Turning into the opposite is the action of the TAO, weakness is the means of the TAO The Tao te Ching The paper gives a new interpretation of the passage from Chapter 42 of the Tao te Ching. The action of the image-scheme from this passage is shown on examples of human and animal life through the relationship of material and spiritual, life and death. 1. IMAGE AND REALITY 1. In the brilliant monument of ancient Chinese thought "Tao te Ching" at the beginning of par. 42 there is a small (only 7 characters), but extremely important, key to understanding the philosophy of Lao Tzu phrase-image: "TAO will give birth to one, one will give birth to two, two will give birth to three, three will give birth to the darkness of things. The dark things carry YIN on their backs and hold YANG in their hands. " 1 (emphasis added. - L. A.). 2. These words have the deepest meaning: YANG-the active principle is in an active, active state - in the hands; YIN-passive, conservative beginning - inert, inactive-on the back. 3. Try to swap YIN and YANG - and your hands will be tied with passivity, inertia of YIN, and active, active YANG will start playing tricks on your back. 4. This seemingly purely metaphorical image (item 1.) contains a very real, prosaic content in Lao Tzu: a person creates with the hands of an active YANG deet and the result: he puts the conservative YIN fruits of this activity behind his back, in a knapsack, in a passive YIN state. 5. It is no coincidence that in the I Ching (Book of Changes) both the trigram and hexagram - gua QIAN (all the whole features of YANG yao) means creativity (creation), and - gua KUN (all the interrupted features of YIN yao) - execution (result). 2. FLESH AND SPIRIT 1. Over time, the burden of YIN-the fruits of action on the back (item 1.4.) - grows, becoming more and more burdening a person, becoming a burden to him, taking energy away from active, creative YANG, limiting his mobility. 2. Now the weight of YIN-passive on the back-becomes s ... Read more