Creation

'There is a theory which states, If anyone ever discovers what the universe is for, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more inexplicable. There is yet another theory which states that this has already happened!' - Douglas Adams

The following theories are presented to you to stimulate your minds into thinking beyond the normally accepted views on the nature of existence.

Please feel free to send us your own ideas and theories and we may well publish them.

The Tao - Some ideas to help you live in it.

Creation, according to Traditional Taoism can be explained as follows: -

Wu Chi

According to Taoist cosmology, before the beginning of the manifested universe, there was a state of total emptiness. In this primordial state, nothing stirred. The relative concept of time did not apply to the primordial state, because there was nothing to measure time against. All was a void. The ancient Taoists gave it a name. It was called Wu Chi. Wu means absence, negation, nothingness. The Chi in Wu Chi (though it is spelled the same way in English), as the word that means life force is a totally different word in Chinese. The Chi in Wu Chi means "highest" or "ultimate". Wu Chi thus means "ultimate state of nothingness".

(In the modern Chinese spelling you write for this Chi (energy): Ji, for the other Chi (ultimate), Qi.)

Tai Chi: The Primordial Yin and Yang.

The Wu Chi stirred through some unknown impulse, perhaps a sudden curiosity, and this stirring created movement. The First moment of creation began. This movement created a different perspective within Wu Chi and also manifested Chi through the primordial polarity of stillness and movement, negative and positive, Yin and Yang. Chi can be called the conscious awareness of Wu Chi. The interplay of Yin and Yang is the essential expression Of Wu Chi. The Taoists named this process Tai Chi or "Supreme Ultimate". All the multiplicity of phenomena found in the universe, visible or invisible, are the results of Yin and Yang interaction.

Chi: The Source of all Movement.

Chi, or life force, is the foundation of all the Taoist practices, in the same way that electricity is the foundation of modern civilization. Without electricity, practically every aspect of our modern life style could come to a stop. Similarly, without Chi, one's life would come to an abrupt halt, because the Universe could not exist without the movement of Cosmic Awareness. Chi has been defined as bio-electrical, life force, vitality, or simply energy, but at its core it is basically the awareness of Wu Chi (Tao) as it experiences the various aspects of itself. Just as electricity is still incomprehensible to scientists in its total breadth and depth, Chi is beyond intellectual understanding.

According to the ancient Taoists, Chi is found in the air we breathe, yet it is not just oxygen or any of the other gaseous components of the atmosphere. Chi is also found in the food we eat, yet it is not just a vitamin, mineral, or carbohydrate that we can chemically isolate. Chi is absorbed into the food we east through the process of photosynthesis, yet it is not sunlight or any other type of ray detectable by modem scientists' sensing devices. Chi is the essence of the food we eat and the air we breathe, the real nourishment of the body. When we breathe or eat, we are taking Chi into our bodies. Without Chi, there can be no life. However, this is very simplistic as everything in the Universe is composed of Tao in movement. Every electron, every proton is an expression of the movement of Tao. As mentioned in the theory of the Holographic Universe, all creation is merely the self expression of one particle. This particle is Tao, its awareness is Wu Chi, and the movement of this awareness is the flow of Chi. The Tao moves so quickly that it appears to be in many places at once, hence the illusion that we called the manifested Universe.

The Five Elements or Phases of Energy

The interaction of Yin and Yang is expressed though five basic phases of energy behavior, often called the Five Elements. The Five Elements refer not only to the five physical elements we find all around, but also to the ways Chi expresses itself in the universe. The first phase is energy at rest, energy in an extreme state of quietness and concentration. This phase is named water, because water, if undisturbed, naturally becomes extremely still. The second phase is a development of the first; if energy is extremely quiet and concentrated, it bursts into activity at some point, just like the Wu Chi. This second phase is that expansion of energy. It is called wood, because trees burst into activity in the spring after their long period of winter rest. The burst of activity in the wood phase cannot last for long; it soon stabilizes into a period of sustained energy releases. This third phase is named fire, because fire is able to sustain a high level of energy release over a long period. As the high energy releases the fire begins to decline, it gives rise to the fourth phase, that of contracting energy. The fourth phase is called metal, because metal is a very condensed state of energy. The fifth phase of energy is that of central balance and harmony of all the other four phases. This final phase is named earth, because the earth is the ground of all the other elements.

