The Formation History of yuanshi county Tianzun

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Taoist immortals were very complicated, but scattered and disorderly. During the Southern Liang Dynasty, Tao Hongjing, a famous Taoist theorist, began to appear as the first systematic Taoist spectrum. In this book, Tao Hongjing divided the immortals into seven grades, each with a middle position, presided over by a fairy, and there were several seats on the left and right sides except the middle position to arrange immortals. Seven grades are different, with the first grade as the highest, and the grades are orderly. In addition to the middle gods, there are different levels of gods, such as the first level, 29 gods on the left and 19 gods on the right. The third level has more than 50 gods on the left and more than 30 gods on the right. Some of these immortals are emperors, generals or sages in history, such as Confucius, Yan Hui and Zhuangzi in grade three, Qin Shihuang, Emperor Gaozu, Qi Huangong, Jin Wengong, Wei Wudi, Liu Bei, Li Guang, Han Sui, Sun Ce and Cao Cao in grade seven. Some are famous Taoist leaders, such as Wei, Xu Yong, the founder of Taoist Shangqing School, Xu Laile and Ge Xuan, the founder of Lingbao School, the fourth-order originator of Taoism, and Ge Hong, a great Taoist theorist. Some of them are characters in myths and legends, such as Huangdi, Tang Yao, Yu Shun and Yu Xia in the third order, and Pinus densiflora in the fourth order. In a word, there are all kinds of characters in Shenpu, most of them are well-known figures, but there are also some unknown figures, which are difficult to verify, and some have little to do with Taoism, such as Confucius, which is neither fish nor fowl. In addition to the divine spectrum of Tao, there are various divine spectrums, and their structures and contents are also different.

The spectrum of Tao Hongjing's "Bitmap of True Spirit" is only the text of the Shangqing school. It regards Yuan Shen, Yuan Wang, Tai Shang Dao Wang and Jin Que Wang as the highest gods, Lingbao School regards Yuan Shen and Tai Shang Lao Jun as the highest gods, and Shi Tiandao respects Lao Zi as the highest gods. The three factions have their own ways, and they are not completely consistent on the issue of the most high god. With the development of Taoism and the blending of various schools, the unified supreme god "Sanqing" appeared at the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, namely, Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun and Moral Tianzun. The appearance of Sanqing God marks the final finalization of Taoist immortal pedigree.

The establishment of "Sanqing" God has experienced a long development process. When Taoism was first established, Laozi was its ancestor, called Taishang Laojun, also known as Taishang Daojun, and was regarded as the highest god. For example, the Taipingjing compiled by others and the Taoist books written by others were all given by the old gentleman. It was not until Kou of the Northern Wei Dynasty wrote the seal of Yunyong Xinke Record the True Classics that his title of "Shi Tian" was given by the old gentleman. This is a common feature of early Taoism, including Taiping Road and Wudoumi Road. Even after that, the origin of Quanzhen Daoism is still that the old gentleman passed it on to Jin Niang, Jin Niang passed it on to the truth in the white clouds, and the truth in the white clouds passed it on to Wang and Wang. Zhong Liquan awarded Lv Dongbin and Liu Haichan, Wang Zhongyang of Lv Dongbin and Beibei Town of Chongyang. Quanzhen religion originated from Laozi, and respected Wang as the ancestor of Quanzhen religion. After the emergence of Taoist schools such as Shangqing and Lingbao in the middle and late Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Taoist concept of respecting god has changed. These new Taoists no longer respect Taishang Laojun as the highest god, but take Yuanshen or Yuanshen and Taishang Avenue as the highest gods. In the classics of these two schools, the old gentleman on the throne is also mentioned, but it is often put in a secondary position, and some classics even regard it as the disciple and the old gentleman on the throne of the beginning. This difference can be clearly seen in the introduction of Taoism in Shu Wei Shi Lao Zhi and Sui Shu Jing Ji Zhi. The Book of Wei, Volume 114, Records of the Interpretation of the Old, says, "The source of Taoism comes from Laozi. It is self-evident, innate and rich in resources. In Yujing, he is the Sect of the God King; I am the Lord of the flying fairy. (2) This clearly reflects the idea that Shi Tian Taoism regards Laozi as the highest god. Four points in the Annals of Internal Classic (Volume 35) say: "Those who pass through the passage have a Buddha from the beginning, born in Taiyuan before, endowed with natural breath, rushing into the air and setting far away, without knowing its extreme ... They think that the Buddha's body will last forever, and every time they open to the beginning of heaven and earth, or on the jade capital, or in the wilderness of poverty, it is called robbery. "Degrees are the top grade of immortals, and there is an old gentleman on the Supreme Court ..." This is obviously based on the fact that the original Buddha is the highest deity, and the old gentleman on the Supreme Court is also one of the disciples of the original Buddha, representing the thoughts of the Shangqing school.

