《道德真經廣聖義》Vol. 2

Extensive Commentary on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue, Volume Two, Part Two: A Plain-Language Reading

By Master Guangcheng of the Tang dynasty, Du Guangting

Explaining the Deeds, Clan, and Birth Era of the Venerable Lord Lao

Commentary: “Laozi” is the inner title—the honorific used within the teaching—for the Emperor Taishang Xuanyuan. The order of the scriptures and teachings has already been explained. Here we clarify the “sage who can speak”: the sage able to expound this scripture is Laozi, who is the Venerable Lord Lao, the Most High. “Most High” refers to his exalted status as one who has realized the fruit of cultivation. “Emperor Xuanyuan” is his grand title recorded in official registers, while “inner title” is the designation used throughout the true scriptures. We begin below with the Venerable Lord’s titles and explain their origins in thirty sections.

Section One: Arising Before the Beginning

The Venerable Lord Lao was born before the beginning and arose without cause. He is prior to all Dao and the ancestor of primordial Qi. There was no light or image, no sound or voice, no color or trace. In that deep darkness, however, there was essence. This essence was utterly true and extended everywhere, with nothing beyond it; hence it is called the Great Dao. The Great Dao’s essential nature is the Venerable Lord Lao: the father and mother of all transformations, and the supreme lord of nature.

Section Two: Embodying Nature

The Great Dao brings about natural transformation through primordial Qi. If one must describe it in words, it is the Venerable Lord Lao: emptiness and nothingness are his substance, and nature itself is his inherent character. No one can make him be this way, and no one can make him not be this way. We do not know why it is so, nor why it might not be so. Hence it is said, “It is so of itself.” The immortal lord Ge Xuan’s Preface and Instructions says: “Laozi embodied what is so of itself. He was born before the Great Nonbeing, arose without cause, and passed through the beginnings and endings of Heaven and Earth beyond all count.” This is what it means.

Section Three: Revealing the True Form

The Venerable Lord Lao is the utmost essence of what is unborn, and the utmost spirit of what takes form at its first sign. Long ago, in the empty void, he gathered Qi and condensed the true. To describe him as best one can, his body is vast and boundless, and his features are complete. He is the honored one of nature, with nothing above him to reach for and nothing below him to tread upon. He dwells within the empty void like the light of the sun and moon.

Section Four: Responding with Titles

The Venerable Lord Lao emerged in the empty void and transformed in accordance with nature. His wisdom is without limit, and his sacred virtue is complete in every way. Since his form cannot be measured, his titles too are boundless. In Heaven he is the lord of all heavens; among the sages, the ruler of all sages; in the way of the immortals, the head of all immortals; among the perfected, the foremost of all perfected beings; and among the constellations, the Heavenly Sovereign.

The Great Emperor in the Teachings, the Most High Lord Lao, and the Ten Titles

In Daoist teachings, the Great Emperor—the honorific for the highest divine rank—is the Most High Lord Lao, the divine title bestowed on the deified Laozi. He may manifest twelve hundred titles or appear under one hundred and eighty names; he may be called the Father of Wuwei (non-action) or the Mother of the Myriad Things. Turning and transforming alongside the Great Dao, he establishes the foundation of Heaven and Earth. Vast and boundless, he is difficult to describe. In brief, he has ten titles: these are the ten names praised by the sages of the ten directions in the heavens after his descent into the world. For details, see the explanation in the earlier section on his “descent into the world.”

Fifth: Teachers and Lineage—Who Is the Teacher, and Who Is the Venerated Master?

When Lord Lao was about to reveal the Great Teaching and spread its transformations in every direction, he said: “The Dao cannot be without a revered teacher, and a teaching cannot be without a founding master.” He therefore took the Most High Jade Dawn Lord of the Great Dao as his teacher. The Lord of the Great Dao was a disciple of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. He discerned the root of the Dao and thoroughly understood its origin. Born before countless kalpas, he was the ancestral master of the Dao’s Qi.

The Celestial Worthy is ruler of the five hundred million heavens and sovereign of the myriad sages. He too was born before countless kalpas and is the root of the Dao’s Qi. Thus, the Lord of the Great Dao was Lord Lao’s teacher, and the Celestial Worthy was the Lord of the Great Dao’s teacher. With these two sages established as teachers, “Lao” came to signify seniority, while “Lord” denoted a sovereign and lineage master. Because Lord Lao transformed without end throughout Heaven and Earth, came into being before countless kalpas and endured beyond them, and was revered by Heaven and served as teacher to successive emperors, he was granted the title Most High Lord Lao. These three sages, each serving as the other’s teacher, establish the basis for the hierarchy of reverence in the teachings they transmit.

Zhuangzi said: “My Teacher! My Teacher! He governs the myriad things yet does not claim righteousness; his benevolence reaches ten thousand generations, yet he does not claim humaneness; he is older than antiquity, yet is not called old; he covers and supports Heaven and Earth, carving and shaping every form, yet does not claim skill; he precedes the Supreme Ultimate, yet is not called lofty; he lies beneath the Six Extremes, yet is not called deep; he was born before Heaven and Earth, yet is not called ancient.” This is the kind of “teacher” meant here.

Sixth: Passing Through Kalpas—Before Heaven and Earth, Through Countless Cycles of Formation and Ruin

Lord Lao was born at the beginning of all things and arose before the beginningless beginning. The cycles of kalpas he passed through—the periods in which Heaven and Earth form and then collapse—were exceedingly vast. A kalpa names the formation and destruction of Heaven and Earth, as well as the point at which Yin and Yang reach their limits. When Yang is exhausted, Yin arises, bringing great floods; when Yin is exhausted, Yang arises, bringing great fires. Yang reaches its extreme at nine, hence the term Yang Nine; Yin reaches its extreme at six, hence Hundred Six. A minor kalpa lasts roughly three thousand three hundred years, an intermediate kalpa about nine thousand nine hundred years, and a great kalpa follows the grand ninefold cycle—eight hundred and ten thousand years—with still larger cycles beyond it. Here the scripture describes the timescale Lord Lao has traversed to show that he precedes Heaven and Earth and lies beyond the reach of ordinary human calculation.

Kalpas and the Manifestations of the Old Lord

One hundred and ten thousand years mark the end of a kalpa. The Scripture of the Old Lord’s Eternal Life and Transformations says that the cycles of this kalpa have already turned an uncountable number of times. The Scripture of the Western Ascension likewise says that the kalpas experienced since high antiquity are impossible to number.

Zhuangzi, “The Horses’ Hooves”: The Potter and the Carpenter

The potter says, “I am skilled at shaping clay: what is round conforms to the compass, and what is square conforms to the carpenter’s square.” The carpenter says, “I am skilled at working wood: what is curved conforms to the hook, and what is straight conforms to the ink line.”

