In the 5,000-year-long civilization of China, the four goddesses of Taoism have attracted the attention of countless people with their unique charm and mystery.
Who are they, and why are they able to stand out among the many gods and become gods in the hearts of the people?
1. The mysterious Queen Mother of the West
The Queen Mother of the West is the supreme goddess of Taoism, commonly known as the "Queen Mother". Her title was first seen in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", because the Kunlun Hill where she lived was in the west of the Hanzhong Plain, so she was called the Queen Mother of the West. After the establishment of Taoism, the Queen Mother of the West was incorporated into the divine system and became the supreme goddess of Taoism.
In the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", the image of the Queen Mother of the West is roughly like a person, with a mighty form, a cloak of hair, a leopard's tail, a tiger's teeth, and often roaring wildly with a high-frequency voice, and she is a god sent by God to take charge of natural disasters, plagues, and punishments. In the stone cave at the top of Yushan (i.e., Kunlun Mountain), which she dominates, there are three giant birds of prey with red heads and black eyes, called "blue birds", who bring her food and daily necessities every day.
There are many stories and legends about the Queen Mother of the West, the most well-known of which is her relationship with the Eastern Princes. The Eastern Princes are considered to be the yang gods of "yin and yang", corresponding to the yin god and the Queen Mother of the West. In some versions, they are seen as a brother and sister couple, while in others, the Eastern Maharaja is described as the husband of the Western Queen Mother. These stories and legends add more mystery to the image of the Queen Mother of the West.
Second, the patron saint of the sea - Mazu
Mazu, formerly known as Lin Mo, was born on the 23rd day of the third lunar month in the first year of Jianlong in the Song Dynasty (960). She is the legendary goddess in charge of maritime shipping, and is revered as "Heavenly Concubine" and "Queen of Heaven", and is commonly known as "Seagod Niangniang". The Mazu belief and Mazu culture originated in the Song Dynasty, became in the Yuan Dynasty, flourished in the Ming Dynasty, flourished in the Qing Dynasty, and flourished in modern and modern times. Its beliefs and influence not only spread throughout China's coastal areas, but also spread to 45 countries and regions around the world, with more than 300 million believers.
Mazu was born in the family of Shi Eun and was the twenty-second granddaughter of Wang Linlu of Jin'an County in the Jin Dynasty of Fujian. His father, Lin Weiwei, and his mother, Wang, both of them do good deeds and accumulate virtues. Legend has it that when Wang was pregnant, he dreamed that Guanyin Master gave medicine, which heralded the extraordinary birth of Mazu. After Mazu was born until the full moon, she did not cry, so her father named her "Mo". She often rescued people at sea and was loved by the locals.
On the ninth day of the ninth month of the fourth year of Yongxi reign (987) of Taizong of the Song Dynasty, Mazu was killed at the age of 28 when she was rescued from a shipwreck. The local residents set up a temple in the 33rd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1694) to worship and called the "Tongxian Lingnu". The Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties all had praise and seals, and the Qing Dynasty was awarded the title of "Our Lady of Heaven".
There are many stories of Mazu, among which the legends of Ganquan Jishi, Youzhu Collecting Boats, and Penghu Helping the War are particularly famous. These stories depict the miraculous deeds of Mazu who apparitions to help people solve problems and protect seafarers. For example, in October of the 21st year of Kangxi, Shi Lang, the commander of the Qing army's naval division, was ordered to lead his troops to be stationed in Pinghai, waiting for the wind to cross east to Taiwan. At that time, there was a drought and there was a shortage of water in the army, and Mazu's apparition caused a sweet spring to emerge and quench the thirst of the army. Another example is in the Penghu war, Mazu helped the Qing army to storm Penghu for seven days and nights, and finally unified Taiwan.
