Introduction in Legend of the Gods
According to Legend of the Gods compiled by Ou Yangfei [1]? (Note: There is no such book). The Jade Emperor was originally a stockade owner named Zhang You, also known as Zhang Bairen, who was the reincarnation of the son of the Emperor of Heaven. It is said that since the beginning of the world, everything between heaven and earth has been peaceful. Later, the gods began to fight, and the world was dissolute, which made the three worlds of heaven and earth chaotic. Therefore, Taibai Venus came down to earth to find someone with both talent and morality to be the emperor of the three worlds. Taibai Venus became a beggar and searched everywhere. Later, when she arrived at Zhangjiawan, she found that Zhang You, known as "Zhang Bairen", managed the village very harmoniously and was kind and compassionate, so she brought it back to heaven and became the Jade Emperor. Later, all the immortals in the Three Realms invited Zhang Bairen to be praised as the "Emperor of Heaven for Life", and * * called him the "Jade Emperor". Because the Jade Emperor was the chief emperor of the Three Realms, he was also called "Jade Emperor" or "Jade Emperor God Jade Emperor
".
The title of the Jade Emperor's Sacred Name is introduced in the Textual Research on the Similarities and Differences of the Jade Emperor's Sacred Name. According to the Textual Research on the Similarities and Differences of the Jade Emperor's Sacred Name, "The Jade Emperor's Sacred Name was revered before the robbery, and it was revered in the Middle Ages, and the ear was highly praised. The master of the world is good at Tao and feels mysterious, and each person has his own knowledge and belief, and he will show it with it, honoring the names of the gods to determine the title. In the history, among the honorific titles given by emperors to the gods, there are four jade emperors: one is Taiwei Jade Emperor, the other is Taiwei Yuan Star, the other is Brahma Jade Emperor, the third is Emperor Xuandi, and the third is Little Wei Jade Emperor, and the third is Emperor Ai of Han Dynasty. Four Ziwei Jade Emperor, Han Guangdi went to the post and then worked as a bugle. None of them are the jade emperor. This jade emperor, Haotian Golden Valve, is supreme and naturally wonderful, and it is said that the mysterious the king of world is the jade emperor, who kills the heavens and will never be destroyed. " Investigating his belief, it is due to the ancient religion. In ancient times, there was the saying that there were the highest gods "Emperor" and "God" who dominated the natural changes such as the sun, the moon, the wind and the rain, and the fate of life such as human fortune, life and death, longevity and good luck. After the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was also called "Imperial Heaven", "Haotian" and "Heaven Emperor". In the Southern Dynasties, the titles of "Jade Emperor Dao Jun" and "Jade Emperor Gao" were already found in Tao Hongjing's "True Spiritual Industry Map", which ranked 11th and 19th on the right of the Jade Qing Sanyuan Palace. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the belief in "Jade Emperor" prevailed widely. In the poem "Dream Fairy" written by Bai Juyi, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, there was a poem "Pay tribute to the Jade Emperor, and look forward to it sincerely". There is also a sentence "I am the history of the Jade Emperor's incense case" in the poem "Praising Lotte with a State House" by the poet Yuan Zhen. An important Taoist scripture, Collected Classics of the Jade Emperor in Gaoshang, which was written around the time of the Tang and Song Dynasties, described in detail the origin and origin of the Jade Emperor: a long time ago, there was a beautiful and wonderful country, and the king Jingde and the queen Bao Yueguang were old and childless, so they made the Taoist priest hold prayers, and after the dream, the Taoist held a baby for the queen, and after waking up, they were pregnant. I was pregnant for one year and was born in the palace at noon on the ninth day of the first month of Bingwu. When the prince grew up, he succeeded to the throne, and soon he gave up his country and went to Pumingxiang Yanshan Mountain to practice Buddhism, which turned him over. It took 3,2 robberies to prove Jin Xian. More than 1 million robberies, only to prove the jade emperor. In the eighth year (115) of Song Zhenzong Dazhong Xiangfu (18-117), the sacred title of the Jade Emperor was "Tai Shang Kai Tian Zhi Fu Yu Li, which contains the true body of the Jade Emperor and the Great Heaven Emperor". Song Huizong Zhenghe (1111-1118) lived for six years (1116), and honored the Jade Emperor as "Tai Shang Kai Tian Zhi Fu Yu Li contains the true body of Tao Hao Tian Jade Emperor God".