But is clay’s nature really to conform to compasses and squares, or to hooks and lines? Planted, it yields the five grains; dug into, it yields sweet springs. What is curved is suited to making a wheel; what is straight is suited to making a barrel. Today the potter uses the compass and square, and the carpenter the hook and line, forcing the round to become square and the square to become round, stretching the curved straight and bending the straight out of shape. All this goes against the original nature of things; it is nothing more than a collection of minor skills.

Zhuangzi, “The Great and Venerable Teacher”: “My Teacher” and the Way of Nature

Yierzi asked Xuyou, “I would like to wander at the edge of the highest Dao.” Xuyou replied, “Ah, my teacher! It shelters all things without claiming righteousness, and its bounty reaches all generations without claiming benevolence. It is older than high antiquity, yet is not old. It covers and sustains Heaven and Earth, carving and shaping the myriad forms, yet it is not skillful. This is the ‘highest Dao’ in which you wish to wander.”

“My teacher” here refers to the Way of Nature: it brings things to completion without intention. What Zhuangzi calls “taking our teacher as our teacher” means simply taking nature itself as one’s guide.

“Great eloquence seems halting”

Note: It does not embellish clever argument or pile up minor techniques, and so may seem like hesitant speech.

Commentary: Matching analogies, decorating phrases, and weaving words into patterns are minor eloquence. Teaching without words, elucidating the myriad things, and exploring principle to the utmost and fully realizing one’s nature are great eloquence. The highest words need no many words and make no effort to elevate or suppress. They may sound slow and halting, as though difficult to speak.

The Order of the Celestial Realms: The Form Realm and the Formless Realm

Next comes the Form Realm, with its eighteen heavens: the Heaven of Emptiness, the Heaven of the Supreme Ultimate, the Heaven of Red Brilliance, the Heaven of Reverent Splendor, the Heaven of Luminous Brilliance, the Heaven of the Imperial Flute, the Heaven of Empty Brilliance, the Heaven of Upright Stillness, the Heaven of Mysterious Brilliance, the Heaven of the Utmost Jade, the Heaven of Primordial Sustenance, the Heaven of Great Peace, the Heaven of the Utmost Wind, the Heaven of the Primordial Sovereign, the Heaven of Great Yellow, the Heaven of No Thought, the Heaven of Upper Die Ruanle, and the Heaven of Boundless Tanshi.

Next comes the Formless Realm, with its four heavens: the Heaven of Soaring Passage, the Heaven of the Primordial Cavern, the Heaven of Wondrous Completion, and the Heaven Above Restraint.

Together, these twenty-eight heavens are called the Three Realms. When discussed alongside the Realm of Desire and other realms, this term often refers to the celestial order of the twenty-eight heavens or to the heavenly levels in the system of thirty-three heavens. Here, it specifically lists the eighteen heavens of the Form Realm and the four heavens of the Formless Realm.

Wherever the cosmic cycles—the disasters and transformations of the great cycles of Heaven and Earth—extend, the Yin-Yang energies of Heaven and Earth shape and bring things into being. The allotted span of Qi has an end, and human life, too, has a fixed limit.

The lowest of the first tier of heavens is called Taihuang Huangzeng Heaven. Its celestial beings live for nine million years, and their lifespan doubles with each higher tier. The maximum lifespan across the twenty-eight heavens is 12,079,775,520,000 years. Below these, across the region reached by the meeting of the Sun and Moon, there are said to be 444,444,444,000 “breaths of Qi,” each extending over a range of three thousand li.

Above these are four more heavens, collectively known as the four “human heavens”: Changrong Heaven, Yulong Heaven, Fandu Heaven, and Jiayi Heaven. They lie beyond the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm. They neither arise nor perish, have no limit to their years, and face no period of destruction. Even the changing of great kalpas and the disasters they bring cannot reach them. The heavens and lands below, by contrast, perish with each kalpa. When a new cycle begins and the primordial chaos is divided anew, the beings of these heavens descend into the human world at the command of the Most High (Taishang Laojun), teaching people and establishing the Way. This often happens at the beginning of a great kalpa: the Three Sovereigns, three sage rulers of high antiquity, successively governed the world in this way.

Higher still are three heavens, the Three Pure Ones’ realms: Great Red Heaven, Yu Yu Heaven, and Qingwei Heaven. Above all is Great Luo Heaven, which encompasses every heaven and stands supremely high. Xuandu Yujing is established at its summit, the dwelling of the Three Venerable Ones, the highest three deities in Daoism. There, the myriad sages pay court. It is the domain of the utmost Dao and the source of transformative creation.

Once the heavens had been divided into their many tiers, the turbid Yin energy of the thirty-six heavens descended to form thirty-six lands. Each heaven had its own Heavenly Emperor, and each land its own Earthly Sovereign. These seventy-two rulers all received their authority from Laojun.

The domains of the heavens are divided into five hundred million distinct regions, all generated by the Qi of the thirty-six heavens. Within the Earth are the thirty-six Grotto-Heavens, immortal abodes in renowned mountains, corresponding to the heavens above. The Sun and Moon divide their essences and cast their mysterious light through these places. Thus celestial patterns and terrestrial forms, the Six Jia cycles, the Five Phases, and the transformations of Yin-Yang all arise, take shape, operate, and transform through the mysterious workings set in motion by Laojun.

Hence it is said: the Dao is the source and origin of all things. Through it, Heaven becomes clear, Earth becomes tranquil, things come to life, and spirits become numinous. Through it, seas and mountains are stabilized, rulers and nobles bring peace, Daoist practitioners attain immortality, and the withered and decayed flourish anew.

Taishang Laojun is the lord of Yin-Yang and the chief of the myriad spirits. The celestial realms and underworlds, the cycles of calamity and the spans of life, and the Grotto-Heavens and their teachings described above all come from his creative power and commands.

Plain-Language Interpretation

(First Section)

The Dao is the parent of primordial Qi, the foundation of Heaven and Earth, the teacher of the ancient kings, and the dwelling place of the souls and spirits of all things. In the midst of emptiness, it shapes and transforms, bringing all things into being. It arises in response to circumstances and sustains the eight directions. It bears the earth and suspends the sky; sets the sun and moon in motion and turns the stars in their courses. With each breath, it mobilizes the Six Jia; with each command, it governs Heaven and Earth. It shifts cold and heat and changes the four seasons, sends forth wind and rain, and stirs thunder and clouds. It distinguishes the dark from the bright, derives calendrical cycles and waxing and waning, and establishes the bonds between ruler and minister, father and son, as well as ritual, righteousness, and the moral order. From this we can understand that, vast as Yin-Yang may be and great as Heaven and Earth may be, without being nurtured by the Qi of the Dao and set in motion by a great sage, they could neither transform and generate nor take form.

