Book of the Arc of Bon

CHAPTER 21 Arc Bon

History of Chine (Tschin'e), of Jaffeth, Founder of China

27/21.1. These are the generations of the seven antecedents of Chine, the chosen of the Great Spirit, Ormazd, otherwise, in Fonecean, Eloih; that is to say:

27/21.2. Tse'wong begot Hi‑gan, who begot Ah So, who begot T‑soo Yong, who begot Ah Paing, who begot T‑chook Lee, who begot Tschine Loo, who begot Ah Sho'e, who begot Tschin'e (Chine), gifted in su'is and sar'gis of six generations.

27/21.3. Of these, T‑soo Yong and Ah So were prophets of Jehovih (Ormazd), and Ah Sho'e was a seer; but the six generations could hear the Voice, and they walked upright, keeping the commandments of Jehovih as revealed in the Zarathustrian laws.

27/21.4. Ah Sho'e was a basket‑maker, and was like the man Zarathustra; and Chine, his son, was the fourth birth of Ah Sho'e's wife, Song Heng. Like Moses, Chine was of copper color, and very large, but his hair was red, like a fox, and he was bashful and of few words.

27/21.5. Ah Sho'e, i.e., Chine's father, said: I have had other sons; my words are wise and true; Chine was unlike any child born in the world; for boy child, or girl child, no physician could tell which, but rather to the boy kind was he. The angel of Jehovih (Ormazd) came to me before the birth and said: The child shall be called Chine, signifying no sex; as it is written among the ancients, i‑e‑su, having no earthly desires. For, he shall restore the chosen people of Jehovih.

27/21.6. Before the birth I told the physicians of this prophecy, but they would not believe. Nevertheless, by command of Jehovih, I sent for seven physicians to witness the birth, lest it be said afterward the surgeons have dealt wrongly with the child at its birth.

27/21.7. The following physicians came: Em Gha, Tse Thah, Ah Em Fae, Te Gow, T'si, Du Jon, Foh Chaing, and Ah Kaon, and they witnessed the child being born, to which they made oath, |1094| and a record of it, touching the strangeness of such a birth, and of the prophecy of its coming into the world; this record was put in the Ha Ta'e King (library) of records belonging to the Sun King [state records --Ed.].

27/21.8. Being now in my old age, I, Ah Sho'e, put these things on record, of which hundreds have come to ask me concerning the growing up of Chine.

27/21.9. First, that he was the laziest of all children, and dull past belief. For his brothers and sisters mocked him, concerning my prophecy, as to becoming a great man.

27/21.10. Second, he ate less than a small bird (Fa'ak), and grew so thin we were ashamed of him in his childhood; truly he was nothing but skin and bone, with a large head.

27/21.11. Third, when he walked about, the stools and tables moved out of his way; and yet no hand touched them.

27/21.12. Fourth, the angels of Jehovih often carried him about the hut, and would lift him up to pick fruit from the trees.

27/21.13. Fifth, he never laughed, but was serious and pleasant, like an old man who had abandoned the world. But he spoke so little no man knew whether he was wise or stupid.

27/21.14. When he was three years old his mother weaned him, or rather he weaned himself. And from that time on, he never ate anything but fruit and nuts and grains of rice. When he was sixteen years old he began to grow suddenly large and strong, and of deep color. After which I procured a teacher for him; but lo and behold, he could learn a whole book in a day. He learned by hearing once; nor did he forget anything he learned.

27/21.15. In his twenty‑second year he began to talk, and the angels of heaven spoke through him also. And his speech was full of wisdom.

27/21.16. From sunrise in the morning until late at night his tongue did not cease speaking. And his mouth was as if it were the mouthpiece of heaven. For after one angel had discoursed before the audience for a while, another came, and then another, and so on; and when none came, then Chine himself spoke.

27/21.17. And there came before him men of great learning, and philosophers, to try him as to his knowledge; but they all went away confounded, as if they were fools. Nor was it possible to ask him a question that he could not answer correctly. Whether it was to read a tablet or to reveal the size and design of a temple he never saw; or the sickness of a man who was far away; for all things were like an open book to him.

27/21.18. For four years this great wisdom remained in him, and his fame spread from the east to the west, and from the north to the south; no man knew how far. When he was asked how far he could see and hear, he said: Over all my land. And he marked with his finger, saying: On this tablet, Chine land! ||

27/21.19. Thus was the country named Chine (China), which it bears to this day.

27/21.20. Ah Sho'e said: Suddenly Chine's abundant speech ceased, and he answered only yes and no to all things. And he was thus silent for seven years and eighty days. And then the angels from the second heaven (etherea) came to him. After that he did not speak as man (except in private), but he spoke as the All Light, of which the world knows the rest.

1094  sworn statement; attestation; written testimony

CHAPTER 22 Arc Bon

27/22.1. Chine said: I am a man only. I am the All Light. My voice is that which lives forever. Do not worship me; do not worship man; worship All Light. I am Jehovih (Ormazd) Ever Present. Because of My abundance in man, man opens the mouth; makes words.

27/22.2. To know Me is to know all things; he who strives to Me is My chosen. He who does not know Me, does not prove Me; he who knows Me cannot prove Me. To every self I am The Self of that self. To perfect that self which is in all selfs; such a man is one with Me. To travel on such a road; that is the right road.

27/22.3. Hear Me, O man! I come every three thousand years; I newly light up the world. My voice comes upon the souls of men; your All Highest is Me; your all lowest is sin. Two things only I set before you, O man; the Self that is Myself, and the self that is yourself. Which will you serve? For on this hangs either your resurrection or your hell.

27/22.4. In the time of the first of ancients I asked the same questions. Whoever said: I will serve You, Ormazd, You All Self, || he was My chosen. Whoever answered: I will serve the self of myself, was satan's. The latter went on the wrong road. Their trail was blood and death; war, their glory.

27/22.5. They fell upon My chosen; like tigers they have pursued them. I called out in the ancient days: Why do you persecute My chosen and destroy them? And they answered: They will not war; they do not serve our king; they serve the King of kings; they practice peace; they do not uphold our God.

27/22.6. But I stretched forth My hand from the second heaven; I bowed down to My virgin daughter, the troubled earth, Ma‑lah. And I took My chosen and put them in Brahma's hand; and they were shapely and fleet‑footed, valiant in love and good works. And I sent great learning to the sons of men, and wisdom and peace, and great rejoicing.

27/22.7. And Ma‑lah blossomed and was fragrant as new honey, and clean and full of virtue. Her daughters hid the thigh and the ankle; their full breasts were concealed and their words were of modesty.

27/22.8. Her sons were early to rise; producing abundance, and with songs of rejoicing, and with dancing. For My beloved shaped the ways of man; their progeny were like the sweet blossoms of an orchard; like the fragrance of red clover. I said to them: Do not fear; your sons and your daughters are a great glory to you. Count the days of your wife; and rejoice when the birth draws near; for it is fruit of Me and of you.

27/22.9. And they taught the little ones to clap their hands and rejoice; I made them for this. Sing, O earth! Hold up your head, I said to My beloved, for Mine is a place of glory and sweet love, sparkling with good delights. || None could restrain them; like young colts and young lambs at play; their capers were unceasing and most tender.

27/22.10. This was My good creation; the bliss of My chosen; this was My shapely earth in the days of peace; in the times of My chosen. Neither war nor weeping was there; nor hunger, thirst, nor famine; nor fields lying waste; nor sickness, nor evil diseases; nor cursing, swearing, lying nor deceit; nor hardships and sore toil, nor any evil thing under the sun.

27/22.11. I, the All Light, Jehovih, have spoken. Will they hear My words? How will man judge Me, the Creator? Has he gone among My beloved; and My upraised who obey My commandments? Has he seen the beauty of the earth in the hands of My chosen?

27/22.12. O man! You fool! You go into a dark corner and say: How dark! You go before My enemies and say: What a vain creation! Or search among those who do not serve Me, and say: Miserable world! Or among those who hate Me, and say: How wickedly they kill one another. Oh, if only Jehovih had made a better creation!

27/22.13. You cry out: There is no happiness on the earth; all is misery, sorrow, pain and death! And this is your standard, O man, to judge your Creator! You say: There is no peace, no delight, no love, no harmony on the earth!

