Myth of Pangu

[Jason]

The last time I attended a course with Master Ou he suggested to the group that it would be a good thing to read up about the myth of Pan Gu.  I have found some short articles on websites and the Pan Gu Mystical Qigong book gives some references. 

I am wondering if anyone knows of any good books that outline the Pan Gu story?

[Jason]

The Pangu legend

In the beginning there was nothing in the universe except a formless chaos. However this chaos coalesced into a cosmic egg for 18,000 years. Within it, the perfectly opposed principles of Yin and Yang became balanced and Pangu emerged from the egg. Pangu set about the task of creating the world: he separated Yin from Yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the Earth and the Sky. To keep them separated, Pangu stood between them and pushed up the Sky. This task took 18,000 years, with each day the sky grew ten feet higher, the Earth ten feet wider, and Pangu ten feet taller.

In some versions of the story, Pangu is aided in this task by the four most prominent beasts, namely the Turtle, the Qilin, the Phoenix, and the Dragon.

After the 18,000 years had elapsed, Pangu was laid to rest. His breath became the wind; his voice the thunder; left eye the sun and right eye the moon; his body became the mountains and extremes of the world; his blood formed rivers; his muscles the fertile lands; his facial hair the stars and milky way; his fur the bushes and forests; his bones the valuable minerals; his bone marrows sacred diamonds; his sweat fell as rain; and the fleas on his fur carried by the wind became the fish and animals throughout the land.