The most interesting folklore

Chapter 26 The Most Interesting Worship Belief (6)
In the Northern Song Dynasty, the emperors of the Song Dynasty respected the Jade Emperor as "the Jade Emperor God of Taishang Kaitian Holding Talisman Yuli Containing True Body and Dao" and "Taishang Kaitian Holding Talisman Yuli Containing True Body of Dao Wutian Jade Emperor".In this way, the Jade Emperor was revered as the supreme god by the officials, and became the ruler of the heaven and the world, with 36 heavens in his upper palm and 72 earths in his lower palm, and he was in charge of all gods, Buddhas, immortals, saints, human beings, and the underworld.The Jade Emperor has the power to rule the nine heavens and summon the gods of the four seas and five mountains.All the gods are in line to attend to the left and right, just like the emperor and ministers in the world.The yin and yang good fortune of everything in the world is in the hands of the Jade Emperor.The Jade Emperor lives in the Lingxiao Palace of the Jinque Yungong, where there are 33 heavenly palaces and 72 treasure halls. Evergreen Seicao".Ten generations of Pluto under the Jade Emperor are in charge of life and death in the world; the dragon kings of the four seas are in charge of weather changes; The power is boundless.

According to Taoist legend, the ninth day of the first lunar month is the Jade Emperor's Christmas day.On this day, Taoist priests will hold a birthday ceremony, chant scriptures and repent, which is called "Jade Emperor Meeting".Every year on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Jade Emperor will go out to inspect the heaven and earth to investigate the good, evil, misfortune and good fortune of all living beings. Therefore, Taoists will open a dojo on this day and welcome him grandly.

60. Is the Queen Mother the wife of the Jade Emperor?

The Queen Mother is an immortal worshiped by Taoism. Her original name was Queen Mother of the West. She is a fairy in ancient myths and legends.According to the myths and legends handed down from ancient times, the Queen Mother of the West possessed the fairy medicine, and Chang'e stole the fairy medicine that her husband Hou Yi begged from the Queen Mother of the West, and then flew to the Moon Palace as a fairy.The fairy peach of the Queen Mother of the West is also a topic that the ancients in our country like to talk about.

In ancient mythology, the Queen Mother of the West has a strange appearance of half man and half beast. Taoist believers reshaped her into a graceful and graceful fairy.Later, folk believers paired it with the Jade Emperor. In the eyes of the common people, the Jade Emperor is the "lord of all gods", and the Queen Mother of the West naturally became the "First Lady" of the heavens and the "Queen Mother".

60. What kind of god is Taishang Laojun
In the middle of the main hall of the Taoist temple, there are generally enshrined "Three Qings", among which Taiqing is the Taishang Laojun (the other two are Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, they command all the gods, for The sect of the king of gods, the master of flying immortals).

Taishang Laojun is the respectful title of Laozi in Taoism, and there really was such a person in history.According to the records of "Historical Records", Lao Tzu's surname is Li Ming'er, his style name is Boyang, and his posthumous title is Dan.He is the founder of the Taoist school and a thinker in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was later honored as the ancestor of Taoism and favored by the emperors of all dynasties.

Lao Tzu has nothing to do with Taoism. Lao Tzu is a philosopher, not a religious man, nor did he create a religion.Ten's writings are academic, not religious.Later, Taoism regarded him as the ancestor for three reasons: one is that his "Tao Te Ching" is in line with the purpose of Taoism; the other is that Lao Tzu was born early; the third is that Lao Tzu has many magical legends.

Among the legends about Lao Tzu, the most famous one is the story of "Purple Qi Comes from the East".According to legend, during the reign of King Kang of Zhou, Yin Xi, a guest in the East Palace, watched the stars and watched the aura. He saw the purple air in the east moving to the west, and the astronomy showed auspicious signs.In the seventh month of the next summer, Lao Tzu left the Central Plains to the west of Renguan. Yin Xi asked him to stay, and invited him to the Yulou Temple as a disciple.Laozi taught him "Five Thousand Words of Morality".The following year, Lao Tzu ascended to heaven and passed away.Yin Xi continued to stay in Yulou to watch and practice for three years, and wrote "Guan Yinzi".Yin Xi later went to Sichuan to pursue Lao Tzu, and also ascended to heaven and become an immortal.

Taoism further deified the legend about Lao Tzu.In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Lao Tzu had already been born of a mysterious girl, and believed that he was the root of the universe and the source of all things.

