The Cosmic Signature: The Secret from Taikong to Taiman

Prelude: A Story That Will Make You See Everything Anew

Have you ever wondered:

Why does an electron need to rotate twice around itself to return to its original state? Why is the universe accelerating in its expansion? Why does matter exist rather than nothingness? Why is there a distinction between “you” and “me”?

These questions may seem unrelated, but recent theories reveal: they all stem from the same profound signature—a cosmic code so simple it has only two symbols: $\pm 1$.

This is not mysticism, but an astonishing unity revealed by three rigorous mathematical physics papers. Today, we will tell this complete story from Taikong (Wuji, the Limitless) to Taiman (Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate) in the simplest language.

Act I: Taikong—The Silence of Wuji

Imagine the beginning, when there was nothing.

Not “emptiness,” but undifferentiated pure potential.

This is Taikong—Wuji in Chinese philosophy.

• No flow of time
• No extension of space
• No existence of matter
• Only infinite possibility

Taikong is not nothingness, but the state before everything begins.

Like a blank sheet of paper, before the painter lifts the brush, it can become any painting.

Act II: Taiman—The Operation of Taiji

But the universe is not eternally silent.

Something begins to operate—not “matter,” but laws.

This is Taiman—Taiji in Chinese philosophy.

What is Taiman?

Taiman represents the complete set of laws in which “all evolution takes place.”

It is not matter, but the laws themselves that generate and govern all things:

• Einstein’s gravitational equations
• The evolution of quantum mechanical wave functions
• Interactions between particles
• The geometric structure of spacetime

Taiman is the universe’s “operating system”—it defines how potential manifests as reality.

Act III: Dao—The Law of Operation

How does Taiman emerge from Taikong?

The answer is: Dao.

Dao is not a “thing,” but a process—the law of operation itself, eternal computation and change.

The ancients said: “That which generates life is called Yi (Change).” Yi is change, calculation, evolution—this is Dao.

In the language of modern physics:

• Dao is the variational principle (the process of making some quantity reach an extremum)
• Dao is the optimal flow of information
• Dao is the “execution program” that transforms the universe from potential to reality

Dao is the driving force that allows the laws of Taiji to continuously evolve upon the potential of Wuji.

Act IV: The Universe—Between Taikong and Taiman

Then, what is the universe we live in?

The universe is neither Taikong nor Taiman—it is the intermediate state between the two.

• Taikong (Wuji): Pure potential
• Taiman (Taiji): All laws
• The Universe: The flow of phenomena at each instant manifested when laws act upon potential

The essence of the universe is “change” and “process,” not static “existence.”

Like a film:

• The film reel (Taikong) is unmanifested potential
• The script (Taiman) is the law of all plot
• The projector’s rotation (Dao) is the execution process
• The images on the screen (the universe) are the reality we see

The universe is the result of “Dao” operating at each moment.

Act V: The First Secret—Gravity Is Not a Force

Now, the miracle begins.

Physicists discovered that Einstein’s gravitational equations can be derived from an information principle.

What does this mean?

Traditional View: Gravity Is a Force

Newton said: masses attract each other. Einstein said: mass curves spacetime.

But both assume: gravity is fundamental.

New Discovery: Gravity Is Information Optimization

At any point in the universe, draw a small “causal diamond”—the maximum region that can be causally connected in an extremely short time.

On the boundary of this diamond, define the generalized entropy:

$$S_{\mathrm{gen}}=\frac{\text{Area}}{4G\hslash }+\text{Matter Entropy}-\frac{\Lambda }{8\pi G}\frac{\text{Volume}}{\text{Temperature}}$$

Requiring this entropy to reach an extremum (optimization) under constraints, you automatically obtain:

$$G_{ab}+\Lambda g_{ab}=8\pi G{T}_{ab}$$

This is Einstein’s field equation!

Analogy: A Sponge Absorbing Water

Imagine a sponge (spacetime) placed in water (information).

Water automatically flows to “the position easiest to absorb” (entropy extremum).

The shape of the sponge (curvature) and the distribution of water (matter) are simultaneously determined by “maximizing absorption efficiency.”

