The Heritage of Tao inherits the essence of the Chinese culture. It began with the first Saint of mankind, Fu-xi Shi, and continued until Mencius. Then, the Heritage shifted to the West. Thereafter, the Heritage returned to China by Da-Muo Zu-Shi, and was carried on from one Patriarch to another till now. What the Patriarchs inherit are Tien-Ming, 1 the essence of Tao, and the True Heritage of Tao.
The essence of Tao, as Oneness, split into three great religions, and then five great religions. Unknown to most people, the Heritage was carried by the three great religions: Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Although Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed two Saints had Tien-Ming, they did not inherit the Heritage.
The accessibility of the essence of Tao is in accordance with the changes of yin and yang. During certain periods, Tien-Ming and the transmission of the essence of Tao are apparent while during other periods, they are known only by a few. This is beyond human intellect.
To truly understand the meaning of God’s message, we must apply our deepest wisdom to investigate and analyze factors such as timing, regional and historical backgrounds, the evolutions and developments of the five great religions, the deterioration of morality, the occurrences of catastrophes, and the unique characteristics of the Chinese culture.
34. What is a Yuan-zi
(an “original child”)?
At the beginning of Yin Phase when life was created, there were human-like beings. However, the world was primitive, and these beings were not different from animals. They lived in caves and trees, ate animals, and wore skins.
God saw the world was not what it ought to be and ordered Yuan-fu-zi (“original Buddha children”) 30 to descend to the world as the dominion. In short, Yuan-fu-zi is called Yuan-zi (“original children”). As True Selves entered the bodies of these human-like beings, true humans with intellectual abilities appeared.
Then, God descended:
You-zhao Shi to teach people how to build houses,
Sui-ren Shi to teach people how to use fire,
Hou-ji to teach people how to farm,
Shen-nong Shi to discover herbal medicine,
Xuan-yuan Shi (the Yellow Emperor) to invent clothes and hats,
Chang-jie Shi to invent Chinese characters (written language), and
Ling-lun to establish music.
Since then, propriety and entertainment were set and human civilizations were established. Thus, all social orders are works of True Selves.
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35. Why is Heaven called the Western Heaven and Earth the Eastern Earth?
West symbolizes the color white. White is the origin of all colors, thus west also symbolizes origin. Since Heaven* is the Origin of souls, Heaven is called the Western Heaven.
East symbolizes Beginning, the spring season, and benevolence. These three attributes together mean the ability to breed and nurture everything. Since Earth has this ability, Earth is called the Eastern Earth.
The saying “cultivating in the East and harvesting in the West.” means that souls came from the Western Heaven to the Eastern Earth, and must return to the Western Heaven.
Human souls originally were uncontaminated, pure, and perfect. When souls descended to Earth, they were tainted by desires and emotions and were lost. However, by holding on to the heart to cultivate the True Self, one can restore the original qualities of his soul and return to wherever he comes from.
*Heaven is another name for God in Confucianism.
