e,
as an immovable rock in the midst of a stormy sea. He set the stars
in motion, and caused the planets to revolve. The chief of his secret
police was Tsao Chuen, the Kitchen-god, who rendered to him an account
of the good and evil deeds of each family. His executive agent was
Lei Tsu, the God of Thunder, and his subordinates. The seven stars
of the North Pole were the palace of his ministers, whose offices
were on the various sacred mountains. Nowadays, however, Yuean-shih
T'ien-tsun is generally neglected for Yue Huang.

An Avatar of P'an Ku

According to the tradition of Chin Hung, the God of T'ai Shan
of the fifth generation from P'an Ku, this being, then called
Yuean-shih T'ien-wang, was an avatar of P'an Ku. It came about in
this wise. In remote ages there lived on the mountains an old man,
Yuean-shih T'ien-wang, who used to sit on a rock and preach to the
multitude. He spoke of the highest antiquity as if from personal
experience. When Chin Hung asked him where he lived, he just raised
his hand toward Heaven, iridescent clouds enveloped his body, and he
replied: "Whoso wishes to know where I dwell must rise to impenetrable
heights." "But how," said Chin Hung, "was he to be found in this
immense emptiness?" Two genii, Ch'ih Ching-tzu and Huang Lao, then
descended on the summit of T'ai Shan and said: "Let us go and visit
this Yuean-shih. To do so, we must cross the boundaries of the universe
and pass beyond the farthest stars." Chin Hung begged them to give
him their instructions, to which he listened attentively. They then
ascended the highest of the sacred peaks, and thence mounted into the
heavens, calling to him from the misty heights: "If you wish to know
the origin of Yuean-shih, you must pass beyond the confines of Heaven
and earth, because he lives beyond the limits of the worlds. You must
ascend and ascend until you reach the sphere of nothingness and of
being, in the plains of the luminous shadows."

Having reached these ethereal heights, the two genii saw a bright
light, and Hsuean-hsuean Shang-jen appeared before them. The two
genii bowed to do him homage and to express their gratitude. "You
cannot better show your gratitude," he replied, "than by making my
doctrine known among men. You desire," he added, "to know the history
of Yuean-shih. I will tell it you. When P'an Ku had completed his
work in the primitive Chaos, his spirit left its mortal envelope
and found itself tossed about in empty spa