Chinese creation myth
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| Part of a series on Taoism |
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Dao (Tao) · De |
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Three Pure Ones |
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Laozi · Zhuangzi |
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Five Pecks of Rice |
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In Scroll One Chapter One of Pantao Yen Log or The Feast of Immortal Peaches, Daozu Lao Tsu (道祖老子) introduced the genesis starting with the definition of Tao, in simpler less ambiguous descriptions than the starting chapter in Tao Te Ching. Tao according to Daozu is the infinite primodial Wuji, out of which came a supra-being Xuanxuan Shangren (玄玄上人 or 鸿钧老祖, 鸿元老祖, 洪元老祖). This supra-being first transformed into the Daoist Trinity Three Pure Ones and later manifested at the cardinal south as another Chi Jingzi (赤精子), cardinal north Shui Jingzi (水精子), cardinal east Mu Gong (木公), cardinal west Jing Mu (金母), in the cardinal center Huang Lao (黃老) were formed, collectively also revered as the Five Supremes (五老) as all are over ten thousand years old.
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[edit] Genesis and Creation
Creation of lives including man was by Jin Mu and Mu Gong after they breathed qi into an incubator ding. A male and female child were born from this breath of life. The excess qi escaped and became other forms of lives on earth. Supra-beings such as Xuanxuan Shangren and the Five Supremes were not themselves Yuanren beings but more primordial concepts of creation.
In a follow up book called Tiantang Yiuji 天堂遊記 the same creation story was narrated and given more details in Chapter Four and Chapter Seven. Xuanxuan Shangren transformed into the Three Pure Ones and again transformed to the Five Elders or Five Supremes(see reference) before the first man and woman were incubated. They were allegorically the same as Pangu from the Chinese mythology and Adam and Eve of Christianity.
In Chinese mythology, a second folkloric version of genesis described the beginning of the universe started out as a black egg in which the Earth, heavens, and Pangu exist together as one. Pangu cracks open the egg, thus creating the universe. Pangu then creates Earth and Sky. Nüwa made the first members of mankind from yellow clay. This is believed to be an allegorical tale of the Division-Genesis in Tao Te Ching, partially in I Ching and re-stated in Tiantang Yiuchi. Out of Tao, the primodial infinite Nothingness or Wuji came Taichi(太極 ), which then split into the binary yin and yang (陰陽) or Two Aspects (兩儀), yin and yang slitting into the Four Realms (四象) and from which begets Bagua or Eight Symbols (八卦) , and from which every beings were created. The following texts were traceable to the legendary emperor Fuxi:
無極生有極, 有極是太極, 太極生兩儀, 即陰陽; 兩儀生四象: 即少陰、太陰、少陽、太陽, 四象演八卦， 八八六十四卦
[edit] Shouyuan and Yuanling
It was further explained in Tiantang Yiuchi by Lao Tsu who is Tai Ching 道德天尊 that from the seeds in the first man and woman begets a total of 9.6 Billion original souls Yuanling 原靈 ( or Yuanren 原人), with a qualifier that all living sentient‘beings’ were not limited to 9.6 Billion. The fall of man was given an explanation as these yuanling were muddied on earth.
The purpose of Souyuan (收圓) or the Chinese Judgment Day was intended to induct these fallen from the realm of the living back to the heaven. There were two previous Shouyuan which guided some 400 million souls back to heaven. Currently the world is at the third period of Judgment Day called in many guidance books and Sift Text dictation as Sanhui Shouyan (三會收圓).
[edit] References
- 1. Passage from Chapter Four...即是「玄玄上人」，又稱「元始天王」。因位居至上，又稱「上帝」(Xuanxuan Shangren equated as Shangdi)。又為萬物之始祖，...運轉既滿週圓，氣自分散，故化三清：玉清元始天尊、上清靈寶天尊、太清道德天尊，玄、元、始三位一體(Xuanxuan Shangren transformed into the three Pure Ones the Daoist Trinity)，三我既成，三清分化有形，清輕之氣上昇，而子會開天，日月星現，三寶完成。天尊位居三清，再化五老(Xuanxuan Shangren manifested into the Five Supremes)：東華木公、西華金母、南華火精、北華水精、中華黃老，五老既成，而五行全，重濁之氣下降，丑會地闢生。...