Eighth: Ascending to the Throne and Governing All

Through the power of a great sage, Lord Lao brings Heaven and Earth into being and nurtures all things. In principle, he would have no need to establish a further rank or title. Yet above him stands the exalted Primordial Beginning, followed by the sage Lord of the Dao. Lord Lao succeeds to the Lord of the Dao’s position, expounds the teachings, and establishes merit. As the Three Qi flow and the myriad heavens spread throughout the cosmos, all methods are revealed and profound achievements made manifest. He thus ascends to the ultimate fruition of the Dao, occupies the position of one of the Three Venerables, inherits the office of the Most High, and holds the exalted rank of Dharma King. Above, he presides over the gathered sages; in the middle, he governs the perfected beings; below, he commands the immortals. He rules over the thirty-six heavens, thirty-six earths, and seventy-two lords, as well as the stars, sun and moon, the spirits of mountains and rivers, and the transformations of Yin-Yang. All divine beings are under the command of the Most High Lord Lao.

Lord Lao therefore resides constantly in the Taiqing Realm, within the Taiji Palace, the Vermilion Terrace, the Purple Tower, and the Jade Hall. Under his command are Great Immortals, Great Emperors, twenty-seven Heavenly Lords, eighty-one ministers and officials, twelve hundred immortal officials, twenty-four thousand spirit bureaus, seventy thousand immortal youths and jade maidens, and five hundred million heavenly soldiers and divine kings. They array themselves along the Cloud Streets as guards, while numinous creatures—including great dragons, lions, golden-winged birds, peacocks, and phoenixes—and heavenly horses and qilin stand on either side as his escort. Lord Lao also often ascends to pay court to the Primordial Beginning, submitting reports on sins and blessings; in the middle, he visits the Jade Sovereign and reviews rewards and punishments across the Nine Palaces; below, he governs the registers of life and death in the Three Realms. All divine officials and ghost functionaries, offices of examination and inspection, immortal officials and numinous grottoes, and departments that administer blessings and provisions are under his jurisdiction, with nothing hidden or concealed from his reach.

At times he descends to govern the Nine Heavens, within the Taiwei Palace and among the six stars of Gouchen, where he is titled the Great Emperor of Heaven and the Treasure of the Radiant Soul. There he holds the Three...

He holds authority over the celestial pivots and key mechanisms known as the “Six Handles” and “Nine Hubs,” and governs the ten thousand kinds of beings and things. He upholds the Register of Immortals, the rolls of those who have attained immortality, and oversees the ranks of divine beings, Perfected Ones, immortals, sages, and worthies. All who practice the Dao belong under his authority. One sees hundreds of millions of Heavenly Kings, revered deities of the celestial realm, kneeling before him to seek guidance on matters such as wind and rain, floods and droughts, abundance and scarcity, fortune and misfortune, life and death, and good and evil. The Old Lord travels throughout the myriad regions, transforming and teaching all beings through the mysterious Dao, while the original body of the Most High Old Lord remains eternally in the Palace of Great Clarity and the Supreme Ultimate.

Ninth: Responding to Encounters as They Arise

The Old Lord is the supreme sage, who penetrates the true Dao and governs all transformations. He manifests and descends wherever needed, humbling himself to respond to beings and things. From the beginning of immeasurable kalpas and the dawn of chaos, through the reigns of Fuxi and Nüwa, the Eighteen Lineages, Three Eras, Fifty-Eight Successions, and One Hundred Eighty-Nine Dynasties, he served as national teacher in every age. After Shennong, he appeared variously as ruler, teacher-ruler, guest and friend, or minister. He also bore names such as Yuhua and Lutu, using the subtle meaning of the Dao and De to illuminate one another. The Dao responds to beings and things without choosing among them; the sage responds to each encounter as it arises. The Old Lord constantly transforms and responds to all things through scriptures, diagrams, and precepts, dividing his forms to answer each call, without limit or boundary. Yet his original body remains composed and still, abiding eternally in Wuwei in the Palace of Great Clarity, perfectly unmoving.

Tenth: Expounding the Highest Clarity

In the time of the Upper Three Sovereigns, people’s hearts were still simple and unspoiled. The Old Lord took the first year of the Longhan era as his title, called himself the Master of the Mysterious Center, and opened the way to salvation for humans and celestial beings through the Great Vehicle of the twelve divisions of the sacred teachings of Highest Clarity.

Eleventh: Transmitting the Numinous Treasure

In the time of the Middle Three Sovereigns, people’s hearts grew increasingly mixed. The Old Lord took the first year of the Chiming era as his title and called himself the Ancient Master. He descended to transmit the True Scriptures of the Numinous Treasure: the Middle Vehicle teachings in twelve divisions, to transform all beings and save the myriad people.

Twelfth: Revealing the Cavern Spirit

In the time of the Lower Three Sovereigns, people’s original simplicity had begun to disperse. The Old Lord took the first year of the Kaihuang era as his title and called himself the Sovereign Lord of the Golden Gate. He sent forth the Small Vehicle teachings in twelve divisions of the Cavern Spirit scriptures, opening the way to salvation for beings of every kind.

Thirteenth: Setting Forth Written Patterns

In the time of Fuxi, customs had already grown corrupt, though laws and institutions had not yet been established. The Old Lord took the first year of the Qingzhuo era as his title, called himself Yuhua Zi, and descended to the human world as a teacher, expounding the teachings of the Scripture of Primordial Yang. Fuxi then drew the Eight Trigrams, thereby communicating the De of the spirits and discerning the nature of the myriad things. He looked up to observe the patterns of the heavens and down to take the earth as his model; he established marriage rites and set forth the bonds and principles of human relationships.

The Broadly Expounded Meaning of the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Fourteenth: Showing Regard for Life

In the time of Shennong, people ate birds and beasts, consuming them raw, with their hair and feathers, and drinking their blood. In the first year of the Qinghan era, Laozi descended to teach under the name Dachengzi. He taught the Scripture of the Supreme One’s Original Essence, using the Way of nurturing life: he sowed the seeds of the five grains to replace killing through cooking, and blended hundreds of medicines to cure every illness. From tasting the mulberry came grain; from the willow came rice; from the elm came millet; from the locust tree came beans; from the peach came wheat; from the apricot came barley; and from the thorn bush came hemp. Once the five grains had ripened, birds and beasts could be spared harm. Stopping killing encourages goodness and removes evil, thereby preserving life. When people no longer ate blood and flesh, they suffered no illness or hardship. The five grains nourished their nature, and they carried no burdens from past misdeeds. The benefit to humanity was immense.

