Daode Tianzun (), also known as Taishang Laojun () is a high

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

god. He is the Taiqing (太清, lit. the Grand Pure One) which is one of the

Three Pure Ones The Three Pure Ones (), also translated as the Three Pure Pellucid Ones, the Three Pristine Ones, the Three Divine Teachers, the Three Clarities, or the Three Purities, are the three highest gods in the Taoist pantheon. They are regarded as pure ...

, the highest divinities of Taoism.

Laozi Laozi (), also known by numerous other names, was a semilegendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher. Laozi ( zh, ) is a Chinese honorific, generally translated as "the Old Master". Traditional accounts say he was born as in the state ...

is regarded to be a manifestation of Daode Tianzun who authored the classic ''Tao Te Ching''. He is traditionally regarded as the founder of Taoism, intimately connected with "primordial" (or "original") Taoism. Popular ("religious") Taoism typically presents the

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...

as the official head

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

. Intellectual ("orthodox") Taoists, such as the Celestial Masters sect, usually present Laozi (''Laojun'', "Lord Lao") and the

at the top of the pantheon of gods.

Name

His other names include Daode Zhizun (道德至, lit. 'The Universally Honoured Virtuous One') and Daojiao Zhizu (道教之祖, lit. 'The Taoist Ancestor').

Legends

Taishang Laojun believed to be the true incarnation of the spiritual philosopher Laozi, he was already identified as a personification of the Tao as early as the beginning of the Later Han dynasty. According to ''

Daozang Daozang (), meaning 'Taoist Canon', consists of around 1,400 texts that were collected (after the ''Daodejing'' and ''Zhuangzi'' and Liezi which are the core Taoist texts). They were collected by Taoist monks of the period in an attempt to brin ...

'', Taishang Laojun had manifested many various incarnations to teach living beings, and Laozi is one of his incarnations. According to the biographies of Laozi collected by

Ge Hong Ge Hong (; b. 283 – d. 343 or 364), courtesy name Zhichuan (稚川), was a Chinese linguist, Taoist practitioner, philosopher, physician, politician, and writer during the Eastern Jin dynasty. He was the author of '' Essays on Chinese Characte ...

in the ''Biographies of the Immortals'' (神仙傳), Laozi is said to have been born before Heaven and Earth, after 72 years' stay in his mother's womb. He was born under a plum tree with the ability to speak, and took his surname "Li" after the tree. According to the ''Inscription in Honor of Laozi'', written by

Bian Shao BIAN or Bian may refer to: Place *Kaifeng, a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, People's Republic of China *Uiseong, former name Bian, county in North Gyeongsang province, South Korea *Bian, Hamadan, a village in Iran *Bian River (Chi ...

, Prime Minister of Chen, in the eighth year of the Yanxi era of the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

, Laozi came out of the Vital Breath of Chaos, and is as eternal as the three lights of the Sun, Moon and Stars. During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, the royal family taking Laozi as its ancestor, worshipped him and honored him with many noble titles. Although he is ranked below the other two pure ones, he is mentioned in Taoist religious texts more often than the other two. Before he served as an advisor to the

or attending Peach Banquets, he lives in the Great Pure Heaven (Taiqing). His manifestation anniversary falls on the 15th day of 2nd month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

References

Chinese gods Deified Chinese people Deities in Taoism Laozi Journey to the West characters {{Deity-stub

Name

Legends

See also

References