“Time and Position”, Cosmic Principle, and Delights in Heaven: Examining the View of Shengsi 生死 (Life and Death) in the Study of Yijing

The problem of shengsi 生死 (life and death) is one of the most fundamental and intractable questions of human existence, yet remarkably little systematic work has been done on the Yijing’s own conception of sheng 生 (life) and si 死 (death) as an integrated philosophical and religious problem. Drawing on the Yijing text, the later commentaries, and conceptual analysis, this study seeks to fill this gap by investigating the Yijing’s conception of sheng 生 (life) and si 死 (death) in its three basic structural perspectives: “time and position” (shi wei 時位), the cosmological alternation of yin and yang, and the existential posture of “delighting in Heaven” (le tian 樂天). The first perspective shows that sheng 生 (life) and si 死 (death) are situational states depending on one’s circumstance within changing configurations of time and position. The second perspective lifts this situational awareness to the level of cosmic principle: sheng 生 (life) being the union of yin and yang, si 死 (death) as their separation, both of which are necessary phases in the endless process of cosmic generation. The third perspective traces the process by which this cosmological understanding was internalized. It leads to an existential attitude of “delights in Heaven and knows his own fate and what Heaven bestows” (le tian zhi ming 樂天知命), a condition in which the fear of si 死 (death) is overcome by acceptance. In this case, the meaning of sheng 生 (life) and si 死 (death) is fulfilled in the realization and accomplishment of one’s “will” (zhi 志) and “nature” (xing 性) endowed by Heaven. The study concludes that the Yijing offers a philosophical and religious vision in which sheng 生 (life) and si 死 (death) are not opposed and separated, but integrated as complementary phases of a single, ongoing process of cosmic and human realization. It speaks to the perennial human question of how finite beings, conscious of their mortality, can find meaning and fulfilment in a world of constant change.