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According to Taoism, good and evil cannot destroy each other, otherwise the universal equilibrium
would be disrupted and the earth destroyed. These two divine powers possess equal strength and
influence over man s world and if one became superior to the other, both would disappear and the
universe would disappear along with them.
The Supreme Being, God, and the Devil form a Sacred Triangle that presides over the world of the
living and the world of the dead. Man, Earth, and Heaven form another triangle that, when combined with
the first one, creates the six-pointed star. This double triangle is one of the best-known symbols of Taoist
mysticism.
In the old days, people learned rituals from the priests and all went well between men and gods. But
the Prince of Darkness became jealous of this cozy relationship and began to disrupt the prevailing
spiritual harmony. The first signs of his pernicious influence were seen when some of the people who had
previously been content with their lot selfishly began using sacred rituals to ask the gods for personal
power, apparently unafraid of divine retribution. Since people already possessed a few rituals of great
value, the priests were unable to make them exercise prudence once they had tasted their power. Religious
disorder ensued and lasted for many centuries.
At that juncture in history, about two thousand years ago, Taoist priests codified all rituals to keep
them from falling into the hands of ambitious individuals, thus closing the doors of high religious learning
to all except a few monks and priests. In so doing, they managed to centralize religious power but they also
generated unexpected religious disorder because without proper direction, inexperienced laymen began
to perform incomplete Taoist rituals that only brought evil spirits into this world.
CHINA: THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
From the beginning of Chinese history until the turn of the twentieth century, two hundred and eighty
emperors have ruled the Celestial Empire. During that time, an incredible wealth of knowledge has been
accumulated, knowledge that has had a significant influence on other nations.
The Chinese call their country Chung Kuo, or the Middle Kingdom. This name is represented in
writing by two ideograms, one meaning the center of something, such as a target's bull's-eye, the second
meaning country. The name indicates that due to the richness of their culture, the Chinese have for
thousands of years considered their country to be the center of the universe.
Long ago, Confucius re-established the concept of ritual and laid out the rules of proper conduct to be
followed by all civilian, military, and religious officials. The duties of all government officials were clearly
delineated within the hierarchy. He also separated purely religious practices from the rituals of sorcery.
Before his time, priests had practiced both religion and sorcery. He was the first to draw a line of
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distinction between the two by stating, "I will not speak of supernatural affairs. I respect spirits but I also
keep my distance from them." On the basis of his profound and pragmatic point of view, the practice of
sorcery was separated from the practice of religion. From that point on, priests have had to follow clearly
stated religious ethics.
The Confucian principles of ceremony also reaffirmed the structure of the family unit. This concept
emphasized the importance of the father and elder family members and clarified that the role of the family
is to allow all blood-related individuals bearing the same surname to gather and provide mutual love and
support, sheltering each other from the heartless outside world.
Confucian principles of ceremony were also evident in the religious aspects of royal protocol. They
dictated that only a man who was first among equals could offer sacrifices to Heaven on behalf of the
nation. As the Son of Heaven, the emperor was the only mortal who could offer sacrifices directly to the
Supreme Being.
Since the emperor led his subjects in all matters pertaining to Heaven, earth, and man, he called himself
the "Father of the People." He never referred to himself as an individual but humbly used the pronoun
"We."
In the distant past, most countries outside China were not very enlightened. For example, just a few
centuries ago, England was a fairly backward nation, while now it is considered to be an advanced
country. When early Chinese sailors began traveling abroad a few thousand years ago, they discovered
that compared to the progress the Chinese had achieved in arts and sciences, foreign peoples were still
literally "living in trees." These sailors planted the seeds of culture in places as far distant as Mexico. Many
centuries later, people from Japan, Korea, Persia, and other Muslim countries went to China in search of
knowledge. According to Chinese records, even the ancient Greeks and Romans had contact with China
more than a couple thousand years ago.
Europeans were introduced to Chinese wisdom comparatively recently, initially through the writings
of Arabs and Persians. When the Moors invaded Spain in the eighth century A.D., they brought books on
science and literature that had been influenced by Chinese thought. When Spaniards studied these Arabic
works and went on to become famous philosophers, they cleverly ascribed their sources to Greek writings.
In the Middle East, priests and merchants had also known about China for centuries, but had kept
quiet about it. When their Mediterranean counterparts traveled to China, they realized that this country
was in effect the  Well of Knowledge. Naturally, they also tried to divert attention from the country that
would become the source of Western intellectual enlightenment. Remember, in those days, China was like
the United States is today, a country in which there is a convergence of great wealth and knowledge.
Modern historians continue to attribute many things of Chinese origin to other cultures, especially to
Mediterranean and Japanese cultures. In this way, China's importance in providing the missing link
between the European dark ages and the Renaissance has been obscured.
The most cursory study of European history and art reveals the extent to which China has influenced
the West and how many Chinese ideas and inventions have been incorporated into Western culture. In
past centuries, Europeans adopted, among others, the principles of herbal medicine, carpentry, military
uniforms, of using gun powder for military purposes, of civilian and military ranking systems, of military
signals and formations, of wine distillation, fashion, embroidery, tailoring, dying clothes, and of
perfumery. They learned how to build houses with raised triangular roofs and dove-tailed joints, and to
use tools such as the square, compass, hammer, and wheelbarrow. They also copied Chinese toys like the
top, stilts, yo-yo, swing, kite, and merry-go-round, and children's games such as jumping rope and
playing hopscotch.
In the early European world of fashion, the styles of the Tang and Ming Dynasties inspired many of
the designs of religious, military, and civilian clothes. The Manchu high-collared upper garment later had
a great impact on European fashions that can still be seen today in the classical styling of European
military uniforms.
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An Overview of Sorcery
It is also now known that Western astrology is not based on ancient "Babylonian" teachings, but is [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]