Since there is such a big difference between Shi Tian Taoism, Shangqing Taoism and Lingbao Taoism in the concept of respecting God, that is, Taoism is divided into large, medium and small, then the hierarch who wrote these scriptures must have different levels. Yun Qi Notes, Volume VI, Preface to the Three Caves, said: "The three caves have fallen down, so there are." How to distinguish the three caves from the immortals? Therefore, Taoism also has the saying of "one gasification and three cleanness". The chapter of the Nine-Day Biological Classic quoted above means that Sanqing is Taoqihua, while the preface to Three Caves says: "The essence of Three Caves is the same as that of Tao Qi; Tao Qi is unique, and its application is divided into three parts, all of which are used to seduce customs and cultivate immortals. From all the proofs, they are gradually different, so there are three. " In other words, the elements of these three holes all come from the same Tao Qi, but they are divided into three different names because of different applications. Even so, who is it? Then there is another story. One view is that the Three Clearances of Taoism are formed by Luotian's metaphysics, yuan and reality. For example, Tai Zhenke, who was born in the early years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty or the Southern and Northern Dynasties, said: "The first name on the third day is Rhoda, which is the polar region of Taoism, and Miaoling is the only one. Only this Rhoda gave birth to three swallows in Xuanyuan and turned it into three sunny days. One day, the sky is high and the jade is clear, from the beginning; The next day, Yu Yu went to the Qing Dynasty. On the third day, the sky was so clear that it was made of mysterious gas. " This statement does not solve the substantive problem of the successive grades of the gods in Sanqing, but also leads to a series of questions, such as who is the god in Luotian and whether the gods in Sanqing were transformed from this god. So there are usually two other versions of Taoism. One is that Sanqing was transformed from a fairy in the early Qing Dynasty, which was advocated by Taoist priests of Shangqing School. "Parallel Three Caves" quoted the Karma Sutra and Huaying Sutra, saying: "Tianzun Day: I used Tao Qi to educate the masses, from robbery to robbery, according to the time. In the first year of Han Long, I was named as an invisible Buddha, also known as Tianbaojun. I said that there were twelve volumes of the Cave-in-Heaven True Sutra, which taught the Nine Saints in heaven and the Mahayana. ..... In the first year of Yankang, he took the name of "Buddha nature has no beginning", also known as Lingbaojun, and turned it into Mingzhou, saying that there were twelve caves of Xuan Jing, in order to teach the nine truths in heaven and take advantage of them. ...... During the Ming Dynasty, I was called Brahma-shaped Buddha, also known as Shenbaojun, and I taught the Nine Immortals in the sky and the way of Hinayana with twelve acupoints. " In other words, the three-hole deity is the incarnation of the original Buddha in different periods, and the three-hole sutra is also said by the original Buddha in different periods, so that there will be no hierarchy between Taoist sects, which will lead to contradictions between sects. However, this is obviously on behalf of the "Sui Shu Economic Journal" adopted by the Shangqing School. Another way of saying Taoism is that Sanqing was transformed by Laozi in one breath, which is mainly the Taoist thought represented by Taoism in Shi Tian. This idea has a long history. Long before Taoism came into being, Laozi had been deified. When Emperor Han Ming of the East (reigned in 57-75 AD) and Emperor Zhang (reigned in 76-88 AD), the people of Chengdu, the magistrate of Yizhou, wrote "Our Lady of Laozi", entitled: "Laozi is a Taoist. Born before the invisible, started before the beginning, walked in the yuan, floated in the six vacuities, went in and out of the nether world, and watched the difference. " Here, Lao Tzu and Tao are one, and Tao is the foundation of all things in the world, so Lao Tzu naturally becomes the creator, of course, the supreme God. Early Taoism inherited and continued to play this thought. The early Taoist classic "Taiping Jing" said: "Laozi is the great sage of the Tao, and the teacher in the secluded place is also * * *. If you feel it, change with the party. If you succeed, you will live in seclusion. Living without a fixed place, often far away. ..... Liu Zhou's six shortcomings, education in three realms, birth law, accession to the WTO law, inaction, Fukashi research. " Lao Er Zhu, circulated as (or Zhang Lu), also regards Lao Zi as the embodiment of Tao, saying that "one is Tao" and "one is scattered into qi, and the other is gathered into a gentleman". "Seven Fan Clouds", Volume I, quoted Ge Xuan's "Preface to Five Thousand Documents", saying: "The old gentleman was born without a reason, and he went through heaven and earth, and he never stopped, and he turned with the road. His roots were heaven and earth, and his spirit spread to ten parties." ..... It's like a religious Sect, with three bright lights, and heaven and earth are endowed with life ... So the place of all saints is * * *. Later, Xie Shouhao's works in the Southern Song Dynasty, such as the Holy Ji of the Mixed Yuan Dynasty, Chronicle of the Old Gentleman in Taishang, and A Brief History of the Old Gentleman in Taishang, repeatedly said: "The old gentleman in Taishang is the master of Taoism, and the ancestors of various religions started from infinite sources and experienced heaven and earth, which is indescribable. "It teaches by the party and takes robbery as a teacher, which shows whether it is hidden and useless to measure. However, if you teach on earth, you should be as clear as the sun and the moon. " He also said: "The old gentleman on the throne is the father of the avenue and the root of the three talents." He also said: "The old gentleman on the throne is the ancestor of vitality, the ancestor of all things, the root of Gankun, and the essence of heaven and earth." Quoting Yin in the Tang Dynasty: "Laozi is the body of Tao, which is different from the inside and outside, so it is different from the body that can cope." He also said that he "grasped the handle of generations and the origin of towns, so he is the respect of all saints in heaven and the Lord of all religions on earth." People who are called Laozi are all Taoist, and the number is infinite, or 36 or 72. "He also said," When I was emperor, I was appointed as an exorcist in the middle of Xuanzong, and I also met Shi Tian in Xuanzong, and published 12 "Cave of Zhen Jing", which was taught to the world on the boundless road. When the emperor was in power, there was Mr. Guda, who published 12 volume "Xuan Jing in the Cave", transforming people into supreme truth. When I was in Ren Huang, I was named Mr. Pangu and published more than a dozen books on Acupoint Nerves, which turned people into peaceful inaction. "

