Dialectics · Internal Reference¶
This version contains the complete original texts in translation, organized by theme for in-depth study.
I. Definition and Essence¶
Philosophy is the abstract study of the fundamental nature of the world, the laws of its development, and the relationship between human thought and existence. Dialectics is the theoretical study of the unity of opposites, the contradictory movement of things, and their universal interconnectedness. In terms of category, dialectics belongs to philosophy — philosophy encompasses dialectics, just as consciousness encompasses thinking. In figurative terms: philosophy is the body, dialectics is the eye; philosophy speaks of the whole, dialectics speaks of the particular.
In my view, philosophy belongs to science and must rely on empirical evidence for its reasoning. Without evidence, logic breaks down — and conclusions drawn from flawed logic will be wrong. For example, pure idealism and pure materialism both sever the unity of contradictory sides; religion over-emphasizes the idealist dimension while ignoring the value of present reality; pragmatism over-emphasizes existence while ignoring the foundation from which existence arises.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · "Using Philosophical Dialectics to Guide One's Life")
II. The Eight Great Cosmic Dialectics¶
Overview¶
Taiji thinking tells us that everything in the universe exists in yin-yang symmetry and the unity of opposites. The two opposing sides coexist within a unified whole; each is the condition for the other's existence. When one side disappears, so does the other. Within a given range, as one grows the other diminishes; as one peaks the other revives — the two poles connect, and things reverse at their extreme.
"Know the masculine, hold to the feminine." "By stepping back, one steps forward; by effacing oneself, one is preserved." "Life is the root of death; death is the root of life." "Yin and yang are mutually rooted." "When things reach their extreme, they reverse; when the end comes, the beginning follows." "Yield and overcome; bend and be straight; empty and be full; wear out and be new." The birth, growth, decay, and collapse of opposing sides is a dialectical relationship.
The universe contains eight great dialectics: emptiness is form, form is emptiness; at extremity comes reversal, endings beget beginnings; the minute becomes manifest, the small becomes great; life and death are mutually rooted, yin waxes as yang wanes; non-existence generates existence, existence generates non-existence; when the mind ceases, nature appears, when mind arises, nature is hidden; movement and stillness complement each other, light and shadow depend on each other; the positive and negative are symmetrical, proportion governs all.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Transmission Chapter · "The Eight Great Cosmic Dialectics")
1. Emptiness Is Form, Form Is Emptiness¶
The three elements composing the universe — consciousness, structure, and energy — all exist as antimatter. Any single element in isolation is emptiness: you cannot see its shape, hear its sound, face it and see its front, or follow it and see its back. But when the three converge, form arises — dazzling, infinite, bewildering, manifesting in ten thousand appearances. Thus form arises from emptiness — emptiness is form; when emptiness takes on substance, form appears — form is emptiness.
To want emptiness is to dwell in form; to want form is to dwell in emptiness. Seek form and form will not be form; seek emptiness and emptiness will not be empty. Seek form and you will find emptiness; seek emptiness and you will find form.
2. At Extremity Comes Reversal, Endings Beget Beginnings¶
"The two poles connect; things reverse at their extreme." When the peak is reached, the valley calls. Joy at its height turns to grief; grief at its depth gives way to joy. Extreme yang becomes yin; extreme yin opens to yang. Softness at its limit becomes hardness; hardness at its limit must yield. Flourishing at its zenith must decline; decline at its nadir must flourish. Things grow old and then regenerate. Infinity's end is the infinitesimal; the infinitesimal's end is infinity. Once saturation is reached, transformation occurs; once the threshold is crossed, a new quality emerges. "Great virtue appears to lack virtue; great benevolence appears to lack benevolence."
Haste makes waste. "The clear way looks obscure; the way forward looks like retreat." To seek happiness, avoid extremes. To achieve new life, seek the limit.
3. The Minute Becomes Manifest, the Small Becomes Great¶
Matter is composed of molecules; molecules are composed of atoms. "A towering tree grows from a tiny seed; a building of ten thousand feet rises from a mound of earth." To see the great in the small is called clarity. "Great affairs of the world must be handled in detail; difficult affairs must begin with the easy." The vast is concealed in the minute; the great is concealed in the small. Focus on the big picture while acting on the small details. Pile up sand to build a tower; gather wool to make a fur coat. Ignore the small and the great remains unreachable; neglect the drops and the wish cannot be fulfilled.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Your future is shaped by the present. To reach the great, start from the minute; to reach the vast, start from the small.
