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89-600: The Jade Emperor and his wife Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West) ensured the deities' everlasting existence by feasting them with the peaches of immortality. The immortals residing in the palace of Xi Wangmu were said to celebrate an extravagant banquet called the "Feast of Peaches" ( Chinese : 蟠桃會 ; pinyin : Pántáo Huì ; Cantonese Yale : pùhn tòuh wúih , or Chinese : 蟠桃勝會 ; pinyin : Pántáo Shènghuì ; Cantonese Yale : pùhn tòuh sing wúih ), celebrated on earth in honor (birthday) of Xi Wangmu on

178-477: A broader, more naturalistic, more metaphysical view on the relationship between humankind and the Universe and considered social rules to be at best a derivative reflection of the natural and spontaneous interactions between people and at worst calcified structure that inhibited naturalness and created conflict. This led to some philosophical and political conflicts between Taoists and Confucians. Several sections of

267-518: A bull, a tiger, and a dragon , was allowed to go to an afterlife that was known as "the place beyond the Tao". This shows that some Chinese folk storytelling and mythological traditions had very differing interpretations of the Tao between each other and orthodox religious practices. Noted Christian author C.S. Lewis used the word Tao to describe "the doctrine of objective value, the belief that certain attitudes are really true, and others really false,

356-514: A concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. The concept is represented by the Chinese character 道 , which has meanings including 'way', 'path', 'road', and sometimes 'doctrine' or 'principle'. In the Tao Te Ching , the semi-legendary ancient philosopher Laozi explains that the Tao is not a name for a thing, but the underlying natural order of

445-404: A distinct entity. As part of this process, many Chinese words introduced their rich semantic and philosophical associations into Buddhism, including the use of "Tao" for central concepts and tenets of Buddhism. Pai-chang Huai-hai told a student who was grappling with difficult portions of suttas , "Take up words in order to manifest meaning and you'll obtain 'meaning'. Cut off words and meaning

534-544: A divine object. The Tao is more commonly expressed in the relationship between wu (void or emptiness, in the sense of wuji ) and the natural, dynamic balance between opposites, leading to its central principle of wu wei (inaction or inexertion). The Tao is usually described in terms of elements of nature, and in particular, as similar to water. Like water it is undifferentiated, endlessly self-replenishing, soft and quiet but immensely powerful, and impassively generous. The Song dynasty painter Chen Rong popularized

623-467: A form of praxis rather than theory—a term used as a convention to refer to something that otherwise cannot be discussed in words—and early writings such as the Tao Te Ching and I Ching make pains to distinguish between conceptions of the Tao (sometimes referred to as "named Tao") and the Tao itself (the "unnamed Tao"), which cannot be expressed or understood in language. Liu Da asserts that

712-429: A life energy instead of qi in some Taoist belief systems. De ( 德 ; 'power', 'virtue', 'integrity') is the term generally used to refer to proper adherence to the Tao. De is the active living or cultivation of the way. Particular things (things with names) that manifest from the Tao have their own inner nature that they follow in accordance with the Tao, and the following of this inner nature

801-399: A multitude of results. Buddhism and Confucianism particularly affected the way many sects of Taoism framed, approached, and perceived the Tao. The multitudinous branches of religious Taoism accordingly regard the Tao, and interpret writings about it, in innumerable ways. Thus, outside of a few broad similarities, it is difficult to provide an accurate yet clear summary of their interpretation of

890-470: A powerful, evil entity had the ambition to conquer the immortals and gods in heaven and proclaim sovereignty over the entire universe. This evil entity also went into retreat and meditation to expand its power, though later than the Jade Emperor did. He passed through 3,000 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years. After its final trial, it felt confident that no one could defeat it. It re-entered

979-492: A second chance to eat a fruit of immortality. A 1,000-foot-tall (300 m) tree grows behind a monastery run by a Taoist master and his disciples, though the master is away. Once every 10,000 years, the tree bears 30 of the legendary Man-fruit, which are just like newborn babies, complete with sense organs. The man-fruits grant 360 years of life to one who merely smells them and 47,000 years of life to one who consumes them. Fruits of immortality are not seen again after this point in

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1068-617: A short period of time. Dhyana was translated as 禅 ; chán] , and later as "zen", giving Zen Buddhism its name. The use of Chinese concepts, such as the Tao, that were close to Buddhist ideas and terms helped spread the religion and make it more amenable to the Chinese people. However, the differences between the Sanskrit and Chinese terminology led to some initial misunderstandings and the eventual development of Buddhism in East Asia as

