These are the generations of the Line of Light from the time of Zarathustra:
Shu Sa, Gwan, Loo, Sam, Dhi Jo, Wee, Him, Gow, See, Wing, He Wen, Tse Kong, Lam Ne, Moo Yow Tine, Luts, Hime, Mai Se, Hong, Ghee, Wan Ghee, Tse Loo, succeeding one another.
All the foregoing were seers and prophets of God (Light), having the Voice from their youth up, and were each in turn a shield and guardian to the chosen of God (Faithists).
But I called aloud on the face of the earth, and my Light spread abroad. ||
And there came a woman of Che Song, named Ha-se, an I‘hin, through whom the Voice was regained.
Ha-se had seven sons and seven daughters, all of whom heard the Voice, and saw the Light.
And God divided the fourteen sons and daughters, one from another, and sent them in different ways.
These, then, are the tribes that sprang from them: King, Si, Gwe, Loo, Hi-Gah, Hi-se-Gua, Yo, Ha Fung, Ne, Hi Lam, Se‘ing, Yuth Lo, Jon, Ying‘e and Ho Lun Gow.
From the line of Ha Fung sprang Enam-jo and Ze‘zoo (half I‘hin). From Ying‘e sprang No‘e and Yu Laim; also Yu‘tse and He-ah. And God commanded the He-ahns to dwell toward the south, and they so dwelt.
From the line of King descended the We Yah-Ho; and they lived toward the north and made fellowship with the Foe-Sim, who were I‘huans by blood, and also followers of the Zarathustrian law under the name Sa Sin, having rab‘bahs whom they called bah, the same as to this day.
From the tribes of Foe-Sim sprang Han. And from We Yah-Ho sprang Hi and Te-Wing‘e; both of which tribes had the Light and the Voice.
And all the north regions of Jaffeth dwelt in peace and happiness.
And God looked upon them and blessed them in all things.
Nevertheless, it came to pass that the tribes of Han forgot the commandments of God; and Le Han, a mighty chieftain, rose up among them, and re-established the Osirian doctrines; that corporeal knowledge should stand higher than the Ormazdian law.
Han usurped the central throne of Jaffeth, calling himself HAN, KING OF THE SUN. And so Han gave himself up to obtaining knowledge, and to enforcing knowledge upon the people.
Han issued the following decree: Han, King of the Sun! Behold, there is one sun and his satellites. There shall be only one kingdom, with satellites.
Behold me, I am the sun king! I will put away all other doctrines and learning. Let all the world bow down to me!
Han was asked: Shall a man not worship the Unseen? He answered: It is better to worship a stone, which you can see.
Han said: Do not worship in words, but in works; do not worship in prayer, but in doing righteously. What is prayer but crying to one‘s own weakness?
If there is an Unseen Light, He will do in His own way. What is the use of praying to Him? Rites and ceremonies to Him are the expression of folly. Rites and ceremonies to our forefathers are excusable. If their souls continue to exist, the rites and ceremonies may give them good pleasure.
So Han abolished the worship of Jehovih (Light) and His God and Lords.
God looked down from his holy hill in heaven, and he said: It is well; let Han have dominion. Behold, Han enraptures the multitude with his new doctrines, forgetting that these doctrines were tried thousands of years before.
God prophesied through his prophet Ze-wing‘e, saying: Hear me, O Han, and all you people of the whole world. I prophesy by the Voice and Light; I know my words are true words: By words the soul is bent; by not praying to the Unseen, the Unseen will be forgotten. By the abolition of rites and ceremonies to the Gods, the Gods will be forgotten. Man will rise up in self-conceit against his Creator, saying: Behold me; I am the highest of all things; my judgment is the greatest of all wisdom. And the tribes of men will aspire to establish opinions as fundamental doctrines. War and destruction will come upon the nations!
Han would not heed the prophecy of God. Han established what was called THE FIRST HAN DYNASTY, and it spread over the land of Jaffeth from center to circumference.
And because of the laws of Han, great persecution came against the Faithists, the worshippers of Jehovih (Light).
Han said: Try them by the food they eat; and whoever refuses to eat fish or flesh shall suffer death. And the favor of the courts shall be denied to any man or woman who holds sacred the life of a cow, horse, dog, or any other animal on the face of the earth, or in the waters, or in the air above the earth.
So the Faithists, the followers of the Zarathustrian law, were outlawed, and were tortured and put to death on every hand. And the prophecy of Ze-wing‘e came true.
From Ze-wing‘e, God raised up prophets for seven generations. Ze-wing‘e begot Do Tse, who begot Yin, who begot Hi Ne, who begot Lan Se‘ang, who begot Dhi Hsotch‘e, who begot Ho Lon, who begot Po, who was an iesu in birth.