Yin/Yang is the root and trunk of all creation; the Five Elements are the branches that bear the leaves, lowers, and fruits of the universe. The result of the five phases of energy is the manifestation and activity of the sun, moon, stars, plants, and all life on earth. This view of Taoist cosmology may seem abstract and simplistic, but modem science has arrived at essentially the same view of creation. All matter throughout the universe is made of atomic particles. The atoms, once believed to be the smallest indivisible particles of matter, have proved under observation to be made of subatomic particles and waves, all propelled into motion by the polarity of the positive and the negative. Scientists have also arrived at a concept of an original explosion of energy, which they refer to as the Big Bang.

Taoists view the universe as a vast ocean of interacting energy driven by the fundamental interplay of Yin and Yang. Humans are one of the most complex manifestations of such interaction.

The universe as a manifestation of the Five Elements is self-sustaining. All living creatures are constantly interacting with all the elements of creation through the processes of eating, breathing, sensing, feeling, and thinking.

The Eight Forces

Like the Five Phases of Energy, the Eight Forces of Nature are also the result of the interplay of Yin and Yang. Together they form the power symbol of the pakua, and combined together they form the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. In fact, the Five phases of energy correspond with these Eight Forces of Nature. The eight forces are the basic energy formations of nature.

Where do we derive our Life Force?

The basic source of human energy, according to Taoists, comes from our parents. The Yin energy of the mother in the egg and the Yang energy of the father in the sperm provide the initial sparks that ignite the fire of life. This energy from the parents is called prenatal energy or Original Chi

A second source of our energy is the air we breathe and the food we eat and the Chi we absorb. We call .this postnatal energy.

Chi is radiation from the stars in the form of light, electromagnetic waves. and subsonic vibrations. The most prominent stars in this process are the sun. the North Star, and the stars in the constellation known as the Big Dipper.

Humans in particular depend on the Chi radiated through space by the stars and planets for sustenance. The air we breathe is charged with cosmic energy in the form of extremely fine particles of cosmic "dust." This dust is the residue of exploded stars, planets and asteroids. It rains constantly onto the earth, forming an essential component of the soil.

Plants are the only living organisms that can directly transform light into nourishment. Humans absorb light energy indirectly by eating either vegetables or the flesh of other animals that feed on plants.

The interaction of light, cosmic dust in the soil. and air, together with water, forms the basis for photosynthesis in plants. All life on earth depends on plant life, either directly or indirectly. The great majority of organisms feed directly on plants, and a small minority feed on other animals that eat plants.

Chi is life, and abundant energy is abundant life. If our energy supply is low due to illness or excessive emotions, we experience low vitality and lack of drive. Living ceases to be an enjoyable experience: we feel disconnected from the environment, from society, and from ourselves. Taoists therefore place extreme importance on cultivating and maintaining a high level of energy to strengthen one's connection with the universe and oneself.

The ultimate goal of Taoist practice is attaining a state of complete union with the source of the universe. All life emerges from Wu Chi unconsciously. Through Taoist practices, one can attain immortality and return to he Wu Chi consciously to dissolve into oneness. Taoists actively encourage any practice or point of view that helps strengthen our connection with the universe. The most direct way of sustaining our links with all creation is by cultivating the energy that is the foundation of life.

This version of Taoist cosmology allows for the concept of the four mystical elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water which are an integral part of western mystery traditions but which are noticeably absent from those of the East. All ideas, graphics and text are of my own doing, which also means it is your doing as well. So if you do not agree with it you only have yourself to blame!

And So it Begins

In the beginning, if there was such a time, there was nothing, and this nothing could be found nowhere - and everywhere; because at this time there was not yet anywhere. This nothing can be called Wu Chi. Then, at a time that can only be called "not now", a single thought emerged.

