Human totem sun culture
—— Ming Ci Dong
The history of human civilization is marked by the appearance of characters. Then, what kind of misty land is the prehistory before the appearance of writing for modern people? What kind of slash-and-burn are our ancestors doing? In the long years, how was human civilization conceived and produced? Here, exploring Tai Chi map and its influence on China and the world will make us feel that the scenery of 5, years ago is coming at us.
the taiji diagram is profound and profound, mysterious and profound, just like a wordless gobbledygook. It is primitive and modern; It is mysterious and scientific; It belongs to China and the world. Since the day it was born, people with lofty ideals and wisdom in all previous dynasties have painstakingly studied its mystery and explained it from generation to generation, and finally merged into the wisdom source of the Chinese nation-Taiji philosophy. Undoubtedly, the rich philosophy contained in Taiji philosophy has had a profound impact on the Chinese nation and the whole world, and has become a symbol of human civilization and a symbol of culture. The question is, do China and the world still need Tai Chi philosophy? Can Taiji philosophy still arouse the buzz in China and the world today? To answer this question, it is necessary for us to explain and summarize the philosophical implication, historical position and function, and practical significance of Taiji Diagram.
1. The origin of Taiji diagram and Chinese philosophy, world philosophy and its relationship with Chinese civilization
Taiji diagram is a circular pattern composed of two symmetrical, mutually sympathetic and tolerant fish-shaped patterns in black and white, commonly known as Yin-Yang Fish Diagram, which is said to have been made by Fuxi. The author studied a large number of archaeological data and found that ancient Taiji figures existed in a large number of vessels five to seven thousand years ago (see Figure 1), which shows that Taiji figures were produced in the middle and late Neolithic period. As an ancient totem, Taiji diagram records and expresses Chinese ancestors' understanding and thinking about mysterious nature in graphic language, which is the bud of Chinese philosophy. As the representative of Chinese ancestors in this period, Fuxi also became the well-deserved originator of Chinese philosophy. With the progress in the use of symbols, the thought of Yin and Yang, which is embodied in Taiji diagram, has been fully displayed on Oracle bones and other cultural relics in Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties and even earlier. Not only that, in the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, because symbols evolved into single characters, and single characters gradually formed systematic characters, there was a book that explained Tai Chi, Yin and Yang, and Eight Diagrams-The Book of Changes. The Book of Changes naturally became the first book of China's philosophy and the first book of Chinese semiotics, and Zhou Wenwang, who wrote the Book of Changes, naturally became the father of Chinese philosophy. The emergence of writing greatly promoted social civilization and progress, and formed the first peak of Chinese culture-a hundred schools of thought contend, and at the same time, two great thinkers in Chinese history-Confucius and Laozi were born. At the same time, Taiji diagram has been more widely popularized and applied, and finally merged into the source of wisdom of the Chinese nation-Taiji philosophy. Under the gestation of Taiji philosophy, the Chinese nation has created a long and splendid civilization of 5, years. This indisputable fact makes us reflect on such a theoretical proposition: Which came first, philosophy or civilization?
as early as six to seven thousand years before writing appeared, our ancestors summarized the origin and changes of everything in the universe through the dialectical contradiction of Yin and Yang with the help of graphic language, which was at least two or three thousand years earlier than the origin of ancient Greek philosophy 2,6 years ago, which fully showed that Taiji diagram was not only the origin of Chinese philosophy, but also the origin of world philosophy. The origin of Chinese philosophy is one or two thousand years earlier than China's 5,-year civilization. Based on this, we can draw the conclusion that "there is philosophy before civilization, and it is Chinese philosophy that breeds Chinese civilization for 5, years".
the great taiji thought, which was born in the Neolithic period, supported the development of Chinese science and technology, and together with the Neolithic technology, it gave birth to China's 5,-year civilization. Therefore, we have reason to say that the "father" of China's 5,-year-old civilization is Neolithic technology, and its "mother" is Taiji culture. This fully shows that Taiji Map is the root of Chinese culture and the mother of Chinese civilization! This conclusion, at the same time, solves the problem about the origin of civilization in the Chinese civilization tracing project.