27/22.14. Stubborn man! And contrary, and of narrow judgment! O if you would stand in a clean place and high, and then judge! Have you measured My chosen, who have faith in My Person? Why have you treasured yourself? And put yourself uppermost of all things? Who have you found that denied My Person, who did not dwell in lust and self‑conceit?

27/22.15. Where is your standard, if not the All High? What is your dispute about the all low? If I call Myself the All High, are you better pleased? If satan calls himself the all low, will you be satisfied? Or shall a man not speak of the All High? Nor of the all low? Are there not such things? And shall they not have names?

27/22.16. Your wicked hand rises up against My chosen, to lay them in death. And when you have trailed the earth over in blood; and your hand is wearied with destruction, and your little ones have nothing to eat, you pray: O Father, help Your little ones!

27/22.17. I have spoken!

CHAPTER 23 Arc Bon

27/23.1. Chine spoke Jehovih's words, saying:

They have sought after pleasure, and after you, O earth! They have bowed down to men, to the king and the rich man, and now, behold their misery! The king said: Come serve me. Take your spear, and your strong bow and arrow, and come with me. I will show you great delights; you shall slaughter my enemies; and I will give you wages.

27/23.2. And they ran to serve the king; yes, they washed their hands in the blood of My innocent ones. Because the king said: Brave! Good slaughterer! || Then they were pleased, highly recompensed!

27/23.3. I have said: You are on the wrong road; serve only Me, for I am Good Delights. Because you slay one another, the land will not be tilled; you are hungry and ragged. And they queried: What will Jehovih give for wages? More than the king?

27/23.4. Your weakness lies in this, O man! You say: Wait a little while; I will serve the man first; and afterward Jehovih!

27/23.5. What profit do you have in your brother's death? With all his treasures of gold and silver, what do you really have?

27/23.6. Behold, you will not allow to live in peace even those who choose Me and My ways. Because they say: My Creator is my King; I will serve Him. || the king says: Go for them; slaughter them! They put Jehovih higher than me!

27/23.7. And you say: It is a good and wholesome thing to serve the king, and kill his enemies. To serve my country by killing men, this is great glory!

27/23.8. But the voice of My beloved rose up to Me; yes, My lambs flee before the wolves, being driven away from My goodly pastures. Behold Me, I have come to them, to the lovers of peace and virtue and loving kindness. My hand is stretched over them in great power; My word is given to them, and is not dead.

27/23.9. I will call them together; they shall again hold up their heads and rejoice because of My Presence. ||

27/23.10. After Jehovih's voice came to Chine he traveled far and near; and because of his wonderful wisdom, men of great learning and even kings sent for him. And wherever he went he preached the same, for peace and love, and against war.

27/23.11. For three years Chine traveled, proclaiming the Creator above all else in heaven and earth. And then he rested one hundred and forty days, sleeping like a young child, saying nothing more than a child would say.

27/23.12. Then a change came upon Chine; he was like a new man in the world, and not as a God. And he rose up, saying: My Father, Creator of men, calls me. I hear His voice. It is like a burning fire in my soul, moving me. Not with pain, but with great power. He says:

27/23.13. Chine, My Son! Chine, My Son! My house is on fire! My little ones are burning. Go to them, Chine. They are in fear and trembling; they do not know what way to turn. The kings of the earth have outlawed them; they are hunted down, and are famished. Go to them, O Chine! For that end I created you alive in the world; you shall be My Voice to them.

27/23.14. Chine said: Jehovih says: Who can overcome the fire when he remains in the house? He goes outside where there is water. Call My people out of the house of My enemies. Give them a wellspring of clean water; they are parched |1095| and thirsty. Say to them; Jehovih lives! His love abounds. || Come to My fountains that are not dried up. Come and hear the covenant of My Son, Chine: |1096|

1095  dry, withered, lacking vitality

1096  see image i116

i116 Chine. The founder of China, and who restored the rights of the believers in Jehovih throughout that great country.   (see image only)

27/23.15. I swear to You, O Jehovih, my Almighty! I will have no other God but You, Creator! All Light, Most Glorious! You are my King! Holy, Holy, Ever Present! O my Captain, my All Highest Captain! I salute You in the Rising Sun! In the High Noon, most Mighty! And in the sweet Setting Sun!

27/23.16. I know nothing but You; to You I swear this, my most solemn oath, O Jehovih! Call up Your angels, holy and most wise; Your recording angels! They shall hear my covenant to You, My Creator! They shall write it in the books of heaven, O my Master! And while the sun, moon, earth and stars stand, my oath to You shall stand up against me:

27/23.17. You only shall be my King; You only shall be my God and Heavenly Ruler. All other kings I forswear, and all other Gods, captains, and great rulers. I will not bow down to any of them, nor worship them, forever. I, Chine, have spoken.

27/23.18. I swear to You, O Great Spirit, You are my bond to the end of the world. I will neither war nor abet war; to peace forever I am sworn. And though they impress (draft) me and torture me, or slay me outright, they shall not force me; I will not draw one drop of blood in any man, woman or child whom You have created alive on the earth.

27/23.19. I swear to You, You All Person---You Who are so large that the earth and sun and stars would not fill the hollow of Your hand---to be like You, O Jehovih: Fair dealing to all men, as You would; and good, forgiving, and without anger forever; and to share equally in all possessions with Your chosen, O Jehovih.

27/23.20. To raise up those who are cast down; to deliver the afflicted and helpless; to never render evil, nor the fruit of anger, to any man, O Jehovih; but good to those who abuse me; and in my actions, steadfast in Your course, my Creator.

27/23.21. In my blood I covenant with You; by the veins in my flesh, make oath forever: To never wed out of Your Order, the Hi‑tspe. |1097| Blood of the blood of Your chosen my heirs shall be and their heirs after them, forever.

27/23.22. Hear me, O Jehovih: I make a new covenant; it shall be written upon the firmament of heaven. I will do good with all my might; the tears of the suffering poor shall be like scalding blood in my veins; I will not sit down and rest, nor take my ease, nor hold possessions while they are in want.

27/23.23. Prick me, O my Father in heaven; sharpen my conscience keener than a sword; drive me to labor for the poor and afflicted, give me no rest, except while I am doing good to them.

27/23.24. O if only my covenant was set with swords, pointing every way; so that I could find no peace but in serving You, my Creator, Ormazd; and that I was pure, strong, wise, and swifter than life and death, and as unfailing.

27/23.25. And that my oath reached to Your chosen, and they heard me; that my voice was sweet to them, and enticing like an early love.

27/23.26. If only they would come forth from their hiding places, Your faithful children, and not be afraid.

27/23.27. I would go to them like a lover, and bow my head down to them, for their long suffering and their faith to You, Jehovih.

27/23.28. Like a father who has lost his son and found him again, I would take them in my arms, Your worshippers, You All One, Everlasting Spirit.

27/23.29. As a rosebush trampled in the mire, O how they have been scourged, O Jehovih. Destitute, |1098| ragged and scattered. But I would wash them clean, and give them new soil; so their voices in song and praise would gladden the whole earth.

1097  One of the orders of Faithists in China. Equivalent to Hi‑dang in some regions. --Ed.

1098  utterly without means; tenuous subsistence; deathly poor

CHAPTER 24 Arc Bon

27/24.1. The great cities of the ancients in Jaffeth had been destroyed by Joss (Te‑in) and his evil spirits, who inspired mortals to war. And for the most part it was a land of ruins, but now thousands of cities, standing beside the broken walls, were spread over the entire breadth of the land.

27/24.2. Jehovih spoke to Chine, saying: Now is a good time for My chosen. Behold My enemies, the idolaters; you can recognize them by their soldiers. They are weak now. They pant with the labor of their great battles. Let My people come out of their quarters and hold up their heads.

27/24.3. Say to them, O Chine: There is no Joss, no Ho‑Joss, no Te‑in, no Po, no Po‑Te‑in, to make you afraid. || And while the enemy rests, bid My sons and daughters arise! They shall inhabit the land that is spoiled, and cause it to bloom and bring forth abundantly. Call up My outlawed race; the enemy is sick of his wounds; his heart is ashamed and disconsolate; he is cast down.

27/24.4. Chine went to A'shong and gathered up many converts, descendants of the Faithists, the pure Brahmans, the line of Zarathustra, the people of the Great All One, who did not accept Gods and Lords. And he established them, and invented plows and mattocks for digging the ground; for these implements had been lost and destroyed, since hundreds of years, and no man knew how to make them.

