Chapter 5-6 Speculations on the Origin of Life

As mentioned earlier, in well-known Chinese Buddhism and Taoism, they are actually "non-theistic" religions, which means they do not believe in a god who created everything, nor do they rely on any deity for salvation. Prof. Zeng Shiqiang once commented: "Adding the word 'religion' afterward is quite unfair." Because in every religion in the world, there are strict doctrines and rules, advocating a singular leader who can grant salvation in the end, and are strictly exclusive. Even within different branches of Christianity, which all believe in the same God, there is often significant discord and mutual exclusion.

In fact, within the millennia-long uninterrupted Chinese civilization, Buddhism and Taoism have long been integrated into Chinese cultural perspectives and traditional folk customs, becoming an enduring part of society. Rather than calling them religions, it would be more accurate to refer to them as Buddhist and Taoist philosophies. Neither Buddhism nor Taoism promotes the worship of a single deity. In the folk tradition, households often worship a variety of deities, and people are eager to offer a large table of sacrifices.

Buddhism and Taoism do not advocate monastic life, nor do they require rituals such as bowing, vegetarianism, chanting scriptures, or burning incense for prayers. They do not encourage the worship of external mystical forces but rather teach people not to cling to appearances, to respect the laws of nature, and to discover the same wisdom within themselves as the Buddha. The saying "The heavens are vigorous; the wise person strengthens oneself without ceasing", implies that all beings possess Buddha-nature and can achieve Buddhahood. This is true non-superstition!

Taoism is a philosophy that originated in China and can be traced back to the pre-Qin period, developing from early Taoist thought into an organized religion. The earliest classic of Taoism is the "Tao Te Ching"《道德经》, attributed to Laozi, who is revered as the ancestral deity "Taishang Laojun" in later Taoist tradition. Laozi believed that the "Tao" is the fundamental principle underlying the universe, while "Te" represents the inner qualities and ethical behavior of individuals. Through cultivation and practice, people can return to the state of "Tao", achieving harmony with nature, known as the "Unity of Man and Nature" (天人合一).

The "Tao Te Ching" states: "There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born. It is silent and lonely, independent and unchanging, circling without end, can be regarded as the mother of the universe." This passage describes how the "Tao" existed before the formation of Heaven and Earth. It is silent and formless, existing independently and eternally, cycling continuously and ceaselessly, and serves as the fundamental source of all things.

So, how did humans come into being? Taoism holds that: The rising yang Qi and descending yin Qi create heaven and earth. The residual yang Qi transforms into men, and the residual yin Qi transforms into women. The subsequent union of yin and yang produces more people and all living things, which are also products of the combination of yin and yang.

Humans are born from the union of yin and yang, as one of the myriad things created by the "Tao", and are considered the most honored among all creatures. "Among all things, humans are the most precious... the head is round like the sky, the feet are square like the earth, the hair represents the stars, the eyes represent the sun and moon, the eyebrows represent the Big Dipper, the ears represent the state altars, the mouth represents rivers and seas, and the teeth represent jade and stone." The great "Tao" is simple, and all things arise from it but bear different names. The human body is a "hologram" of Heaven and Earth, the most marvelous creation in the transformation of nature.

When did our human civilization begin?

The universe cannot escape the cycle of "formation, existence, decay and emptiness", which is the "Law of Increasing Entropy" mentioned earlier. According to the controversial "Lacerta Files", Earth is currently experiencing its 7th civilization, with the previous 6 civilizations having been destroyed due to various reasons or disasters. Of course, this theory is difficult to verify. Astronomer Carl Sagan proposed the "Cosmic Calendar" in his book "The Dragons of Eden". By compressing the 13.8 billion-year history of the universe into one year, let's see when the major events of human history occurred!

- January 1: The birth of the universe, the "legendary" Big Bang.

- May 1: The Milky Way is formed.

- September 9: The solar system is formed.

- September 14: The earth is formed.

- October 9: The oldest bacteria appear on Earth.