Fifteenth: Teaching Pottery and Metalworking

In the time of Zhurong, people ate food raw and cold, knowing nothing of cooking with fire. In the first year of the Tianhan era, Laozi descended to teach under the name Guangshouzi. He taught the Scripture of Massage and the Circulation of Essence, showing people how to make vessels from clay and metal. This changed their way of eating raw and cold food, allowing them to preserve their lives and attain longevity.

Sixteenth: Establishing Laws and Standards

From after the Three Sovereigns until before Fuxi, there were no ceremonial codes, and humans lived alongside birds and beasts in the same groups. Laozi transformed the world through the Dao. Gradually, people developed minds, learned to distinguish forms and tastes, and came to understand the Five Phases. He widely spread scriptures and laws, teaching and guiding the countless people.

Seventeenth: Making Tools and Objects

After Fuxi, Laozi showed people how to establish the rites and music of society, thereby ordering relations between the honored and the humble; make garments and insignia to distinguish status; build palaces and houses in place of nests and caves; make boats and carts to overcome obstacles to travel; provide coffins and outer coffins in place of wrapping the dead in firewood; make bows and arrows to command obedience; establish punishments and prisons to deter violence; devise writing and contracts in place of tying knots; use oxen for plowing and ride horses to carry heavy loads and travel far; set up markets at midday, where people traded and then went their separate ways; and make plows, hoes, pestles, and mortars, as well as double gates and night watch clappers. Laozi taught all these things to the rulers of the time, so that they could transform the world.

Eighteenth: Expounding the Dao at Mount Kongtong

In the time of the Yellow Emperor, Laozi was called Guangchengzi and lived on Mount Kongtong. The Yellow Emperor went to him and became his student. Guangchengzi taught him the Scripture of Teachings on the Dao and Its Precepts, explaining the way to cultivate the body. The Yellow Emperor practiced it and ascended to heaven in broad daylight.

Nineteenth: Transmitting Scripture on Mount Heng

In the time of Zhuanxu, Laozi descended to teach under the name Chijingzi and lived on Mount Heng. He taught the emperor a scripture of subtle words and teachings, imparting the way of loyalty and obedience.

Twentieth: Responding to Transformations by the River

In the time of Emperor Ku, Laozi descended to teach under the name…

Twenty-One: The One Who Revealed Truth at Mount Gushe

In the time of Emperor Yao of the Tang, the Lord Lao descended to the world as a teacher, taking the name Wuchengzi and dwelling on Mount Gushe. He taught Emperor Yao the Classic on the Harmony and Division of Governance and instructed him in the way of integrity and caution.

Twenty-Two: The One Who Transmitted the Dao and De

In the time of Emperor Shun, the Lord Lao descended to the world as a teacher, taking the name Yinshouzi and dwelling in Heyang. He taught Emperor Shun the Classic of the Dao and De and explained the way of filial devotion and respect for elder siblings. The Upper and Lower Classics originated from this.

Twenty-Three: The One Who Taught the Principles of Water Management

In the time of Yu of the Xia, the Lord Lao descended to the world as a teacher, taking the name Zhenxingzi and dwelling on Mount Shang. He taught Emperor Yu the Classic on Caution and De, explaining the way of diligence and frugality. He also transmitted the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure, which could summon gods and spirits by proclamation, dredge the nine rivers, connect rivers with the sea, and channel the many streams.

Twenty-Four: The One Who Expounded the Way of Long Life

In the time of Tang of the Yin, the Lord Lao descended to the world as a teacher, taking the name Xizezi and dwelling on Mount Qian. He taught the Classic of Long Life, explaining the way of reverence and benevolence.

Twenty-Five: The Wise One Who Was Conceived in the Womb

Moved by compassion at the world’s decline, the Lord Lao wished to return in spirit and be born into the world. In the seventeenth year of Yang Jia, the eighteenth king of the Yin, in the year Gengshen, he was conceived by the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden. This account is divided into five parts:

First, the Great Dao manifested in response and was conceived in the human world. Riding upon the essence of the sun, it took the form of five colors, thereby revealing the Yang virtue.

Second, riding in a chariot drawn by nine dragons, it condensed and transformed into the five-colored hues of dark and yellow, then entered the mouth of the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden. This also revealed the splendor of the nine dragons’ Yang essence.

Third, while dwelling in the womb, he received wisdom in a manner unlike ordinary people. After eighty-one years, reaching the utmost solar count of nine times nine, he was born.

Fourth, after the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden had a revelatory dream, she conceived. Her appearance grew younger, and her spirit and vital energy became serene. For more than eighty years she was happier than anyone, revealing the extraordinary manner in which a sage leaves traces in the world.

Fifth, the chamber where the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden lived was temperate and pleasant in every season, with the six vital energies in harmony. Winter brought no bitter cold, nor summer oppressive heat. Auspicious light shone through the chamber, numinous breezes filled the courtyard, no evil could intrude, and the myriad spirits secretly guarded her. The eighty-one years passed without seeming long.

He descended into the world in the ninth year of Wuding, the twenty-second king of the Yin, in the year Gengchen.

Twenty-Six: The Manifestation of His Birth

This account is further divided into seventeen sections.

This passage comes from sacred legends in the Daoist Canon about Lord Lao (Laozi), his birth, and his transmission of the Dao. It contains twelve complete accounts; the thirteenth is already broken off in the original. A plain-language interpretation follows:

One

Lord Lao’s birth was entirely unlike that of an ordinary person: although the Holy Mother carried him in her womb, he was born through an incision in her left armpit.

Two

After his birth, he stood and walked nine steps. A lotus flower appeared beneath each step, blooming across the dry ground to reveal his miraculous nature.

Three

At his birth, the sun’s essence shone and the moon’s radiance scattered flowers. The Seven Luminaries, including the Northern Dipper, streamed with light, while auspicious clouds offered protection. The Four Sacred Beasts guarded him, and Jade Maidens welcomed him. The Holy Mother was climbing a plum tree when he suddenly came into the world.

Four

At his birth, nine dragons spouted water to bathe him. The places where the dragons emerged became nine wells. According to tradition, they can still be found at the Taiqing Palace in Zhenyuan, Bozhou.

Five

After his birth, he immediately walked nine steps, pointing to the sky with his left hand and the earth with his right. He said, “Above the heavens and below the heavens, I alone am honored.” He then lamented the world’s suffering and asked what there was in it worth taking pleasure in—intending to instruct the people of the world.

Six

The customs of the time had grown corrupt, and the Great Dao was no longer followed. Lord Lao therefore took on a mortal appearance and descended into the world to save it through his divine body.

Seven

Living beings were deluded and hard to awaken, and the true path was difficult to proclaim. For this reason, he displayed various auspicious signs at his birth, so that people might believe and awaken.

Eight

To reveal the wondrous Dao, practices of cultivation had to be shown. Hence the accounts of alchemy and other such matters, intended to encourage people to cultivate. The palace in Bozhou is still said to have an alchemy well and an alchemy juniper.

