Who are the three officials in Taoism?

In Taoism, the three officials refer to heavenly officials, local officials and water officials.

Sanguan God is one of the folk religious beliefs with a long history in China and belongs to the three gods respected by Taoism. From the ancient people's worship of nature, we know that heaven, earth and water are the three elements on which people live, and Taoism is a group that advocates and is close to nature, so these natural elements are regarded as gods. Moreover, there were rituals of offering sacrifices to heaven, land and water in ancient China. "Li Jing" in "Yili" said: Sacrifice to heaven to burn firewood, sacrifice to hills, sacrifice to Sichuan to sink, and sacrifice to the ground.

Among them, Tianguan named Shangyuan Yipin blessed Tianguan and Emperor Wei Zi who lived in Wei Zi Palace. His main duty is to test the good and evil in the world and bless them accordingly. The local official's name is Emperor Erpin of the Central Plains. He forgives sins, clears emptiness and lives in a palace in the great crypt. His main duty is to judge the crimes of the deceased and forgive the sins of the deceased according to the seriousness of the crimes. The water official of Emperor Dongyin was named Xia Yuan Sanpin Xiehe, who lived in a cave palace in the sea. His main duty was to rescue people trapped in the flood.

The Origin and Development of Taoism

Taoism originated in China and is the only religion founded by China people, so it is also called indigenous religion. It is a philosophy and religious belief in ancient China, and it is also called the three major ideological systems of China together with Confucianism and Buddhism. The core belief of Taoism is "Tao", which is usually interpreted as "avenue". It is a transcendental concept, which refers to the basic principles existing in the universe. It is mysterious and supernatural.

In the long history, the origin of Taoism can be traced back to the pre-Qin period, or even earlier. From the Taoist thought in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the formation of Taoism in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoism has completed its evolution to Taoism with religious nature. But it should be noted that the "Tao" here is not the "Tao" there. Although there are similarities between them, there are also significant differences.

Of the five major religions in China, Taoism has a far-reaching influence on ancient politics, economy and culture, and is regarded as one of the three spiritual pillars of the ruling class. After the founding of New China, Taoism in China was reborn through the democratic reform of religious system, and gradually developed into an important religious belief and social and cultural force.

The above content comes from: Baidu Encyclopedia-Taoism