Bon is an indigenous Tibetan religion with a rich cosmology. The Bon creation story includes not one but two cosmic eggs. I am still struggling with the way many creation stories deal with good and evil, but the Bon story feels nicely balanced to me—maybe because of my affinity for Asian philosophies and Buddhism. This particular cosmic egg story presents us with a narrative of the origin of the universe and the birth of cosmic order from chaos. It doesn’t deal in great detail with the particulars of the creation of the earth and the creatures of the earth, but there are lots of other creation stories that will take us on that ride. If you are looking for a primary source for this story, the Bon myth of the origin of existence is narrated in detail in the Treasury of the Origin of Existence. Here’s my version of it.

The Origin of Existence and the Cosmic Egg

In the beginning, before time and being, there was primordial potentiality. From that potentiality, in the dimension of open and waiting space, thanks to the power of the Immortal, the air element and the winds emerged. The movement of the winds produced a vortex of light that whirled vigorously. The energy of the winds discharged heat, and the fire element formed.

From the cold vapor of the wind and the burgeoning heat of the fire element, water formed as dew and rime (frost on cold objects created by the rapid freezing of water vapor in clouds and fog). Minute particles of matter condensed on those waters, creating the earth element. Those particles, shaken and blended by the wind whirling swiftly in space, formed the earth and its mountains.

From the interaction of the essences of the five basic elements—space, air, fire, water, earth—two cosmic eggs came into being, an egg of light and an egg of darkness.

Through the power of the Luminous Immortal One, from the pure essence of the five elements the Luminous Egg of Light formed, with four fates and eight corners, the size of a seven-year-old female yak. From the power of the Infinite Non-Being, the Cosmic Egg of Darkness formed, with three corners, the size of a three-year-old bull.

The Luminous Egg hatched by the force of its own light, and from the clear light that spread in space were born the numerous deities, beings of light who took on the task of protecting virtuous actions. From the Luminous Egg emerged the Ancestor and Ancestress of the human race, and the Deities who took on the task of sustaining compassion and virtue.

The Cosmic Egg of Darkness hatched in the dimension of black light and emitted obfuscation, obscuration and madness. From the Cosmic Egg of Darkness, beings were born who delighted in annihilation, emptying, interruption and destruction.

In that way, good and evil were born, the earth and all of its beings were created, bringing order to the chaos of unformed potentiality.