Nine

Lord Lao taught people to cultivate the Dao through both inner and outer practice: refining the Golden Elixir and cultivating true Qi. The palace in Bozhou has a “Hall of Emptiness,” traditionally said to be where people practiced Qi cultivation.

Ten

The account states plainly that practicing this wondrous Dao makes ascension to heaven possible, and shows that, once cultivation is complete, one can rise lightly and fly up to heaven. A juniper bearing deer tracks in the palace is said to mark the place where Lord Lao rode a white deer up to heaven; the tree still stands.

Eleven

He was born in the ninth year of King Wu Ding of the Yin dynasty, in the year of the Metal Dragon, on the fifteenth day of the second month. The Yin and Zhou dynasties reckoned the first month of the year from the Zi month, so their “second month” corresponds approximately to the twelfth month, the Chou month, in later calendars.

Twelve

His birthplace lay in the region assigned to the ancient state of Chu. The town was called Ku County, after the town, and Laixiang, after the river. It was in Quren Village, west of the Nine Wells and beside Ling Creek. The county was first called Ku County; from the Han and Wei dynasties onward, it was often called Guyang County. In the first year of the Qianfeng era (666), it was renamed Zhenyuan County, and in the second year of the Zhonghe era (881), it was elevated to Zhenyuan Red County.

Thirteen

The original begins only with “Thirteen: Lord Lao…” The remainder is missing, so the broken text cannot be translated further.

Proper names are retained in their original forms: Lord Lao, an honorific for Laozi; the Holy Mother; the Seven Luminaries, often referring to the seven celestial bodies; the Four Sacred Beasts, such as the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise; Jade Maidens; the Golden Elixir; true Qi; Taiqing Palace; and Zhenyuan in Bozhou. They are rendered in keeping with Daoist biographical and local sacred-site traditions, without adding legendary details.

A Plain-Language Reading of Related Passages from The Broad Commentary on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue

1. The Birth and Sacred Appearance

After the Lord Lao was born, he stood nine feet and two inches tall. His face bore eighty-one auspicious features. His walk and bearing were beautiful, with squared eyebrows and mouth, a nose like twin pillars, and unusual marks such as a sun-shaped prominence and a moon-shaped hollow on his forehead. He possessed the complete appearance of a great sage.

2. The Sacred Mother Ascends to Heaven (Section Fourteen)

The Sacred Mother, the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden: after the Lord Lao was born, she rode a jade carriage adorned with the Eight Radiances, escorted by a company of immortals, and ascended to heaven in broad daylight. During the Tang dynasty, she was posthumously honored as the “Empress Dowager of Primordial Heaven.” Two related Daoist temples are known today: one lies north of the Taiqing Palace in Zhenyuan County, and the other stands above the Ascension-to-Heaven Terrace at Louguan.

3. Veneration Through the Dynasties and Commemorative Steles (Section Fifteen)

After the Lord Lao ascended to heaven, emperors of successive dynasties revered his sacred traces. Emperor Huan of Han and Emperor Wen of Sui both sponsored the restoration and expansion of temples and palaces, and ordered their literary officials to carve steles honoring his Dao and Virtue. The Han dynasty’s Bian Shao stele and the Sui dynasty’s Xue Daoheng stele have both survived to this day.

4. Auspicious Signs in the Sagely Tang Dynasty (Section Sixteen)

In the year the Sagely Tang received its Mandate, a withered juniper at the Lord Lao’s former residence in Bozhou came back to life, signifying the flourishing of his descendants and their enjoyment of an endless blessing. The tree still stands today and is called the “Reborn Juniper.”

5. Repeated Auspicious Signs at the Old Home in Zhenyuan (Section Seventeen)

Auspicious signs repeatedly appeared among the trees at the old home in Zhenyuan: sweet dew descended, and auspicious clouds spread across the sky. At times the Lord Lao’s sacred image appeared to dispel omens of disaster; at others, clouds and mist gathered overhead to protect the palace buildings. A divine bird carried an arrow in its beak; auspicious snow suddenly swept down; a divine dragon leapt among the Nine Wells; and writing appeared on the Three Junipers. These signs were clearly attested in successive generations and recorded in written histories.

Examples include:

• During the reign of Emperor Huan of Han: On the day the emperor, moved by a dream of the Lord Lao, had a shrine built, auspicious clouds appeared above it.
• In the fifth year of Kaihuang under Emperor Wen of Sui: Auspicious clouds and a white deer appeared in the shrine courtyard, after which the emperor renovated and enlarged the temple buildings.
• In the third year of Wude: A withered juniper came back to life, and auspicious clouds appeared above it that same year.
• In the first year of Shangyuan: The words “Qian, Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen” appeared in clerical script on the tree’s branches, clearly repeated in several layers.
• In the first year of Taiji: Auspicious clouds appeared above the juniper.
• In the seventh year of Tianbao: A phoenix alighted atop the Hall of Emptiness.
• In the first year of Baoying: Purple clouds stretched across the sky, and divine light shone through the night. The next day, a dragon appeared above the Nine Wells.
• In the third year of Dali: Auspicious clouds appeared over the palace, and sweet dew descended on the juniper.
• In the second year of Huichang: Sweet dew fell on the trees in the courtyard.
• In the tenth year of Xiantong: Pang Xun, a rebel in Xuzhou, planned to lead his followers to seize the Taiqing Palace. The Lord Lao manifested in response, and black vapor spread across the land, causing the rebels to lose their way. They were defeated and destroyed that very day.

Note: “Auspicious clouds” refers to clouds regarded as favorable omens. “Zhenyuan” denotes the area around Laozi’s ancestral home, including today’s Taiqing Palace in Luyi County, Henan. The Nine Wells, Three Junipers, and Hall of Emptiness are names associated with legends and buildings at the Taiqing Palace and Louguan Terrace. The stele names and era names are retained from the original to make comparison with historical records and inscriptions easier.

A Plain-Language Interpretation

I. Protection of Palaces and Temples, and Auspicious Signs Recorded in the National Histories

During the Guangming era, Huang Chao’s rebel forces approached a palace-temple complex and set fire to its buildings. Suddenly, dark clouds gathered and rain poured down. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the rebels fled in disarray.

On another occasion, rebels surrounded Bozhou from every direction, weapons in hand. That day, black clouds filled the sky and heavy snow fell. The rebel soldiers collapsed and froze to death, and the siege was lifted.

Huang Chao’s remaining forces later attacked Bozhou again. A sacred bird circled the city with an arrow in its beak, while black clouds surged out of the palace-temple complex. The rebels panicked and scattered, and the siege was lifted once more.

