YANG YIN INSIGHT

2 IDEAS FROM ME

• The Chinese characters for Yang Yin describe two different dynamic perspectives of the same mountain. Yang = 陽 (The the sunlit side of the mountain). Yin = 陰 (The shaded side of the same mountain). If you stand anywhere on the mountain, Yang will transform into Yin and Yin into Yang as the earth spins and rotates around the sun. Wisdom is learning where you are in the Yang-Yin transition cycle and making good choices. For example, on a May Denali Climb, choosing to roll in the snow naked to take a bath on a sunny windless warm day is a wise choice. Choosing to put on full summit gear and repair ice walls around your tent the next day during a sub-zero arctic cyclone is the better choice.

• Reality isn’t divided into two opposing things. One reality continually differentiates itself into complementary conditions that depend upon, transform into, and contain the potential for one another. Sometimes you need yang: action, courage, risk, creation. Sometimes you need yin: reflection, recovery, investigation, and silence. Peace comes not from eliminating uncertainty, imperfection, or impermanence, but from learning to skillfully respond to them.

2 QUOTES FROM SAGES

• “No mud, no lotus.”—Thich Nhat Hahn

• “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”—Kahlil Gibran

1 QUESTION FOR YOU TO EXPLORE

• When you examine the highs and lows of your life story, what meaningful transformations have occurred following the learning from each?

Namaste,

Duane Nelson