27/24.5. Chine said to them: This is a good philosophy: Do not wait till you are well fed and clothed before you bow your heads down at the altar of Jehovih. When you have prayed and sung before Him, then go forth into the field to work. And He will bless you.

27/24.6. Remember the heathen, they say: First provide the natural body, and then the spirit. But I say to you, Jehovih created them both together. And he who says: First provide the natural body, never looks to his spirit afterward.

27/24.7. In all things give precedence to the spirit; as the Creator is over all His works, so should the spirit of man be over man's works, and over his corporeal body also.

27/24.8. In that lay the foundation of the wisdom of your forefathers, the Zarathustrians. For the heathen and the idolater, who labor for self, what are they but servants to the flesh?

27/24.9. Those people who labor for the raising of the spirit, which is through purity, love, goodness and justice, are on the right road to become a great people. But when they strive, every man for himself, such people are beginning to fall.

27/24.10. Her boundaries may be large, and her people increasing, but she has a cankerworm within that, sooner or later, will let her down suddenly.

27/24.11. Two extremes meeting are always dangerous: great wealth and extensive poverty. It not only devolves on the rich to give their substance to the poor, but they shall go among them, teaching them and lifting them up.

27/24.12. He who does not do this, consider how vain it is for him to pray to Jehovih. His prayer does not rise upward. Let him first answer the poor himself. This is the opening of his own soul, so Jehovih can reach him.

27/24.13. Remember that all men have judgment, and that they should be perfected to see things from their own standpoint, and not from yours. Consider, then, how unjust it is to foist on any man your opinions, uncalled for. ||

27/24.14. Chine established families of the chosen, but limited them to two hundred; and to each family he gave one priest. But he set a limit of four thousand people to dwell in any one city.

27/24.15. Chine said: You have been afflicted with Gods; I was sent into the world by the Creator to deliver you to liberty in the family. I am only a man. I have no authority in myself. Jehovih, the Creator, dwells freely in me. You can attain the same.

27/24.16. Because He is within me, this shall be called Chine‑land [Chine'ya --Ed.]. There is a time for this. My name is like a post to mark the time when the Creator began His temple of peace, which shall extend over all these people.

27/24.17. Jehovih says: Why will man be vain about himself? Truly I not have created one man on the face of the earth who is composed of himself. Instead he is made up of all oddities, soul and body. Consider his flesh, where he received it from, and how he sustains it. Not so much as one hair on his head is of his own making; neither is it made out of new material, but has been used over and over forever.

27/24.18. Nor is even his mind his own; not even his simplest thought; but he is made up of borrowed things from beginning to end, for so I created him.

27/24.19. He imagines I, Who created him, am nothing; but even his imagination he picked up from someone else. He gathers a little here, and a little there, and then proclaims what he knows.

27/24.20. Chine said: One man says: I am normal; neither angels nor mortals rule over me! Yet he has only boasted like a crazy man, who will say the same thing. Another says: Behold my wisdom! The highest of angels discourse through me. Yet he does not know whether it is true or not. Nor do any of them know the fountainhead. For if an angel says it, the angel himself is made up of borrowed knowledge.

27/24.21. Chine said: I saw a great mathematician one day, and he said: There are no Gods, no Lords, no angels, no All Person. Everything is void. He showed me a book he had, and I asked: Who made the book? He said: I made it; no, I did not make the cloth, nor the binding; I mean, I made the philosophy that is in the book; no, I did not make the philosophy, but found it; no, it was not lost; I mean I led myself to find the philosophy; no, a man cannot lead himself; I mean that I searched and found what was new to me. || So, very little of that book was his, after all.

27/24.22. I saw three angels standing beside that man, and they were laughing at him. If I had asked the angels, they might have said: No, the thoughts were ours. And had I looked further I would have seen angels behind them, claiming the same things. Yet, even they are not the highest.

27/24.23. So that I say to you: All things come from an All Highest, name Him what you will. The one who says: Jehovih spoke to me; || he, of all, is nearest the mark. For all good knowledge that comes to man is Jehovih's word to that man. Whether it comes by an angel or by another man, or by the commonest corporeal thing, it is nevertheless from the All Highest.

27/24.24. For which reason do not bow down in worship to man or angels, but only to the Highest, Jehovih, for He is the Figurehead and Pinnacle of the All Highest Conceived Of. And in contradistinction, the all lowest; the foot of the ladder; call it darkness and evil, and wickedness and sin, and death and satan.

27/24.25. Do not attribute this or that to men or angels, for they themselves are not first causes, nor responsible except in part; but attribute all good, high, best and wise things to Jehovih; and all evil, dark, wicked, low things to satan.

27/24.26. By these terms you shall make plain to one another what you mean; and it is an easy matter to look into your own souls and comprehend as to which of these two you most incline.

27/24.27. The soul may be likened to a vine, which can be trained either upward or downward. And if you desire to know if a vine is up or down, you look for the fruit, and not to the fragrance. Some men pray much, but as to good works they are like a vine without fruit, but with plenty of fragrance.

CHAPTER 25 Arc Bon

27/25.1. Chine said: One man waits till he is rich, before helping the poor; another man waits for the angels to inspire him, and give him wonders, before he teaches the unlearned; another waits for the multitude to join in first; and yet another waits for something else. Beware of such men; or put them in scales where straw is weighed. |1099|

27/25.2. The sons and daughters of Jehovih go right on. They say: It is the highest, best! I will go in! Though I do not accomplish it, yet I will not fail [to do the best I can to fulfill my highest light. --ed.].

27/25.3. Consider the foundation of things at all times. Jehovih says: I created all the living to bring forth after their own kind. Therefore be perceptive as to whom you marry; and consider the All Highest inspiration common to your choice. ||

27/25.4. Judge the All Highest inspiration of any man or woman not by their words, but by their works. For the raising up of the world shall be mostly accomplished by the fruit of judicious marriage.

27/25.5. Chine said: I declare a bondage to men that they do not know of, for it belongs in the next world; which is the begetting of selfish offspring in this world. For while their heirs are in darkness they themselves cannot rise in heaven.

27/25.6. Yet, I also declare a glory in heaven to those who wed in self‑abnegation, |1100| who do good to others constantly and with delight; for they bring forth heirs to glorify Jehovih in good works also.

27/25.7. For this reason the mark of circumcision was given to your forefathers, lest the Faithist women be led astray by idolaters. And yet, despite all precautions, many fell, being tempted by the flesh. And their heirs descended lower and lower in darkness, until they lost sight of the All Person, and did not believe in Him.

27/25.8. The hand hardened from toil will ensure a better heir than the dimpled hand of a proud woman. The latter has a soul of passions, and her offspring will have souls like a mixture of gall and sugar; though they are sweet, they will prove to be bitter in time to come.

27/25.9. Consider your heir; show him an orderly house with a head; so that he may grow up understanding the discipline of earth and heaven.

27/25.10. The father shall be master in all things; and the mother shall be vice‑master in all things, to rule in his absence.

27/25.11. For each family shall be a kingdom of itself; but no one shall be a tyrant, though he has precedence in all things.

27/25.12. Do not sit down at the table to eat until all stand gathered about it; and when they are seated, you shall say: In Your praise, O Jehovih, we receive this, Your gift; be with us for Your own glory, forever, amen!

27/25.13. For the chief virtue of the words lies in the discipline for the young mind; holding him steadfast in the orderly manner of the angels in heaven. And because he speaks the prayer with you, he learns to honor you with good rejoicing.

27/25.14. And when the sons and daughters are yet small, you shall teach them to work; inspiring them above all things not to fall into idleness, which lies at the borders of hell.

27/25.15. But do not overburden them, nor give them pain; remembering they are to be your glory, which Jehovih bestowed to you to be in your keeping, not for your self‑aggrandizement, but for their own delights and holy pleasures.

27/25.16. For they shall sing and play, and clap their hands and rejoice and dance, for these are their thanks to the Creator; and the earth shall be glad because they came into the world.

27/25.17. Remember that labor shall be delight, and toil a great delight; to have it otherwise for your children and for yourself, is to prostitute man to be like a beast of the field. But you shall bring them into groups, and their labor shall be a frolic and full of instruction.

27/25.18. And even your little ones shall learn that you are only a brother, an elder brother, and one of the children of the same Creator; teaching them that one who hoards and keeps things as his own possessions is like a cannibal who eats the flesh and blood of his kindred.