- 2. genesis continues in chapter four ...玄玄上人為造化天地，用心默運真，五方定位，世界成形，無人可立，而三才不貫，故命五老運化原靈下種，五老受命後，共推金母、木公，主持原靈孕化之事。當時黃老選擇須彌山坳為丹丘，尋真孔穴處，取黃土為懸胎之釜，製圓蓋方墊，覆載設立周全。木公冶山左五金之精，做為三足鼎。金母陶西南五土之神，為偃月爐。水精子闢山後玄英之石，滲真水掬貯於爐，安土釜於中，覆金鼎於上。赤精鑽真南搏桑之木，取真火運烹其水。一霎間，薰蒸逼逐鼎內之，自太和中滴沉爐底，釜腹下有透出，司吸水中所含之金華，自然橐籥盈虛，河車升降，滿中暢美，溢外盈盈，五老能消息玄關，默會丹頭凝結，撤去鼎器，抱釜出視，晶光四注，七日始斂。黃老、赤精、水精靜坐高處神觀，金母、木公乃重立壇灶，移釜架於其上，朝畏其寒，下復陽光之焱；暮恐其燥，上施太乙之精，木公、金母以"金液煉形"之道，至於存神靜養，滌慮忘機，處之咸中，其節抽添既畢，歲候將周，至已成之期，彩雲朝頂上，甘露灑須彌，覺鼎內有聲，木公、金母二老知丹已熟，掀開頂而視之，見中有一物合抱，金母順手一視之，乃陽象嬰兒﹔木公舉起視之，是陰象女，兩人微笑而跳出五行鼎爐，此即盤古氏、太玄玉女﹔亦稱亞當、夏娃，寅會降人，正在此時也。斯時五行正氣而生人，其偏氣外洩，分散天下，而生動植飛潛等物 (qi from Wu Xing escaped, dispersed and formed all other creatures and vegetations) ﹔如五金、草木、河海之水、電光石火、塵土動物等 (the five metals, flora, water, fire and sentient beings were created from the same) 。土吹氣成人之典故，則原於此也。人本土做，土生土長，故死而還原歸土。創世既成，嬰兒女下凡而去，本為清淨之體，因食凡間動情禁果，陰陽相交，故人類從此生生不已。原由無極 (Wuji) 元始一動而生太極 (Taichi)，太極含兩儀(two aspects) 陰陽 (yin and yang)，而化三才四象(Four Realms) 五行(Wu xing)……。
- 3. Cycles of lives and Judgment Dayin chapter Four:….一本散為萬殊，故曰"眾生"，又謂之"九六原靈"(All living beings called 9.6 Billion Yuanling)，意取天九地六之象，包羅無窮無盡，非僅九六億位也。五老孕化原靈，各運真，故人生而五臟全，五氣盛，此乃五老之功。世界各地人種膚色不一，五方現五色﹕東方人青色、西方人白色、南方人紅色、北方人黑色、中央人黃色。其顏色正如置泥土在爐中燒磚，火候不同，而生青白黃紅黑色。原靈下凡，初而本性純樸，樹葉遮身，心如原始，不知所以，故生而死，死而歸天。但原靈種子，入土既久，變質變種，中古之世，性靈濁重，有者已不能死而歸天，濁重之氣下沉，故地獄自此成矣。五老在天，傷心欲絕，共議收回之策，在不得已之下，五老親自下凡，分形降世投胎五方，各為五教教主(The Five Supremes descended to earth as the heads of the five religions)，傳教授徒，期"普度收原"，然教主去世，教徒又多離經叛道，致使原靈分散道心，生靈攻訐，傷天地之和，金母在五老之天，哀傷原子一去不回，故今頒命，真道普降，廣度緣人，為加速勸化之效，又再藉飛鸞闡教，頒示天音，勸化浪子。惟普化蒼生事切，故三曹於己未年五月初一日召開聯席聖會，三曹主轄議決，須將天堂風光洩漏於世，引化原靈回歸極樂之地，助 金母收原之願。希天下蒼生，閱罷此書，皆能回心向善，歸依大道，返回天堂，原靈會合，而登三清，聚一，享逍遙之樂哉。....
[edit] See also
- Wuji
- Xuanxuan Shangren
- Three Pure Ones
- Five Supremes
- Wu xing
- Xiuzhen
- Chinese mythology
- Chinese folk religion
- Bagua
- Soul
[edit] External links
- Chinese story of creation
- The Ancient Chinese Language reads their beliefs of creation
- Tiantang Yiuji 天堂遊記
- Tiantang Yiuji 天堂遊記 in chinese
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