When Po was still very young, the voice of God came to him, saying: Be steadfast in the doctrines of your forefathers, eating neither fish nor flesh; your God will not only preserve you alive, but you shall gather together the scattered tribes of Zarathustrians, the Faithists, and re-establish them in this great land.
In those days many of the Zarathustrians were celibates; and the king saw his people being reduced by war, so he made a law against celibacy, commanding all men to marry, and all women to bring forth children, or be put to death.
When Po was grown up, God said to him: Behold, you cannot fulfill the law, for you are iesu-born. But I will fetch you a wife like you, who is also barren, but you two shall be blessed with three children, and you shall call them Wan-le, To-ghan and Tse Loo.
And it came to pass that a woman of Hong Ge, with three adopted children, escaped from the tyranny of Dhi‘Wan, fleeing for the southern tribes of Hi See Gua and Yo, and Gwan Gooh; and Po married her and named her Ah T‘dowh Jee.
Po was twenty years old when he married, and he went with his wife and three children to the country of Heng‘a Di, which name signified brother land, and he labored at scutching flax and hemp.
And God came to Po, saying: What is the extent of your fidelity to the All Highest Light?
Po said: I will obey Him in all things.
God said: Would you sacrifice your three sons, if commanded by your Creator?
Po said: They are the Creator‘s, not mine. How dare I sacrifice that which is another‘s?
God said: You are wise; you know the Ormazdian law.
Then Po asked: Who are you? Who is this that comes upon me silently, asking questions?
God said: Go and visit Hi Seiang, the philosopher, and question him.
Hi Seiang was governor of the south province of Heng‘a Di, and was also a man of great learning.
Po came to him and questioned him, saying: What is this that asks us questions? Why do we question and answer ourselves all day long?
Hi Seiang answered: Are we not two selfs? Do we not discourse within ourselves like two selfs?
Po asked: Which do you say is the superior self, that which questions within us forever, or that which is forever answering?
The governor said: That which asks questions must be the superior self.
Po said: Who is it?
Hi said: It is nothing, it is something. Po answered him, saying: It appears to me, these two selfs are two different persons; one belongs to the flesh, the other to the Creator. Because this questioning self is the same one that sees and hears Gods and angels.
Hi said: What did you say? God and angels?
Po replied: God and angels.
To which the governor took exception, saying: Do you too defy the law?
Po said: What I see I see, what I hear I hear. Something external to ourselves made us, and rules over us.
The governor asked: Have we not rid the world of superstition? Why do you deal with doctrines that were in the dark ages? I tell you there are only two things in all the universe; the unseen firmament, and the corporeal worlds that float within it. Their action and reaction on each other produce what we call life, which is only an effervescence that comes and goes, and there is the end. The laws are right. Han has done a good thing in abolishing the doctrines of the ancients.
While they were still talking, God sent a blaze of fire into a bush standing nearby, and a voice spoke out of the flame, saying: Who, then, do you say I am? For truly I am!
The governor saw the light, and saw that the bush was not burnt; and he also heard the voice. But God suffered him to be hard of heart, and Hi said: Behold, you come to me, knowing I am a philosopher, and you cast your spell in the bush, like a magician. I am master of a thousand books, and am registered as a man of great learning. You have offended me.
Po said: Why accuse me? For is it not as just for me to accuse you of casting the spell? I did not cast it.
Again God appeared and spoke, saying: Do not accuse this, my son, Po. You shall labor with him. Behold, I give into your keeping the country of Feh, for at this hour Moo Gwon has died. The tribes of Ghan shall be gathered together in Feh and Heng‘a Di.
Hi Seiang, the governor, sent for Ah Sin to come and investigate the nature of Po. So when the three were together, God wrote in the sand the word TE-IN, and it was as if a flame of fire pierced the ground.
Po said: From now on, Te-in shall be the name of the tribes who have faith in the Creator only. Because He alone has written it.
Ah Sin said: How can you distinguish between that which is written by the spirits of the dead, and that which is written by the Creator?
Po said: Light comes in light; darkness comes in darkness.
Hi Seiang asked: Are you saying you can see the angels and the Gods?
Po said: I see the angels, but the Gods I cannot see. Angels are like ourselves; but the Gods are like a flame of fire.
Now while they were thus discoursing, a light in the form of a triangle came and rested on Po‘s head, and the word Te-in was inscribed on the sides of the triangle.
The governor said: What does this signify? And Po, being under the influence of the light of God, said:
Call me Te-in; I am the Father (rab‘bah, or bah) over all the living. I write in the sand, and speak in the mouths of My seers and prophets. He whom you call Po is My Son, begotten for the deliverance of My chosen out of the bondage of Han and his satellites (sub-kingdoms).