27/25.19. Above all things you shall teach them to keep holy and pure the body created with them; for in this lies health and strength. To be foul is to be sick, to be sick is to be foul. Behold the heathen and idolater, the feeders on flesh and blood; in the time they boast of health they stink like a carcass; their flesh is congested and puffed up, their breath like a kennel of dogs. How can their souls be pure or their understanding clear? They have made themselves a festering stink‑house for the spirit to dwell in.

27/25.20. And they say: Bah! I see no Jehovih! I know no All Person! I deny the soul of things! Where is the spirit? I cannot see it! Or the sound of its voice? I cannot hear it! And if there is a Great Spirit, let Him come before me! I would see Him. || Yes, in their filthy bodies they say this. Let them be pure and they will understand the vanity of such words.

1099  i.e., be careful, they lack substance; don't give much weight to their declarations; be circumspect in giving latitude; don't be fooled by pretense, etc.

1100  set aside self; willing to set aside self-interest for the sake of Jehovih

CHAPTER 26 Arc Bon

27/26.1. Jehovih said to Chine: Now I will stir up the nations. Through you I will show them the glory and dominion of My kingdoms.

27/26.2. For you shall walk without feet; write without hands; hear without ears; see without eyes; and you shall rise in the air like a bird; by your own will, go wherever you choose.

27/26.3. And you shall bring down the thundercloud, and at the sound of your voice the rains shall fall.

27/26.4. And you shall say: Go away, you clouds; and the sun will shine in their place.

27/26.5. And you shall come to some who are hungry, and your voice shall rise up to Me, and I will send down from heaven the food of heaven (haoma); and your people shall eat of it and be appeased.

27/26.6. And you shall stretch up your hand over the dead that are ready for the furnace, and they shall come to life again and be made whole.

27/26.7. For these are the testimonies that you are My servant, and have kept My commandments.

27/26.8. In which you shall say to them: Behold me; I am only a man! Why do you fall down (prostrate) before the Gods and worship them? For I charge, O all you people, that you shall not worship me nor call me anything but a man striving to do the will of my Father, the Creator.

27/26.9. For whoever becomes one with Him; to such a person many miracles are possible; although, I declare to you, they are not miracles in fact; but possibilities granted by Jehovih to the upright, who serve Him in act and truth.

27/26.10. Jehovih said to Chine: And when you have shown these things to many, know, then, your time on the earth is finished. For I will cast you in a trance, and the people shall bewail, saying: Alas, he is dead! And they shall cover you and cast your body into the furnace as is done with the dead; and the fire shall blaze and consume your body before them. But you shall have previously bid them watch by the furnace, for you shall gather together the elements of your burnt body and restore them, and again inhabit it and go about, preaching before men.

27/26.11. Therefore get ready; declaring these prophecies beforehand, so that they may be testified to by men, and so be recorded in the libraries of the kings and queens.

27/26.12. Chine conveyed to the congregations of Faithists, the true Zarathustrians, what Ormazd (Jehovih) had said, and many of them wept bitterly.

27/26.13. In years prior to this, when Chine had traveled and preached by the voice of Jehovih, he visited the kings, princes and rich men in many regions; and while he was thus speaking, rebuking them for their governments and for their possessions, they took no part against him. But afterward, when he was gone, the kings, queens and nobles said: Chine has preached a dangerous doctrine; for he said: You shall have no king but the Creator, Who is King over all. Will this not set our slaves against us? And if the people go into communities of their own, ignoring the king, where will the king find his revenue?

27/26.14. And there were priests of Dyaus and of other Gods, and speakers in temples (oracles) where the Gods wrote on sand tables. Besides these there were countless seers and prophets. And the kings, being on the alert, investigated the matter, inquiring of the spirits as to whether the doctrines of Chine were true.

27/26.15. And some of the spirits said: There is no All Person. Behold, we have visited the stars and the sun, and looked far and near, and we did not see any Creator, or All Person. There is no Great Spirit, except Te‑in, who was a onetime mortal, but has risen to all power in heaven and earth.

27/26.16. And other spirits said: There is nothing in heaven that you do not have on earth. How shall we find Ormazd? Do not waste your time with Chine and his doctrines; he will overthrow your kingdoms. Eat, drink and satiate your desires; for these are the sum and substance of all things in heaven and earth.

27/26.17. Te‑zee, king of A'shong, the capital city of the Province of Aen‑Na‑Po'e, who was also a great philosopher, had previously heard Chine preach, and was greatly interested. Sometime after this a magician, Loo Sin, visited Te‑zee, who told the magician about the wonders of Chine. The magician listened to the king's story, and the king asked the magician whether he could himself, in addition to his sleight‑of‑hand, manifest wisdom in words, like Chine, and if so, how could it be attained?

27/26.18. Loo Sin, the magician, answered: Te‑zee, O king, you do not know how you have embarrassed me, your servant. For when we are young, and finding we have the natural powers for a magician, we go before an adept to be taught all the mysteries of the order; and here we take a most binding oath never to reveal by hint, word, mark, or written character, anything that will reveal any of our signs and mysteries, binding ourselves under great penalties, which I cannot name to you.

27/26.19. Know then, O king, I can answer all your questions, and am desirous to serve you, but what shall I do?

27/26.20. The king said: I, being king, absolve you from your oath. The magician said: Compared to my power, though I only beg from door to door, your power, O king, is only as chaff before the wind. In my subtle realms are the keys of all dominions. Not only do I and my craft rule over mortals, but over the spirits of the dead. My oath, then, is too great for you to absolve, for I cannot even absolve it myself!

27/26.21. Te‑zee, the king, said: Since, then, you cannot do all things, and, especially, absolve an oath, you are not sufficient for me to deal with. Loo Sin, being desirous of earning something, said: As for that, O king, I tell you I cannot reveal all, for the virtue of my art depends much on its secrets and mystery. Nevertheless, as I am very poor, I might reveal an index |1101| to you, by which, if you would apply yourself diligently, you could attain the remainder.

27/26.22. So the king commanded him to perform before him, agreeing to award him according to the decree of the fates (spirits). And Loo Sin at once went to work, performing wonderful feats, such as causing the tables, seats and desks, to move about and to roll over; and he caused voices to speak in unseen places. He also changed rods into serpents, and caused birds to sit on the king's shoulder; and he changed water into wine, and also brought fish and laid them on the floor at the king's feet.

27/26.23. The king said to him: All these things I have witnessed from my youth up. Show me now, while you remain here, how you can see into my neighbor's house?

27/26.24. The magician said: Yes, O king; but for that feat it is necessary to enter the state of the holy ghost (trance), and the price is expensive!

27/26.25. The king said: I will pay you; therefore enter into the state of the holy ghost.

27/26.26. Loo Sin turned up his eyes and gave a shudder, as one dying, and having stretched himself on the floor, bade the king to question him.

27/26.27. The king said: Here is chalk; mark on the floor the character that is on the top of my tablet, on the left of the throne! Almost immediately the magician marked correctly. And now again the king tried him as to his power to see without his eyes, and in far‑off places; and, having proved him in many ways, the king said: Can you also show the spirits of the dead?

27/26.28. Loo Sin said: In truth I can, O king. But that requires me to enter the sublime state of creation, and is even yet more expensive!

27/26.29. The king said: Have I not said I will pay you? Get moving, then. Enter the sublime state of creation at once!

27/26.30. Loo Sin then went into a dark corner and laid himself down on the floor, and then swallowed his tongue, and was motionless and stiff, like one that is quite dead. Presently a light like a thin smoke rose up from the body and stood a little aside, and a voice spoke out of the light, saying:

27/26.31. Who are you that calls up the spirits of the dead? Beware! He whose body lies stiff and cold beside me, is one of the heirs of the immortal Gods! What do you ask, man of earth?

27/26.32. The king said: Who are you? The voice answered: I am Joss, Te‑in! Ruler of heaven and earth! The Great Spirit personified! Creator of all things!

27/26.33. The king in satire |1102| said: You are welcome, O Te‑in! I am one of the most blest of mortals, because you have made my place a holy place.

27/26.34. The spirit then assumed mortal shape and stood before the king, even while the magician's body lay on the floor in sight also. The spirit said: What question troubles you, O king? Speak, and I will answer you, for I am all Wisdom and Truth personified.

27/26.35. The king said: Why have you not appeared to me before this? Why have I been left in the dark as to your real existence? Answer me this? For it is the foundation on which I desire to rest many questions.