Second, Taiji diagram is the graphic expression of the law of unity of opposites
The law of unity of opposites is the fundamental law of philosophy and the fundamental law of the universe, while Taiji diagram is the graphic expression of the law of unity of opposites expressed by Chinese ancestors in Neolithic period, and it is the earliest graphic dialectics in the world. As a symbol and a pronoun, Taiji Circle actually represents the existence relationship and operation law of all things in the universe: Taiji Circle is divided into two parts by Yin and Yang, which is a contradiction; Yin and Yang exist in Taiji Circle, which shows that Yin and Yang are both antagonistic and unified. The symmetry and balance of yin and yang figures reveal the truth that things pursue balance in a contradictory body and harmony in many contradictory balanced bodies. Just like many spices are blended into delicious food and many musical instruments are blended into beautiful music, everything in the universe and human society are developing and changing in balance, and the fundamental purpose of their development is "harmony". To some extent, the theory of balance of Yin and Yang in Taiji diagram is more scientific and reasonable than the law of unity of opposites in modern philosophy. The philosophy of Taiji Diagram aims at "pursuing the balance of Yin and Yang", but in modern philosophy, the "struggle theory" came into being because the "purpose-means" relationship of the law of unity of opposites is not clear. The theory of struggle holds that struggle is eternal, and the development of things depends on it. A typical example is what Hitler said in his book Mein Kampf that "all life is in an eternal struggle", and took this as the guiding ideology, which created the terrible World War II; China's "Cultural Revolution" was also based on the "struggle theory", that is, "staged struggle as the key link", which led to the 1-year catastrophe in China ... < P > Third, the key words of Taiji philosophy and their logical relationship < P > Wuji, Taiji, Yin and Yang, Eight Diagrams, Five Elements and Feng Shui are the key words of Taiji philosophy, while Yin and Yang are the core of Taiji philosophy.
infinity means no limit. On the whole, what is the universe? From a small point of view, what else is in quarks? The philosophical significance of infinity lies in prompting us to think endlessly.
tai chi means limit. Maximum can refer to the vast universe, and minimum can be quarks. The philosophical significance of Taiji is that it covers the whole universe and its changes.
Yin and Yang, when ancient thinkers in China introduced the category of Yin and Yang to look at the generation and movement of all things in the universe, philosophy came into being. The essence of yin and yang is the Chinese contradiction theory. The philosophical significance of Yin and Yang lies in revealing the true meaning of philosophy, that is, everything is contradictory. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Laozi explained 48 pairs of contradictory relations between yin and yang in Tao Te Ching, which made Tao Te Ching the first book with profound philosophy and the ancestor of Taoism, and Laozi became one of the highest deities in Taoism-moral Buddha.
gossip, a symbol representing yin and yang. "-"means Yang; "-"means yin. Each line segment is called hexagram, and three hexagrams overlap into eight diagrams. The great significance of the Eight Diagrams lies in that Chinese ancestors divided the eight natural elements between heaven and earth into four pairs of dialectical contradictions of yin and yang, namely "heaven-earth, water-fire, wind-thunder and mountain-ze" as early as three or four thousand years ago to explain the world, thus organically combining natural elements with philosophical analysis. After entering the writing age, the eight diagrams symbols were added with text annotations, which were interpreted as the Book of Changes. The philosophical significance of the Book of Changes is to interpret the world through the combination of Yin and Yang eight diagrams symbols representing the natural elements of heaven and earth. The mysterious magic of the Book of Changes lies in that it summarizes the world highly with the least words: Yi means change (change, movement); Yin and Yang are contradiction and balance (result). The words "Yi" and "Yin and Yang" indicate that the world is "contradictory, changing, moving and balanced", which is the core of dialectical method. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius interpreted the Book of Changes, namely Ten Wings. The spirit of "self-improvement" mentioned by Confucius in "Divine divination" and the thought of "being virtuous and carrying things" mentioned in "Divine divination" have now become the essence of the Chinese national spirit. Confucius' Ten Wings and King Wen's Book of Changes have become the ancestors of the Book of Changes and the classics of Confucianism. In foreign countries, especially in Southeast Asia, people follow Confucian philosophy and regard Confucianism as a "philosophy"-Confucianism comes to believe.