The beliefs and culture of Mazu are not only deeply rooted in the coastal areas of China, but also have a wide influence on the global Chinese community. Mazu temples are all over the world, and according to statistics, there are tens of thousands of Mazu temples in the world that branch from the Meizhou Ancestral Temple. Every year on Mazu's birthday and death day, a large number of believers come to the Meizhou Ancestral Temple to worship and pray for Mazu's blessing and protection.
3. Bixia Yuanjun at the top of Mount Tai
Bixia Yuanjun is an important goddess in Taoism, its full name is "Dongyue Taishan Tianxian Jade Girl Bixia Yuanjun", folk commonly known as "Taishan Niangniang", "Taishan Grandma", "Taishan Madonna", "Tianxian Madonna" and so on. She is a mountain god centered in northern China of Chinese mainland, and its ashram is located in Taishan, Tai'an City, Shandong Province. The influence of Bixia Yuanjun lasted for thousands of years, especially after the Ming and Qing dynasties, and had a significant impact on the culture of northern China.
There are many different legends about the origin of Bixia Yuanjun. One theory believes that she was the daughter of Dongyue the Great, the god of Mount Tai, and another theory believes that she was one of the goddesses sent by the Yellow Emperor to manage Mount Tai, and became an immortal after hard practice. There is also a theory that she was originally a girl surnamed Shi, because after seeing the highest goddess, she came to Mount Tai to practice, and became an immortal three years later. Either way, it emphasizes Bixia Yuanjun's cultivation and enlightenment process.
Bixia Yuanjun is honored in Taoism as "Tianxian Jade Girl Bixia Protector Hongji Zhenren" and "Tianxian Jade Girl Baosheng Zhenren Hongde Bixia Yuanjun". Known for her compassion, kindness, and protection of all beings, she is revered by the majority of believers as a goddess who can bless people with various benefits, such as earning money, promotion, good harvest, safe travel, having children, and settling legal proceedings, healing and other problems. Therefore, the folk worship of her is very prosperous, there are large and small temples all over the country to worship Bixia Yuanjun, among which the Bixia Temple located on the top of Mount Tai is her main temple, and a large number of believers come to worship every year.
The image of Bixia Yuanjun is usually depicted as a dignified and kind woman, dressed in a blue dress and red dress, wearing a phoenix crown on her head, and holding a lotus flower or jade ruyi. Her influence is not limited to Chinese mainland, but also extends to overseas Chinese communities, becoming a symbol of faith in their hearts.
Fourth, the legendary life of Zixu Yuanjun
Zixu Yuanjun, whose real name is Wei Huacun, also known as Mrs. Wei, Mrs. Nanyue, Nanzhen, etc., is the first female Taoist priest in Chinese history and the first generation of Taoist Shangqing sect. She was born in 252 A.D. in a family of eunuchs in Shandong, born with a close path, admiring immortals, indulging in the way of cultivating immortals, and often wanted to live alone in a secluded place in order to cultivate immortals.
However, due to the wishes of his parents, Wei Huacun married Liu Wen of Nanyang, Taibao, at the age of twenty-four, and gave birth to two sons. Despite this, she did not give up her ambition to cultivate immortals. When her two sons grew up, she was alone in a separate room and went to bed to fast and retreat. Finally, in a meditation and meditation, she moved the true spirit, and the pure and true person Wang Bao came and conferred 31 volumes of scriptures such as "Taishang Baowen", "Eight Su Yin Shu", "Dadong Zhenjing", "Zidu Yanguang", "Stone Essence Jade Horse", "Gao Xian Yuxuan" and so on. Subsequently, Jinglin Zhenren awarded him the "Yellow Court Inner Jingjing".
After years of practice and pondering, Wei Huacun finally became an immortal, and began to preach and teach, and was gradually recognized by the common people as the first "goddess immortal". She wrote the Huang Ting Jing and the Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing, both of which had a profound impact on the discovery of Taoism.
The four goddesses of Taoism, they are the symbol of faith and the inheritance of culture. In the process of exploring their stories and legends, we can not only appreciate the breadth and profundity of Taoist culture, but also feel the unique charm of Chinese culture.