Chinese creation story

From Wikipedia entry :

 

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). 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.

 

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 Yiuchi 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.

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).