51 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
51 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
This file courtesy of Yaz (yaz@phoenix.oulu.fi)
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"Tao becomes one,
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one becomes two,
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two becomes three and
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three becomes
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ten thousand.
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Behind existence of every item
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is a shadow,
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in front of it is light
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and as stabilizer is
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immaterial breathing." -- Lao Tzu: Tao Te Chiang
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In Chinese cosmology, which Japanese is based on too, the source of
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everything is _tao_, the universal law. From _tao_ comes _one_ which is
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existence. From it form two powers, ying and yang, which are both opposite
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of each other and filling each other. The interaction of ying and yang
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creates _ki_, so that these two becomes three. _Ki_ is the "immaterial
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breathing", which Lao Tzu wrote about. It is in many shapes, from light
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to granite. Even immobile matter is built from very dense _ki_, just like
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every matter is formed of particles of energy.
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So, how three becomes "ten thousand"?
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According to the old philosophy _ki_ appears in five forms of energy,
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which are called the five elements. They are fire, earth, metal, water
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and tree. Each of those have their own special characteristics, which
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become visible in some of the "ten thousand" things or beings.
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For example flora belongs mostly to the tree element and stones and
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minerals to the metal element. Every one of the ten thousand things
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or beings of nature has some kind of combination of _ying_ and _yang_
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and an unique combination of the five elements, which forms "the real
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_ki_" of the thing or being.
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Elements : Fire : Earth : Metal : Water : Tree
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-----------+-----------+-------------+---------+------------+-------
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Color : red : yellow : white : blue/black : green
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-----------+-----------+-------------+---------+------------+-------
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Sound : laugh : sing : cry : groan : shout
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-----------+-----------+-------------+---------+------------+-------
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Smell : burned : good : spoiled : rotten : rancid
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-----------+-----------+-------------+---------+------------+-------
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Feeling : happiness : compassion : sorrows : fear : anger
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-----------+-----------+-------------+---------+------------+-------
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Season : Summer : late Summer : Fall : Winter : Spring
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-----------+-----------+-------------+---------+------------+-------
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Taste : acrid : sweet : bitter : salty : sour
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-----------+-----------+-------------+---------+------------+-------
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