4. Life and Death Are Mutually Rooted, Yin Waxes as Yang Wanes¶
Life is the root of death; death is the root of life. Without life there is no death; without death there is no life. Transformation and reincarnation — life and death travel together. Every day there is dying; every day there is birth. At every moment birth and death occur simultaneously, here life arises, there it ends. When the hard arises the soft dies; when goodness dies evil is born. When the ordinary realm dies, the celestial realm comes to life. When the human heart dies, the celestial heart is born. The old cannot leave until it is let go; bliss cannot arise until selfishness is cleared away.
To truly live, learn to die. Those who are good at dying are good at living. Hold to yin while embracing yang; hold to yang while embracing yin. Cling to life and you will die; embrace death and you will live.
5. Non-Existence Generates Existence, Existence Generates Non-Existence¶
From nothing comes something; from something comes nothing. The more you let go, the more you have; the more you hold, the more you lose. With nothing at all, you can possess everything; possessing everything, you have nothing. The more you own, the emptier you become; the more you release, the more real you are. Enter into luminous emptiness — a thousand colors and infinite vitality; step into wealth, power, and desire — no longer yourself, endlessly troubled.
"What is has utility; what is not has function." If you want to have, work on not-having.
6. When the Mind Ceases, Nature Appears; When Mind Arises, Nature Is Hidden¶
Nature here means the Tathagata-nature, the Buddha-nature. The reason sentient beings cannot attain Buddhahood is that they have minds. Without mind, one is a Buddha. When the mind ceases, nature appears; when mind arises, nature is hidden. This is dialectical — as one advances the other retreats. "Ten thousand phenomena give rise to the mind; when the mind arises, suffering arises." Therefore: "Let the mind arise without dwelling anywhere. The mind should not dwell on form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects; it should arise without any abiding place."
"A single leaf blocks the eye and you cannot see Mount Tai." A single mind blocks nature and you cannot reach Elysium. To illuminate the mind and see the nature, release the mind and let nature appear.
7. Movement and Stillness Complement Each Other; Light and Shadow Depend on Each Other¶
Stillness is the source of movement; without stillness, movement cannot arise. Movement is the root of stillness; without movement, stillness cannot be found. True stillness comes from movement; great movement arises from great stillness; great stillness comes from great movement. Light is born from shadow; shadow arises from light. The Kingdom of Heaven and hell — one bright, one dark. Favorable and unfavorable circumstances — light and shadow form each other. Weeds grow on the refuse heap; those who dwell in blessing seldom know it. "Misfortune is where fortune rests; fortune is where misfortune lurks." Know the bright and hold to the shadow — when the shadow reaches its extreme, brightness comes. Understand the dialectic and be careful in prosperity — when brightness reaches its extreme, shadow returns.
All things are born in stillness and fulfilled in movement. Without stillness, movement cannot arise; without movement, nothing is accomplished. Non-action is the source of all action; action is but a shadow. Do not resent the shadow — at its darkest, the light comes.
8. The Positive and Negative Are Symmetrical; Proportion Governs All¶
"Stand out from the crowd and you will be slandered and attacked. A tree that towers above the forest will be brought down by the wind. Elevated reputation invites jealousy; excessive favor invites slander." In the thirty-six-dimensional space, dimensions are arranged symmetrically. The force of action and the force of reaction are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. All things both generate and restrain each other; one thing overcomes another. For every positive there is a negative; for every Kingdom of Heaven there is a hell. Everything develops in proportion; imbalance leads to chaos and premature destruction. Insatiable desire will inevitably produce disaster.
Follow nature; harbor no unreasonable expectations. Where there is positive there is negative — do not demand perfection. Let the rivers flow to the sea; take only one ladle to drink.