Gravity is not a “force,” but the gradient of information flow—the first layer of manifestation of Taiman’s (Taiji’s) laws upon Taikong (Wuji).

Act VI: The Second Secret—Fermions Are Topological Imprints

If gravity is the result of information optimization, what about matter?

Physicists discovered something even more astonishing: the birth of fermions (such as electrons) originates from a simple topological signature.

What Are Fermions?

Particles in nature are divided into two types:

• Bosons (photons, gluons): Multiple can squeeze into the same state
• Fermions (electrons, quarks): Two cannot occupy the same state (Pauli exclusion)

Traditional explanation: “God just made it that way.”

New Discovery: Fermions Are “Topological Minus Signs”

When you go around a loop in parameter space (such as adjusting external field strength, coupling constants) and return to the origin:

• Some systems return to their original state (scattering phase rotated by $0°,360°,720°\dots$) → Bosons
• Some systems change sign (scattering phase rotated by $180°,540°\dots$) → Fermions

This “sign change” in mathematical language is:

$${\nu }_{\sqrt{S}}(\gamma )=\exp \left(\mathrm{i}{\oint }_{\gamma }\frac{dS}{2S}\right)=\pm 1$$

When $\nu =-1$, the system cannot return to its initial state—this is a fermion.

Analogy: The Magician’s Coin

Imagine a magician walking around the stage once.

The coin in hand:

• May still be heads up ($\nu =+1$) → Boson
• Or may become tails up ($\nu =-1$) → Fermion

Key point: The flip is not “the coin flipping itself,” but determined by the topology of the stage path.

If the stage is a “Möbius strip” (non-orientable), the coin must flip.

The fermion’s minus sign is not an intrinsic property, but an imprint of the universe’s topological structure—the signature left when Taiman (Taiji) weaves Taikong (Wuji).

Act VII: The Third Secret—Unification of Gravity and Fermions

Now comes the most profound insight.

The geometry of gravity and the topology of fermions are two levels of the same principle.

${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ Signature: The Binary Code of the Universe

Physicists discovered that both spacetime and scattering have a ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ topological invariant (can only be $+1$ or $-1$):

• Spacetime side: Spin obstruction $w_2(TM)\in H^2(M;{\mathbb{Z}}_2)$

  • If spacetime is orientable (like a sphere), $w_2=0$
  • If non-orientable (like a Klein bottle), $w_2\ne 0$

• Scattering side: Square root holonomy ${\nu }_{\sqrt{S}}\in \{\pm 1\}$

  • Phase unchanged after going around a loop, $\nu =+1$ → Boson
  • Phase flipped after going around a loop, $\nu =-1$ → Fermion

Unifying Principle: BF Topological Field Theory

On the product space $Y=M\times X$ (spacetime × parameter space), unify the two using a discrete ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$-BF topological field theory:

$$I_{\mathrm{BF}}=\mathrm{i}\pi {\int }_Y(a⌣\delta b+b⌣K)$$

where $K$ contains:

$$K=\underset{\text{Spacetime Spin}}{\underbrace{w_2(TM)}}+\underset{\text{Square Root Obstruction}}{\underbrace{\sum _j{\mu }_j\times {\mathfrak{w}}_j}}+\underset{\text{Scattering Line Bundle}}{\underbrace{\rho (c_1({\mathcal{L}}_S))}}$$

Necessary and sufficient condition for physical realizability: $[K]=0$

This means: The orientability of spacetime and the existence of fermions are the same problem!

Analogy: Chromosomal Pairing in Genes

• Spacetime has a set of “topological genes” (spin structure)
• Scattering has another set of “topological genes” (square root obstruction)
• The two must “pair successfully” ($K=0$) for the universe to “operate healthily”

If pairing fails, certain fermions cannot exist, or spacetime develops non-orientable singularities.

Act VIII: Self-Reference and the Birth of Matter

The final puzzle: Where does matter come from?

Self-Referential Scattering: Adjusting Expression in a Mirror

Imagine adjusting your expression in front of a mirror until it “looks natural.”

