Lao Tzu once mentioned "ghosts and gods" in the Tao Te Ching.
The first mention of the word "god" is in Chapter 6 of the Tao Te Ching: "The God of Grains is Immortal." The two words "Ceres God" read together, plus the word "immortality", can easily make people think of some kind of god. In fact, the word "gu" means valley, and Laozi once emphasized its role, such as: "If the grain is full,... if the grain is not full, it will be exhausted." ("Tao Te Ching" Chapter 39). "Shangderuo Valley" (Chapter 41). "The reason why Jianghai can become the king of hundreds of valleys is because he is kind." (Chapter 66). Ceres is the function or spirit of the valley, and immortality means the lasting effect. He then explained: "The immortality of the Valley God is called Xuan Min. The gate of Xuan Min is called: the root of heaven and earth. If it persists, it will not be used diligently." That is to say: the function of the valley is like a deep and deep The vulva, a woman's vulva, the door of reproduction, is like the source of heaven and earth. Its functions last forever and have endless effects. Here, the word "god" mentioned by Lao Tzu has nothing to do with religious ghosts and gods.
More than ten years ago, a real estate developer in the San Francisco Bay Area developed a valley area, built many luxury houses, and printed a very beautiful brochure. The big title on the cover is: "Spirit of the valley never dies--Lao tze". MacArthur once had a famous saying: "An old soldier never dies", which was used to show off the powerful combat effectiveness of American soldiers. This time, real estate developers took advantage of Lao Tzu’s immortality of the Ceres to show off the luxurious buildings in the valley area. It's smooth, fresh and powerful. This advertising expert knows how to use his brain!
The word "god" is mentioned for the second time. It is in Chapter 39 of the "Tao Te Ching": "If God has one, he will have a spirit... God will not have a spirit if he does not have a spirit." This means that "god" must obtain "one" in order to be efficacious. If "god" cannot be effective, it will be destroyed. Tao gives birth to oneness. Tao itself is formless and has no quality. Oneness is born due to the movement of Tao. Oneness is the manifestation of Tao's form and quality. Therefore, one can be regarded as: "Tao", "the function of Tao" or "the law of Tao". Even if it is a "god", if it does not obtain the "Tao", "the functions of the Tao" or the "laws of the Tao", it will not be effective and will be destroyed. In this way, the "gods" that people worship, fear or place hope in are completely useless if they do not obtain the "Tao". If it violates the rules, it will fail and disappear just like everyone else who violates the rules. So what is there about this “god” worth worshiping, fearing or hoping for? Here, Lao Tzu did mention what ordinary people call ghosts and gods, but his views on ghosts and gods are very different from ordinary people. His argument is simply a pioneer in breaking down superstition. The ghosts and ghosts that filled people's imaginations were revealed in one fell swoop.