One yin and one yang — that is the Tao. Balance between yin and yang — that is principle. Understanding dialectics — that is clarity. Following nature — that is virtue.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Transmission Chapter · "The Eight Great Cosmic Dialectics," 2010-04-13)
III. Dialectics as a Guide for Human Life¶
Such formulations as "Buddha-Dharma has no fixed dharma — it transforms in ten thousand ways"; "Within constancy there is change, within change there is constancy"; "Only through selflessness can you achieve your true self"; "Only through losing yourself can you realize yourself"; "Only by having nothing can you possess everything" — all of these accord with philosophical dialectics, and they can guide human life.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · "Using Philosophical Dialectics to Guide One's Life")
Unity of Opposites: Discovering Heaven and the Antimatter World¶
From the law of the unity of opposites: there is positive and negative, yin and yang — therefore there must be an antimatter world alongside the material world; alongside the world of the living there must be the realm of the dead; alongside the human world there must be the Kingdom of Heaven and hell; alongside visible life there must be invisible life; alongside evolutionism there must be creationism; alongside materialism there must be idealism.
From this law we also discover that human beings are a unified entity of good and evil — so the question of whether human nature is originally good or originally evil is a false dichotomy. From Marxist philosophy alone, we have deduced the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven — so let us go there.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · "Using Dialectics Again to See What Else Can Be Found")
Quantitative-Qualitative Change: Humans Can Become Celestial Beings¶
To undergo qualitative change, quantitative accumulation is required. Once accumulation reaches saturation and breaks through the threshold, the nature of the thing changes. From the unity of opposites we know that where there are humans there must be celestial beings. Humans, celestial beings, and Buddhas are LIFE forms of different natures — each with its corresponding nature. To transform human nature into celestial nature, accumulation is required — accumulation directed toward the celestial. "Without accumulating small steps, you cannot travel a thousand miles; without gathering small streams, you cannot form a great river." Accumulate celestial nature persistently, and according to the law of quantitative-qualitative change, a person will inevitably become a celestial being.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · "Using Philosophical Dialectics to Guide One's Life")
Negation of Negation: New Things Will Prevail¶
New things will inevitably overcome old things. New things are those that accord with objective laws of development and have strong vitality and promising prospects; old things are those that run counter to these laws and are heading toward extinction. To identify whether something is genuinely new, do not look at form and appearance — look at essence. The future is bright; the old way grows narrower and the new way opens wider.
Hegel said: "The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history." Why? Because history moves forward; what suited the past no longer fits the present. Do not use historical classics to evaluate today's reality.
No matter how great today's difficulties, a new thing will always emerge to resolve all contradictions. "The future is bright; the road is winding." Tomorrow will be better.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · "Using Dialectics Again to See What Else Can Be Found")
IV. The Dialectics of Heart and Phenomena¶
There is no mind originally; mind arises from phenomena. Phenomena are appearances — ten thousand appearances give rise to ten thousand minds. Without the appearance of a computer, there is no computer-mind; without the appearance of parents, there is no parent-mind; without the appearance of the world, there is no world-mind.
When the mind follows appearances, it falls into the mundane. When appearances change but the mind does not, this is the sage's level. When the mind transforms appearances, this is the celestial being's level — darkness becomes dawn, pain becomes sweetness, adversity becomes favorable ground. When the mind creates appearances, this is the Heavenly Celestial's level — mind transcends ten thousand phenomena, emptiness is form and form is emptiness, without hindrance, without fear, without worry, without trouble.
Yet clinging to fixed dharmic appearances is bondage. And acting against the universal dharma leads to arrogance and the demonic path.
These statements seem contradictory. Whether they are contradictory depends on the viewer's level. From a single corner, there is contradiction everywhere. But with a Hundun-generated mind, there is no contradiction at all.
The law of heart and the law of phenomena — infinite subtlety lies within. Heart-dharma is consciousness, phenomenon-dharma is structure; they rotate and interchange, and energy responds accordingly.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Transmission Chapter · "The Dialectics of Heart and Phenomena," 2008-11-10)
V. Dialectics as a Transitional Tool¶
Once fully enlightened, there is only luminosity. Before full enlightenment, use dialectics and follow the middle way.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Wisdom Chapter · "What Cannot Be Used When Seen, Cannot Be Seen When Used")
The unity of opposites is the appearance of the universe, not its essence. The essence of the universe is Hundun. In Hundun there is no division between right and wrong, good and evil, beautiful and ugly.
(New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · Concept 414)