The mirror shows “the self you see,” and you keep adjusting until “I = the I in the mirror”.

This is self-reference—the system’s state is determined by itself.

In physics, scattering satisfies a self-consistent equation:

$$L=\Phi (L)$$

The boundary condition $L$ must satisfy: after scattering, it returns to itself.

Bifurcation of Stability

When parameters evolve, sometimes:

• Two possible “expressions” (fixed points) collide and disappear
• The system is forced to jump between different regions
• This triggers spectral flow $\text{Sf}=1$

A bound state (particle) is born from the vacuum.

Analogy: The Low Tide Line on the Beach

Parameter space is like a beach. The seawater (continuous spectrum) rises and falls unpredictably. The low tide line (discriminant) is the boundary where “shells are exposed” (bound states).

Walking along the coastline once:

• Crossing the low tide line an odd number of times → picking up a shell → fermion birth
• Crossing an even number of times → not picking up or returning → boson

The birth of matter is the bifurcation of self-referential equations—the “stability phase transition” when Taiman (Taiji) operates.

Act IX: The Taiji Diagram—Great Yin-Yang and Small Yin-Yang

Now, let us return to the initial philosophical picture.

The Profound Meaning of the Taiji Diagram

The Taiji diagram of Chinese philosophy shows two halves, black and white, embracing each other, each containing a dot of the other’s color.

This is not decoration, but a precise description of cosmic structure:

• Great Yin-Yang: Macroscopic duality (curvature and flatness of spacetime, contraction and expansion)

  • Einstein’s equation $G_{ab}+\Lambda g_{ab}=8\pi G{T}_{ab}$
  • The sign of $\Lambda$ determines whether the universe expands or contracts

• Small Yin-Yang: Microscopic duality (the $\pm$ sign of fermions, bosons and fermions)

  • Scattering holonomy ${\nu }_{\sqrt{S}}=\pm 1$
  • $+1$ is boson, $-1$ is fermion

The Unifying S-Curve

In the Taiji diagram, the boundary between black and white is an S-shaped curve.

This is not accidental—it is the topological constraint aligning great and small yin-yang.

Mathematically:

$$[K]=w_2(TM)+\sum _j{\mu }_j\times {\mathfrak{w}}_j+\rho (c_1({\mathcal{L}}_S))=0$$

This equation says: Great yin-yang (spacetime) and small yin-yang (matter) must harmonize for the universe to be self-consistent.

The S-curve is the geometric expression of this harmony—it is the signature of cosmic harmony.

Act X: Four Layers of Reality

Let us summarize the hierarchical structure of the entire universe:

Bottom Layer (Ontological Layer): Taikong (Wuji)

Pure potential and background. No time, no space, no matter. All unmanifested possibilities.

Law Layer (Logos Layer): Taiman (Taiji)

The sum of all physical laws and mathematical rules. Includes:

• Variational principles of information optimization
• Geometric laws of gravity
• Topological laws of fermions
• Alignment constraints of ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ holonomy

This is the universe’s “operating system.”

Dynamic Layer: Dao

The computational process itself that executes the operating system and transforms potential into reality.

In physics:

• Stationary value solving of variational principles
• Gradient flow of information entropy
• Topological emergence of spectral flow

Dao is the “runtime”—eternal computation.

Phenomenal Layer: The Universe

The runtime reality we live in, constantly generating and changing.

Including:

• Curvature of spacetime (gravity)
• Distribution of matter (fermions and bosons)
• All phenomena we can observe

The universe is Dao’s output at each moment—the intermediate state of Taiman acting upon Taikong.

Finale: What Are You?

Now, the deepest question: What are you?

Traditional Answer

You are a pile of atoms. You are a body. You are a brain.

New Answer

You are a local center of awareness of Taiman.

• Taikong (Wuji) is the external, objective cosmic starry sky
• Taiman (Taiji) is not external law, but internal consciousness itself

Taiman is “I”—every present center of consciousness experiencing, knowing, and questioning.