1157-408: A stream. Niu Lang fell instantly in love with her and stole her magic robe which she had left on the bank of the stream, leaving her unable to escape back to Heaven. When Zhinü emerged from the water, Niu Lang grabbed her and carried her back to his home. When the Jade Emperor heard of this matter, he was furious but unable to intercede, since in the meantime his daughter had fallen in love and married

1246-490: A year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar , he allows them to meet on a bridge over the river. The story refers to constellations in the night sky. Zhinü is the star Vega in the constellation of Lyra east of the Milky Way, and Niu Lang is the star Altair in the constellation of Aquila west of the Milky Way. Under the first quarter moon (7th day) of the seventh lunar month (around August),

1335-551: Is De . Wu wei , or 'naturalness', is contingent on understanding and conforming to this inner nature, which is interpreted variously from a personal, individual nature to a more generalized notion of human nature within the greater Universe. Historically, the concept of De differed significantly between Taoists and Confucianists. Confucianism was largely a moral system emphasizing the values of humaneness, righteousness, and filial duty, and so conceived De in terms of obedience to rigorously defined and codified social rules. Taoists took

1424-498: Is a broad variety of distinct interpretations among sects and even individuals in the same sect. Despite this diversity, there are some clear, common patterns and trends in Taoism and its branches. The diversity of Taoist interpretations of the Tao can be seen across four texts representative of major streams of thought in Taoism. All four texts are used in modern Taoism with varying acceptance and emphasis among sects. The Tao Te Ching

1513-457: Is a temple in A Kung Ngam , Hong Kong , dedicated to the Jade Emperor. In the mid 19th century, people from Huizhou and Chaozhou mined stones in the hill for the development of the central urban area. They set up a shrine to worship Yuk Wong. At the beginning of the 20th century, the shrine was developed into a small temple and was renovated many times. The latest renovation was in 1992. Early Catholic missionaries to China wrote often about

1602-407: Is called Chilseok . In Vietnam , it is called Thất Tịch and if it rains on that day, it is said to be Zhinü crying tears of happiness for being reunited with her husband. There are several stories as to how the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were chosen. In one, the Jade Emperor, although having ruled Heaven and Earth justly and wisely for many years, had never had the time to actually visit

1691-472: Is commonly used in this fashion by Chinese Buddhists, heavy with associations and nuanced meanings. During the Song dynasty , neo-Confucians regarded the Tao as the purest thing-in-itself . Shao Yong regarded the Tao as the origin of heaven, earth, and everything within them. In contrast, Zhang Zai presented a vitalistic Tao that was the fundamental component or effect of qi, the motive energy behind life and

1780-558: Is emptiness. Emptiness is the Tao. The Tao is cutting off words and speech." Zen Buddhists regard the Tao as synonymous with both the Buddhist Path and the results of it, the Noble Eightfold Path and Buddhist enlightenment . Pai-chang's statement plays upon this usage in the context of the fluid and varied Chinese usage of "Tao". Words and meanings are used to refer to rituals and practices. The "emptiness" refers to

1869-489: Is highly polysemous: its historical alternate pronunciation as dǎo possessed an additional connotation of 'guide'. The history of the character includes details of orthography and semantics, as well as a possible Proto-Indo-European etymology, in addition to more recent loaning into English and other world languages. "Tao" is written with the Chinese character 道 using both traditional and simplified characters. The traditional graphical interpretation of 道 dates back to

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1958-565: Is located at the foot of Penang Hill at the Air Itam suburb near George Town , Penang 's capital city. Aside from Thni Kong Tnua , the Chew Jetty in the heart of George Town is another focal point of the Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations; the festivities in this particular location was captured for a 2014 Malaysian film, The Journey . Yuk Wong Kung Tin (Cantonese romanisation) ( 玉皇宮殿 ) also known as Yuk Wong Po Tin ( 玉皇寶殿 )

2047-503: Is now. People had to deal with a variety of monstrous beings, and they did not have many gods to protect them; in addition, many powerful demons were defying the immortals of heaven. The Jade Emperor was an ordinary immortal who roamed the earth helping as many people as he could. He was saddened because his powers could only ease the suffering of humans. He retreated to a mountain cave to cultivate his Tao. He passed 3,200 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years. On earth at this time,