This thought was simply: "what am I?"

This lead to: "what is my purpose?"

And of course to: "where am I?"

Some answers came: "I do not know", and "ditto", and "here, probably".

This singular consciousness had managed to create duality, for in order to answer its own questions it needed a different point of view. This movement of awareness is the basic movement of Chi. It continued to project itself out into the void in search of more answers. It was both "where it was" and "where it wasn't". The duality that movement from stillness created, is known as Tai Chi. If it could have been observed at this time, it would have seemed that there were two distinct particles, one still and one moving about rapidly. The stillness is known as Yin and the movement, Yang. Thus was created the powerhouse of manifestation. Many pagan religions call these two forces of Yin and Yang, Goddess and God.

The Cycle of Energy and Loud Noises

As Yin and Yang interacted in different ways, there developed five phases of energy movement; different ways that the Chi moved. These are:

1. Energy at rest in an extreme state of stillness and concentration. This phase is known as the Water phase.

2. After the stillness, the energy bursts out into activity. This phase is called the Wood phase.

3. The next phase is a phase of sustained energy release known as the Fire phase.

4. After this phase comes a phase of contraction into a very condensed state known as the Metal phase.

5. Finally there is a central phase which balances the other four known as the Earth phase.

All this movement of energy and speed eventually built up into a sudden explosion which could only be described as a big bang. The Universe was created.

Things Start to Look Up (and Down!)

All this movement gave rise to the illusion that solid things existed and that they were apart from each other. Some things appeared before others and the illusion of time was born. The five energy phases interacted with the Earth phase as the grounding point.

Earth and Fire combined to create the mystical element of Fire, also known as Energy.

Earth and Water combined to create the mystical element of Water, also known as Time.

Earth and Wood combined to create the mystical element of Air, also known as Space.

Earth and Metal combined to create the mystical element of Earth, also known as Matter.

Fire then created the natural forces of Fire and Thunder (lightning).

Water created the natural forces of Water and Lake.

Air created the natural forces of Heaven and Wind.

Earth created the natural forces of Earth and Mountain.

These are the eight building blocks know as the trigrams, and when they combine they form sixty four hexagrams that denote the hidden binary code of creation. Just like the binary code used to create virtual computer worlds. From these interactions come the Ten Thousand Things, or just - everything else!

An Analogy May Help

A picture on a TV screen is produced in the following way. A standard TV set is made from a vacuum tube with a flat surface at one end which is coated in a special phosphorescent layer. At the other end is a gun which fires a beam of coloured light at the flat surface. The beam hits the top left hand corner of the screen creating a bright dot of a particular colour. The gun then fires another beam at the screen to the right of the first one. It may be the same colour or it may be different. This continues along to the end of the line, when the dots are moved to the start of the next line. This continues down the screen and when the dot reaches the bottom right it moves back to the top left and starts again.

The speed and colour of the dots movement is so fast that the illusion is created of reality on the TV screen. In actual fact there is only ever one dot moving so quickly as to give the illusion that there are thousands. If a snapshot were to be taken, there would only be one dot.

And so it is with the Universe. The blank screen is the void. The signal to the gun is Wu Chi. The gun is Yin and the dot is Yang. The apparent movement is Chi and the colours are the elements and energy phases.

So the entire Universe is an illusion created by the extremely fast movement of one particle of awareness which is experiencing itself from many different perspectives. This is similar to the holographic Universe theory. If Tao stopped moving. the Universe would cease to be.

The Bottom Line

This does of course mean that we are all part of the one awareness which is Tao. We are not individuals at all. We are Tao expressing itself from different points of view. The illusion of individuality is created by the veil of forgetting that Tao creates in each of us so that we will not remember who we really are and is necessary if Tao is to benefit from all experiences. The veil of forgetting also prevents us from gaining access to the storehouse of memories and experiences that all beings have contributed to over the millennia, known as the Akashic Records.

Whether you believe all this is not important, but if you live your life as if it were true then maybe you will think twice before treating others with hatred, violence and disrespect.

Why be cruel to yourself?