Taoist saying
Jade Emperor
Jade Emperor, who lives in Taiwei Yuqing Palace, is called "Heaven and Golden Que are supreme, nature is wonderful, and God is the Miracle to the True Jade Emperor". Investigating its name, according to the Textual Research on the Similarities and Differences of the Jade Emperor's Sacred Name, "The Jade Emperor's Sacred Name was revered in the Middle Ages before the robbery, and the ear was highly praised. The master of the world is good at Tao and feels mysterious, and each person has his own knowledge and belief, and he will show it with it, honoring the names of the gods to determine the title. There are four Jade Emperors: one is Taiwei Jade Emperors, the other is Taiwei Yuanxing, the other is Brahma Jade Emperors, the third is the Jade Emperors, and the third is the Han Ai Emperors. Four Ziwei Jade Emperor, Han Guangdi went to the post and then worked as a bugle. None of them are the jade emperor. This jade emperor, Haotian Jinque, is supreme and naturally wonderful, and it is said that the mysterious the king of world is the jade emperor, who kills the heavens and will never be destroyed. " Won his belief, due to the ancient religion, in ancient times, there were the supreme gods "Emperor" and "God" who dominated the natural changes such as the sun, the moon, the wind and the rain, and the fate of human life such as fortune, life and death, good or bad days. After the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was also called "Emperor Heaven", "Haotian" and "Emperor Heaven". In the Southern Dynasties, the titles of "Jade Emperor Dao Jun" and "Jade Emperor Gao" were already found in Tao Hongjing's "True Spiritual Industry Map", which ranked 11th and 19th on the right of the Jade Qing Sanyuan Palace. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the belief in "Jade Emperor" prevailed widely. In the poem "Dream Fairy" written by Bai Juyi, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, there was a poem "Pay tribute to the Jade Emperor, and look forward to it sincerely". There is also a sentence "I am the history of the Jade Emperor's incense case" in the poem "Praising Lotte with a State House" by the poet Yuan Zhen. An important Taoist scripture, Collected Classics of the Jade Emperor in Gaoshang, which was written around the time of the Tang and Song Dynasties, described in detail the origin and origin of the Jade Emperor: a long time ago, there was a beautiful and wonderful country, and the king Jingde and the queen Bao Yueguang were old and childless, so they made the Taoist priest hold a prayer. After the dream, the Taoist held a baby and gave it to the queen. After waking up, they were pregnant. I was pregnant for one year and was born in the palace at noon on the ninth day of the first month of Bingwu. When the prince grew up, he succeeded to the throne, and soon he gave up his country and went to Pumingxiang Yanshan Mountain to practice Buddhism, which turned him over. It took three thousand robberies to prove Jin Xian. More than 1 million robberies, only to prove the jade emperor. In the eighth year (115) of Song Zhenzong Dazhong Xiangfu (18-117), the sacred title of the Jade Emperor was "Tai Shang Kai Tian Zhi Fu Yu Li, which contains the true body of the Jade Emperor and the Great Heaven Emperor". Song Huizong Zhenghe (1111-1118) lived for six years (1116), and honored the Jade Emperor as "Tai Shang Kai Tian Zhi Fu Yu Li contains the true body of Tao Hao Tian Jade Emperor God". Taoism believes that the Jade Emperor is the king of the gods, and the cultivation level is not the highest in the Taoist hierarchy, but the divine right is the greatest. According to the Taoist scriptures, he lives in Mira Heavenly Palace, the golden valve of Haotian, which is majestic in beauty and supreme in dharma. He controls the heavens, leads all saints in an all-round way, dominates the universe, civilizes all the heavens, and acts as the way of heaven. The jade emperor
is virtuous, creates all things, helps all the people, weighs the three realms and controls all the spirits, while the infinite man is the supreme god of heaven and the emperor of all the heavens. In short, Taoism believes that the Jade Emperor is in charge of all the yin and yang fortunes of the three realms (heaven, underground and space), the ten squares (four directions, four dimensions and up and down), the four lives (viviparous, oviparous, wet and metaplasia) and the six paths (heaven, man, demon, hell, beast and hungry ghost). Every year on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Jade Emperor will personally visit the lower bound of the Holy Land and inspect the situation of all parties. Reward the good and punish the evil according to the goodness and badness of all living beings. The ninth day of the first month is the Jade Emperor's Christmas, commonly known as "Jade Emperor's Club". It is rumored that all the immortals in heaven and earth will celebrate this day grandly, and the Jade Emperor will return to Luan and Heaven Palace on the afternoon of his birthday. At that time, a grand celebration ceremony should be held in Taoist temples.