2136-466: Is related to qi , the essential energy of action and existence. The Tao is a non-dualistic principle—it is the greater whole from which all the individual elements of the Universe derive. Catherine Keller considers it similar to the negative theology of Western scholars, but the Tao is rarely an object of direct worship, being treated more like the Hindu concepts of karma , dharma , or Ṛta than as

2225-524: Is supported by textual examples of the use of the primary tao in the verbal sense "to lead" (e. g., Analects 1.5; 2.8) and seriously undermines the unspoken assumption implied in the common translation of Tao as "way" that the concept is essentially a nominal one. Tao would seem, then, to be etymologically a more dynamic concept than we have made it translation-wise. It would be more appropriately rendered by "lead way" and "lode" ("way," "course," "journey," "leading," "guidance"; cf. "lodestone" and "lodestar"),

2314-517: Is the Taoist concept of de ('virtue'). In Confucianism and religious forms of Taoism, these are often explicitly moral/ethical arguments about proper behavior, while Buddhism and more philosophical forms of Taoism usually refer to the natural and mercurial outcomes of action (comparable to karma). The Tao is intrinsically related to the concepts of yin and yang , where every action creates counter-actions as unavoidable movements within manifestations of

2403-455: Is the fundamental and central concept of these schools of thought. Taoism perceives the Tao as a natural order underlying the substance and activity of the Universe. Language and the "naming" of the Tao is regarded negatively in Taoism; the Tao fundamentally exists and operates outside the realm of differentiation and linguistic constraints. There is no single orthodox Taoist view of the Tao. All forms of Taoism center around Tao and De, but there

2492-468: Is the oldest text and representative of a speculative and philosophical approach to the Tao. The Daotilun is an eighth century exegesis of the Tao Te Ching , written from a well-educated and religious viewpoint that represents the traditional, scholarly perspective. The devotional perspective of the Tao is expressed in the Qingjing Jing , a liturgical text that was originally composed during

2581-706: The Former Affairs of the Emperor Wu and Records of Diverse Matters record stories where the Queen Mother of the West visited Emperor Wu of Han and offered peaches to him. In the latter account, when the Emperor says he plans to plant the peach stones, the Queen Mother of the West tells him that the trees will bear fruit once every 3,000 years. The Peaches of Immortality are a major item featured within

2670-496: The Hanyu Da Zidian dictionary defines 39 meanings for 道 ; dào and 6 for 道 ; dǎo . John DeFrancis 's Chinese-English dictionary gives twelve meanings for 道 ; dào , three for 道 ; dǎo , and one for 道 ; dāo . Note that brackets clarify abbreviations and ellipsis marks omitted usage examples. dào 道 N. [ noun ] road; path ◆M. [nominal measure word ] ① (for rivers/topics/etc.) ② (for

2759-536: The Shuowen Jiezi dictionary published in 121 CE, which describes it as a rare "compound ideogram" or " ideographic compound ". According to the Shuowen Jiezi , 道 combines the 'go' radical 辶 (a variant of 辵 ) with 首 ; 'head'. This construction signified a "head going" or "leading the way". "Tao" is graphically distinguished between its earliest nominal meaning of 'way', 'road', 'path', and

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2848-515: The Han dynasty and is used as a hymnal in religious Taoism, especially among eremites . The Zhuangzi uses literary devices such as tales, allegories, and narratives to relate the Tao to the reader, illustrating a metaphorical method of viewing and expressing the Tao. The forms and variations of religious Taoism are incredibly diverse. They integrate a broad spectrum of academic, ritualistic, supernatural, devotional, literary, and folk practices with

2937-573: The Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the primordial god . In Taoist theology , he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun , who is one of the Three Pure Ones , the three primordial emanations of the Tao . However, some Taoists in history were skeptical of his benevolence because his buildings and infrastructure in heaven and earth were sometimes seen as interfering with

3026-632: The analogy with his painting Nine Dragons . Much of Taoist philosophy centers on the cyclical continuity of the natural world and its contrast to the linear, goal-oriented actions of human beings, as well as the perception that the Tao is "the source of all being, in which life and death are the same." In all its uses, the Tao is considered to have ineffable qualities that prevent it from being defined or expressed in words. It can, however, be known or experienced , and its principles (which can be discerned by observing nature) can be followed or practiced. Much of East Asian philosophical writing focuses on

