Model humanity:
44-1482: Xianling or Xian ling may refer to: Xian ling (religion) , notion of numinous presence in the Chinese traditional religion County magistrate (Chinese: 縣令 ; pinyin: Xiànlìng ) in Imperial and early Republican China Xianling ("Xian Mausoleum"), burial sites of several Chinese emperors and/or their families: Xianling (Chinese: 獻陵 ; pinyin: Xiàn líng ) in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi, tomb of Emperor Gaozu of Tang Xianling (Chinese: 顯陵 ; pinyin: Xiǎn líng ) in Yiyang County, Henan, tomb of Shi Jingtang Xianling (Chinese: 顯陵 ; pinyin: Xiǎn líng ) in Beizhen, Liaoning, tomb of Emperor Shizong of Liao Xianling (Chinese: 獻陵 ; pinyin: Xiàn líng ) in Yinchuan, Ningxia, tomb of Emperor Huizong of Western Xia Xianling (Chinese: 顯陵 ; pinyin: Xiǎn líng ) in Yinchuan, Ningxia, tomb of Emperor Chongzong of Western Xia Xianling (Chinese: 獻陵 ; pinyin: Xiàn líng ) in Changping District, Beijing, tomb of
88-520: A Chenghuang Temple in Yulin , Shaanxi Province that, during the Cultural Revolution , was turned into a granary; in the 1980s the temple was restored to its original function because the seeds kept in the temple always rotted. This event was recognized as a sign from the god Chenghuang to empty his residence of grain and let him back in. The 靈氣 ; língqì ( 灵气 ; 靈氣 ), divine energy,
132-476: A deity, destiny , an impersonal force that controls events, a holy world or afterlife containing other worlds or afterlives, or one or more of these. The modern Chinese character 天 and early seal script both combine dà 大 ' great; large ' and yī 一 ' one ' , but some of the original characters in Shāng oracle bone script and Zhōu bronzeware script anthropomorphically portray
176-511: A god" ( tì shén zhì bìng 替神治病 ). Gods may also speak to people when they are asleep ( 托梦 ; 托夢 or 託夢 ; tuōmèng ). Tian Model humanity: Main philosophical traditions: Ritual traditions: Devotional traditions: Salvation churches and sects : Confucian churches and sects: Tian ( 天 ) is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology , philosophy , and religion . During
220-495: A hierarchy of multiple, sphere-like realms that contained morally ambiguous creatures and spirits such as fox spirits and fire-breathing dragons . The Tao realm was thought to exist by many ancient folk religion practitioners. Ahom religion ethnically originated from Dai people of Yunnan in Southwest China has a concept of Mong Phi (Heavenly Kingdom) which is often identified as Tian. In Yiguandao , Tian
264-406: A large head on a great person. The ancient oracle and bronze ideograms for dà 大 depict a stick figure person with arms stretched out denoting "great; large". The oracle and bronze characters for Tian 天 emphasize the cranium of this 'great (person)', either with a square or round head, or head marked with one or two lines. Schuessler notes the bronze graphs for Tian, showing a person with
308-680: A relation to that cause. While Heaven does not let the cause of truth perish, what can the people of Kuang do to me?" For Mozi , Heaven is the divine ruler, just as the Son of Heaven is the earthly ruler. Mozi believed that spirits and minor demons exist or at least rituals should be performed as if they did for social reasons, but their function is to carry out the will of Heaven, watching for evil-doers and punishing them. Mozi taught that Heaven loves all people equally and that each person should similarly love all human beings without distinguishing between his own relatives and those of others. Mozi criticized
352-876: A round head, resemble those for dīng 丁 "4th Celestial stem ", and suggests "The anthropomorphic graph may or may not indicate that the original meaning was 'deity', rather than 'sky'." Two variant Chinese characters for 天 are 二人 (written with 二 èr 'two' and 人 rén 'human') and the Daoist coinage 靝 (with 青 qīng 'blue' and 氣 ' qi ', cf. 'blue sky'). Tian 天 reconstructions in Middle Chinese ( c. 6th –10th centuries CE) include t'ien , t'iɛn , tʰɛn > tʰian , and then . Reconstructions in Old Chinese ( c. 6th –3rd centuries BCE) include * t'ien , * t'en , * hlin , * thîn , and * l̥ˤin . For
396-612: A voiceless lateral onset, either a cluster or a single consonant, respectively. Baxter & Sagart pointed to attested dialectal differences in Eastern Han Chinese , the use of 天 as a phonetic component in phono-semantic compound Chinese characters , and the choice of 天 to transcribe foreign syllables, all of which prompted them to conclude that, around 200 CE, 天 's onset had two pronunciations: coronal * tʰ and dorsal * x , both of which likely originated from an earlier voiceless lateral * l̥ˤ . Further etymology
440-629: A whole, which is "the basis for a sincere mind." The Emperor of China as Tianzi was formerly vital to Confucianism. Mount Tai is seen as a sacred place in Confucianism and was traditionally the most revered place where Chinese emperors offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. The concept of Tian is pervasive in Confucianism . Confucius had a deep trust in Heaven and believed that Heaven overruled human efforts. He also believed that he