61. Is there really Lu Dongbin in history?

Lu Dongbin was originally named Lu Yan, also known as Yanke, styled Dongbin, nicknamed Chunyangzi, and Huidaoren. He was born in Yongle Town, Hezhong Prefecture (now Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province).He was born in a family of officials for generations, and he was familiar with classics and history since he was a child. It may be said that he was a Jinshi in the first year of Tang Baoli (825), and he was a local official for a few days.

Later, because he was tired of the chaotic world, he abandoned his fame and wealth, scattered all his wealth, and saved all living beings.Together with his wife, he went to Jiufeng Mountain in Zhongtiao Mountain to practice, and each lived in a cave, so he changed his name to Dongbin.Later, he met the immortal Zhong Liquan by chance, worshiped him as his teacher, and obtained the fairy fruit, so he and Tieguai Li, Han Zhongli, Lan Caihe, Zhang Guolao, He Xiangu, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guoshu, etc. were called "Eight Cave Immortals" .After that, he traveled around the world, Yueyang, Dongting, Mount Tai, and Huayue, helping the poor and helping the poor, enlightening filial sons, and winning the respect of the people.

Lu Dongbin's greatest contribution is to transform the Taoism of Taoism from the smelting of the outer alchemy to the cultivation of the inner alchemy.This is an earth-shattering change in the history of Taoism.After he died, his fame rose, and in the early Song Dynasty, he was widely worshiped, just like the Guanyin Bodhisattva in Buddhism.The elders in his hometown built Lu Gong Temple for him, and the Jin Dynasty changed the appearance of the temple.The founder of Quanzhen Taoism, Wang Chongyang, claimed to be the true biography of Lu Dongbin, and his disciple Qiu Chuji was appreciated by Genghis Khan. Therefore, in the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, Lu Dongbin's faith flourished even more.

Song Defang, a disciple of Qiu Chuji, built the Yongle Palace for Mu Dongbin in accordance with the royal palace layout in Lv Dongbin's hometown.The murals of Yongle Palace are well-known at home and abroad and can be called immortal.

63. Is there really Zhang Sanfeng in history?

Zhang Sanfeng was a famous Taoist at the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, and the founder of Wudang School.Zhang Sanfeng (1247~1417), named Quanyi, also known as Junbao, styled Junshi, nicknamed Xuanzi, was born in Nanzhao County. Because of his unkempt appearance, he was called Zhang Sloppy.Claiming to be a descendant of Zhang Tianshi.Legend has it that it has a turtle-shaped crane back, big ears and round eyes, and a beard like a halberd.When the cold comes and the summer comes, I only wear a robe.One eclipse for several days, or no eclipse for several months, everything can be known in advance.Parade the world, live in no fixed place.Entering the Ming Dynasty, he claimed to be a relic of the Great Yuan Dynasty, appearing and disappearing from time to time, and his whereabouts are unpredictable.

Zhang Sanfeng believes that there are only two religions, righteous and evil. The so-called three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are just different founders. In fact, Sakyamuni, Confucius, and Lao Yu can all be called the Tao.

During his practice as the abbot of Wudang Mountain, Zhang Sanfeng established a new school of Taoism with Taiji, the Sanfeng School, which set off the last wave in the history of Chinese Taoism development, and became the founder of Wudang School of martial arts.Later generations compiled "The Complete Works of Mr. Zhang Sanfeng", which was included in "The Essentials of Daozang".

63. What is a Daoist real person?

A real person refers to a person who has already attained the Tao.The so-called "truth" is the true meaning of life; the so-called "Tao" is the "immortal way". "True man" is originally a realm of life pursued by Taoism.According to Zhuangzi's explanation, a "true person" is a person who has a deep understanding of life. This kind of person has no desire for knowledge, no likes and dislikes, and no joy, anger, sorrow, and joy. He regards life as death, and death as life. Fighting, everything conforms to nature, forgetting things and me, reaching the realm of "joying with the sky".In fact, the "true person" mentioned by Taoism is a spiritual state of natural life, which can only be achieved by people with very high morals.Taoism uses "true person" to indicate a certain realm of immortals, and it is also used as the title of a person who has cultivated the truth.Later generations took "True Man" as one of the highest titles for Taoist figures.

64. Is the emperor the god who manages the land?

Tuhuang is the earth god of Taoism.In ancient China, there was a god of earth, Houtu, who was in charge of yin and yang, good fortune, and beautiful mountains and rivers.After Taoism, Houtu is one of the four imperial gods second only to Sanqing.The emperor is divided into nine bases, each with its own name.Among the larger Taoist temples, there are statues or tablets of the Houtu gods enshrined in the Four Imperial Palaces, and there are few statues or tablets of the Earth Emperor listed in the list.However, in the large-scale Zhaijiao ceremony, the gods of 36 heavenly emperors and 36 earth emperors are often enshrined.Since the Tang Dynasty, with the widespread popularity of Fengshui, Taoist believers often held rituals to thank the emperor when they broke ground, erected beams, settled houses, town houses, built bridges, and paved roads, in order to pray for smooth roads and bridges and safe homes. , Blessing and disaster relief.