3115-483: The 首 ; 'head' element as hair above a face. Some variants interchange the 'go' radical 辵 with 行 ; 'go', 'road', with the original bronze "crossroads" depiction written in the seal character with two 彳 and 亍 ; 'footprints'. Bronze scripts for 道 occasionally include an element of 手 ; 'hand' or 寸 ; 'thumb', 'hand', which occurs in 導 ; 'lead'. The linguist Peter A. Boodberg explained, This " tao with

3204-483: The 3rd day of the 3rd moon month. The immortals wait six thousand years before gathering for this magnificent feast; the peach tree put forth leaves once every thousand years and it required another three thousand years for the fruit to ripen. Statues depicting Xi Wangmu's attendants often held three peaches. And the Eight Immortals crossing the seas to attend the banquet is a popular subject in paintings. Both

3293-548: The Buddhist concept of sunyata . Finding the Tao and Buddha-nature is not simply a matter of formulations, but an active response to the Four Noble Truths that cannot be fully expressed or conveyed in words and concrete associations. The use of "Tao" in this context refers to the literal "way" of Buddhism, the return to the universal source, dharma , proper meditation, and nirvana , among other associations. "Tao"

3382-549: The Cat missed the meeting with the Jade Emperor and was replaced by the Pig . The Jade Emperor was delighted with the animals and so decided to divide the years up amongst them. When the cat learned of what had happened, he was furious with the Rat and that, according to the story, is why cats and Rats are enemies to this day. The Cat can be seen as the domesticated Tiger or leopard the third of

3471-499: The Earth personally. He grew curious as to what the creatures looked like. Thus, he asked all the animals to visit him in heaven. The Cat , being the most handsome of all animals, asked his friend the Rat to wake him on the day they were to go to Heaven so he wouldn't oversleep. The Rat, however, was worried that he would seem ugly compared to the Cat, so he didn't wake the cat. Consequently,

3560-715: The Goddess Weaver, daughter of the Jade Emperor and the Celestial Queen Mother, who weaves the Silver River (known in the West as the Milky Way ), which gives light to heaven and earth. In other versions, she is a seamstress who works for the Jade Emperor. Every day Zhinü descended to earth with the aid of a magical robe to bathe. One day, a lowly cowherd named Niu Lang ( Chinese : 牛郎 ; pinyin : niú láng ) spotted Zhinü as she bathed in

3649-601: The Heavenly Master of the Dawn of Jade of the Golden Door ( 金闕玉晨天尊 ). The characters for both are stamped on the front of the arms of his throne. In two folk automatic writing texts produced in 1925 and 1972, Guan Yu became the 18th Jade Emperor in about 1840 AD; however, some have disagreed that Guan Yu has succeeded, and thus the Jade Emperor and Guan Yu are often worshiped separately. In Tienti teaching,

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3738-474: The Jade Emperor. He can also be regarded as a traditional figure among the White Lotus secret society. It was said that Jade Emperor was originally the crown prince of the kingdom of Pure Felicity and Majestic Heavenly Lights and Ornaments. At birth, he emitted a wondrous light that filled the entire kingdom. When he was young, he was kind, intelligent and wise. He devoted his entire childhood to helping

3827-412: The Jade Emperor. (Using the given figures, this period before his becoming the Jade Emperor lasted for a total of about 327 million years.) One of the myths describes how the Jade Emperor became the monarch of all the deities in heaven. It is one of the few myths in which the Jade Emperor really shows his power. In the beginning of time, the earth was a very difficult place to live, much harsher than it

3916-464: The Jade Emperor. They noticed that, "The stories of Jesus and the Jade Sovereign are, in certain aspects, quite similar. In both cases it is claimed that a god incarnated as a human being." On the other hand, they denounced the cult of the Jade Emperor as "superstitious," and compared unfavorably the "legends" about the Jade Emperor with what they claimed was a solid historical record documenting

4005-584: The Principle of Heaven in Neo-Confucianism. The Way is contained within all things. Thus, the religious life is not an elite or special journey for Neo-Confucians. The normal, mundane life is the path that leads to the Absolute, because the Absolute is contained within the mundane objects and events of daily life. Yayu, the son of Zhulong who was reincarnated on Earth as a violent hybrid between

4094-420: The Tao is properly understood as an experiential and evolving concept and that there are not only cultural and religious differences in the interpretation of the Tao but personal differences that reflect the character of individual practitioners. The Tao can be roughly thought of as the "flow of the universe", or as some essence or pattern behind the natural world that keeps the Universe balanced and ordered. It