484-455: Is Heaven - that knows me!" Perhaps the most remarkable saying, recorded twice, is one in which Confucius expresses complete trust in the overruling providence of Heaven: The Master was put in fear in Kuang. He said, "After the death of King Wen, was not the cause of truth lodged here in me? If Heaven had wished to let this cause of truth perish, then I, a future mortal, should not have got such
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#1732765104498528-454: Is a common formula for religious practice. Virtue is believed to accumulate in one's heart, which is seen as the energetic center of the human body ( zài jūn xīn zuò fú tián 在君心作福田 ). The term xian ling may be interpreted as the god revealing his divine presence in a particular area and temple, through events perceived as extraordinary, miraculous, and filling the place of their ling qi . Divine power usually manifests in public; once
572-517: Is believed to accumulate in certain places, such as temples, making them holy. Temples with a long history are considered holier than newly built ones, which still need to be filled by divine energy. Zavidovskaya also cited an example of the cult of the god Zhenwu in Congluoyu Town ( 丛罗峪镇 ; 叢羅峪鎮 ; cóngluóyù zhèn , Lin County , Lüliang ), Shanxi Province . The temples were in ruins and
616-401: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Xian ling (religion) Main philosophical traditions: Ritual traditions: Devotional traditions: Salvation churches and sects : Confucian churches and sects: Xian ling ( simplified Chinese : 显灵 ; traditional Chinese : 顯靈 ; pinyin : xiǎn líng )
660-464: Is divided into three vertical worlds. Li Tian ( 理天 ) 'heaven of truth', Qi Tian ( 氣天 ) 'heaven of spirit' and Xiang Tian ( 象天 ) 'heaven of matter'. In some cases, the heavens in Shinto were thought to be a hierarchy of multiple, sphere-like realms that contained kami such as fox spirits . Myths about the kami were told "of their doings on Earth and in heaven." Heaven was thought to be
704-563: Is mentioned in relationship to its complementary aspect of Dì ( 地 , often translated as " Earth "). They are thought to maintain the two poles of the Three Realms of reality, with the middle realm occupied by Humanity ( 人 , rén ), and the lower world occupied by demons ( 魔 , mó ) and "ghosts", the damned, ( 鬼 , guǐ ). Tian was variously thought as a "supreme power reigning over lesser gods and human beings" that brought "order and calm...or catastrophe and punishment",
748-458: Is something that "[t]he ways of man should conform to, or else" frustration will result. Many Confucianists, both historically and in current times, use the I Ching to divine events through the changes of Tian and other natural forces. Historical and current Confucianists were/are often environmentalists out of their respect for Heaven and the other aspects of nature and the principle that comes from their unity and, more generally, harmony as
792-420: Is the master of his own life through his relationship with the divine energies. Within temples it is common to see banners bearing the phrase: "If the heart is sincere, god will reveal his power" ( 心诚则灵 ; 心誠則靈 ; xīn chéng zé líng ). This implies the belief that gods respond to the entreaties of the believer if his or her religious fervor is sincere ( 诚心 ; 誠心 ; chéngxīn ). If a person sincerely believes in
836-432: Is the notion of a numinous , sacred ( ling ) presence of a god or gods in the Chinese traditional religion . The term can be variously translated as "divine efficacy", "divine virtue", or also "efficacious response"; these terms describe the manifestation and activity of the power of a god ( 灵气 ; 靈氣 ; líng qì , "divine energy" or "divine effervescence", see qi ). Within the context of traditional cosmology,
880-412: Is unknown. It is proposed that transcriptions of a Xiongnu word for "sky", haak-lin 赫連 , is related. Tian is one of the components in hundreds of Chinese compounds . Some significant ones include: "Lord Heaven" and " Jade Emperor " were terms for a supreme deity in Confucianism and Taoism who was an anthropromorphized Tian, and some conceptions of it thought of the names as synonymous. Tian
924-744: The Hongxi Emperor Xianling (Chinese: 顯陵 ; pinyin: Xiǎn líng ) in Zhongxiang, Hubei, tomb of Zhu Youyuan Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Xianling . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Xianling&oldid=1209597426 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Articles containing Chinese-language text Short description
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#1732765104498968-572: The Longwang ; offerings to these require an animal sacrifice ( shēngsì 生祀 ), while other deities, for example Zhenwu , do not ask for animal sacrifice. A deity may also require, in exchange for his or her help through divine effervescence, that people act morally and perform good works, virtuous deeds ( shànshì 善事 ), and practice self-cultivation ( xiūxíng 修行 ). To this end, some forms of local religion develop prescriptions for believers, such as detailed lists of meritorious and sinful deeds in
