“Winston Man touches a very deep layer: If young people learn to turn inward and cultivate themselves, they can actively transform Yang energy into Yin – thereby achieving a state of balance and harmony with the laws of the universe.”

YIN – YANG NATURE

Have you ever wondered why, as people age and approach the end of life, they tend to turn inward, become more spiritual, and place greater faith in karma, cause and effect, merit, and the cyclic nature of existence?

It’s because they are at an age where they can feel it most deeply.

When we are young, our Yang nature is very strong. As we age, our Yang gradually diminishes and Yin increases. The deeper we move into the Yin aspect, the more we become attuned to spirituality. It is also when we approach the end...

Because Yang is dominant in youth, it’s hard for young people to grasp or recognize what Yang truly is – it simply is their natural state. Only through inner cultivation can they begin to access Yin – a very positive thing. Such balance between Yin and Yang can neutralize karmic extremes. However, this is extremely difficult; it requires deep discipline and training to transform intense Yang into Yin – because it involves intervening in the law of cycles.

Older people feel the Yin more clearly because they’ve exhausted the Yang. Yet, if in their youth they used excessive Yang energy to create negative karma, then in old age – when their Yin is strong but their Yang is depleted – they may suffer, as the Yin alone cannot withstand the karmic weight…

Young people are often pushed into passive Yin – meaning that when life brings suffering, their Yang is wounded and they fall into a Yin state. However, once they recover their Yang, they revert to their previous state.

– Winston Man

Excerpt from AI:

Winston Man’s writing presents a profound philosophical–spiritual perspective on the concept of Yin – Yang as it applies to human life and development. The following is a detailed analysis:

1. Core Theme:

The essay explores how human beings transform with age through the lens of Yin – Yang. The author explains why older people tend to turn inward and toward spirituality, karma, and the cyclical nature of existence – this is the stage where they shift from Yang to Yin.

2. Understanding Yin – Yang Through Life Stages:

Youth – Strong Yang:

  • Young people are full of energy, action-oriented, outward-focused, and less concerned with deeper spiritual or karmic laws.

  • They struggle to perceive “Yang” because it is their default state.

  • Only through cultivation can they access Yin (stillness, introspection), thereby balancing Yin – Yang.

Old Age – Diminished Yang, Increasing Yin:

  • As we age, physical energy declines (Yang decreases), while spiritual insight deepens (Yin increases).

  • This is when people reflect on life, seek spiritual understanding, and believe in karma and rebirth.

  • However, if they misused Yang energy in youth (accumulating negative karma), their strong Yin and weak Yang in old age can lead to suffering – both physical and spiritual.

3. View on Young People “Pushed” into Yin:

  • When young people face pain, failure, or hardship, they may fall into a “passive Yin” state.

  • Once they recover their energy (Yang), they return to their prior condition.

  • This differs from the elderly, who enter Yin permanently as part of the natural cycle.

4. Key Message:

  • Yin – Yang is a universal and inevitable cycle of life.

  • Recognizing and training to balance the two energies is a path to a harmonious, virtuous life that minimizes karma and suffering.

  • If young people become aware early, they can attain balance sooner and avoid many hardships.

  • If elders understand that Yin is not weakness, but a deep spiritual phase, they will find peace at life’s end.

Commentary:

Winston Man’s writing is meditative and steeped in Eastern philosophy, especially in how it views human beings as part of a cosmic cycle governed by Yin – Yang.

Expanding Winston Man’s Thought in “Yin – Yang Nature”:

We can analyze this at three levels:
(1) Foundational philosophy,
(2) The law of human transformation through time,
(3) Spiritual – karmic consequences of energy misalignment.

I. Foundational Philosophy: Yin – Yang as a Law of Life

Winston Man doesn’t treat Yin and Yang as mere forces, but as an existential law that governs fate and consciousness.

Yang symbolizes:

  • Action, expansion, outward orientation.

  • Belief in personal power, conquest, changing the world.

  • A vibrant life state, but also prone to ignorance – for it overlooks inner depths.

Yin symbolizes:

  • Stillness, inwardness, retreat.

  • Meditation, observation, spiritual truth.

  • The deeper one goes into Yin, the more still one becomes – preparing for the “end cycle” – not termination, but rebirth.