27/26.36. The spirit said: My son, Te‑zee, I have been with you since your youth, watching over you, for you shall become the greatest king in all the world. Yes, there are great works for you to do. And if you desire to extend your kingdom, or to gain great battles, I will show you the way, yes? Or if you desire another woman to wife, I will find her for you, yes?

27/26.37. The king said: You are a great heavenly ruler, I fully believe, but you did not answer my question. Moreover, you question me about my kingdom and about another woman to wife, and these things are not what I desire of you. And as for the matter of women, I do not yet have one wife; consequently I do not desire another.

27/26.38. The spirit said: Who do you say I am? The king replied: I am at a loss to know if you are a fool or a devil; and I say that I have either seen one like you, or else you, through many magicians. But, alas, there all knowledge ends.

27/26.39. The spirit said: You said you would pay what the fates decreed. Hear me then, O king; you shall give to Loo Sin four pieces of gold. And after that I will explain all things to you.

27/26.40. The king then cast the four pieces of gold to Loo Sin, and demanded the knowledge as promised. The spirit then said: And on your oath you will not reveal?

27/26.41. The king said: I solemnly swear to reveal nothing of what you teach Me. The spirit said: Know, then, O king, I am Loo Sin, the magician! By long training, the magician attains to go out of his own body in spirit, and to appear in any form or shape desired. Will you try me? The king said: Show me the spirit of king Ha Gow‑tsee.

27/26.42. The spirit walked back to the body of Loo Sin, and presently returned before the king, looking like the spirit of Ha Gow‑tsee. The king said: It is like the king! The spirit answered: Here then, O man, is the end of philosophy. Behold, I am Loo Sin also. Some men are one spirit, some two, some three, and some four, to one corporeal body. And yet there is only one person in fact.

27/26.43. The king asked: What becomes of the spirit when the corporeal part is dead? The spirit answered: One of two things is possible to every man: His spirit will either dissolve into non‑existence, and be scattered and void like the air of heaven, like the heat of a fire that is burnt out; or else it will reincarnate itself in the body of a child before it is born, and so, live over again.

27/26.44. All people came into the world this way. A child that is stillborn is one in whose body no spirit reincarnated itself. There are no new creations. The same people live now on the earth that always lived on it; nor will there be any others. They go out of one body when it is old and worn out; and then enter a young one and live over again and again, forever. Nor is there anything more or less for any man, woman or child in all the world.

27/26.45. The king asked: What, then, is the highest, best thing for a mortal man to do during life?

27/26.46. The spirit said: To eat and drink, and sleep and rest, and enjoy begetting numerous offspring.

27/26.47. The king asked: How long would a spirit live if it did not reincarnate itself? The spirit said: If the mortal body is burnt to ashes, then that is the time; if the body is buried, and rots, and returns to earth, then that is the time; if the body is embalmed, and keeps well, the spirit goes back into the embalmed body and remains till that body is moldered into dust. When the body is moldered into dust, or burnt to ashes, then the spirit is set free, and ready to either reincarnate itself or to dissolve and disappear forever.

27/26.48. The king asked: As it is with you, is it the same with all magicians? The spirit said: You have only given four pieces of gold; if you would have more, the price is expensive. The king said: I have told you I would pay whatever the fates decreed; therefore, proceed. The spirit said: It is even so with all magicians. The king asked: Show me now that you can preach like Chine?

27/26.49. The spirit said: You shall ask me questions, and I will preach on them. ||

27/26.50. The king asked many questions, and the spirit spoke on them. Finally the king said: That is sufficient; I will pay you; go your way. As for your preaching and your doctrines, they are nothing. || Now I will send and find another magician; for out of a counsel with many I shall arrive at the truth.

1101  a key; a hint; a pointer

1102  in sarcasm or ridicule

CHAPTER 27 Arc Bon

27/27.1. Te‑zee, the king, sent for another magician, Wan‑jho, who came and was commanded to exhibit his powers; but he also demanded a high price; which the king agreed to pay, and Wan‑jho exhibited. First he caused a rose to come within a glass bottle while it was shut; then he created a small serpent out of a rod, and caused birds to come and sing to the king; then changed vinegar into water; then wrote on a stone tablet without touching the tablet, and even while the tablet lay under the king's foot.

27/27.2. Now after he had exhibited many more similar feats, he demanded his money, saying: The angels are gone; I can do no more. The king said: And do you not have power to fetch them back?

27/27.3. Wan‑jho said: How much would you give? The king answered: Three pieces of gold. And Wan‑jho said: Ah, in that case, behold, they have come again! What do you wish? The king commanded him to show the spirits of the dead, so he could converse with them.

27/27.4. Wan‑jho went into the same place where Loo Sin had exhibited, and, lying down, cast himself into the death trance. Presently an angel, robed in white, appeared, and came and stood before the king, saying: Most mighty king, what do you ask? Behold me, I am the Goddess, Oe‑tu Heng, come from my throne in high heaven. And if you are desirous of conquest in war, or to attain great riches, or more wives, most beautiful, then by my most potent will, I will give to you.

27/27.5. The king said: I am blest, O Goddess, because you have come to see me. But alas, none of the things you have mentioned suits me. I desire nothing regarding this world. Give me light concerning the place in heaven where king See Quan dwells?

27/27.6. The spirit said: Was he your friend or your enemy? The king answered: He was my deadly enemy. The spirit said: I asked you if he was your friend or your enemy, because I saw one See Quan in hell, writhing in great agony. And yet I saw another See Quan in paradise. So, then, I will go and fetch him who is in hell.

27/27.7. The spirit passed over to the corner, and presently returned, saying: O, O, O, O, O! Horrors! Demons! Hell! and such like, pretending to be in torments, as if it were See Quan in torments.

27/27.8. After this the king called for many different spirits, whether they had ever been, or whether fictitious, and they came all the same. Finally Te‑zee, the king, said: Bring me now the wisest God in heaven, for I would question him. So, the spirit went again toward the corner, and then approached, saying: Man of earth! Because you have called me I have come. Do you know that when I come, I decree four gold pieces to Wan‑jho, my prophet?

27/27.9. The king said: Most just, God! I will pay him. Tell me now where man comes from, and what is his destiny?

27/27.10. The spirit said: First, then, the air above the earth is full of elementary spirits; the largest are as large as a man's fist, and the smallest not larger than the smallest living insect on the earth. Their size denotes their intelligence; the largest being designed for human beings. These fill all the air of the earth, and all the space in the firmament above the earth; they have existed from everlasting to everlasting, for they were without beginning.

27/27.11. Now while a child is yet within the womb, one of these elementaries enters into the child, and in that instant there is the beginning of the man. And all things that live on the earth are produced like this.

27/27.12. The king asked: Before the time when man begins, while these elementaries are floating about, do they know anything? The spirit said: Many of them have great wisdom and cunning, but are also great liars, thieves and rascals. Do you know Loo Sin, the magician? The king answered: Yes. And then the spirit said: Well, Loo Sin is obsessed by the elementaries, and they are all great liars, pretending to be spirits of the dead! As for myself, I am a most virtuous Goddess, from the highest heavenly spheres. I tell you, O king, these elementaries are the curse of the world; they are anxious to be born into life, so they may obtain souls, and they inspire mortals to paternity and maternity so that they may have an opportunity for incarnation.

27/27.13. The king said: You have answered well, O Goddess. I will pay according to your decree. And with that, the spirit departed. King Te‑zee sent for another magician, Hi Gowh, of the rank of priest, and having bargained with him as to his price for exhibiting, commanded him to proceed.

27/27.14. Hi Gowh then exhibited in the same fashion as the others, doing great wonders. And the king also commanded him to show the spirits of the dead. Hi Gowh complained about the price; but being assured by the king that his demands would be paid, the magician went into the same corner and cast himself in the holy ghost (trance); and, presently, a spirit appeared, saying: Greeting to you, O king! Whether you desire conquest, riches, or more women, name your desire, and I will give abundantly. For, I am the spirit of the great Zarathustra.

27/27.15. The king said: Great Zarathustra, you are most welcome. But, alas, none of the things you have named are what I desire. Tell me, O Zarathustra, what is the origin and destiny of man?

27/27.16. The spirit said: First, then, O king, in days long past, the sun turned round so swiftly it threw off its outer rim, and the rim broke into a million pieces, flying every way, and these pieces are the stars and the earth and the moon.