In the second year of Zhonghe, the court ordered the official Pan Chou to submit a report. Since Huang Chao had entered the passes, the rebels had advanced on the palace-temple complex and besieged the prefectural city eighteen times. Each time, auspicious signs appeared in response, and the rebels scattered. People from near and far took refuge in the palace-temple complex and remained safe. Pan Chou asked to move the county seat there, but the court refused. It did, however, elevate the place to the rank of a first-class county, known as a Chi County.

In the seventh month of the first year of Guangqi, five-colored clouds formed a canopy above the Nine-Dragon Well, rising a thousand zhang into the sky. This manifestation occurred three times. Bianzhou sent a painting of it to the court. The national histories record such auspicious signs.

II. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Revealing the Sacred Title—Why He Is Called “Laozi”

The Lord Lao (Laozi) was conceived in a jade-like womb, where his wisdom was nurtured. After eighty-one years in his mother’s womb, he was born in a sacred manifestation, already with white hair. His holy mother gave him a title to show it to the world. This section is divided into five parts.

First: The sage manifests in a way unlike ordinary people

When the holy mother saw that her newborn son had white hair, she wanted to call him “Lao,” meaning “old.” Since he was a newborn, she also wanted to call him “Zi,” meaning “child.” The two ideas could be joined in the title Laozi.

Second: The Dao reverses the ordinary order

“Lao” refers to old age, while “Zi” refers to childhood. Ordinary people are young first and old later, but the Lord Lao was old first and young afterward. This conveys the idea of returning from manifestation to the original: he first showed the appearance of old age, then returned to the form of a child.

Third: The old one examines the sages; the child brings forth all things

“Lao” carries the meaning of examining and assessing the sages, while “Zi” carries the meaning of bringing forth and nourishing all things. The Lord Lao is therefore the father and mother of all things, and the ancestor of the sages. Because his title conveys both examination and generation, he was called Laozi.

The name “Laozi” began at that time, but the Lord Lao’s title predates countless eons; it did not begin only then.

Fourth: The sage bestows a name, returning from the end to the beginning

“Lao” signifies the end, and “Zi” the beginning. Ordinary people proceed from beginning to end, but the Lord Lao proceeds from end to beginning. He wished people to cultivate the Dao and return from old age to infancy, so he was called Laozi.

Fifth: Concealing his traces and blending with the light

The sage concealed his traces and blended with the light, leaving the name “Laozi” as a teaching for the world.

Brief notes on proper names

Guangming, Zhonghe, and Guangqi were reign periods in the late Tang dynasty. Huang Chao was the leader of a peasant uprising near the end of the Tang. The text uses both Bozhou and Haozhou to refer to the area around present-day Bozhou in Anhui, where the palace-temple complex stood. Chi County was a title given in the Tang dynasty to an important county. The Nine-Dragon Well and the canopy formed by five-colored clouds refer to auspicious manifestations within the palace. The account of Laozi being conceived in a jade-like womb and remaining there for eighty-one years belongs to Daoist traditions that portray his birth as a divine manifestation. “Returning from old age to infancy” describes an ideal of Daoist cultivation: recovering the vitality and purity of an infant after the weakness of old age.

A Plain-Language Interpretation

On the Name “Laozi”

The commonly told explanation is that the Lord Lao was born with white hair, and so was called “Laozi.” “Zi” is a general honorific for a man, as in Kongzi, Mengzi, Zhuangzi, and Liezi, formed by adding “zi” to a surname. Names such as Laozi, Heguanzi, Baopuzi, and Huainanzi, by contrast, were adopted because of an event or a work.

The Preface and Instructions says that the name “Laozi” began countless kalpas ago, in an age immeasurably remote and obscure. He was not called “Lao” because he was already old when he descended into the world; rather, he had existed since before innumerable kalpas, and so took “Lao” as his name. It also says that he entrusted his spirit to Li’s mother, was born through her left armpit, and came into the world with white hair; hence he was called Laozi. The name “Laozi,” it says, arose from mystery: he existed before Heaven and Earth and had no age of decline, hence the name Laozi. This is the account given in the Preface and Instructions.

Having now examined the accounts of various authors, we can say that if the name was not given “because of his birth,” then the Lord Lao, through successive kalpas, must have taught in the world and manifested in different forms, often appearing with the face of an old man. Hence he came to be called “Laozi.”

Twenty-Eighth: Clarifying the Lineage

The Basic Record of Laozi and the historical records of various authors all say that he was born beneath a plum tree and took the tree as his surname. This account is reasonable.

According to the Jade Genealogy of the Imperial House of the Great Tang, a descendant of Zhuanxu gave birth to Daye. Daye fathered Nüxi, who married a daughter of the Youjiao clan. Moved by the moonlight passing through the constellation Mao, she gave birth to Jiuyou. Jiuyou fathered Boyi, whose descendants served for generations as judicial officials. Later, Li Zheng fled the disorder of Jie’s reign and took refuge at the ruins of Marquis Yi’s settlement. He lived on plums and thereupon changed his surname to Li. This account says that Jiuyou’s descendants earned distinction by judging cases and so took the surname Li, originally written Li 理. Some of their descendants changed it to Li 里; when they sought refuge at the ruins of Marquis Yi’s settlement, they changed 里 to 李, the character for plum. Zheng fathered Lizhen during the time of King Tang of the Shang. Lizhen fathered Changzu, who served as a minister in Chen and settled in Ku County. Changzu fathered Ming, who became chancellor of Chen. Ming was buried north of Laixiang, where a shrine was built; this is why the place came to be called Xiangcheng. Ming fathered Qingbin, who fathered Lingfei, also known as Qianhui. Both Qingbin and Lingfei ascended to Heaven in broad daylight. The Chen referred to here is the ancient state of Chen, not the state founded during the Zhou by Hu Gongman.

According to my examination, the period from King Tang to King Yangjia spans eighteen reigns and more than 250 years. From Li Zheng to Qianhui, five generations succeeded one another, a span of time consistent with that chronology.

On the Era and the Fief

As for that era, the state of Chen already existed in the time of Taihao (Fuxi). Later, the Zhou dynasty enfeoffed a descendant of Shun there. After Chen was destroyed, the Zhou again enfeoffed Hu Gong, who ruled this land.

Accounts of the Birth of the Old Lord

One account says that Lingfei (Li Lingfei’s) wife, the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden, became pregnant after dreaming of the essence of the sun and gave birth to the Old Lord.

The Basic Record also says that the Old Lord could speak from the moment he was born. Pointing to a plum tree, he said, “This is my surname,” and so took the surname Li. Xue Daoheng, a Secretariat Gentleman in the Inner Secretariat during the Sui dynasty, wrote “conceived through the sun, brought forth,” in his Stele in the Courtyard of the Old Lord’s Shrine, but did not explain how conception took place. The phrase “pointing to a tree to take a surname” also leaves unclear where the account of “blowing pitches”—using musical pitch standards to determine a surname—came from.