Note
The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West are not husband and wife. The Jade Emperor was Zhao Xuanlang, the ancestor of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
The birthday of the Jade Emperor
is the ninth day of the first month (lunar calendar). Taoist temples will hold a golden ceremony, which is called "Jade Emperor's Meeting". Taoists and Taoists who take part in ceremonies should worship the Jade Emperor and give a gift of "fasting to heaven" to pray for longevity. In Chaozhou, Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan Province provinces, people call the Jade Emperor "God". On the ninth day of the first month, people, old and young, fast, bathe, burn incense, worship and recite scriptures, and in some places sing operas to entertain the gods. In the north of China, there used to be a custom of holding a jade emperor's sacrifice and carrying the jade emperor's statue to tour the village and patrol the streets. December 25 is said to be the day when the Jade Emperor visited the world. In the old days, Taoist temples and people had to burn incense and recite scriptures to welcome the Jade Emperor.
Jade Emperor-incarnation
Jade Emperor is the embodiment of Sanqing. He is the master of three talents, who always upholds heaven and the balance of heaven, earth and man. The Jade Emperor stood beside the God of the Nation, and the God of the Nation stood beside him as the embodiment of the "Jilong" who supported the God of Sanqing. Behind the Jade Emperor, he sent the Ziwei Arctic Emperor to take charge of the latitude and longitude of heaven and earth, sent the Shanggong Emperor to take charge of the three talents of heaven and earth, and changed the soldiers between the masters. After he sent the Tuhuang, he took charge of the fertility of yin and yang and the mountains and rivers of the earth. Everything in heaven and earth, Yin and Yang are all in the hands of the Jade Emperor.
Jade Emperor
"Heavenly Lord" refers to the Jade Emperor God, which is called "Jade Emperor" or "Heaven God", or "The Jade Emperor is the Heavenly Emperor in the Xuanqiong" and "Heaven and Golden Que are supreme and naturally wonderful, ranging from Milo to the real Jade Emperor". The Jade Emperor is one of the highest deities in Taoism, ranking only below the deity of Sanqing. But in the secular mind, the Jade Emperor is the biggest god in China and the king of the gods.
Folklore
According to folklore, "Jade Emperor God" not only commands the son of heaven to rule the world, but also governs Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and other immortals, as well as gods, earthly deities and ghosts. Gods belong to the deification of all natural objects in the sky, including the sun, the moon, the stars, Fengbo, the rain master and other immortals. Including land gods, country gods, mountains, rivers and seas, five deities and gods of all things, people and ghosts are deified after death of historical figures, including ancestors, teachers, heroes and other literary figures. Jade Emperor God not only commands the three gods of heaven, earth and human beings, but also controls the prosperity and decline of heaven, earth and the universe, good fortune and bad fortune. His subordinates are Emperor Wenchang, who is in charge of management affairs, Emperor Guan Sheng, who is in charge of business affairs, Master Qiao Sheng, who is in charge of public works, and Emperor Shennong, who is in charge of agricultural affairs. There are Dongyue Emperor, Castle Peak King, Lord Town God, Master Jing, Land Lord and Foundation Lord who are in charge of local affairs. In the theory of Taoism, the three worlds of heaven, earth and man are clearly divided. There are 32 floors in heaven, and three Wan Li on one floor. The place beyond the sky is called infinity, while the sky within the sky is called Taiji. The days of Tai Chi are divided into five days, namely, east, south, west, north and middle. The Jade Emperor is the supreme deity in the universe, and all deities must obey the orders of the Jade Emperor, whose
Zhongtian
is occupied by the Jade Emperor, taking charge of 36 days and 3, worlds. There are seventy-two places, four major parts of all living things.
East Heaven
is in the hands of the "Three Officials and the Great Emperor", and the Lord blesses you to prolong your life, relieve disasters, forgive sins and eliminate evil.
Nantian
is in the hands of the "Emperor Wenheng", and the appointment of the main gods is to examine the merits and sins of the gods.
the western heaven
is in the hands of "Sakyamuni", and the faith of the Lord and the world depends on it.
