Tai Chi Thinking

Xuefeng

Why is life so confusing?

It is because the myriad phenomena confound our thinking. The complex and multifaceted matters imprison our minds. The constant changes weaken our spirits. The daily struggles with food, clothing, shelter, and transportation bind the wings of our freedom. The diverse ideologies and viewpoints exhaust us, leaving us directionless. On top of that, the “correct” values and morals passed down by our ancestors stifle our imagination and constrain our exploratory spirit. As a result, we remain ignorant of the meaning and value of life. Without transcending all these phenomena and the constraints of time and space, we will never escape the labyrinth of life.

There are countless religious doctrines in the world. Which one is correct? There are vast amounts of political platforms. Which one is truly right? Countless brilliant experts and scholars have expounded numerous theories. Which one is truly useful to us? Life is filled with boundless pursuits. What should we truly pursue? The kind and diligent are often marginalized, while the bold and wicked lead luxurious lives. Seekers of Tao are often neglected on the cliffs, while shallow noisy ones are favored by society. Goodness does not always receive its reward, nor does evil always meet its consequences. Hard work is sometimes washed away like flowing water. Wealth accumulated over years can be wiped out in an instant by political upheavals or natural disasters. The person we yearn for does not come near, while troubles always appear before us. Those closest in distance may not be our kindred spirits, while those far away may linger in our thoughts. Reality and ideals often diverge. Even when our minds are clear, we often feel powerless. What kind of program is this? Are we merely pieces on a chessboard?

Escaping from the wolf’s den only to enter the tiger’s lair; casting off worldly robes only to drape oneself in a monk’s cassock. When lonely, one longs for liveliness; when among crowds, one craves solitude. When single, one desires marriage; after marriage, one contemplates divorce. Going in circles endlessly, only to find that all is in vain. What, then, is the purpose of living?

Fatigue and helplessness mark the trajectory of most beings. The mundane live a life of toil and frustration. Ambitious schemers stir up trouble to serve their ends. Instigating and inciting internal strife is the specialty of small-minded individuals. Obsessively splitting hairs to defend their own interests is the fanatical tool of party followers and religious believers, who never stop chattering. Political figures create endless movements to blind people’s vision for their own goals. Self-deception and grandstanding are the tactics of those unwilling to accept the status quo. Some revel in nitpicking and dousing others’ enthusiasm simply out of boredom. Spreading gossip and stirring trouble are the favorite pastimes of troublemakers. In such a society and era, without Tai Chi Thinking, it is difficult to make sense of everything.

What is Tai Chi Thinking? Tai Chi Thinking is the ability to transcend the constraints of myriad phenomena, using the wisdom of celestial beings to discern the fundamental principles governing the universe. By grasping these principles, one can gain a clear vision of life’s purpose and swiftly achieve the sublimation of LIFE, completing the arduous journey of existence with ease.

The core of Tai Chi Thinking is the Yin-Yang duality. No matter how many phenomena exist, they all fall into the category of Yin or Yang. By using Yin-Yang as a guiding principle, we can grasp the overarching structure of the world and gain clarity in our thoughts, transforming chaos into tranquility and confusion into understanding.

The ultimate origin is Wuji (the state of limitless potential), which gives rise to Tai Chi (the Supreme Ultimate). Tai Chi generates Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang generate the Four Symbols, the Four Symbols generate the Eight Trigrams, and the Eight Trigrams generate the sixty-four hexagrams, which in turn give birth to the myriad things of the universe. Now, instead of starting from the vast complexities of the universe, we work in reverse: discarding the myriad phenomena, the hexagrams, the Eight Trigrams, and the Four Symbols, and directly focusing on Yin-Yang. By observing all matters through this duality, we can find the optimal path for life and existence.

The principle of Yin-Yang is symmetry and balance. Its primary aspects include positive and negative, true and false, good and evil, beauty and ugliness, love and hate, and so on. By categorizing all phenomena within this framework, we can establish order in our thinking and achieve clarity, turning busyness into tranquility and bewilderment into lucidity.

Now, let us use Tai Chi Thinking to analyze eight key aspects of life:

1. The world consists of two fundamental parts: Yin and Yang. One either belongs to Yin or Yang; the middle ground is confusion. Yin corresponds to the nonmaterial and the nonmaterial world, while Yang corresponds to matter and the material world. What we perceive with our senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—belongs to the material world, whereas thoughts and inspirations belong to the nonmaterial world. We either exist in the material world or in the nonmaterial world. If we dwell in between, we become lost. Life’s confusion stems from being caught between the material and nonmaterial worlds, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, truth and falsehood. Something may seem real but is fleeting and illusory; something may seem false but feels undeniably true. This is the root of religious and philosophical perplexities and why the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, and other sages are often misunderstood. In essence, all religious discourses revolve around these two concepts—sometimes speaking of Yin, sometimes of Yang—but never truly transcending them.

There are two kinds of people who are happy. One kind is atheists. They focus only on the material world—if there is wine today, they drink and enjoy it; if there is no wine tomorrow, they drink plain water without concern. They do not believe in or acknowledge the existence of the nonmaterial world, nor do they believe in the cycle of life and reincarnation or in karma and retribution. They recognize only reality and care only about this life. They never think about heaven or hell, never consider karmic consequences and affinities, and never concern themselves with how their words and actions might affect their future life. As a result, they do not feel burdened; they live simply, always preoccupied with material interests. Unlike religious believers and seekers of the Tao, they do not suffer from spiritual torment. They are not as cautious and overthink things as those people do, nor do they live in constant anxiety.

The second type consists of those who focus entirely on the nonmaterial world. They see through worldly illusions and remain detached from material concerns. Whether nations rise or fall, whether humanity thrives or perishes, whether the earth continues or vanishes, none of it disturbs them, for their consciousness dwells in the nonmaterial world.

The ones who live with exhaustion are those who dwell in the material world yet refuse to let go of anything in it, while also yearning to obtain everything from the nonmaterial world. They are unwilling to abandon their pursuit of the afterlife, yet they know little to nothing about what the material world truly is, what the nonmaterial world is, or how the two are connected—at most, they have only a superficial understanding. This ignorance leads to inner conflicts and spiritual suffering. If they focus purely on pursuing the material world, they seem to have a vague sense that they might be missing something and fear losing the blessings of the afterlife. But if they devote themselves entirely to seeking the grace of the nonmaterial world, they worry about missing out on the pleasures of this life. In the end, they achieve neither—losing both worldly possessions and spiritual fulfillment. The vast majority of religious believers fall into this category.

I do not advocate for any of these three approaches to life. The first is blindly optimistic, the second contradicts human nature, and the third leads to unnecessary suffering. Instead, I propose a way of living where the mind fully resides in the nonmaterial world while the body fully enjoys the material world. This way, life continuously ascends toward the heavenly kingdom while the body experiences the joys of existence.

Shift your thinking, move toward the heavenly kingdom, live gracefully, and have no regrets in life.