The Account of the Former Masters of Louguan, by contrast, says that the Old Lord once had the Holy Mother, his mother, climb a plum tree and told her, “This is your surname.” All three accounts are recorded in the transmitted texts. They are presented together here to honor the lineage of the imperial surname, Li.

The “Holy Mother” and the Family of Lingfei

According to the Record of the Mysterious Center, Li Lingfei lived during the Yin-Shang era, and father and son passed down the practice of the Way of long life. His father, Qingbin, lived for more than a hundred years and always looked young. He once traveled among the mountains of the Five Marchmounts. One day, from the clouds below the place where he lived—Yunlong, whether a place-name or a scene—he welcomed the bright sun and ascended to heaven.

Moved by his father’s ascent, Lingfei withdrew deeply from the world and did not take office. He cultivated the Way within himself, married a daughter of the Yin family of Tianshui, and lived in Laixiang.

One day his wife was sleeping in the daytime and dreamed that the sky opened several zhang wide. A group of immortals appeared there, holding up the sun. After a long while, she saw the sun gradually shrink and fall from the sky, changing into a five-colored pearl as large as a pellet. In the dream, she swallowed the pearl and became pregnant. She carried the child for eighty-one years, yet her appearance grew younger and younger, and she often looked like a young maiden. Lingfei, too, ascended to heaven after the age of one hundred. After the Old Lord was born, a five-colored cloud chariot arrived to escort the Holy Mother up to heaven.

The Great Genealogy of the Li Clan and Its Lineage

The Great Genealogy of the Li Clan states that the ancestors of the Li surname descended from the Yellow Emperor, whose surname was Gongsun and whose personal name was Xuanyuan. His principal consort, from the Xiling clan, gave birth to Changyi. Changyi’s consort, Lady Nüjie of the Fanglei clan, conceived Shaohao (of the Qingyang clan) after being penetrated by a beam of light from the Terrace. Shaohao’s secondary consort, Xiufang, gave birth to Daye. Daye’s consort, Fushi, conceived Gaoyao when white clouds covered her body. Gaoyao had a son named Boyi, also called Yi. Emperor Shun enfeoffed him in Ying, and he therefore took the surname Ying. Yi’s consort, of the Yao clan, gave birth to Ruoshui; Ruoshui gave birth to Changfei, and Changfei gave birth to Jingpu, who gave birth to Zhongxing … The original text continues with the lineage. The Explication of the Broad Veneration of the Sage uses this genealogy to connect the Li clan’s ancestry from ancient sages to later generations.

Notes for Reading the Original

The Explication of the Broad Veneration of the Sage is a Tang dynasty commentary on the Dao De Jing by Li Rong and others. The cited works are used here to discuss the Old Lord’s birthplace, the origin of his surname, and the legend of the Holy Mother.

Taihao is Fuxi, whom ancient accounts often associated with the region of Chen.

Hu Gong refers to Man, a descendant of Shun whom the Zhou enfeoffed in Chen after Chen’s destruction.

Laixiang is traditionally regarded as Laozi’s hometown, in the area of present-day Luyi County, Henan.

A Secretariat Gentleman in the Inner Secretariat was a central government official responsible for secretarial and ceremonial duties during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Louguan, in Zhouzhi County, Shaanxi, was an important early Daoist sacred site. Tradition identifies it as a place where Laozi expounded scripture or lived in seclusion.

One account says that Zhongxing was a feudal lord in the time of King Cheng of Zhou, with the posthumous title “Fei Gong.” During the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, his descendants were granted the surname Pei. A later descendant, Pei Tingjian, had a daughter who remained chaste and unmarried. She lived in Qurenli, Laixiang, in the state of Chu. After eating a plum, she became pregnant. She carried the child for eighty-one years and gave birth without pain; divine beings often guarded her in secret. In the time of King Hui of Zhou, on the fifteenth day of the second month, she climbed a plum tree and gave birth to a son through her left side. He was born with white hair. The character “Jade” was in his left palm, the words “Seventy Scrolls of Scripture” in his right palm, “save” beneath his left foot, and “govern” beneath his right. He could speak as soon as he was born and asked where his father was. His mother replied, “I remained chaste and unmarried, and now I am old. I became pregnant after eating a plum, so you have no father. I conceived you as a virgin. Afraid that the villagers would laugh at me, I wanted to take my own life with poison, but a divine being warned me not to swallow it. Now, after eighty-one years, I have given birth to you because I ate a plum. Plum is therefore your surname.” Since he was born already looking old, he was called Laozi. Laozi composed seventy-two scriptures, recording the names of the spirits of Heaven and Earth and explaining the Way of Wuwei (non-action) and long life. He married a daughter of the Yin family of Tianshui and had a son named Zhenli, in the time of King Ding of Zhou. This is one version of the story.

A closer examination shows that Yin Xi was an official in the time of King Kang of Zhou and became a frontier pass commander under King Zhao. The dates of Laozi, or Lord Lao, who had already passed through the pass and transmitted scriptures, are far removed from this account; the sequence of events is confused. Though this story appears in genealogical records, it is probably not true. Still, it is also recorded here as an account of the origin of the Li surname.

The Biography of the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden Primordial Sovereign says: “In Heaven, Lord Lao is the most honored of all the sages. He has taught since before countless eons, transforming heavenly beings and humanity through the Way of Wuwei that endures forever. He existed long before countless eons and is the leader of the myriad sages. Thus the Heavenly Worthy and the Dao Lord bestowed on him his true title, Lord Lao. He already bore this title before the Five Great Stages (the Daoist sequence of Taiji, Taichu, Taishi, Taisu, and Taiji), and had carried it through eons. Though in every age he has appeared as a teacher to emperors and kings, there had never been a record of his descent into the world and birth. Then, from above the Nine Heavens of Purity, he commanded the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden to descend into the human world. She became the daughter of the Yin family of Tianshui and married Li Lingfei. Lord Lao rode upon the essence of the sun in a chariot drawn by nine dragons, transformed into a five-colored flowing pearl, and entered the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden’s mouth, where he took up residence in her womb. After eighty-one years, he was born as she climbed a plum tree.”

The following passage comes from Daoist accounts of Lord Lao (Laozi), his birth and divine status, and includes an editor’s explanation of how competing accounts have been assessed. The main points are presented below in plain language.

Lord Lao was born from his mother’s left side. While she was pregnant, divine beings protected her sacred body. At his birth, Jade Maidens received him in their arms; auspicious clouds filled the courtyard, Sun Attendants scattered radiance, Moon Consorts cast flowers, and the assembled saints gathered around him. Pointing to a plum tree, Lord Lao said, “This shall be my surname.”

