Chinese Cosmology 

As far as I know, this is a unique interpretation of my own, but I am interested in other's thoughts. In addition to viewing the wuxing as the five phases, I also find them useful in describing five qualities that all 'matter' possesses. Water represents viscosity, or the state of matter, i.e., solid, liquid, or gas at a particular temperature. Metal represents conductivity, or how well it allows the flow of "qi". Earth represents volume or mass, i.e. how much physical space matter takes up. Fire represents temperature, which modern physics understands is caused by motion at the atomic level and the level of kinetic energy a substance has. Wood represents the density or pressure of a substance. Material sciences is the study of how these qualities change in relation to one another, which materials have strong relationships between different qualities, and which ones have weaker relationships. From a cosmological perspective, the manifestation of li into matter through the "condensation" of qi, matter is imbued with each of these qualities which determines its relationships with other types of matter. I find this interpretation helps understand those relationships and restores them from 'colder' technical scientific descriptions to 'warmer' more natural or humane terms. It is more of a rhetorical or literary device than anything else, but as I understand it, such metaphors are integral to Chinese philosophy. As I said, I am curious in what others think. Thanks in advance.

Great lecture, very informative. Thank you. It would be better if you can complement your discussions of the Dao, Yin, Yang, five phase, etc. based on Dong Zhongshu's account with Guan Zi or Master Guan 管子, Chronicle of Master Lu 吕氏春秋, Huainanzi, etc. which take a more positive view about the yin aspects of cosmology. I find Dong Zhongshu offensive and unfortunately his teaching was far more influential than the other three classics in the political arena. However, the other three classics are far more influential in medical practice but not in the politics.

This is great lecture! Thanks for sharing. Just want to add something minor: the Earth is Long Summer in the four seasons which is a period between summer and autumn, and the five internal organs are misplaced, namely, spleen should be for earth, liver for wood, kidney for water, lung for metal and heart for fire.

What a great lecture... Thanks your posting. Very much enjoying your videos. ☯️

Thank you for your videos! I think they are wonderful and appreciate you

So good please post more

five phases that things go through; and not elements....@32:00 that makes so much more sense to me, thanks

The Great Dao is truly boundless

I just started viewing these lectures so I don't know if this is addressed elsewhere, but in studying Yin and Yang and the Three Bonds and Five Virtues, or simply 綱常, gang chang, I find that the conjunction to be extremely important. The bonds were only valid if both parties upheld the virtues, and the obligations of the yang to the yin were even more important than obligations in the other direction. I agree that interpreting Yang as superior and Yin as inferior makes it easy to view them as a hierarchical relationship where the former dominates the latter, but I wonder how much of that interpretation is due to Western attitudes. I see the yang as the senior partner and yin as the junior partner, or a mentor and an intern, or a journeyman and an apprentice. The goal is not to dominate, but to guide. The father/son (or in modern terms, simply parent/child) bond is the exemplar in my opinion. The other two bonds are incidental, but the parental relationship is crucial, i.e. it is possible to have a society without rulers or spouses. A society without parents is in serious trouble. As a father myself, the most important responsibilities are to uphold the virtues and lead by example. The goal is not to control my children and have them mindlessly obey my commands. The goal is to help them become responsible adults in their own time, and so that they will hopefully continue the cycle. The five virtues (仁, benevolence; 義, justice or righteousness; 禮, 'propriety'; 智, wisdom; and 信, integrity) are not qualities relating to the exercise of power (though they are applicable) , but qualities concerning how to achieve harmony which was the ultimate goal of Kongzi and his followers as I understand it. Thanks for making these lectures available online. I am looking forward to the others.

"It's turtles all the way down!"

The turtle story is much more convincing than the Big Bang story.

Yet is never at loss

so, in other words, the dao 道 is the groundless unconditioned ground of being, kind of like how god is the groundless unconditioned ground of being to the thomist?

The true meaning of "Dao" is simply and directly stated and explained in the first sentence of Chapter 1, which says the Dao the can be dao (Dao used as verb meaning spoken) is Not Dao. So my interpretation of "Dao" is something unfathomable (to be left into the future if ever), which results or produces or creats(or in search of better words one can think of...) the dynamics of "Ying and Yang" is called or is being Ye (I) 「易」i.e. of 「易經」(I Ching). This is my "read" of Dao. Note: In a way, this is consistant with modern science, where the so called "Theory of Everything or Universe" is forever evolving and this process may never end. Therefore, it is my view that Laozi"s 「道德經」(the first part or the Dao part) is his way or understanding of 「易經」(the Book of Change), which comes much earlier. Father of Quantum Physics, Niels Bohr picked his emblem with the symbol of Ying and Yang.

Thank you very much!

I've always thought of Chi as the lifeforce generated by breathing.

I've always found resonance between the old English term weird, as a path only wide enough for one person to pass, and the Dao. Though, like Qi, there is no single translation of the term Dao into western languages IMO. As long as we can stop calling it 'Tao'. It's been half a century, let's get over Wade-Giles!

Turtles stories sounds like question of "Who create god ?"

Going from infinite turtles to basic set theory while talking about the tao is funny.

Sunü sounds kinda based

Yin and yang is especially about male and femal. Don't you think gender equality is THE opposite of Chinese cosmology? Not sure why you throw in political correctness.