27/27.17. And for millions of years the earth was only a stone, melting hot; but it cooled off in time; and the outer stones on the earth were oxidized, and this made moss; then the moss died; but the spirit of the moss reincarnated itself, and this made grass; and the grass died; but the spirit of the grass lived and reincarnated itself, and thus made the trees.

27/27.18. Then the trees died; but the spirit lived, and it reincarnated and became animals; and they died, but their spirits lived and reincarnated and became man. After that the spirit no longer reincarnates itself, but floats upward into peace, and rests for a long time, when it finally merges back into the sun and is extinct, like a lamp burnt out.

27/27.19. The king asked: How, then, is it with yourself? The spirit replied: I was the original Sun God, who came away from the sun to take charge of this world. It is in my keeping. The king asked: Who, then, is the All First that still stays with the sun?

27/27.20. The spirit answered: Because you ask many questions, O king, you shall pay more money. The king assured the spirit that the money, to any amount, would be paid; so the spirit said: Ahura‑Ormazd was the original of all; but when the sun threw off its surface Ahura‑Ormazd was thrown into pieces, one piece going to every star, except the earth, and I came here of my own accord, because it was larger and better than any other world.

27/27.21. The king dismissed the spirit and the priest, and sent for another, a magician also of the rank of priest, Gwan Le. And Gwan Le, being assured that his price would be paid, proceeded to exhibit also. And he performed feats like the others. Then the king commanded Gwan Le to call the spirits of the dead.

27/27.22. The priest apologized about the expense of the death trance (holy ghost power), but being further assured that his demands would be paid, he went into the corner and cast himself into the swoon, becoming stiff and cold.

27/27.23. Presently an angel appeared, saying: Behold me, O king, I am Brahma. And if you desire conquest in war, or greater riches, or more women, I will grant your wish. I can tell you about hidden treasures, and rich mines, and desirable women. Also I can tell you how your armies can overcome your enemies with great slaughter.

27/27.24. The king said: I am delighted, O Brahma. But I desire nothing of which you have mentioned. Tell me about the origin and destiny of man?

27/27.25. The spirit said: Know then, O king, all things alive have two parts, the corporeal and the spiritual; all dead things are but one, which is the spirit. You, O king, were first a stone, a very large stone; then when it moldered into dust your soul went into silver, a very large piece; but when the silver rusted away, your soul went into gold; and when the gold was worn away, your soul began to run into vegetable life; and after that it ran into animal life, then into a low order of man, then into the high order of man, as you now are. Thus man came up from the beginning, reincarnating himself over and over, higher and higher and higher. And when he is perfected in spirit as you are, he no longer returns to reincarnate himself. The king asked: What does the spirit do after leaving this world? The spirit replied: You shall then meet your sexual partner, your soul wife; and shall do nothing ever after but have sexual indulgence, peopling the spirit realms with delightful spiritual offspring.

27/27.26. The king said: It is well; you have a wonderful doctrine. And with that, the spirit departed, and the priest also. And the king sent for still another priest, Tseeing, a Brahmin prophet. And the king asked him: What do you see for your king?

27/27.27. The priest said: By the rites of my order I cannot disclose any of the secrets of heaven or earth until you have paid the price of indulgence, which is two pieces of gold. So the king paid him. Tseeing said: And if you desire riches, or success in war, or new wives, speak, and I will grant to you according to the price. The king said: Alas, Tseeing, I desire none of these indulgences; tell me the origin and destiny of man, for I would learn why I am, and the object and end?

27/27.28. Tseeing said: The first of all was Brahma, which was round like an egg. Then Brahma broke open, and the shell was in two halves, and one half was the sky and the other half was the earth. Then Brahma incarnated himself in the earth; but he did not come up as one only, as he expected, but he came up in ten million and one million parts, and every part was a living thing, a tree, or a plant, or a fish, or a bird, or a beast, or a man. And this is all there is or was or ever shall be.

27/27.29. But Brahma looked over the world and he saw that some men were good and some evil. And he said: I will separate the good from the evil. And so that justice would be done he called all the nations and tribes of men before him. And when they had come, he said to them:

27/27.30. Whoever delights in the earth, it shall be his forever. And though he does die, his spirit shall have power to reincarnate itself in another unborn child, and so live over again, and so on, forever. And he shall have great indulgence in the earth, in eating and drinking, and with women, and in all manner of delights, for they shall be his forever.

27/27.31. But whoever delights in spirit shall be blest in spirit. He shall not, after death, reincarnate himself and live over again, but shall dwell forever in heaven and have heavenly delights. But since heavenly delights are different from earthly delights, then as a mortal the spiritual chooser shall not live like earth‑people.

27/27.32. But he shall live secluded, and shall torment his flesh with fastings and with castigations. |1103| Neither shall he marry nor live with woman, nor beget children, nor have any indulgence on the earth whatsoever, except merely to live; for the earth is not his, nor is he of the earth. And the more he tortures the flesh, the higher his bliss shall be in heaven.

27/27.33. Now, when Brahma had stated the two propositions to the children of the earth, he further added: Choose now which you will; for after you have chosen, behold, there is the end. For you who choose the earth shall be of the earth, even to all succeeding generations. But whoever chooses heaven, to him and his heirs it shall be final, and forever.

27/27.34. And so mortals made their choice, and lo and behold, nearly all of them chose the earth. But in thousands of years and millions of years afterward, Brahma repented of his former decree, for he saw the earth became too full of people, and they were sinful beyond bounds. And Brahma sent a flood of waters and destroyed a trillion times ten millions of them. And he sent Zarathustra into the world to give new judgment.

27/27.35. Zarathustra opened the door of heaven anew, saying: Whoever after this chooses Brahma, and will torture his flesh, and hate the earth, and live away from the world, him I will save from the earth and from hell also, for I am very efficient and influential with the Creator.

27/27.36. Such, then, O king, is the origin and destiny of man. Some are born for the earth forever, and some are born for heaven. Nevertheless, the way is open to all, to choose that which they will, earth or heaven.

1103  In some ascetic orders, these were severe and frequent rebukings, with punishments sometimes extreme (like whippings) even for petty offences, in order to gain and prove mastery over the flesh and flesh desires.

CHAPTER 28 Arc Bon

27/28.1. Te‑zee pursued his researches for a long while, and with many prophets, magicians, seers and priests. Afterward he said:

27/28.2. All is vanity; all is falsehood. No man has answered me correctly as to the origin and destiny of man. Even the angels, or whatever they are, can only inform me of the things of earth; they only see as man sees. And it may be true that these angels are nothing more than Loo Sin said, that it is the spirit of the magician only. Because his body enters this trance it seems reasonable.

27/28.3. Now, therefore, I will put a stop to these magicians and priests; they are of no good under the sun. So Te‑zee issued a decree covering his own province, commanding magicians and priests to leave the province, under penalty of death. And so they departed out of his dominions.

27/28.4. Now it so happened that in four other great provinces, the kings did precisely the same (questioned magicians and priests), and at about the same time. And these were the provinces, namely: Shan Ji, under king Lung Wan; Gah, under king Loa Kee; Sa‑bin‑Sowh, under king Ah‑ka Ung; Gow Goo, under king Te See‑Yong; and these five provinces [which included Te-zee's province of Aen‑Na‑Po'e --ed.] comprised the chief part of Jaffeth. And all these kings issued similar edicts. So that the magicians, seers, and priests, were obliged to abandon their callings or go beyond these provinces, where barbarians dwelt.

27/28.5. Jehovih commanded Chine to go before king Te‑zee, and when he had come, the king said to him: It has been some years since I heard you, and you were profound. I am delighted you have come before me again, so that I may question you.

27/28.6. Chine said: When you heard me before, the Great Spirit spoke through me. Now I am well learned, and He commands me to speak from my own knowledge.

27/28.7. First, then, I am a man as you are; yet every man has a different work. You are king of this province, and I am told, moreover, you are good and wise. I hope you are. Otherwise my words will not please you. As for myself, I was sent into the world to mark out this land and name it Chine'ya (Chine‑land), and to establish anew those who accept the Great Spirit. For Chine'ya and her people shall remain a different country and different people from all the world.

27/28.8. Know then, O king, I do not come in vanity, boasting that I, Chine, am much or can do much; on the contrary, I say to you, I am one of the weakest of men; and yet I have more power than any other man in the world. And yet, mark you, of myself there is nothing to boast about; for I am only as a tool in the hands of Jehovih (Ormazd), and I myself do not do anything, but He through me.

