Wuji and Taiji (Internal Reference)¶

I. The Definition and State of Wuji¶

"Every object within the range of time, including celestial bodies and the universe, has an origin, a time of birth, and a developmental process — the universe is no exception. Before the universe was born, there was 'Wuji.' The state of 'Wuji' is: no inside, no outside; no large, no small; no boundaries; neither substantial nor insubstantial; no time, no space, no matter, no spirit — a state of pure clarity and yet utter primordial chaos; all that is, and yet all that is not." (New Era of Humanity's 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · Concept 416)

"'Wuji' is the state before the universe was born." "'The state of Wuji is: no inside, no outside; no large, no small; no boundaries; neither substantial nor insubstantial; no time, no space, no matter, no spirit — a state of pure clarity and yet utter primordial chaos; all that is, and yet all that is not.'" (Chanyuan Corpus · Space-Time · The Origin of the Universe)

"Wuji, as we currently understand it, is the primordial state of the universe — the state of existence before the Greatest Creator was born; it is primordial chaos, the all-that-is-nothing and the nothing-that-is-all." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Wuji System)

II. Wuji Gives Birth to Taiji — The Mechanism of Cosmic Origin¶

"From the River Chart and Luo Writing to the I Ching and Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine, we are told: Wuji gives birth to Taiji; Taiji gives birth to the Two Modes; the Two Modes give birth to the Four Images; the Four Images give birth to the Eight Trigrams; the Eight Trigrams give birth to the sixty-four hexagrams; and the sixty-four hexagrams give birth to the ten thousand manifestations of the cosmos." (Chanyuan Corpus · Space-Time · The Origin of the Universe)

"The universe is the product of the Greatest Creator's consciousness. The origin of the universe is not the Big Bang, but Wuji giving birth to Taiji, and primordial chaos (hun-dun) transforming into ordered chaos (hundun)." (New Era of Humanity's 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · Concept 402)

"'Wuji' is all that is, and yet all that is not. It is 'all that is' because the energy capable of generating the material world exists within it; it is 'all that is not' because that energy has not yet formed any material shape. It is a state of neither substance nor void — a vast formless chaos. Like a clear sky with nothing in it, yet when clouds billow and lightning flashes, 'everything' suddenly exists." (Chanyuan Corpus · Space-Time · The Origin of the Universe)

"Within 'Wuji' there exists formless energy (distinct from formed energy), constantly moving in random patterns. When this random movement at a certain arbitrary point happened to arrange itself into a specific sequence or symbol, the entire 'Wuji' formed — centered on that point — an immense potential-energy vortex in the shape of a converging 'tornado.' This potential-energy 'tornado' is 'Taiji.' (Note: this tornado is only a potential state — it has only potential energy, has not yet begun rotating, and has no kinetic energy yet.) This is Wuji giving birth to Taiji." (Chanyuan Corpus · Space-Time · The Origin of the Universe)

"After the Greatest Creator was born, Wuji no longer exists — primordial chaos transformed into ordered cosmos. But the history of Wuji can be reviewed." (Xuefeng Corpus · Q&A · Questions and Answers on Ling and Biological Robots)

III. The Nature of Taiji — The Birth of the Greatest Creator¶

"'Taiji' is this kind of state: it is One; it is formless; it is an undivided unity without opposites; it is an immense energy mass (like a reservoir accumulating the equivalent of a hundred billion Pacific Oceans, but whose gates have not yet been opened). This 'Taiji' is what we ordinarily call 'the Greatest Creator.'" (Chanyuan Corpus · Space-Time · The Origin of the Universe)

"Wuji gives birth to Taiji; Taiji is the Greatest Creator. Taiji arises naturally, so nature is the Greatest Creator." (New Era of Humanity's 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · Concept 503)

"Laozi wrote in the Tao Te Ching: 'There is something formless yet complete, that existed before heaven and earth.' Before the celestial universe appeared, one 'thing' had already formed — that 'thing' is 'Taiji,' the spirit of the Greatest Creator. As for Laozi calling this 'thing' the Tao, that is because he conflated the essence (質) and spirit (靈) of the Greatest Creator." (Chanyuan Corpus · Space-Time · The Origin of the Universe)

"To understand 'Wuji' is to understand the Buddha and the Dharma; to understand 'Taiji' is to understand the Tao and its workings." (Chanyuan Corpus · Space-Time · The Origin of the Universe)

"Hundun has Taiji — the One that is the unity of opposites — with two poles and a middle way." (New Era of Humanity's 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · Concept 417)

IV. The Deeper Nature of Wuji — The Original Nature and Buddha-Nature¶

"Wuji is what we call xing (nature/essence) — the primordial characteristic of the universe. When we say 'see your nature and become a Buddha,' the 'nature' referred to is this. From the perspective of Buddhist teaching, it is Buddha-nature. From a scientific perspective, it is the primordial field of the universe — calling it 'energy' is inaccurate, because energy is an ordered field requiring flow. Since at this stage there is no structure to generate potential differences, it cannot be called energy." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Wuji System)

"Wuji is the mother that produces all things; everything is a manifestation of Wuji." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Wuji System)

"The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said: 'How pure is one's original nature; how unshakeable is one's original nature; how self-sufficient is one's original nature; how unborn and undying is one's original nature; how capable of generating all dharmas is one's original nature.' What is revealed here is precisely the characteristic of Wuji — pointing directly to the source of the universe." (Cited in Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Wuji System)

"From the perspective of xing (nature/essence), Wuji gives birth to Taiji; the characteristic of Wuji is the support underlying all things. Without the characteristic of Wuji, there is no Greatest Creator, and consequently no birth of the cosmos, life, or myriad beings. In this sense, Wuji refers to the essence of the Greatest Creator, while the cosmic overall-consciousness produced by Taiji refers to the spirit of the Greatest Creator — pervading and governing the entire universe." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Taiji System I)

V. The Wuji System and Taiji System — Two Mechanisms of Cosmic Operation¶

"The Blueprint Overview, abstractly speaking, contains two systems, which I name the Wuji System and the Taiji System." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Wuji System)

"The Wuji System and Taiji System are the most fundamental relationship systems in the cosmic order — the greatest systems — encompassing everything from macro to micro, from spirit to matter; they are interdependent and unified, both clearly hierarchical and dynamically alive. Hence Laozi said: 'When simplicity is dispersed, it becomes vessels; the great order is indivisible.'" (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Relationship between Wuji and Taiji I)

"The Wuji System focuses on the awareness of the heart, its source is xing (original nature), expressing itself as the integral creative consciousness of heart-to-heart unity — belonging to the realm of 'mind.' The Taiji System focuses on the mathematical logic of creation — belonging to the realm of 'matter' — manifesting as the construction of the support system and display system, its source is the Greatest Creator, with the emphasis on creation and maintenance." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Relationship between Wuji and Taiji I)

"The relationship between the Wuji System and the Taiji System is the mind-matter relationship — the central concern of Mahayana Buddhism." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Relationship between Wuji and Taiji I)

"Taiji, as we currently understand it, refers to the formation of cosmic orderliness — from the birth of the Greatest Creator to the entire operating mechanism of the universe created by the Greatest Creator, including the thirty-six-dimensional space and its various precise operating laws. In ordinary terms, the Taiji System refers to the totality of rules and laws established by the Greatest Creator to maintain the stable existence of the universe." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Blueprint Overview: The Taiji System I)