Behold, My people are imprisoned and tortured; persecuted and abused. And you two have kingdoms taxed for the glory of Han in his unrighteous work.
Provide yourselves with triangles also, and espouse Me, and I will deliver your kingdoms also. ||
Hi Seiang and Ah Sin both desired some pretext to throw off the yoke of the Han dynasty, and now lent willing ears to the instruction of Po and the Voice (Te-in).
Accordingly, the learned men of these provinces were called together, to learn, through Po, about God and the mysteries of earth and heaven, and especially about the great monarchy.
When these Councils were assembled, God cast his light upon Po, and they all saw it. And the words Po spoke were called GOD‘S WORDS (Vede‘or). And they learned the wisdom of God word by word, repeating them over and over (until memorized), which was called LEARNING BY THE MOUTH, as distinguished from learning by books and tablets.
God said: Great trials will come upon my people. The kings will seek to destroy the doctrines of the Lord your God (Te-in).
For which reason you shall neither write nor engrave my words until I come in judgment of the world.
These, then, that follow, are the sacred laws given through Po, by God (Te-in):
Seek to bring forth heirs that will be a glory to your Creator.
Do not marry because of the impulse of the beast (animal nature of man), but consider your own spirit and the spirit of your spouse.
Do not shut yourself up in celibacy, but multiply and adorn the earth.
Your Creator provided milk for the infant; but with the coming of teeth, you shall provide for their service also.
Feed him according to the Ormazdian law. To make him a warrior, give him fish and flesh. To make him patient and strong, with docility, remember the camel and the ox, feeding on the herbs that grow on the earth. [Those of Te-in forswear the first and espouse the second, eating herbivorously. –ed.]
Ne-gwon asked: Was celibacy not the highest of all laws? Is it not so now?
God said: There are times for all things. In the days of Zarathustra celibacy was the first of laws. In those days man was not ready for God‘s laws. Yet you shall not call one law higher than the other.
The fullness of earth knowledge requires marriage, yet the bondage after death holds the spirit of man for six generations to his own heirs. By celibacy, a man‘s soul is not bound after death (by the love he bears his children) to linger on or near the earth, and he may ascend quickly into paradise.
The man or woman who is weak (sickly, chronically infirm), or deformed, blind, deaf, with running sores, or with hidden sickness, shall not marry, nor bring forth heirs. Nor shall man take sorrow to his soul for this; for it is the testimony of the Father that his race is emancipated from the earth.
You shall keep the Panic language sacred; nor shall these, my holy words, be given in any other language till my time is fulfilled on the earth.
Your sons at the age of eleven years, and daughters at the age of nine years, shall begin to learn maxims. And at that same time they shall be consecrated to the Creator and committed to His service. And of the sixth law, this is made a part, namely: Teachers in public shall be celibates; children who decide that they will become teachers, or priests, or priestesses, shall take the vows of celibacy. For such persons are married to the Great Spirit; and they shall be like Gods and Goddesses, knowing no more love to one person than another.
The wise shall rule over the foolish, but only to raise them up.
The rich shall apportion their riches for the benefit of the city.
The poor shall reverence the rich and take counsel from them.
Behold, I have given many gifts to my people: the woman to give suck; the very strong man to carry burdens; the wise man to oversee the city; the learned man to explain the ancients; the prophet to hear my voice; the magician to hear the voice of angels; the physician to heal the sick. To every single one I gave good gifts.
You shall not covet another man‘s gifts, but be wise in discovering your own, and using them for the benefit of the city.
Neither shall you covet another man‘s riches, nor anything that is his. What more is a rich man than a watchdog? Behold, it is his matter, whether he fulfills my commandments.
According to every man‘s gifts, so do I require of him, as to what he can do for the people of his city.
To the poor man, my exactions are lighter than a straw on a camel‘s back.
For the ignorant man, and for the very young child, I provided the wise and the rich as Gods to raise them up. As they minister to them, so do I bless them for their labor.
What they do corporeally for the resurrection of those beneath them, so do I answer them in spirit in my resurrections in the heavens.
You shall marry only once; neither shall you look after any other partner all the days of your life.
The husband shall be the master of the house; but when he is not present, the wife shall be master.
Seven castes I have made for my chosen: The first are the prophets; the second, those who have the highest genealogy; the third, the rab‘bahs and priests; the fourth, the nuns (spe-e-su); the fifth, physicians; the sixth, the rich, and seventh, the very poor.
Each and every caste shall remain by itself; all of them are worthy before me, and are equally my children.
You shall not kill, for food to eat, anything that breathes the breath of life.
You shall love to search for your Creator in all things on and in the earth, in the waters, and in the air above the earth.
You shall love to search for all that is good in your neighbor; but to excuse all the evil that is in him.
You shall keep the sacred days of your God, and cause all your people to rejoice in the delightful creations of your Creator.