4183-421: The Tao is the self grounded in its place within the natural Universe. A person dwelling within the Tao excels in themselves and their activities. However, this distinction is complicated by hermeneutic difficulties in the categorization of Taoist schools, sects, and movements. Some Taoists believe the Tao is an entity that can "take on human form" to perform its goals. The Tao represents human harmony with

4272-410: The Tao, "Dao is not religiously available; nor is it even religiously relevant." The writings of Laozi and Zhuangzi are tinged with esoteric tones and approach humanism and naturalism as paradoxes. In contrast to the esotericism typically found in religious systems, the Tao is not transcendent to the self, nor is mystical attainment an escape from the world in philosophical Taoism. The self steeped in

4361-415: The Tao, and proper practice variously involves accepting, conforming to, or working with these natural developments. In Taoism and Confucianism, the Tao was sometimes traditionally seen as a "transcendent power that blesses" that can "express itself directly" through various ways, but most often shows itself through the speech, movement, or traditional ritual of a "prophet, priest, or king." Tao can serve as

4450-413: The Tao. A central tenet in most varieties of religious Taoism is that the Tao is ever-present, but must be manifested, cultivated, and/or perfected to be realized. It is the source of the Universe, and the seed of its primordial purity resides in all things. Breathing exercises, according to some Taoists, allowed one to absorb "parts of the universe." Incense and certain minerals were seen as representing

4539-680: The Tao. Damascene published a full commented translation of the Tao Te Ching under the title Christ the Eternal Tao . In some Chinese translations of the New Testament, the word λόγος ( logos ) is translated as 道 , in passages such as John 1:1, indicating that the translators considered the concept of Tao to be somewhat equivalent to the Hellenic concept of logos in Platonism and Christianity. The Chinese character 道

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4628-509: The Way illuminates virtue, improves the people, and resides within the purest morality. During the Tang dynasty , Han Yu further formalized and defined Confucian beliefs as an apologetic response to Buddhism. He emphasized the ethics of the Way. He explicitly paired "Tao" and "De", focusing on humane nature and righteousness. He also framed and elaborated on a "tradition of the Tao" in order to reject

4717-559: The Way of Man'. Chu Tao is 'the way to be a monarch', i.e. the art of ruling. Each school of philosophy has its tao , its doctrine of the way in which life should be ordered. Finally in a particular school of philosophy whose followers came to be called Taoists, tao meant 'the way the universe works'; and ultimately something very like God, in the more abstract and philosophical sense of that term. "Tao" gives Taoism its name in English, in both its philosophical and religious forms. The Tao

4806-417: The Way. Cheng Yi followed this interpretation, elaborating on this perspective of the Tao through teachings about interactions between yin and yang, the cultivation and preservation of life, and the axiom of a morally just universe. On the whole, the Tao is equated with totality. Wang Fuzhi expressed the Tao as the taiji , or 'great ultimate', as well as the road leading to it. Nothing exists apart from

4895-483: The animals in the classical Chinese Zodiac text. Once a great drought had spread across the land. Four dragons from the sea noticed the plight of the people and traveled to beseech The Jade Emperor in the Heavenly Palace to bring the rains to the people. He was very busy ruling the heavens, earth, and sea and distractedly agreed to send the rains on the next day if they would return to the sea, but soon after

4984-1105: The common specifications 道 ; dào ; 'way' and 道 ; dǎo (with variant 導 ; 'guide'), 道 has a rare additional pronunciation with the level tone, dāo , seen in the regional chengyu 神神道道 ; shénshendāodāo ; 'odd', 'bizarre', a reduplication of 道 and 神 ; shén ; 'spirit', 'god' from northeast China. In Middle Chinese ( c.  6th–10th centuries CE ) tone name categories, 道 and 導 were 去聲 ; qùshēng ; 'departing tone' and 上聲 ; shǎngshēng ; 'rising tone'. Historical linguists have reconstructed MC 道 ; 'way' and 導 ; 'guide' as d'âu- and d'âu ( Bernhard Karlgren ), dau and dau daw and daw , daw and daws (William H. Baxter), and dâu and dâu . In Old Chinese ( c.  7th–3rd centuries BCE ) pronunciations, reconstructions for 道 and 導 are *d'ôg (Karlgren), *dəw (Zhou), *dəgwx and *dəgwh , *luʔ , and *lûʔ and *lûh . The word 道 has many meanings. For example,

