| Confucius - Confucius or
Kong Fu Zi (551-479 BC), was a Chinese philosopher, known as
of the most influential figures in Chinese history. The teachings
of Confucius and his followers, developed into Confucianism,
a major ideology which greatly influenced the social, political
and institutional principles of conduct in China.
The teachings of Confucius were passed down in nine ancient
works divided into two groups: the Five Classics and the Four
Books. The Five classics originated before the time of Confucius,
and include the I Ching (Book of Changes), the Shu Ching (Book
of History), the Shih Ching (Book of Poetry), the Li Chi (Book
of Rites), and the Ch'un Ch'iu (Spring and Autumn Annals).
Fu Hsi - Fu Hsi or Fu Xi was the first of
the legendary emperors of China who must have governed between
2852-2737 B.C. He offered mankind many valuable inventions
including hunting, trawling, cooking, animal taming and cultivation
of the silk worm.
Hexagram - Any of the 64 combinations of
6 broken or unbroken lines, used in the I Ching; a six-pointed
star-shaped figure formed by extending the sides of a regular
hexagon until they meet at 6 points.
Pa Kua - The Pa Kua are the eight trigrams
described in the I Ching; they represent the ever changing
elemental forces of the universe. Each trigram represents
a direction, and element, an animal, etc. These trigrams are
combined to form the sixty-four hexagrams; the combined meanings
constitute a detailed system of divination; Pa Kua also refers
to a wooden hexagram containing the eight trigrams, with a
mirrored center, which are hung over doorways as a protective
charm.
Synchronicity - A principle developed by
the eminent psychiatrist Carl Jung, which takes the coincidence
of events in space and time as meaning something more than
mere chance, namely, a peculiar interdependence of objective
events among themselves as well as with the subjective or
psychic states of the observer or observers.
Taoism - One of the three great religions
of China, Taoism evolved as a form of philosophy and psychology
from Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE). It means the Way, defined as -
a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things,
living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural processes
and nourishes balance in the Universe. It embodies the harmony
of opposites". Although much of its heritage was destroyed
during the Cultural Revolution of China (1966 - 1976), today
Taoism has a following of approximately 20 million around
the world.
Trigram - One of the 8 combinations of three
solid or broken lines that are joined in pairs to form the
hexagrams of the I Ching.
Yin and Yang - An important Chinese concept
in dualistic cosmology, which speaks of two opposing forces
or energy of which everything in existence is a part of, interacting
to maintain the harmony of the universe. Yin is seen as the
feminine aspect, representing things in the worlds that is
dark, hidden, passive, cool, yielding, soft and receptive,
while Yang, the masculine aspect is clear, bright, active,
evident, aggressive, controlling, hard and hot. |