65. How did Thunder God and Lightning Mother come about?
Lei Gong is the God of Thunder, which belongs to Yang, so it is called "Gong", also known as "Lei Shi" and "Thunder God".Mother of Lightning is the god in charge of lightning, and belongs to Yin, so she is called "Mother", also known as "Holy Mother of Golden Light" and "Empress of Lightning".The worship of thunder and lightning began in ancient times.

The job of Lei Gong and Dian Mu was originally to manage Lei Dian.However, since the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties, the people have given thunder and lightning the meaning of punishing evil and promoting good.Taoism inherits the ancient Chinese belief in the God of Thunder and the Mother of Lightning.Du Guangting, a high-ranking Taoist in the Tang and Five Dynasties, used Thunder God and Lightning Mother as the main gods to invite among the various rituals for praying for rain and snow in the "Daomen Kefan Daquan Collection" compiled by him.

In some large-scale Taoist temples and temples, there are often offerings of Thunder God and Lightning Mother.The statue of Thunder God is like a strong man, with bare chest and belly, with wings on his back, three days on his forehead, his face is as red as a monkey, his chin is long and sharp, and his feet are like eagle claws.Holding the wedge in the left hand and the hammer in the right, making a gesture of wanting to strike.From the top to the side, there are five drums hanging in a circle, and the left foot makes a drum. It is known as Lei Gong Jiang Tianjun in the world.The image of the Mother of Lightning is like a girl, with an elegant appearance, holding a mirror in both hands, and the name is the Mother of Lightning Xiutianjun.The birthday of Thunder God is June 6th.Taoist believers generally worship the Thunder God and the Lightning Mother only when praying for rain and snow, and it is rare to see one who specifically worships it.However, the God of Thunder and Lightning is still listed in the Taoist large-scale fasting ceremony.

66. Who is the image of King Yama?

According to the Taoist "Jade Calendar" and other sayings, King Yama is not the number one leader in the underworld.Strange to say, the theory of the ten kings of the underworld, which arose in the late Tang Dynasty, claimed that there were ten masters living in the ten halls in the entire underworld, which is commonly known as the ten halls of Hades.Among them, the master of the fifth hall is King Yama.This King Yama, it is said that he "originally lived in the first hall, died because of pity, repeatedly released the sun and stretched the snow, and demoted this hall".

It can be seen that from the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, the theory of King Yama of various schools was popular.

One is that Sui general Han captured the tiger.Han Qinhu was a general in the early Sui Dynasty. "24 Histories" mostly taboos about ghosts and gods, and rarely records stories about the world of Yin and Yang. However, the legend of Han Qinhu's death as the king of Yama was recorded in this biography. It can be seen that in the early Tang Dynasty, this The legend is quite popular.

The second is Kou Zhun, the famous Prime Minister of the Northern Song Dynasty.Kou Zhun told the people with his upright knowledge.Only those who are upright and upright can often make people long for each other. This is probably one of the reasons why he was selected from the ranks of many civil and military ministers.It is said that before his death, his concubine Beitao said: "I don't speak to you, for fear of venting the truth; if I want to go now, it is harmless to speak. The Lord of the world is also the king of Jambudvik." Probably he died before his death. This theory was spread, so at that time someone hung up the image of Kou Zhun on the side of the posthouse, with the words "now as the king of Yama" written on it.

The third is Bao Zheng, a direct scholar of Longtu Pavilion in the Northern Song Dynasty.Bao Zheng became the King of Hades after his death. There were legends at that time.Bao Zheng's uprightness and strict law enforcement are naturally the best candidates for the King of Yama in people's ideal mood.The oriental legend culture is about retribution in the present world, and the grievances in the yang world will be repaid by the underworld, so Bao Zheng must be the king of Yama to resolve the retribution of injustice.

The fourth is Prime Minister Jiang of the Southern Song Dynasty.Prime Minister Jiang is Jiang Wanli, an upright man, who violated power and treacherous Jia Sidao, and returned to his hometown. Later, Yuan soldiers captured Duchang, Jiangxi, and he committed suicide by throwing himself into the water.

(End of this chapter)