According to this statement, it is the Three-hole Classics, all written by Lao Zi. What's more, he even said, "The classic that the old gentleman said in Huang San is called the book of Three Graves, but it has been lost for a long time, and it has been said for many years. However, there are many treasures in the QiongShi Yao Terrace or the Secret Dragon Palace, which are really blessed by God, and the world has never heard of them. What passed down today is a drop of water in the mountain. " In other words, many classics outside the Three Caves were also written by Lao Zi. As we know, Taoism takes Taoism as its highest belief and its ultimate goal is to cultivate immortals. This is the same idea of all Taoists, and it is also the fundamental difference between Taoism and other religions. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoism in Shi Tian has regarded Laozi as the embodiment of Taoism, and Laozi and Taoism are one, two and one. "Tao" is the foundation of all things in the world, so Lao Tzu, as the embodiment of "Tao", naturally becomes "the father of chaos, the mother of heaven and earth, the Lord of yin and yang, the emperor of all gods" and of course the highest god of Taoism. Then, Lao Tzu once said that he would do three clean-ups, which is self-evident. However, there is still a passage in the book A Brief History of the Old Gentleman in Taishang, that is, "Old Gentleman's Day: the three treasures of Fudong are in the Tao, and I was influenced by Buddhism at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty", which is different from the full text. It should be an added and changed viewpoint when the Qing school came to power to edit Daozang in Song Dynasty. There are two other creationism in Wei and Jin Taoism, one is the creationism of Yuan God. The other is the creation of the old gentleman on the throne, which was also praised and talked about by emperors in previous dynasties. However, in the Tang Dynasty, the "Sanbao Cave" in Sichuan began to worship Taoist gods.