27/28.9. I look upon you and see you have been questioning magicians and priests, and that you are unsatisfied. Know then, O king, your error is in not magnifying your judgment.

27/28.10. You have worked with magicians who are under the power of angels of the first resurrection, and even angels below them.

27/28.11. All such angels teach according to their own individual understanding; as wandering individuals they go about. And their miracles are of the same order, merely individual miracles.

27/28.12. He Whom I teach, works miracles not in a small corner, but in the affairs of kingdoms and nations; and not through magicians only, but through kings and queens, and even through common people. You yourself are an instrument in His hand.

27/28.13. Behold, when you issued your decree against magicians and asceticism, even in that same time four other great kings did the same thing! This is a miracle indeed! No man can counterfeit His miracles. Do not flatter yourself that such matters occur by accident. They do not occur by accident; but by Jehovih. For His angels in the second resurrection are organized, and work in mighty armies.

27/28.14. Te‑zee said: You are great, Chine; or else your sudden philosophy turns my brain! Go on! How shall we know, first, that there are angels who are really the spirits of the dead? Second, how shall we distinguish between the first and second resurrections?

27/28.15. Chine said: Only by seeing and hearing with the natural eyes and ears, and with the spiritual eyes and ears, can any man attain to know anything either on earth or in heaven. When these senses are pure and clear, then a man knows that the spirits of the dead do live. For I declare, O king, in truth, that the spirit of my body has emerged from my body on many occasions, sometimes going subjectively and sometimes objectively. Nor is this a special creation meant for me only; but it is that which thousands and tens of thousands can attain to by discipline.

27/28.16. Touching the first and second resurrections, know, O king, spirits that dispose individual things, or earthly things; or propose riches or personal gain, or marriage, discanting (lecturing) to this man or that man about what is good for him as an individual; spirits giving great names, professing to be this or that great person long since dead; all these are deceivers and have not advanced beyond the first resurrection. They deny the I Am, the Great Spirit, the All Person. Their highest heaven is re‑engraftment on mortals, and the reveling in lust. They flatter you, telling you, you were this or that great man in a former reincarnation. They manipulate you to make profit for their own magician; they are without truth or virtue, and of little wisdom.

27/28.17. The second resurrection does not come to an individual as an individual; it comes as an army, but not to an individual, but to a kingdom, a nation, a community. For as such angels belong to organized communities in heaven, so does that organization work with virtuous organizations of mortals.

27/28.18. This is wisdom, O king; to get away from the individual self; to become one with an organization, to work with the Great Spirit for the resurrection of men. For as you make yourself one with many to this end, so does the Father labor with you and them. As you keep yourself as an individual self, so do individual angels come to you as individuals.

27/28.19. Individual answers to individual; the first resurrection to the first; the second to the second. Moreover, the All Person is over all, and works each in its own order, to a great purpose.

27/28.20. Do not think, O king, I am making a new doctrine; I am only declaring that which was also proclaimed to the ancients. And those who came forward and had faith were called Jehovih's chosen people, because, in truth, they chose Him.

27/28.21. Recognize, then, that whoever denies the All Person is not of His order; nor does such a one have the light of the Father in him. But he who has attained to understand that all things are really one harmonious whole, has also attained to know what is meant by the term, All Person, for He is All; and, consequently, Ever Present, filling all, extending everywhere.

27/28.22. In contradistinction from Him, two other philosophies have run parallel, which are darkness and evil. One says the All is not a person, being void, and less than even the parts thereof; the other says the only All High is the great angel I worship, who is like a man, and separate from all things.

27/28.23. These three comprise the foundation of all the doctrines in the world, or that have ever been or ever will be. The lowest is idolatry, which is evil; the second, unbelief, which is darkness; and the first is faith, truth, love, wisdom and peace.

27/28.24. Jehovih and His angels classify all men under one of these three heads. And they may be compared to three men looking across a field; one sees a light and knows he sees it; another hopes he sees it, but he only sees a white leaf; but the third sees nothing at all.

27/28.25. As a witness, therefore, the last one is worthless; the second is a circumstantial witness; but the first is positive, and stands the highest and firmest of all. He knows his Heavenly Father. He sees Him in the flowers; in the clouds, and in the sunshine; yes, in the fruits and herbs; in the beasts of the field, and in every creeping thing; and beyond, in the stars, moon, earth and sun. In sickness, in health, in sorrow and in rejoicing; truly he finds Jehovih in all things; he knows Jehovih's eye and ear are forever upon him; and he walks upright in fear, |1104| but in truth and faith and pride and rejoicing!

27/28.26. Te‑zee, the king, asked: Tell me, O Chine, what is the origin and destiny of man?

27/28.27. Chine said: The Ever Present quickens him into life in his mother's womb; |1105| and he is then and there a new creation, his spirit from the Spirit Jehovih, and his body from the earth; a dual being the Father creates him.

27/28.28. His destination is everlasting resurrection; in which matter, man can have delightful labor as he rises upward forever and ever.

27/28.29. The king asked: If Jehovih is creating all the time, will the firmament not become too full of angels?

27/28.30. Chine said: A thousand men read a book, and yet that book is no fuller of ideas than at first. The corporeal man is not divisible, and so, fills a place. Thought, which may be compared to the soul, is the opposite of this. Ten thousand men may love your flower‑garden, yet your garden is no fuller because of their love. Exalted souls in the upper heavens are without bulk and substance; and even so are the regions they inhabit, as compared to corporeal things.

27/28.31. The king said: I wish I were as you are! For which matter, if you will use your wand and make me even half as wise, I will give away all my kingdom!

27/28.32. Chine said: You cannot bargain for Faith, or purchase it, like a coat or sandals. And yet, until Faith is attained there is no resurrection. No bird ever flew from its nest without first having faith it could fly. And when you have Faith, you will cast away your kingdom and choose heavenly treasures instead. Until you have attained Faith you will retain your kingdom. This is a judgment to the rich man in the same way.

27/28.33. Riches and a king's kingdom may be compared to balls of gold tied to a man's feet in deep water; he cannot rise until he cuts himself loose, and casts away that which binds him. So, also, are men bound in spirit, and until they put their own hands to the matter, there is no resurrection for them.

1104  The context seems to imply that Jehovih's eye and ear, being always upon one, plays a role in this feeling. Thus, for example, one might fear the doing of something wrong, or fear failing Jehovih, fear falling from His Countenance (grace), fear the prospect of temptation, fear Jehovih's power, etc. And this is a foundation. Yet to walk in fear can mean more; it can mean acknowledging one's vulnerabilities, but not letting these turn one aside from doing the right thing, and so, remain upright; thus one walks amid fear and faces fear.

1105  We learn elsewhere in Oahspe this happens at conception (see e.g., 04/6.21; 10/5.10; 24/21.18).

CHAPTER 29 Arc Bon

27/29.1. Te‑zee, the king, said to Chine: Because you have given me this great light, it seems to me I should issue a decree commanding all my people to accept your doctrines?

27/29.2. Chine replied: O man! How short you are in understanding our Father! Violence is His enemy. Such a decree would be no better than a decree establishing any other heavenly ruler. It would thwart itself. He does not come with sword and spear, like the idol‑Gods; He comes with education, the chief book of which is the example of good works, and of peace and liberty to all.

27/29.3. Te‑zee said: You reason well. Hear me, then, you greatest of men; command me even as if I was the lowliest |1106| of servants, and I will obey you.

27/29.4. Chine said: O king, you torment me with my own inability to make you understand! You shall not make yourself servant to any man, but to Ormazd, the Great Spirit.

27/29.5. The king said: Then I will put away my kingdom. But Chine said: Consider first if you can best serve Him by doing this way or that way, and then follow your highest light, and you shall not err.

27/29.6. The king asked: What do you think, shall I put aside my kingdom and my riches and do as you do?

27/29.7. Chine said: You shall be your own judge. If I judge for you, and you follow my judgment, then I am bound to you. Allow me to have my liberty also.

27/29.8. Te‑zee said: If the Great Spirit would give me your wisdom, then I would serve Him. How long, do you say, a man shall serve Him in order to reach great wisdom?