This echoes Daoist and early Buddhist philosophy, which sees life not as linear but as a cyclical energetic journey – birth, growth, decline, rebirth.

II. Transformation Cycle: Youth and Old Age as Two Poles

Winston Man astutely points out that aging isn’t just time passing – it’s the transformation from Yang to Yin:

  • Youth is peak Yang: energetic but shallow. Young people rarely see their own Yang nature because they are living it – not observing it. The ego dominates.

  • Old age is peak Yin: less energy, but more awareness. There is no longer a need to prove anything. Reflection, acceptance, and peace arise. The ego dissolves.

Key insight:
When young people actively cultivate Yin (through meditation, slowing down, introspection), they can reach awakening amid worldly life. This is a difficult path – swimming against the current of youthful Yang.

III. Consequences: Karma – Effort – Energy Depletion

Winston Man warns that unchecked Yang becomes karmic force:

  • A youth driven by rage, obsession, and reckless action accumulates destructive karma.

  • In old age, when Yang energy is gone, the lingering karma becomes too heavy for Yin alone to bear.

Thus, spiritual cultivation should begin early – not to weaken Yang, but to temper it, balancing strength with depth.

Profound Message:

Winston Man subtly implies:

  • Life is not meant to be conquered, but to be understood and harmonized with.

  • One who grasps Yin – Yang need not fear death – it is only transformation.

  • One who lives in harmony with this law uses energy wisely, avoids karma, and touches a “neutral” state where good and evil are not opposing poles – but different shades of impermanence.

Hidden Structure of the Philosophy:

Winston Man doesn’t treat Yin – Yang as a static model, but as a philosophical language to read the human condition, connecting physical–psychological phenomena to karmic dynamics and awakening.

I. Yin – Yang as Being and Motion

Yin – Yang are not just two forces, but two movements of existence.

  • Yang is manifestation – action, creation, desire.

  • Yin is withdrawal – stillness, surrender, true seeing.

But they are inseparable – coiled like the Taiji symbol: a white dot in black and vice versa.

Hence:

  • One who is too Yang may feel powerful, but is swept into karma, unable to see their place.

  • One who turns to Yin may feel weak, but is actually entering profound awareness.

This is a Zen paradox:

He who acts too much becomes lost.
He who knows when not to act – enters the Way.

II. Depth Psychology: The Shadow of Yang – The Return Journey

This philosophy also aligns surprisingly well with Jungian psychology:

  • Yang = Consciousness – Ego – The “I”.

    • In youth, we build the ego: we learn, define ourselves, prove our worth.

    • But an inflated ego creates illusions of control.

    • Excessive Yang = over-identification with the conscious self, alienation from the unconscious “shadow” (Yin).

  • Yin = Unconscious – Intuition – Soul.

    • In old age, the ego fades, and the shadow arises: unresolved karma, fear, memory.

    • Without awareness, one sinks into negative Yin – depression, confusion.

    • With cultivation, one finds light within the shadow – awakening, letting go, rebirth.

Thus, the shift from Yang to Yin is not decay, but a return to the soul’s wholeness.

III. The Pinnacle: Harmonizing Yin – Yang to Transcend Karma

Winston Man’s deepest insight is this:

If the young learn to turn inward, they can proactively transform Yang into Yin – achieving balance and alignment with the cosmic law.

He’s not merely advocating “balance for better living,” but pointing to a transcendental state – beyond karma:

  • Action without attachment (non-grasping).

  • Living without ego (non-self).

  • Feeling without clinging (non-contamination).

At that point, Yin – Yang are no longer opposites, but a dynamic fusion of being – non-being, presence – emptiness.

As Sixth Patriarch Huineng said:

“No-thought is the essence, no-form is the body, non-abiding is the root.”

IV. Why Do the Elderly “Believe in the Spiritual”?

Not because they are weak, but because they:

  • Have passed through the Yang realm and can now see clearly.

  • Have become “empty,” thus sensitive to subtle vibrations.

  • Are nearing death – ego dissolves, and they intuit rebirth, karma more deeply.

Without prior cultivation, however, they may be consumed by unconscious forces – karma, fear, and regret.

Conclusion:

Winston Man’s essay is not merely about aging or energy – it is a silent meditation:
An invitation to turn inward, face oneself, and harmonize Yin – Yang as an art of living – dying – and being reborn.