Origins Of The Universe 

 

When examining the Chinese creation myth, we see the disposition in Chinese thought. These thoughts are used to orderly manifest essential components throughout life. The Chinese creation myth allows us to gain a clear perspective to some prehistory from the religion of ancient origin, Taoism.

 

The Myth of Pan Ku: Creation and the Universal Egg 1 

The beginning of time was anarchy. The principle of organisation was inactive and it lay hidden somewhere in the elemental cosmos, waiting to begin transformation the shape of this primeval mass resembled an egg.

 

For the entirety of 18,000 years, the universe remained in this state of anarchy as the incubation completed. As the egg hatched, the heavens and the earth came into existence. The pure substances ascended and became heaven. These elements became yang. The impure substances descended and formed earth. These elements were named yin.

 

From the same sources of the light and heavy substances, Pan Ku was born. As he grew, the element of purity and impurity within him divided into heaven and earth. Pan Ku lived for another 18,000 years. He was assisted during his life by a tortoise, a phoenix, a dragon and a unicorn. Together, they labored daily to mold the earth and they created the world that we currently are living in.

 

When Pan Ku ceased to live, his body was transformed. His left eye became the sun and his right became the moon. His blood became the rivers and the oceans and his breath became the wind. His sweat evolved into rain and his voice, thunder. Finally, his flesh became the soil, and from the fleas living on his body, the human race sprang into existence. The earth was now ready for history to unfold.

 

From the story of Pan Ku, the root of human experience is identified. In order to have a functional world, it is essential to have an organising principle. The story illuminates the idea of opposing forces; heaven and earth, good and evil. These fundamental opposing natures represent the ideas of yang and yin.

 

 

 

1 Editors of Consumer Guide, ‘The Taoist Story Of Creation’, retrieved 16 March 2014, http://people.howstuffworks.com/meaning-of-taoism1.htm