and an energy pattern is developed:

This sign, hung on walls, will confer upon people a peaceful, balanced, and healing vibration; because the sign represents peace, healing, balance, love, and power. For details and testimonials about its power go to Tao of Mastery.

The person who does the right thing while following a path in the right direction, at the right time, will meet with longevity, peace, and success; if not, the outcome of the future will be completely reversed. This is a subject covered by Taoist Directionology, which will be discussed later.

The principles of the Eight Pillars of Taoism are explained and in whole in the book The Great Tao by Dr Stephen Chang.

The second step of the “evolution” involves transforming the eight trigrams into eight hexagrams, by applying a mathematical formula, X x 2 = 2X (where X = trigram), to every trigram. These are the results:

Each hexagram then gives rise to seven more hexagrams, resulting in eight groups of eight hexagrams, or sixty-four hexagrams total.

Each new hexagram is derived from the “movement” of Yin and Yang lines of the previous hexagram. “Movement” is the conversion from Yin to Yang and Yang to Yin, and it begins from the bottom of a hexagram and progresses upwards. This pattern of change is illus-trated above.

The eight groups of eight hexagrams were designed to reflect all levels of the process of transmutation in the universe and the nature of all the elements of the universe, and it was designed to help mankind lead successful lives. The secrets of success were hidden within the groups of eight hexagrams. The first group, called Heaven, describes the nature of success, creation, leadership, power, and social position. It also describes the problems associated with these phenomena and the best way to face and solve these problems.

The second group, called Water, deals with danger, risk, challenge, death, the military, and the associated problems and solutions. Mountain, the third group, describes the phenomena of stability, retreat, tolerance, aggregation, wealth, and their associated problems and solutions. Thunder, the fourth group, deals with stimulation, commence-ment, establishment, and the problems and solutions associated with these phenomena.

The fifth group Wind deals with choice, discipline, adversity, stress, healing, fate, exter-nal and internal pressure, politics, finance, education, and instincts. Also described are the associated problems and solutions. Fire, the sixth group, describes the phenomena of brightness, charm, desire, sex, relationships, jubilation, connection, groupment, rigid-ity, strength, and legal battles. The associated problems and solutions are also described. The seventh group Earth deals with competition, disaster, suffering, rebellion, overcom-ing, recovery, patience, subjugation, and the associated problems and solutions. Lake, the eighth and last group, deals with the phenomena of happiness, surroundings, finance, emotional connection, modesty, poverty, entertainment, overflow, and inertia. So also described are their associated problems and solutions.

Moreover, the sixty-four hexagrams can be arranged in many forms. These arrange-ments are used for astronomy, geomancy, construction, and other special purposes. Because these subjects have no urgent bearing upon daily living, details of the arrange-ments will not be given it will be of little or no interest to many people.

In the following chapters, the secrets contained within the Eight Pillars of Taoism will be disclosed in the order defined by the PaKua. On the Pa-Kua the universe is divided into heaven and earth. The boundaries of heaven begin with the Heaven trigram and end with the Thunder trigram. The boundaries of earth begin with the Wind trigram and end with the Lake trigram. Earth is depicted as forming a slanted horizon with heaven, because the axis of earth the planet is slanted:

The order of the universe is read as follows: one begins at the Heaven trigram and reads across the heavens toward the right until one reaches the Thunder trigram. Then one begins to read across the earth by starting at the Wind trigram and moving left until one reaches the Lake trigram. Therefore, the first secret to be unveiled must be the Tao of Phi-losophy, symbolized by the Heaven trigram.