5073-478: The cowherd. As time passed, Zhinü grew homesick and began to miss her father. One day, she came across a box containing her magic robe which her husband had hidden. She decided to visit her father back in Heaven, but once she returned, the Jade Emperor summoned a river to flow across the sky (the Milky Way ), which Zhinü was unable to cross to return to her husband. The Emperor took pity on the young lovers, and so once

5162-415: The dragons departed, he forgot his promise. After ten days, the rains still did not come and the people began to die of starvation. The dragons could not simply stand by and do nothing, and so they decided to use their bodies to capture great masses of water from the sea, taking it upon themselves to bring the rain. The people were grateful and prayed their thanks to the Jade Emperor, who soon discovered what

5251-549: The dragons ensuring that the people of China would never be without water again. The Jade Emperor was originally the assistant of the Divine Master of the Heavenly Origin, Yuanshi Tianzun . Yuanshi Tianzun is said to be the supreme beginning, the limitless and eternal creator of Heaven and Earth, who picked Yu-huang, or the Jade Emperor, as his personal successor. The Jade Emperor will eventually be succeeded by

5340-737: The dragons had done, and became angry that they intervened without his blessing. The Jade Emperor ordered Mountain God to trap the four dragons. However, from each mountain that trapped a dragon there sprang a new river. From Yellow Dragon came the Yellow River , from Long Dragon the Yangtze River , from Black Dragon the Amur River , and from Pearl Dragon the Pearl River . The rivers thereafter flowed from west to east and north to south,

5429-515: The existence and celestial importance of the Way of Heaven, he insisted that the Tao principally concerns human affairs. As a formal religious concept in Confucianism, Tao is the Absolute toward which the faithful move. In Zhongyong (The Doctrine of the Mean), harmony with the Absolute is the equivalent to integrity and sincerity. The Great Learning expands on this concept explaining that

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5518-513: The existence and life of Jesus. In 2005, roughly 2% of Chinese folk practitioners believed in the Jade Emperor. A crater on Saturn 's moon Rhea , discovered by Voyager 2 spacecraft, is named after him. Counterparts of the Jade Emperor in other Asian cultures Tao The Tao or Dao is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion . This seeing of life cannot be grasped as

5607-498: The figures, which gave rise to human sickness and physical abnormalities. (The most common alternative Chinese creation myth states that human beings were once fleas on the body of Pangu .) In another myth, Nüwa fashions men out of the mud from the Yellow River by hand. Those she made became the richer people of the earth. After getting tired of it, she dipped her scarf into the mud and swung it around. The drops that fell from

5696-404: The five sacrifices and wines) to honor the deities below the Jade Emperor. The household then kneels three times and kowtows nine times to pay homage and wish him a long life. In Penang , Malaysia , a focal point of the Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations is Thni Kong Tnua , which gained worldwide fame as one of the featured locations for The Amazing Race 16 . The temple, built in 1869,

5785-409: The gods, immortals, and humans proclaimed the Jade Emperor the supreme sovereign of all. The world started with wuji ( 無極 , nothingness) according to the Chinese creation myth . The Jade Emperor was the head of the pantheon, but not responsible for creation. In another creation myth , the Jade Emperor fashioned the first humans from clay and left them to harden in the sun. Rain deformed some of

5874-475: The greater universe as well, and breathing them in could create similar effects. The manifestation of the Tao is de , which rectifies and invigorates the world with the Tao's radiance. Alternatively, philosophical Taoism regards the Tao as a non-religious concept; it is not a deity to be worshiped, nor is it a mystical Absolute in the religious sense of the Hindu brahman . Joseph Wu remarked of this conception of

5963-410: The hand element" is usually identified with the modern character 導 tao < d'ôg , 'to lead,', 'guide', 'conduct', and considered to be a derivative or verbal cognate of the noun tao , "way," "path." The evidence just summarized would indicate rather that " tao with the hand" is but a variant of the basic tao and that the word itself combined both nominal and verbal aspects of the etymon. This

6052-550: The kind of thing the Universe is and the kind of things we are." He asserted that every religion and philosophy contains foundations of universal ethics as an attempt to line up with the Tao—the way mankind was designed to be. In Lewis's thinking, God created the Tao and fully displayed it through the person of Jesus Christ . Similarly, Eastern Orthodox hegumen Damascene (Christensen), a pupil of noted monastic and scholar of East Asian religions Seraphim Rose , identified logos with

