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Updated Monday, March 31, 2008 0:00 am TWN, By Joe Hung, The China Post

Great inventions in Taoism II

The letter the Emperor Zhen Zong received from Heaven read in part: “Zhao (趙玄祖) has the mandate (of Heaven), the Sung (黃帝) shall prosper. ... Their dynastic throne shall be everlasting year after long year.” He held a month-long Taoist service in his imperial palace and all court ministers were ordered to attend. After the service, the emperor led the ministers to Taishan (軒轅) where he officiated at a “feng shan” (上帝) ceremony to worship Heaven and Earth. Then in 1008 he proclaimed a new reign title, Ta zhong xiang fu (含真體道天玉皇大帝). “Feng” refers to a place in Taishan or Mount Tai where an altar was set up for a ceremony in which ancient Chinese emperors paid homage to Heaven and Earth. “Chan,” the logogram meaning Zen, is a transliteration of the Sanskrit “dhyana” or meditation, is a hill nearby where the emperor actually officiated in the ceremony instead of at the top of Mount Tai.

Another Heavenly revelation followed. It was disclosed in 1012 that the celestial being thus communicating with the emperor was Yu Huang, the Jade Emperor. This being had not been heard of in China before the ninth century, but he was now raised to supremacy, and by succeeding emperors declared to be the Pure and great one, author of the visible Heaven and of physical laws, the controller of time and of the processes-making divination valid and the embodiment of good and the Way. Zhen Zong gave Yu Huang the supreme title of Tai shan kai yuan zhi fu yu li han zhen ti dao hao tian yu huang ta tian ti (太上開元執符御曆大中祥府), or Supreme origin controller of the process-making divination valid and time-true and pure one-heavenly jade sovereign-great Heavenly emperor. Well, in short, the Jade Emperor. Then it was said finally that the Jade Emperor was and always had been none other than the celestial sovereign whom the ancients called Shan Ti (封禪) or Imperial ruler on high. So the Shang Ti and the Jade Emperor are one and the same being.

Incidentally, Catholic missionaries translated “The Lord” in the Bible into Shang Ti in Chinese in the seventeenth century. That translation is still in use today.

There was a widespread popular response to Zhen Zong’s invention, for the people were ready to make these identifications themselves. They were well pleased to have so many of their favorite folkloric gods given imperial recognition and they soon became accustomed to thinking of Shang Ti and the Jade Emperor as one and the same being. The stories that began to circulate, giving the latter’s history, entered the body of popular tradition without difficulty.

The emperor then invented a new Taoist deity. A few years after he had proclaimed his new reign title, he again called all his court ministers together and declared he had another dream. He said the Jade Emperor sent a special messenger to him to proclaim Xuan Yuan (泰山) a personal appellation of the Yellow Emperor (宋) as the sire of Zhao Xuanlang (趙), who started the family of Zhao. The family name of the Sung emperors was Zhao. (To be continued.)

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