the five elements are the dialectical relationship theory of "generation-gram" of matter. The theory of five elements holds that nature consists of five elements, which are synonymous with gold, wood, water, fire and earth. The significance of the five elements lies in revealing the relationship between "the promotion of life" and "the restriction of gram" in the universe, so as to achieve the balance of yin and yang, that is, the balance theory of the five elements.
geomantic omen comes from ancestors' observation and summary of nature in order to adapt to the natural environment and overcome natural disasters for millions of years. The word "Feng Shui" comes from the combination of wind () and water (), two natural elements in the Eight Diagrams that came into being four thousand years ago. The significance of geomantic omen lies in how people seek the best living environment. Guo Pu, a master of geomantic omen, said, "Qi is scattered by the wind, but the boundary water stops. The ancients gathered together to make it stick, and the deeds stopped. This is called Feng Shui, which is the earliest written expression of Feng Shui.
The logical relationship between the six key words of Taiji philosophy is as follows: Infinity begets Taiji, Taiji contains Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang deduce the Eight Diagrams and Five Elements; Eight diagrams explain geomantic omen, and five elements solve the balance of material production and grams. The hierarchical relationship of these six keywords is: Wuji-Taiji, which embodies the dialectical relationship of making something out of nothing; Taiji-yin and yang, which embodies the philosophical core that everything is yin and yang (contradiction); Eight diagrams-five elements belong to the further display of yin and yang; Feng shui belongs to the application level. They are interlocking with each other, showing the Chinese Taiji philosophy completely and systematically. With the application of Taiji philosophy, Taiji, Yin-Yang and Five Elements have gradually developed into the core theories of Chinese Wushu, medicine, health preservation and geomancy.
Fourth, a new interpretation of Taiji Diagram
Philosophy is the key to deciphering Taiji Diagram. Through philosophical interpretation of Taiji Diagram, we can analyze the top ten philosophical theories of Taiji Diagram:
Universe unification monism: Taiji Circle represents the original round unity of the universe, and everything in the world starts from this "one". The Big Bang theory in modern cosmology that the universe originated from a "singularity" is the best explanation.
dichotomy: divide the Taiji circle into two parts by two fish-shapes, S-curves or other means, and distinguish between Yin and Yang.
The theory of the change of all things: Taiji diagram changes from boundless to infinitesimal, revealing the changing law of all things in the universe.
Endless concept of sports: The lively pursuit of Pisces shows that everything in the universe is in perpetual motion.
The core theory of black-and-white fisheye yin-yang handsome seal: The black-and-white fisheye is used in Taiji diagram, indicating that the opposing sides have their own cores. For example, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu in the Chu-Han dispute are "fisheye".
the contradictory identity of opposites * * * *: the opposites of yin and yang * * * are contained in the Taiji circle, which reveals the contradictory identity. This law tells us that tolerance is the premise of * * *, and only tolerance can * * * exist, which leads to the emergence of Chinese inclusive culture. Tolerance has become the virtue of the Chinese nation.
the law of negation of wave ups and downs: the s curve of taiji diagram represents a pair of waves in wave ups and downs, which embodies the law of negation of twists and turns, ups and downs and contradictions in the development of things.
The concept of samsara from head to tail: Taiji diagram shows that Yin and Yang fish are connected from head to tail, reflecting samsara.
the ultimate ideal of a comprehensive and complete life: only comprehensive can be complete, so as to reveal the ideal pursuit of human beings.
the concept of "Tai Chi Harmony" with symmetrical balance: The concept of "Tai Chi Harmony" reveals the distinct purpose of pursuing the balance of Yin and Yang in a contradiction-to-contradiction stereo and harmony among many contradictory balance bodies by means of equal and symmetrical graphics.
