The concepts and ideals of Chinese culture are the basis for Lao-Tzu's book, Tao Te Ching. 3500 years ago, the Chinese developed their belief that everything in the universe has an equal, a balance, or harmony. For every hot there is a cold, for every high there is a low. This simple concept is the foundation for the Chinese philosophy. This same concept is used throughout Lao-Tzu's book. As you will see, many similarities exist between these two philosophies, even though they were written almost 1000 years apart.
Lao-Tzu was born sometime between 600BC and 400BC. Almost 1000 years after the start of the Chinese culture. His writing on the Tao or "the way- describes many instances of harmony and balance. In his book, Lao-Tzu informs us that .
"If you want to be whole,.
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight,.
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become full,.
let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn,.
let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything,.
give up everything (TTC 22)."".
It is this kind of relationship that Lao-Tzu writes about. In Chinese culture, Yin Yang is the term to describe this harmony. Its symbol is comprised of two fish-like shapes intertwined to form a circle, one black and one white. This symbolizes the balance of one and another. What Lao-Tzu is telling us in this passage is that in order to have one extreme come true, it must be balanced with the opposite extreme. Whole and partial, full and empty, reborn and die. This same concept is seen in another philosophy which is closely related to that of the ancient Chinese Culture.
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"Feng Shui, translated from the Chinese, means Wind Water. It is a system of philosophy, science and art that has been used for thousands of years as a method of connecting people with Heaven and Earth "seeking a balance between opposites in all aspects of our environments (IFSG)."" It is described here that Feng Shui allows us to connect with the heavens through the way we live.
