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Y

YHWH. Also known as the Tetragrama-
ton (Greek, “four letters”). These four
Hebrew consonants (Yodh He Waw He)
constitute the sacred name of the God
of the Israelites as revealed to Moses
(Exodus 3:14) and are connected with the
verb hayah, “to be.” Jewish tradition pro-
hibits the vocalization of the divine name
and observant Jews substitute Adonai
(Hebrew for “Lord”) when reading the
scriptures aloud. It is usually rendered as
“Yahweh” or “Jehovah” in English.

YIN-YANG. In Chinese philosophy, a
concept indicating the interconnected
and interdependent nature of ostensibly
opposite forces. The characters yin and
yang originally meant dark and bright
sides of a sunlit bank, but by the time of
Confucius they referred to the duality
inherent in all things. The yin-yang the-
ory gained prominence toward the end
of the Chou Dynasty, resulting in the
Yin-Yang School (attributed to Tsou
Yen, c. 305–240 BCE). The theory was
further developed by philosophers in the
Han Dynasty, especially Tung Chung-shu

(c. 179–104 BCE). It influenced virtually

all aspects of Chinese life (metaphysics,

cosmology, government, art, and so on).

Yin is characterized as non-being, nega-

tive, passive, slow, weak, destructive,

earth, dark, female, mother, soft, and wet.

Ya n g is characterized as being, positive,

active, fast, strong, constructive, heaven,

light, male, father, hard, and bright. Yin

and Ya n g are balanced in a dynamic

equilibrium and represent the principle

of unity in duality. Their interaction is the

cause of all life.

YOGA. From the Sanskrit, meaning

“yoking” or “harnessing” of one’s mind

and body. In Hindu philosophy, yoga

is one of six orthodox (āstika) schools

of thought and is closely associated

with Samkhya. It is divided into Hatha

Yoga (the physiological aspect) and Raja

(Royal) Yoga (contemplation). The classi-

cal account in the Yoga-sūtra of Patanjali

includes eight elements or stages: restraint

(yama), disciplines (niyama), postures

(asana), breathing control (pranayama),

elimination of perception of outer objects