Questioner: I don’t quite understand how to achieve balance between Yin and Yang in study and practice.
Blue: Reading is Yang, while experiencing through practice is Yin. Both are indispensable. Only by understanding their essence can true balance be achieved. Let me offer an analogy for your reference.
Questioner: Okay.
Blue: It's like climbing a mountain. The entire mountain, along with the forest at its base, together create a breathtaking landscape. However, if you wish to fully appreciate this scenery, you must do two things.
Questioner: What are the two things?
Blue: First, climb to the summit and take in the panoramic view from above. Second, descend into the forest and observe the details up close.
Questioner: What do you mean by that?
Blue: Let's take it step by step. Yang is like focusing on details. If you only pay attention to details, you will never truly grasp the whole picture. Over time, you will inevitably get lost in them, becoming fixated—like wandering endlessly in the forest at the base of the mountain without ever understanding where you truly are.
Questioner: “One cannot see the true face of Mount Lu, only because one is within it.”
Blue: Exactly. Language and words are Yang in nature. If people become obsessed with analyzing words and concepts, they will stray further from reality. Reality is a vast, multidimensional, and highly complex existence, and our experiences in life are even more intricate.
For example, imagine I see a rare and exotic beast. If I try to describe it using words, my description will inevitably be limited. Written words can express what "is," but they cannot fully convey what "is not." The unspoken sensations cannot be captured, and what can be described is always partial and fragmented.
Suppose I say, "It is long and yellow." Is this description accurate? Of course, it is. But if someone were to rely solely on this description to find the beast, they would likely fail. They might come across a long, yellow dog lying by the village entrance and mistakenly believe they have found the rare creature.
Questioner: Searching for truth is far more complex than finding an animal.
Blue: Exactly. Descriptions are like one-way roads. Someone who has seen the truth can use words to convey it to others, but if someone tries to reach the truth merely by following those words, they will be chasing illusions—it is simply impossible.
Questioner: So you're saying that those who have firsthand experience can describe it however they wish, but those who merely listen to the descriptions won’t be able to find the truth by following them alone?
Blue: That is precisely what I mean by a one-way road. From the source, countless paths lead outward, forming numerous teachings and scriptures. However, from the outside, no road leads directly to the truth. Truth itself is pathless. A bookworm obsessed with textual analysis, hoping to grasp truth through intellectual reasoning alone, is like a lost traveler in the forest at the foot of the mountain—trying to understand the entire landscape just by studying the trees around him.
This logic is so simple that even a child would understand it. If we were to ask a child right now how to see the entire landscape, what do you think they would say?
Questioner: That’s easy—just climb to the top of the mountain!
Blue: You are a very wise child! In fact, children are often much wiser than adults, aren't they? Instead of constantly consuming information, we should observe children and learn from them.
Questioner: So reading books and analyzing with the intellect are Yang, like studying the details of the forest at the mountain’s base?
Blue: Yes. But merely observing details will never reveal their true significance. Those who immerse themselves in the dramas of life without seeking their deeper meaning will never grasp life’s source. We must ascend to the peaks of existence to truly understand why we are here.
Questioner: And what about Yin? Is Yin better than Yang?
Blue: There is no "better" or "worse" here. You have fallen into the trap of dualistic thinking again. These are simply two aspects of existence, equally important and inseparable. What we need is balance and integration.
Earlier, I spoke about the Yang aspect—focusing on details. But I did not dismiss the importance of details; I only warned against fixation and obsession with them.
Now, let’s examine the Yin aspect. If Yang is about details, then Yin is about expanding one’s vision to see the whole. It’s like standing on the mountaintop, overlooking the entire landscape.
Questioner: You said both are essential. Does that mean if I only focus on the Yin aspect, observing the whole picture, it’s still not enough?
Blue: Imagine standing on the peak and spotting a beautiful garden below. Would just looking at it from a distance satisfy you?
Questioner: No way! If it’s that beautiful, I’d definitely want to go down and explore it up close.
Blue: That’s exactly it. Even if you see the full picture, if you don’t descend to experience the details, you won’t truly understand them. Without engaging with the details, how could you ever fully appreciate the entire landscape?
Questioner: This feels very similar to how the universe was created.
Answer: You are quite perceptive. The material world is the universe’s details—it exists in the lower realm. But contrary to what some believe, it is not something to be dismissed. On the contrary, experiencing the material world is valuable; it is part of the universe’s grand design. Through experiencing the details and then ascending back, both the universe and life itself gain a more complete understanding.
Questioner: So how do we balance Yin and Yang in daily life?
Blue: Once you understand the principle, you can arrange it yourself. We need the Yang aspect of research, analysis, and study, but we must also recognize that details alone are not enough—we must "climb the mountain." Climbing the mountain means practice. And just like actual mountain climbing, it requires real effort and dedication. Only through personal experience can you truly comprehend what books describe. When that moment of realization comes, it will feel like a sudden revelation—just like when you reach a certain altitude and suddenly see the places you passed through earlier, exclaiming, "Ah, so that’s what it was!"
Questioner: What exactly do you mean by practice? How do I practice?
Blue: Understanding concepts is Yang-based learning. But understanding real-life experiences requires Yin-based practice.
For instance, if you often get angry, do you truly understand why?
Questioner: Yes, I do. There are many reasons.
Blue: Then has your anger disappeared? Have you gained complete control over yourself?
Questioner: No, it hasn’t disappeared. Even though I know the reasons, I still get angry. I feel like I can’t control myself.
Blue: That means you are still stuck in Yang’s intellectual analysis. You haven’t truly seen the root of your anger. If you had, your anger would naturally dissolve.
Questioner: How could that happen?
Blue: Imagine someone tells you there’s a tiger in your room. You become terrified and try to analyze logically to calm yourself down, but no matter how much reasoning you do, your fear remains.
However, if you stop overthinking and simply go check the room yourself—confirming with your own eyes that there’s no tiger—would you still be afraid? The principle is the same.
Questioner: So this is Yin-based practice?
Blue: Not quite. It is actually the fusion of Yin and Yang. We must not rigidly separate them—that is the habit of dualistic thinking. My analogies are only to help you grasp the idea of Yin and Yang.
In reality, Yin and Yang are inseparable; knowing and doing are one. Just like when you see an interesting tree from afar, you naturally approach it to examine it more closely, experiencing it fully. This entire process happens naturally—it is the harmony of Yin and Yang.
Questioner: So knowledge alone isn’t enough, and action alone isn’t enough. We must integrate both?
Blue: Exactly. You need both a map and the willingness to walk the path. Only together can they lead you forward. And what unites them is childlike innocence—the natural heart. When these three come together, they form the Holy Grail.
Questioner: What is the surface of the Dao?
Blue: The truth expressed in words.
Questioner: What is the bone of the Dao?
Blue: The truth realized through experience.
Questioner: What is the essence of the Dao?
Blue: "Heaven and Earth hold great beauty, yet they do not speak." I wish to remain silent, just like the heavens and the earth.
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Translator: ChatGPT
Responder: Blue
Recorder: Zebra
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