the northern sky
is in the hands of the "Emperor Ziwei", which is blessed to eliminate disasters and endowed with wealth. The Jade Emperor is said to be the first deity in Taijiquan incarnated by Sanqing, that is, the most revered "Heaven" of the ancients. He lives in Yuqing Palace, taking charge of 36 days, 3, worlds and various immortals, and has jurisdiction over 72 places, four major states, gods in heaven, immortals, buddhas and hundreds of millions of human beings. Therefore, he is honored as "Jade Emperor, Great Heaven, mysterious and high God". Another said that "Jade Emperor God" is the "heavenly official" among the three great officials, and it is the Ziwei emperor of Taoism, who is blessed by the people and is regarded as a blessing god, alongside Lu and Shou. The "Three Great Officials", also known as the "Three Great Realms", is the collective name of "Blessing the Heavenly Officials and the Purple Emperor" in the Shang Dynasty, "Forgiving the Sin-free Officials and Clearing the Deficiency Emperor" in the Middle Dynasty, and "Relieving the Water Officials and the Cave Yin Emperor" in the Xia Dynasty. The Jade Emperor originated from the worship of the Emperor of Heaven in ancient times. During the Yin and Shang Dynasties, people called the Supreme God Emperor, or Heaven Emperor and God. This was a great emperor who dominated the celestial, underground, civil and military immortals. The rulers of the Zhou Dynasty and later generations used the worship of the Emperor of Heaven to advocate "the divine right of monarchy" and strongly claimed that they were the son of the Emperor of Heaven, so they were called "the Emperor of Heaven". Statues or portraits of the Jade Emperor didn't take shape until after the Tang and Song Dynasties. Generally, they were dressed in nine-chapter costumes and twelve-row beaded crowns. Some of them held jade pendants and waited on golden couple, completely dressed as emperors of Qin and Han Dynasties. Dai: In ancient times, there was a "light and strict and wonderful country", with the king as the "king of pure virtue" and the queen as the "precious moonlight", old and childless; One night, I dreamed that the old gentleman was holding a baby in the queen's arms, and the queen respectfully received it. After waking up, I felt pregnant. She was pregnant for twelve months, and gave birth to the prince on the ninth day of the first month of the third year. The prince was wise since childhood, but when he grew up, he assisted the king, worked diligently and loved the people, and did good deeds to save the poor. When the king died, the prince became a minister of Zen and fled to the mountains to practice Buddhism. After eight hundred robberies, he sacrificed himself to transcend sentient beings, and finally became a true path, soaring for nine days and winning the support of all the gods. So he ruled the three realms for the "Jade Emperor". The ninth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the Jade Emperor. The first month is the beginning of the year, the first of the four seasons, and the beginning of the wood, so all life germinates; Nine is the highest number, representing the meaning of "great, numerous and extremely high", so the first ninth day of the year (the ninth day) is the Jade Emperor's Christmas, which echoes his supreme position. In the Ming Dynasty, Wang Kui's Li Hai Ji said: "When the gods descend their birthdays, they will start with righteousness. The Jade Emperor was born on the ninth day of the first month, and the Yang number starts at one, but it is extremely high at nine, and the original will end. " It means that all the days when the gods are born have certain special meanings. The sacrifice of the Jade Emperor originated from the worship of heaven and earth in ancient times, which is closely related to the ancient people's thought of respecting heaven and fearing the earth. The ancients believed that "heaven" was the master of all things in the universe and the source of the growth and education of all things, so we should not disrespect heaven and fear life, and follow the path of heaven. So imagine that there is a supreme god in nature who rules everything. Therefore, "Heaven" ordered the king to come to the world to be a political citizen, and the king must conform to God's will, so as to make the country prosperous and the people safe. Otherwise, the king violated Heaven, and Heaven would punish all kinds of disasters. Kings revere Heaven, and all officials naturally revere Heaven. Since kings govern the world under the orders of Heaven, they have to worship Heaven regularly, which is not only an obligatory duty of kings, but also a grand ceremony of the country. As early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, emperors in successive dynasties held a grand "suburban sacrifice" every year, which was the highest symbol of the idea of respecting heaven. However, only emperors were qualified to offer sacrifices, and it was not until the end of the feudal era that the people began to offer sacrifices to "God". According to historical records, the Tang, Sui, Jin, Wei, Han and even Qin dynasties all had emperors' ceremonies to worship heaven, but the "heaven" worshipped at that time simply meant the "heaven" of nature, that is, "heaven" and "heaven". But "heaven" is invisible and slim, so how can we offer sacrifices? So gradually deified the "heaven" and called it "Jade Emperor". Because the Jade Emperor is a god imagined by people, there was no statue. When he arrived in Song Zhenzong, he was only given a statue, and he was named the Jade Emperor as his own ancestor. Statues or portraits of the Jade Emperor are usually dressed in nine-chapter robes and twelve-row beaded crowns. Some of them hold jade pendants and wait on golden couple, which is completely the dress of the Qin and Han emperors. After the rise of Taoism, "Heaven" was deified as a human being, worshipped as a thinking and emotional humanoid "God", and the image of "Heaven" and "God" was created. As a result, the "Heaven" worshipped by the people and the "Heaven" worshipped by the ancient emperors gradually separated. The birth sacrifice of the Jade Emperor is far more grand and solemn than other gods, because the people are convinced that God is the supreme and most authoritative god, and there is no "phase" to show, so they dare not sculpt his gods at will, and instead use "God Furnace" and "God Block".