The outstanding contribution of the top ten philosophies of Taiji Diagram is that it puts forward three theoretical categories: yin and yang (contradiction), dichotomy (unity of opposites) and tolerance and harmony (purpose).
v. the relationship between Chinese great culture and yiru Taoism and the balance between Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism
when it comes to Chinese culture, people first think of Confucianism, Taoism, Yijing and other schools of thought. If we regard the above-mentioned cultures as sub-cultural elements, we draw a big circle and include all sub-cultural elements. This circle is China's great culture. According to the first and second mentioned above, this big culture is Tai Chi culture. In other words, Taiji culture is the great culture of China, and the source culture
can be traced back to Taiji, so it is not difficult for us to understand why Confucianism and Taoism have won and become the main culture of Chinese culture in the contention of a hundred schools of thought. Then why can Confucianism and Taoism form a situation of integration of the three religions with foreign Buddhist culture? Because Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism have absorbed the essence of the complementary yin and yang of Taiji source culture in academic theory and pursued the harmonious realm of the balance between Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism: Confucianism teaches people to know how to be polite, be positive and pursue the peak of their careers, which represents the rising theory and is suitable for middle-aged, young and young people; Taoism, on the other hand, teaches people to govern by doing nothing and return to the pure, which represents the downward (return) theory and is suitable for middle-aged, strong and old people. This "up and down", "one old and one young" constitute the two ideological systems of the balance between Yin and Yang of Confucianism and Taoism. However, Confucianism and Taoism focus on reality, and never involve the problems of birth, illness, death and pain, and Buddhism just makes up for this defect: Buddhism focuses on the afterlife and focuses on solving the painful problems of life. Buddhism believes that people are struggling in the sea of suffering, advocating forbearance and surrender, and that practice is the way to get out of the sea of suffering and reach the other shore, and obtain the paradise. In this way, Confucianism and Taoism stress reality, Buddhism stresses afterlife, Confucianism and Taoism do not involve pain and Buddhism relieves pain, forming a complementary relationship of yin and yang balance.
VI. Harmony-the eternal theme of world culture
The theory of Taiji Harmony tells us that the fundamental purpose of human progress and social development is to seek harmony. This fundamental purpose determines that the eternal theme of China culture is "harmony". In the same way, the eternal theme of world culture is "harmony"-peace, harmony, harmony, beauty and harmony, that is, world peace, social harmony, national harmony, family harmony and everyone harmony ... < P > So far, we can explain that the reason for the formation of the pattern of "one hundred schools of thought contend" in Chinese culture, "turmoil and disputes" in world culture and "One World" is "harmony". The so-called "harmony" means "Tai Chi harmony". No matter "contention" or "dispute", the fundamental purpose of pursuing "harmony" is the same. "World Harmony" refers to the identity of this fundamental purpose. The so-called "difference" refers to the difference in class, angle, direction and habit represented by the fundamental purpose of "harmony", which leads to the difference in the means adopted to pursue "harmony".
Chinese culture means "harmony culture" and "tolerance culture". It is precisely because of the "culture of harmony" and "culture of tolerance" that 56 ethnic groups in China can live in harmony and friendship. Although the ultimate goal of "harmony" is the same among all nationalities and cultures in the world, the tolerance of "difference" is different, which leads to disputes, disputes, accusations and even wars! At this point, we can sum up three major causes of world turmoil and disputes. First, it is based on the "struggle theory" in the law of unity of opposites; Second, some ethnic groups and cultures are not tolerant enough; Third, the biggest weakness of human nature-greed expansion caused by "selfishness". The theory of "Taiji Harmony" tells us that force and power can never unify the whole country, and only "Harmony" can unify the whole country. Peace is the eternal pursuit of mankind. The greatest contribution of the Chinese nation to the world lies in the theory of "Taiji Harmony". The Chinese nation infiltrated by the idea of "Taiji Harmony" will surely become the backbone of world peace.
VII. World Balance Theory-the great basic law of science
The essence of science and technology is to explore, discover, study and solve contradictory problems in its own field. Yin-Yang balance theory is the core theory of Taiji philosophy, and it also reveals the great basic law of science-"The world is balanced.