You shall obey the prophet of your God; and be obedient to the father (rab‘bah) of the city. Next to these, you shall honor your father and your mother, and pay reverence to your grandfather and grandmother.
Remember that all men are alike in the house (temple) of your God; for even as death lays the high and the low alike, so is the standing of my people in the house I have built.
You shall respect the opinions of all men; for even you may be in error.
You shall speak only a little of yourself or of anything that is yours; for all others have a history also.
To reinstate the Zarathustrian law, the largest city shall not exceed two thousand souls; and the smallest shall be ten families. Unless they are celibates, in which case a city may be as small as eight souls, having one rab‘bah or priest.
The best, highest learned man, who shall be a celibate, shall be the priest and ruler of the city; and the sins of the people of the city shall be upon his head. But if it is a large city, he may choose one, or as many as six priests, to rule with him; and in that case, the sins of the city shall be upon them.
When a matter comes up, the priest shall call whom he will to speak on it; and when they have spoken, he shall decree by his highest light, and that shall be the law without repeal, except by himself.
It shall be lawful for the governor, who is the chief priest, prior to death, to repeal all his laws; so that his successor shall make new laws. For no man shall be bound after death by his own laws, because he cannot come back and repeal them.
But regarding the laws a governor or chief priest makes while he rules over a city, and over all persons whom he has ruled during his lifetime, he shall be responsible for them, both in this world and the next. For if a priest or governor makes a law of darkness, and his people live by that law, their souls will be in darkness in the next world through his fault, and he shall answer to them in the soul world for what he has done in this.
In cases where the manufacture of copper or iron, or other things, requires more than two thousand people, there shall be another city, with five breadths of the first city between them. And the government of the second city shall be like the government of the first. But in no case shall there be more than four cities nearby in the same country.
You shall neither hire nor be hired, either among yourselves or with the kings‘ peoples. Neither shall you have servants nor masters, for all shall be alike servants to Ormazd only.
Sin-wah inquired: Was it not taught in the Zarathustrian age to respect the caste of men according to the number of their servants? And whether, according to their genealogy, they were born of parents who had risen above servitude for many generations?
God said: The old law was for the past. It was a good law to improve the breed of men for special trades and learning. And that law has fulfilled its purpose. The physician has found great cures; and he knows all the parts of the flesh and the blood. The miner knows the different kinds of stone, the metals in them, and how to extract them. The farmer knows grounds, their yield, and what they will best bring forth. The spinner and weaver have found the best of fibers for paper and cloth. And so by the Zarathustrian law of caste it has come to pass, that they have perfected these things in all departments, sufficient for the requirement of man.
For which reason you shall teach all things to all; and they shall work with their own hands at all industries; remembering that the highest, best, most perfect man is he who can do all things.
Jon-Le inquired: Since a man dies in a few years at most, why shall he strive to learn things that pertain to the earth?
God said: All learning is like a gymnasium to the spirit. Knowledge is the strength of the soul.
You shall teach all things to your sons and daughters, perfecting them in the talents created with them: first, to useful labors; second, to learning; third, to music and art, in sculpture and painting; fourth, to mining; and fifth, to perfectness.
And you shall intersperse labor and learning with recreation, not only in rites and ceremonies, but in harmless games, as in dancing, racing and playing; and for the old as well as the young.
Cultivating joyous hearts, for these are outspoken words of glory to the Great Spirit.
Hi Seiang became converted to the doctrines of Po as taught by God, who was called Te-in in those days in that country.
Ah Sin and Hi Seiang and Tse Gow entered into compact to throw off the dominion of Han, and so notified him. Han immediately declared war against them. And he pursued them cruelly, laying waste a great country.
Po and his followers were thus driven toward the south; and on their way they gathered up the Faithists of the tribes of He-ah.
Now it came to pass that Han‘s success in war was so great that he did not concentrate his armies, but caused them to scatter in different directions. And behold, he went so far that the barbarians fell upon his armies and destroyed them. And Han himself perished by the blow of a barbarian woman.
In the fourth year of Po‘s inspiration, he returned and possessed the countries of Feh, Heng‘a Di and Se Lov, and he reinstated Ah Sin and Hi Seiang as governors.
Hi Seiang called a council of thirteen kingdoms of Jaffeth, and after seventy days of deliberation, Hi Seiang was made ruler over Jaffeth, receiving the title, KING OF THE SUN.
And he established the doctrines of Po by law, changing the name of All Light, to Te-in, signifying God. And he stopped all persecution against the Faithists; and he prohibited idol worship.
And Po traveled east and west, north and south; teaching and displaying miraculous things. And God was with him at all times and places.
And wherever Po went he gathered together the chosen, explaining and practicing the commandments of God (Te-in).