27/29.9. Chine said: Suppose a man had several pieces of glass; some clear, some clouded with smoke and grease; how long, do you say, would it require to make them all clear? For such is the self in man; it clouds his soul; and when he has put self away, then his soul is clear, and that is wisdom, for then he beholds the Father through his own soul; yes, and hears Him also. And until he does this, he does not believe in His Person or Presence, no matter how much he professes.

27/29.10. The king kept Chine many days, and questioned him with great wisdom and delight. One day Chine said to him: Jehovih says to me: Go quickly to the four other great provinces of Chine'ya, and explain to their kings who I am. Chine added: Therefore, O Te‑zee, I must leave you, but after many days I will return to you and exhibit to you the testimony of immortal life.

27/29.11. The king provided camels and servants, and sent Chine on his way. And, after Chine was gone, Te‑zee said to himself: Although I cannot decree Chine's doctrines, I see no reason why I cannot decree the extinction of Te‑in and other idol‑Gods. And so he did as he thought best, prohibiting the priests from doing sacrifice [worship --Ed.] to Joss (God), or Ho‑Joss (Lord God), or Te‑in, or Po, or any other ruler in heaven, except the Great Spirit.

1106  lowest ranking; most subservient and compliant; most menial

CHAPTER 30 Arc Bon

27/30.1. In course of time Chine completed his labor with the kings of Jaffeth, and returned to Te‑zee, to die.

27/30.2. At this time more than a thousand families (communities) of Faithists had been established in different places, either through Chine or his followers, the chief rab'bahs. And when Chine returned before the king, Te‑zee, men and women came there from every quarter of the world to meet him and learn wisdom.

27/30.3. And all who were in any way sick, lame, blind, or deaf, he cured by pronouncing the word E‑O‑Ih over them. And persons who were obsessed with evil spirits he healed by permitting them to touch his staff. And many that were dead he brought to life; for in man's presence, he showed power to accomplish anything whatsoever. Indeed, he even rose up in the air and walked in it and on it over the heads |1107| of the multitude.

27/30.4. And while he was up in the air he said to the multitude: I will now come down among you and die, as all men do die. And you shall let my body lie five days, so that the eyes become sunken and black, showing that I am truly dead.

27/30.5. And on the sixth day you shall cast the body into the furnace and burn it to ashes. And you shall take the ashes into the field and scatter them this way and that, so that no more of me is seen or known on the earth.

27/30.6. And on the seventh day, which shall be a holy day for you, behold, you shall witness a whirlwind in the field of my ashes, and the whirlwind shall gather up the ashes of my body; and my soul shall inhabit it and make it whole, as you now see me, and I will break the whirlwind and descend down to the earth and abide with you for another seven days, and then you shall see a ship descend from heaven in an exceedingly great light, and I will enter it, and ascend to the second heavens (etherea).

27/30.7. Neither shall any man, woman or child say: Behold, Chine was a God. Nor shall you build an image of me, nor a monument, nor in any way do more for me or my memory than to the least of mortals. For I say to you, I am only a man who has put away earth possessions, desires and aspirations.

27/30.8. And whatever you see me do, or know of my having done, the same is possible to all men and women created alive on the earth.

27/30.9. Remembering that all things are possible with Jehovih (Ormazd); and to Him only is due all honor and glory forever.

27/30.10. So Chine died, and was burnt to ashes on the sixth day, under the superintendence of king Te‑zee, and the ashes were scattered in the field as commanded.

27/30.11. And on the seventh day, while the multitude surrounded the entire place, a whirlwind came and gathered up the ashes in a small degree; and the ashes were illumed, and the soul of Chine went into them; then he burst the whirlwind and came down, even at the king's feet.

27/30.12. And Chine said: Do you know who I am? And the king answered, saying: In truth you are Chine. And because this has come to pass I decree that this, your native land, shall now and forever be called Chine'ya! And I will send word to the other kings also, and they will decree the same thing.

27/30.13. Chine said: Yes, do so. And since the Father has allotted me seven days to remain with His chosen and with you, O king, apprise those, whom I will name to you, to come and see me. So Chine told the king whom he desired to come.

27/30.14. And Chine walked about on the earth, even the same as before death, nor could any man tell by looking at him that he had passed through death. Nor were his clothes different, although they were made out of the ashes in the whirlwind.

27/30.15. On the last day that he was to remain, he called together Te‑zee and the persons he had selected, and spoke to them, saying:

1107  Thousands of Spiritualists have witnessed this feat to a certain extent within their own houses. --Eng. Ed.

CHAPTER 31 Arc Bon

27/31.1. My brothers and my sisters, in the name of the Great Spirit, hear me: These are Chine's last words, for the Father calls me. Be attentive, so that you may remember my sermon; also consider and reason regarding my words, for I am no more nor less than one of you.

27/31.2. I was sent into the world to wall this great people around with Jehovih's hand. I have made you an exclusive people for three thousand years to come. I give to you peace and liberty; I have drawn a veil over the bloody past, and taught you to love and respect one another.

27/31.3. Chine'ya shall become the most populous nation in the entire world; this is the miracle of the Father to you. Your doctrines now and forever shall rest on the foundation I have given you.

27/31.4. Be watchful against Gods (Josses) and Saviors, and especially wary of spirits of the dead who do not profess the Great All Person.

27/31.5. All such are instigators of war, and lust after earthly things.

27/31.6. Be exclusive to one another; neither permitting outside barbarians to come among you, nor, especially, to marry with my people.

27/31.7. Yet you shall not war against them.

27/31.8. But it is lawful for you to build walls around your land, to keep them away. And these walls shall stand as the Father's judgment against all people who molest or injure you.

27/31.9. And at every change of the moon you shall renew your covenant, which was my covenant, with Jehovih. (See 27/23.15-29.)

27/31.10. Teaching it to your children, and commanding them to teach it to theirs after them, and so on forever!

27/31.11. Swearing yourselves to the Great Spirit to ignore all heavenly rulers but the Creator, the I Am Who is everywhere.

27/31.12. And if idolaters come among you, proclaiming their God, or their Lord, or their Savior, do not listen to them. But nevertheless, do not persecute them or injure them, for they are in darkness.

27/31.13. Neither be conceited over them; for your forefathers were like them.

27/31.14. The Father has made a wide world, and fruitful and joyous, and He gives it to man's keeping.

27/31.15. To one people one country; to another people another country, and so on, over the entire world.

27/31.16. He gives Chine'ya to you, and He says:

27/31.17. Be as brothers and sisters in this, My holy land.

27/31.18. Which in the ancients' days was made to bloom as a flowery kingdom by My chosen, the Faithists of old.

27/31.19. But they were neglectful of My commandments.

27/31.20. Idolaters came upon them and destroyed them, and laid waste their rich fields; yes, the bones of My people were strewn over all the land.

27/31.21. But now you are delivered once more, and you shall make Chine'ya bloom again as My celestial kingdom.

27/31.22. And you shall multiply, and build, and plant, and make this heritage, which I give to you, into an example to all peoples, of industry, peace and thrift.

27/31.23. And of the multitude that can dwell together in one kingdom, manifesting love, patience and virtue, you shall be an example before all the world.

27/31.24. And by your neglect of war and of war inventions, you shall be a testimony of My presence in this day.

27/31.25. For the time shall surely come when I will put down all unrighteousness, and war, and idolatry, and I will be the All Person to the whole world.

27/31.26. Chine has spoken; his last words are spoken. Jehovih's ship of fire descends from His highest heaven!

27/31.27. Chine will rise up in this; and even so shall you who are pure and good and full of love. ||

27/31.28. A light, like a great cloud, but brilliant, blinding with holy light, descended over the entire field where the multitude were.

27/31.29. Many fell down in fear; and many cried aloud in great sorrow.

27/31.30. Then Chine went and kissed Te‑zee, and immediately walked toward the middle of the field, and was lost in the exceedingly great light.

27/31.31. And the light turned around like a whirlwind, and rose up, higher and higher, and then was seen no more.

27/31.32. Chine was gone!

27/31.33. And now the power and glory of Jehovih were manifested. Te‑zee at once made special laws protecting all persons who rejected Gods, Lords and Saviors, but worshipped the All Light (Jehovih). Four other kings followed with the same edicts and laws.

27/31.34. The Faithists were safely delivered into freedom throughout Chine'ya.

Thus end the revelations of the three contemporaneous Sons of Jehovih, Capilya, Moses and Chine.

END OF BOOK OF THE ARC OF BON