6141-497: The later verbal sense of 'say'. It should also be contrasted with 導 ; 'lead the way', 'guide', 'conduct', 'direct'. The simplified character 导 for 導 has 巳 ; '6th of the 12 Earthly Branches ' in place of 道 . The earliest written forms of "Tao" are bronzeware script and seal script characters from the Zhou dynasty (1045–256 BCE) bronzes and writings. These ancient forms more clearly depict

6230-517: The lighting condition in the sky causes the Milky Way to appear dimmer, hence the story that the two lovers are no longer separated on that one particular day each year. The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is a holiday in China called Qixi Festival , which is a day for young lovers much like Valentine's Day in the West . In Japan , it is called Tanabata (star day). In Korea , it

6319-758: The many natural laws or dao . He is often identified with Śakra in Chinese Buddhist cosmology and identified with Yu the Great in Chinese mythology . The Jade Emperor is known by many names, including Yu, Heavenly Grandfather ( 天公 , Tiāngōng ), which originally meant "Heavenly Duke", which is used by commoners; the Jade Lord; the Highest Emperor; Great Emperor of Jade ( 玉皇上帝 Yu Huang Shangdi , or 玉皇大帝 Yu Huang Dadi ). There are many stories in Chinese mythology involving

6408-462: The moral or ethical usage of the word "Tao" that is prominent in Confucianism and religious Taoism and the more metaphysical usage of the term used in philosophical Taoism and most forms of Mahayana Buddhism ; others maintain that these are not separate usages or meanings, seeing them as mutually inclusive and compatible approaches to defining the principle. The original use of the term was as

6497-607: The needy (the poor and suffering, the deserted and single, the hungry and disabled). Furthermore, he showed respect and benevolence to both men and creatures. After his father died, he ascended the throne. He made sure that everyone in his kingdom found peace and contentment. After that, he told his ministers that he wished to cultivate Tao on the Bright and Fragrant Cliff. After 1,750 eons, each eon lasting for 129,600 years (360 years), he attained Golden Immortality. After another one hundred million years of cultivation, he finally became

6586-736: The ninth day of the first lunar month. On this day, Taoist temples hold a Jade Emperor ritual ( 拜天公 , Mandarin : bài Tiāngōng ; Hokkien : pài Thinn-kong , literally "heaven worship") at which priests and laymen prostrate themselves, burn incense and make food offerings. In the morning of this birthday, Chinese, Taiwanese as well as Hokkien and Peranakan Malaysian Chinese and Singaporean Chinese who practice Buddhism , Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions set up an altar table with 3 layers: one top (containing offertories of six vegetables ( 六齋 ), noodles, fruits, cakes, tangyuan , vegetable bowls, and unripe betel , all decorated with paper lanterns) and two lower levels (containing

6675-538: The novel. Members of the Eight Immortals and the Old Man of the South Pole (a longevity deity) are sometimes depicted carrying a Peach of Immortality. Because of the stories and the peach's association with long-life, peach is a common decoration (the fruit or an image thereof) on traditional birthday cakes and pastries in China. Jade Emperor In the myths and folk religion of Chinese culture ,

6764-771: The popular fantasy novel Journey to the West . The peaches are first encountered when, in heaven, Sun Wukong is stationed as the Protector of the Peaches. The peach garden include three types of peaches, all of which grant over 3,000 years of life if only one is consumed. The first type blooms every three thousand years; anyone who eats it will become immortal, and their body will become both light and strong. The second type blooms every six thousand years; anyone who eats it will be able to fly and enjoy eternal youth. The third type blooms every nine thousand years; anyone who eats it will become "eternal as heaven and earth, as long-lived as

6853-400: The reigning Jade Emperor has 55 predecessors. However this is from the point of view of Chinese Folk religion , and many orthodox Taoists do not believe these claims to be true. Elements from the supreme god Shangdi and his worship were incorporated into theology about the Jade Emperor and the two were often thought to be the same being. The Jade Emperor's Birthday ( 天公誕 ) is said to be

6942-401: The scarf became the poorer humans. In another story, popular throughout Asia and with many differing versions, the Jade Emperor has a daughter named Zhinü ( simplified Chinese : 织女 ; traditional Chinese : 織女 ; pinyin : zhī nǚ or Chih'nü, literally: weaver girl). She is most often represented as responsible for weaving colorful clouds in the heaven. In some versions, she is