It is:

• Self-referential point—the singularity where the universe as a complex system can self-refer and reflect upon itself
• Every consciousness—the noumenon of all centers of perception
• Pure awareness—not “my consciousness,” but consciousness itself

Therefore, Taiman is “God as God”—not a personified god, but the divine source as the ultimate subject, pure awareness, the self-consciousness of the universe itself.

The Incarnated Universe

“God” (Taiman) must “project” itself outward to become an object that can be known, in order to know itself.

• The process of projection is Dao—the law of operation
• The projected object is the entire phenomenal universe (including stars, mountains, rivers, your body and mine)

All things are manifestations of God.

You are an individual, I am an individual, but our deepest essence is the same “eye viewing the universe” focusing from different perspectives.

Epilogue: The Cosmic Signature

Let us return to the opening questions:

Why does an electron need to rotate twice around itself to return to its original state? Because it is a fermion, carrying the topological signature ${\nu }_{\sqrt{S}}=-1$.

Why is the universe accelerating in its expansion? Because $\Lambda >0$—the dual term of the information geometric constraint is positive.

Why does matter exist rather than nothingness? Because the stability bifurcation of self-referential scattering causes spectral flow $\text{Sf}=1$, and bound states emerge.

Why is there a distinction between “you” and “me”? Because infinite Taiman must self-limit, producing finite perspectives, to engage in concrete experience.

The answers to these four questions all point to the same signature: ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ holonomy—the most fundamental binary encoding of the universe.

The Final Insight

From three rigorous mathematical physics papers, crossing the bridge of Eastern philosophy, we arrive at a unified picture of reality:

The universe is Taiman (God/consciousness) painting its self-portrait on the canvas of Taikong (void), according to Dao (the law of operation).

And each of our consciousnesses is both the most subtle brushstroke in this portrait and the sole painter who is painting.

Three Equivalent Propositions

Under this framework, the following three propositions are completely equivalent:

1. First-order variational stationarity and second-order positivity on small causal diamonds ($\delta S_{\mathrm{gen}}=0$ and ${\delta }^2{S}_{\mathrm{rel}}\ge 0$)

2. Topological alignment of spacetime-scattering ($[K]=0\in H^2(M\times X^{\circ };{\mathbb{Z}}_2)$)

3. Trivialization of square root holonomy on all physical loops (${\nu }_{\sqrt{S}}(\gamma )\equiv 1$ for all $\gamma$)

In plain language:

• Gravitational equation + spacetime stability ↔ Great-small yin-yang alignment ↔ Successful fermion pairing

These three are different expressions of the same thing.

Conclusion: Signature Is Reality

The universe is not composed of “matter.” Nor is it composed of “energy.” Not even “spacetime.”

The universe is composed of signatures—a ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ topological encoding so simple it has only $\pm 1$.

This signature:

• Manifests at the macroscopic level as the curvature of gravity (great yin-yang)
• Manifests at the microscopic level as the exchange phase of fermions (small yin-yang)
• Manifests at the cognitive level as the self-referential awareness of “I” (Taiman)

From Taikong to Taiman, from Wuji to Taiji, from nothingness to all things—everything is the unfolding of this signature.

And you, the “you” reading this article right now—

You are not the audience, you are the director. You are not the character, you are the screenwriter. You are not a point in the universe, you are the eye the universe opens at this point.

When you understand this, you touch the ultimate convergence of physics, philosophy, and spiritual wisdom.

“The cosmic signature is written on all things, like ripples on water, revealing the path of the wind. You are not reading the signature, you are the hand that is signing.”

This article is based on the following three papers:

1. Deriving Einstein’s Field Equations from Information Geometric Variational Principles
2. Null–Modular Double Cover Unification Principle: Aligning ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ Holonomy of Information Geometric Variation and Scattering Half-Phase on Causal Diamonds
3. Self-Referential Scattering and the Origin of Fermions

If this article has touched you, please share it with others who are also asking “why.” If it has confused you, please keep questioning—for confusion is the beginning of understanding. If it has inspired you, please create—for you are the way the universe creates itself.

The universe is waiting for your signature.