1012-450: The Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their highest god as Shangdi or Di ( 帝 , 'Lord'). During the following Zhou dynasty , Tian became synonymous with this figure. Before the 20th century, worship of Tian was an orthodox state religion of China. In Taoism and Confucianism , Tian (the celestial aspect of the cosmos , often translated as " Heaven ")
1056-463: The Confucians of his own time for not following the teachings of Confucius. In Mozi's Will of Heaven ( 天志 ), he writes: Moreover, I know Heaven loves men dearly not without reason. Heaven ordered the sun, the moon, and the stars to enlighten and guide them. Heaven ordained the four seasons, Spring, Autumn, Winter, and Summer, to regulate them. Heaven sent down snow, frost, rain, and dew to grow
1100-485: The cases, vow-fulfillment is expressed in material form, for example jingxiang offering rituals. Many people repay vows to the gods by contributing incense, oil, candles, and money. Religious devotion may also be expressed in the form of performance troupes ( 花会 ; 花會 ; huāhuì ) involving stilt walkers, lion dancers, musicians, martial arts masters, yangge dancers, and story-tellers. Some gods are considered carnivorous, for example river deities ( héshén 河神 ), or
1144-508: The cult was inactive until the mid-1990s, when a man with terminal cancer prayed ( bài 拜 ) to Zhenwu. The man began to recover, and after a year he was completely healed. To thank the god, he organized an opera performance in his honor. A temporary altar with a statue of Zhenwu and a stage for performances were set up in an open space at the foot of a mountain. While the opera was being performed, large, white snakes appeared; they were unafraid of people and did not attack them, seemingly watching
1188-428: The disciples to act as ministers to him. During a remission of his illness, he said, "Long has the conduct of You been deceitful! By pretending to have ministers when I have them not, whom should I impose upon? Should I impose upon Heaven? Moreover, than that I should die in the hands of ministers, is it not better that I should die in the hands of you, my disciples? And though I may not get a great burial, shall I die upon
1232-869: The eight directions. The Tian are the heaven worlds and pure lands in Buddhist cosmology . Some devas are also called Tian. The number of vertical heaven layers in Taoism is different. A common belief in Taoism is that there were 36 Tian "arranged on six levels" that have "different deities". The highest heaven is the "Great Web" which was sometimes said to be where Yuanshi Tianzun lived. After death, some Taoists were thought to explore "heavenly realms" and/or become Taoist immortals . These immortals could be good or evil, and there were sometimes rivalries between them. Some heavens in Taoism were thought to be evil, as in Shangqing Daoism , although Tian
1276-640: The etymology of Tian, Schuessler links it with the Turkic and Mongolian word tengri 'sky', 'heaven', 'deity' or the Tibeto-Burman words taleŋ ( Adi ) and tǎ-lyaŋ ( Lepcha ), both meaning 'sky' or 'God'. He also suggests a likely connection between Tian, diān 巔 'summit, mountaintop', and diān 顛 'summit', 'top of the head', 'forehead', which have cognates such as Zemeic Naga tiŋ 'sky'. However, other reconstructions of 天 's OC pronunciation * qʰl'iːn or * l̥ˤi[n] reconstructed
1320-421: The event is witnessed and acknowledged, reports about it spread quickly and the cult of the deity establishes itself and grows in popularity, and temples are built. Scholar Zavidovskaya studied the ways the incentive of temple restoration since the 1980s in northern China was triggered by numerous instances of gods becoming "active" and "returning", and claiming back their temples and places in society. She cites
1364-415: The five grains and flax and silk that so the people could use and enjoy them. Heaven established the hills and rivers, ravines and valleys, and arranged many things to minister to man's good or bring him evil. He appointed the dukes and lords to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked, and to gather metal and wood, birds and beasts, and to engage in cultivating the five grains and flax and silk to provide for
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1408-556: The form of "books of virtue" ( 善书 ; 善書 ; shànshū ). This usually refers to religious booklets distributed for free.) and "ledgers of merit" ( 功过格 ; 功過格 ; gōngguò gé ). This refers to a kind of log which one uses to record good and bad deeds he or she has done every day. This is arbitrary for some Quanzhen Daoist priests ). Involvement in the affairs of communal or intra-village temples are perceived by believers as ways of accumulating merit ( gōngdé 功德 ). "Doing good deeds to accumulate virtue" ( 行善积德 ; 行善積德 ; xíng shàn jī dé )
1452-412: The gods' powers and accumulates the energy of piety, the gods are confident in his faith and reveal their efficacious powers. At the same time, for faith to strengthen in the devotee's heart, the deity must prove his or her efficacy. Worship consists of the display of reverence or respect ( jìngshén 敬神 ) for the gods, honoring them through the fulfillment of vows ( 还愿 ; 還願 ; huányuàn' ). In most of
