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

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

god. He is the Taiqing (, lit. the Grand Pure One) which is one of the Three Pure Ones, the highest immortals of Taoism.

Laozi Laozi (), also romanized as Lao Tzu #Name, among other ways, was a semi-legendary Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosopher and author of the ''Tao Te Ching'' (''Laozi''), one of the foundational texts of Taoism alongside the ''Zhuangzi (book) ...

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 In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

as the official head

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

. Intellectual ("orthodox") Taoists, such as the Celestial Masters sect, usually present Laozi (''Laojun'', "Lord Lao") and the Three Pure Ones at the top of the pantheon of gods.

Name

His other names include Daode Zhizun (, lit. 'The Universally Honored Virtuous One') and Daojiao Zhizu (, 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 the '' Daozang'', 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, philosopher, physician, politician, and writer during the Eastern Jin dynasty. He was the author of '' Essays on Chinese Characters'', the '' Baopu ...

in the ''Biographies of the Immortals'' (), 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, Prime Minister of Chen, in the eighth year of the Yanxi era of the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, 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, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, the royal family taking Laozi as its ancestor, worshiped 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. Daode Tianzun was thought to be able to control what happens in the

future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

Festival

''For the corresponding article in Chinese Wikipedia, see 道教节.'' Since

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, the Singapore Taoist Federation has celebrated the birthday of Daode Tianzun annually on the 15th day of the second lunar month under the name of the "The Taoist Day" ( zh, 道教节). The celebration aims to promote the teachings of Taoism and Chinese culture, and to raise public awareness and understanding of Taoism.

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* * Chinese gods Deified Chinese men Taoist deities Laozi Journey to the West characters {{Deity-stub

Name

Legends

Festival

See also

References

Works cited