Balance Yin Yang

 One of the basic philosophical principles is recognizing that everything in the universe is composed of two energy forces that oppose each other, and yet somehow complement each other.

 These two great energetic forces in Far Eastern philosophy are widely known as Yin and Yang. Yin, the female, is associated with water and represents the earth. Yang, the male, is associated with fire and represents heaven.

 Hence, terms of endearment and respect like Mother Nature, Mother Earth, and Heavenly Father, and Father Time.

 When the two primary forces of Yin and Yang unite, the water energy of the earth and the fire energy of heaven, the result is the responsibility of all of creation.

 Sometimes it appears that when you are trying to solve a problem, the negative influences are stronger than the positive and balance does not seem to exist; but it does.

 I have a black belt in Hapkido, an old Korean martial art that is fundamentally based on joint locking and pressure point techniques, and the one thing my master taught me long ago is that for every technique there is a counter technique, and this is also true in daily life.

Even though I may not be aware of the influence of Yin and Yang, it is always present in all facets of everyday life. I make it my business to recognize it and perhaps gain an understanding.

 Balance is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. Since Zen and balance share many of the same properties then you could say that Zen is everywhere and nowhere, it is everything and at the same time it is nothing, Zen is full and empty, and it is the beginning and the end.

I do agree that is quite a narrow view and rudimentary, but that is a good thing also, because it will allow you to add your philosophical beliefs and psychic makeup to the mix. When this happens you will have created your ideal meaning of what Zen means to you.

 There are some who would say that Zen, Tao, and Yin and Yang are baloney and they don’t really mean anything. That is absolutely fine because that is what is right for them. Clearly this type of individual is not ready for deeper spiritual development and that’s okay too because some things cannot be rushed and truthfully, they shouldn’t be.

Balance keeps me moving forward towards the meaning of life and for me that is the pursuit of happiness and joy.

 The relationship between Zen and balance is very important, but it is not so easy to state. It is not as simple as saying that the opposite of Zen is not Zen.

 The Yin and Yang of Zen is more complex. Zen, becoming Zen, being Zen, is a great way to live even though if someone were to ask, “what is Zen?” I may not be able to give a qualified answer.

 Just know that Zen and Yin Yang are always connected and once you achieve a certain level of understanding about this, you should be able to gain a better understanding about yourself and what Zen means to you.

The best that I can offer is to explain my philosophy on what Zen means to me and how it affects the Yin and Yang in my life.

 There is one area of our lives, your life, my life, everyone’s life actually, where we can see the principles of Yin Yang at work, and that’s our families. People come and people go, we feel the pleasure and the pain.

My family is fairly typical in most respects. Sometimes family members don’t get along or share the same points of view, and that’s okay, we still love and respect each other despite our shortcomings. We all have them.

 We have had our share of happy events and tragedy through the years and this is clearly the principle of Yin and Yang.