- December 14: Multicellular organisms appear.

- December 24: Dinosaurs appear.

- December 31, 22:30: Humans appear.

- December 31, 23:59:35: Humans enter the Neolithic era.

- December 31, 23:59:50: Civilizations such as Sumer, Egypt, and Babylon emerge.

- December 31, 23:59:55: The birth of Buddha and the Qin Dynasty.

- December 31, 23:59:59: The First Industrial Revolution.

- At 0.02 seconds before midnight: Modern humans invent the Internet.

In this Cosmic Calendar, it's as if "a glance encompasses millennia": Each day equals 37.8 million years, 1 hour equals 1.58 million years, and 1 second equals 438 years. If a person lives to be 80 years old, only 0.18 seconds have passed in the universe's timeline.

In the Cosmic Calendar, humanity is but a speck in the ocean; our current pleasant life is merely a fleeting moment in the last half-minute before midnight, the so-called "civilization". At any given moment of this cosmic day, under the "Law of Increasing Entropy", it is not impossible that there have been repeated cycles of "formation, existence, decay and emptiness", with various life forms emerging and self-destructing multiple times.

Nowadays, we often see various excavations that "discover" ancient splendors, completely contradicting "Evolution Theory" and becoming almost entirely "unsolved mysteries". For example, the San-xing-dui (三星堆) civilization in Sichuan, China; how the pyramids scattered across the solar system (Earth, Moon, Jupiter, Mars, etc.) were built; the more than 7,000 recorded "crop circles" on Earth over the past 500 years; and the "megalithic" buildings or structures (carbon-14 dating points to 5,000 to 10,000 years ago, with some even as long as 100,000 years) "surviving" worldwide after the "Great Flood", which are attributed to the "primitive" hands of ancient—uncivilized "savages", yet are beyond the capabilities of modern humans (Figure 5.12).

Figure 5.12: Megalithic structures worldwide, with precision stone-cutting techniques beyond modern civilization

Viewed this way, the seemingly fantastical accounts of our civilization's ancient and medieval times in the book "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" and many other unearthed texts worldwide may actually be consistent with true historical records. The Buddha, descending to the human world in the last few seconds before midnight, gave teachings and offered profound insights in plain language to contemporary people. His explanations about the universe may not have been mere fabrications.

Next, as our imaginations run wild, we might ask: Who created God? Who created the Buddha? Who set the rules for Jesus and the Buddha and determined their fates? Laozi pondered such questions as well, and, not knowing what to call this "invisible hand", he referred to it as the "Tao". Some Chinese fantasy dramas suggest that although deities appear to be the rulers of the three realms, there is a hidden supreme boss behind them. The ruler dictates their fates: granting them the power to create or destroy worlds, but also limiting and preventing them from achieving immortality. If a deity succumbs to emotions and desires, the "Heavenly Tao" might strip them of their divine power with punishment, by sending them into the cycle of reincarnation to suffer.

The question is: Are we governed by the supreme boss? Absolutely!

It's like being a low-level employee under the supervision of a department manager, who is under the CEO, who in turn answers to the chairman (or investor). The chairman has the absolute authority to frequently replace the CEOs (deity reincarnation). If the CEO's ideas clash with those of the chairman, the CEO is usually dismissed (the end of a deity, the disappearance of divine power). If the chairman is extremely dissatisfied, they can even call for a complete reset of a new company (a major cosmic catastrophe, with a "great flood" being just a "mini catastrophe").

This supreme boss seems to have no desires, and tolerates no flaws in those he employs. We might feel that although the deity is guilty, the crime does not warrant a death sentence. But the supreme boss thinks otherwise. Once discovered, they immediately turn hostile and promptly dismiss. Thus, as low-level employees, we must always know who our boss is and adhere to the rules set by the boss.

However, even with a cold and ruthless boss, communication is still effective and can lead to temporary reconciliation. The rules set by the supreme boss for the human world appear to follow some principles of "non-violation". In Chapter 8, we will attempt to summarize these principles.