1496-476: The interaction of these energies constitutes the universe (the All-God, Tian ), and their proper cultivation ( bao ying ) upholds the human world order. The relationship between men and gods is one of reciprocal exchange of energy and the cultivation of godly energy. Through rituals of worship and proper conduct, people acquire and maintain a sense of stable world order, peace, and balance ( bao ying ). Violating
1540-468: The opera. The snakes were considered by locals as incarnations of Zhenwu, who came to watch the opera held in his honor. The most common display of divine power is the cure of diseases after a follower asks for aid. Another manifestation is the fulfillment of a request by children. The deity may also manifest through media, entering the body of a shaman-medium and speaking through his or her lips. There have been cases of people curing illnesses "on behalf of
1584-454: The people's food and clothing. This has been so from antiquity to the present." There are three major schools on the structure of Tian. Most other hypothesis were developed from them. Tian schools influenced popular conception of the universe and earth until the 17th century , when they were replaced by cosmological concepts imported from Europe . Sometimes the sky is divided into Jiutian ( 九天 ) 'nine sky divisions'—the middle sky and
1628-413: The road?" Confucius believed that Heaven gives people tasks to perform to teach them of virtues and morality: The Master said, "At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what
1672-413: The rule of reciprocity may undermine the balance and invite chaos. The attitudes of the people towards their deities is one of awe and apprehension. Through devotional practices, a person strives to secure balance and protect himself and the world in which he is located from the power of unfavorable forces. In this sense, the traditional Chinese view of human life is not fatalistic, but is one in which one
1716-490: The worship of heaven a major part of their political philosophy and viewed it as "many gods" who embodied order and kingship, as well as the mandate of heaven . "Confucianism has a religious side with a deep reverence for Heaven and Earth ( Di ), whose powers regulate the flow of nature and influence human events." Yin and yang are also thought to be integral to this relationship and permeate both, as well as humans and man-made constructs. This "cosmos" and its "principles"
1760-421: Was carrying out the will of Heaven, and that Heaven would not allow its servant, Confucius, to be dead until his work was done and complete. Many attributes of Heaven were delineated in his Analects . Confucius honored Heaven as the supreme source of goodness: The Master said, "Great indeed was Yao as a sovereign! How majestic was he! It is only Heaven that is grand, and only Yao corresponded to it. How vast
1804-405: Was his virtue! The people could find no name for it. How majestic was he in the works which he accomplished! How glorious in the elegant regulations which he instituted!" Confucius felt himself personally dependent upon Heaven: "Wherein I have done improperly, may Heaven reject me! may Heaven reject me!" Confucius believed that Heaven cannot be deceived: The Master being very ill, Zi Lu wished
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1848-930: Was mostly thought of as a force for good. Heaven is sometimes seen as synonymous with the Dao or a natural energy that can be accessed by living in accordance with the Dao. A Tao realm inconceivable and incomprehensible by normal humans and even Confucius and Confucianists was sometimes called "the Heavens". Higher, spiritual versions of Daoists such as Laozi were thought to exist in there when they were alive and absorb "the purest Yin and Yang ", as well as xian who were reborn into it after their human selves' spirits were sent there. These spiritual versions were thought to be abstract beings that can manifest in that world as mythical beings such as dragons who eat yin and yang energy and ride clouds and their qi . Some Tian in Chinese folk religion were thought to be many different or
1892-424: Was right." He believed that Heaven knew what he was doing and approved of him, even though none of the rulers on earth might want him as a guide: The Master said, "Alas! there is no one that knows me." Zi Gong said, "What do you mean by thus saying - that no one knows you?" The Master replied, "I do not murmur against Heaven. I do not grumble against men. My studies lie low, and my penetration rises high. But there
1936-472: Was viewed as "the dwelling place of gods and other superhuman beings". It was also viewed as "the guardian of both the moral laws of mankind and the physical laws of nature...and is synonymous with the divine will." In Chinese culture, heaven tends to be "synonymous with order", "containing the blueprints for creation", "the mandate by which earthly rulers govern , and the standards by which to measure beauty, goodness, and truth." Zhou dynasty nobles made
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