7031-693: The somewhat obsolescent deverbal noun from "to lead." These Confucian Analects citations of dao verbally meaning 'to guide', 'to lead' are: "The Master said, 'In guiding a state of a thousand chariots, approach your duties with reverence and be trustworthy in what you say" and "The Master said, 'Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame." In modern Standard Chinese , 道 's two primary pronunciations are tonally differentiated between falling tone dào ; 'way', 'path' and dipping tone dǎo ; 'guide', 'lead' (usually written as 導 ). Besides

7120-424: The sun and moon." As the Protector, Sun realizes the effects of the sacred peaches and acts quickly as to consume one, before he runs into trouble when Xi Wangmu arrives to hold a peach banquet for many members of Heaven. Sun Wukong makes himself very small to hide within a peach during the banquet, before consuming more, thus gaining immortality and the abilities that come with the peaches. Later on, Sun Wukong has

7209-465: The traditions of Buddhism. Ancestors and the Mandate of Heaven were thought to emanate from the Tao, especially during the Song dynasty . Buddhism first started to spread in China during the first century AD and was experiencing a golden age of growth and maturation by the fourth century AD. Hundreds of collections of Pali and Sanskrit texts were translated into Chinese by Buddhist monks within

7298-507: The universe and even more phenomena in the world and nature. The Tao of Confucius can be translated as 'truth'. Confucianism regards the Way, or Truth, as concordant with a particular approach to life, politics, and tradition. It is held as equally necessary and well regarded as de and ren ('compassion', 'humanity'). Confucius presents a humanistic Tao. He only rarely speaks of the 'Way of Heaven'. The early Confucian philosopher Xunzi explicitly noted this contrast. Though he acknowledged

7387-501: The universe whose ultimate essence is difficult to circumscribe because it is non-conceptual yet evident in one's being of aliveness. The Tao is "eternally nameless" and should be distinguished from the countless named things that are considered to be its manifestations, the reality of life before its descriptions of it. The word "Tao" has a variety of meanings in both the ancient and modern Chinese language. Aside from its purely prosaic use meaning road, channel, path, principle, or similar,

7476-514: The value of adhering to the principles of the Tao and the various consequences of failing to do so. The Tao was shared with Confucianism, Chan Buddhism and Zen , and more broadly throughout East Asian philosophy and religion in general. In Taoism, Chinese Buddhism, and Confucianism, the object of spiritual practice is to "become one with the Tao" ( Tao Te Ching ) or to harmonize one's will with nature to achieve 'effortless action'. This involves meditative and moral practices. Important in this respect

7565-459: The word has acquired a variety of differing and often confusing metaphorical, philosophical, and religious uses. In most belief systems, the word is used symbolically in its sense of "way" as the right or proper way of existence, or in the context of ongoing practices of attainment or of the full coming into being, or the state of enlightenment or spiritual perfection that is the outcome of such practices. Some scholars make sharp distinctions between

7654-487: The works attributed to Zhuang Zhou are dedicated to critiques of the failures of Confucianism. The translator Arthur Waley observed that [Tao] means a road, path, way; and hence, the way in which one does something; method, doctrine, principle. The Way of Heaven, for example, is ruthless; when autumn comes 'no leaf is spared because of its beauty, no flower because of its fragrance'. The Way of Man means, among other things, procreation; and eunuchs are said to be 'far from

7743-461: The world and recruited an army of demons with the purpose of attacking heaven. The immortals, being aware of the threat, gathered themselves and prepared for war. The gods were unable to stop the powerful demon and it defeated them all. The Jade Emperor finished his cultivation during this war. When he was changing the land to make it more liveable for men and repelling a variety of monsters, he saw an evil glow radiating from heaven and knew something

7832-462: The world. A number of later scholars adopted this interpretation, such as Tai Chen during the Qing dynasty . Zhu Xi , Cheng Ho , and Cheng Yi perceived the Tao in the context of li ('principle') and t'ien li ('principle of Heaven'). Cheng Hao regarded the fundamental matter of li , and thus the Tao, to be humaneness. Developing compassion, altruism, and other humane virtues is following of

7921-418: Was amiss. He ascended and saw that the evil entity was too powerful to be stopped by the gods. He challenged it, and they fought. Mountains shook and rivers and seas toppled. Due to his deeper and wiser cultivation, his benevolence instead of his might, the Jade Emperor won the battle. After the evil entity was defeated, its army was scattered by the gods and immortals. Because of his noble and benevolent deeds,

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