Onto-theo

Author: Liu Qi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: "Beyond the Physical and Above," is a term I coined. Upon researching the original text of the I Ching, I found: "That which is beyond the physical is called the Way; that which is within the physical is called the vessel." I was delighted. Vaguely, I felt that the metaphysical is more abstract, while the physical is more concrete. One abstract, one concrete, one above, one below—everything is encompassed within. As I thought further, the phrase "Beyond the Physical and Above" spontaneously emerged in my mind. The vessel contains the Way, the Way envelops the vessel, and the Way and the vessel are one, completing the whole. Some articles in the book were published sporadically in Yeguang Bei before the column began; others were published in other periodicals. All these articles vary in length and style, so I cannot categorize this as a collection of essays, miscellany, or anything else. I can only broadly say it is a collection of articles. Additionally, there are dozens of illustrations, which were painstakingly drawn for the book. But no matter what, I believe the phrase "Beyond the Physical and Above" can encompass all of them.