In the human world, he had nine names: first, Er, with the courtesy name Boyang; second, Dan, with the courtesy name Bozong; third, Zhong, with the courtesy name Boguang; fourth, Shi, with the courtesy name Menggong; fifth, Zhong, with the courtesy name Ziwen; sixth, Ding, with the courtesy name Yuanyang; seventh, Yuan, with the courtesy name Boshi; eighth, Xian, with the courtesy name Yuansheng; and ninth, De, with the courtesy name Bowen. Other accounts say he had thirty-six titles or seventy-two names. His surnames and courtesy names are too vast and profound to enumerate; through age after age, they cannot all be recorded. Lord Lao underwent nine transformations, in accordance with the sun, and presided over the powers of birth and transformation. He also possessed seventy-two marks and eighty-one attributes of excellence, and was therefore the holiest among the holy and the truest among the true.

In heaven, the Sacred Mother was called the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden. After descending to give birth to and nurture the Great Sage, she became the Primordial Lord Taiyi. The Lord instructed Laozi in the principles for transforming the world and carrying out the teachings: methods for inward cultivation through the Nine Chambers and Three Ones; precepts concerning all good and evil; instructions on a hundred illnesses and their remedies; rules for emptiness, non-being, and purity; and methods for preparing and refining the Nine Elixirs. These teachings showed people that there is a way to learn through a teacher and receive a transmission. But as the Great Sage Supreme One is the master of all transformations, how could he himself need to study by receiving instruction from a teacher? When the transmission of the Dao was complete, heavenly music resounded through the sky, flowing clouds shrouded the wilderness, and a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen, together with the Five Emperors and the perfected ones of the highest rank, escorted the Sacred Mother, the Lord Taiyi, in a carriage of ninefold radiance and eight luminous scenes, welcoming her back to the heights of Jade Clarity. She remains the Lord Taiyi to this day; the present dynasty honors her as the Empress Dowager of the Precelestial Realm, as explained above. A review of the various accounts shows that the Sacred Mother was originally the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden, the mother of Lord Lao. This account best supports her identification as the Lord Taiyi, whom the present dynasty honors. The genealogy makes clear that the Lady Yunmu Yishou was the Empress Dowager of the Precelestial Realm; this account has not been found in the Daoist scriptures.

As for the date of Lord Lao’s birth, the account placing it in the reign of King Wuding of the Yin dynasty is correct. The other accounts are inconsistent and mistaken, with discrepancies in chronology; they are recorded here but not accepted.

Twenty-Nine: Those Who Establish the Emperor’s Rule

Lord Lao’s Dao encompasses all things, and his grace reaches throughout the heavens.

Heaven bestowed the plans of Sun, bringing glory to the great inheritance; hence he was the thirty-first-generation descendant. Our great ancestor, Emperor Shenyao (Li Yuan), brought the world under his rule and founded our Tang dynasty. Thus auspicious signs flowed from the imperial lineage, whose source lay in Shangqing, the highest heaven of Daoism; the clear waters of the Jade Sea spread their nourishing influence across the myriad lands. Emperor Deming assisted Yao and Shun, while Emperor Xingsheng held the chronicles and observed the seasons. Their radiance first shone amid the eras of Tang and Yu, then was restored and extended across the lands of Qin and Liang. In virtue, they rivaled the ancient Houji and Gugong; in the rise of Wen and Wu, in the divinations of dynastic duration, and in the generations of imperial branches and leaves, they were indeed no less than the Zhou of Ji. The “thirtieth volume” refers to the illustrious title conferred in the first year of Qianfeng (666). Earlier explanations of the two characters Laozi broadly set forth thirty categories to reveal the manifestations through which titles were bestowed.

Explaining the Titles Conferred on the Sage Lord Lao by the Great Tang

“Most High” is the honorific name of the one who governs the teachings and the ultimate fruit of realized sainthood. “Most” means great; “High” means exalted. Nothing is greater than the Most High, and nothing is more exalted than the High. This is the title for the supreme stage of cultivating the causes and realizing their fruit. People cultivate themselves, progressing from the ordinary to the Dao, from the Dao to immortality, from immortality to perfected truth, and from perfected truth to sainthood. At its highest, sainthood rises to the Most High. The Most High possesses all six supernatural powers and every virtue in full, succeeds to the sovereign position of the Dharma King, and presides over all the saints; thus he merits this honorific name. It is like the emperors of successive generations, each succeeding to the throne and bearing the title. After the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning came the Lord of the Great Dao, the Most High, the Lord Lao, the Most High Elder, and the Most High August Emperor, all of whom attained this supreme station. Although the Most High Elder and the August Emperor bore the most exalted titles, they did not teach. Only the Lord of the Dao and Lord Lao transmitted the inheritance and taught, serving as rulers of the myriad heavens.

“Profound” means deep and subtle; it is also said to mean the Dao or Heaven. The highest Dao is exalted and wondrous, beyond verbal explanation. Taking subtlety and depth as signs of its mystery, the word “Profound” conveys the Dao’s deep, subtle, and far-reaching nature, and so it is called Profound. “Primordial” means first, beginning, and ancestral source. The Erya says: “It is the beginning, the root, and the source.” The law of all things, both within the world and beyond it, takes this as its origin. “August” means great, and refers to the Great Dao.

“Great” is called “August.” The preface to the Book of Documents says that the writings of the Three August Ones are called the Three Tombs; they speak of the Great Dao.

“Supreme” means that the “Emperor” refers to Heaven. His De (Virtue/Power) accords with Heaven, and his rank is second only to the Dao. When De is great, one is called an emperor; because he possesses both Dao and De, he is called an August Emperor. It is also said that one who takes the Dao and Heaven as models is called an August Emperor. When Qin Shi Huang unified the realm and established laws and institutions for later generations, he took the august title of the Three August Ones above and the honorific titles of the Five Emperors below, combining them into “August Emperor.”

The preface to the Book of Documents also says that the writings of the Five Emperors are called the Five Canons; they speak of the Constant Dao.

“Inner title” means a hidden title. Lord Lao had a thousand names and ten thousand titles, too many to recount. The name by which people throughout the realm called him at that time was “Laozi.” This, too, reflects the exalted status of the Dao and the nobility of De: his name could not be spoken directly. In Heaven and on earth alike, all called him “Laozi”; this was Laozi’s inner title.

Our Great Tang Emperor Gaozong, the August Emperor of Heaven, was Laozi’s thirty-third-generation holy descendant, the third emperor of the Great Tang, and the third son of Emperor Taizong Wen. He inherited the mandate of peace and prosperity, held the reins of state with effortless composure, brought the numinous blossoms of the immortal Li lineage to their full radiance, and displayed the grand rites of a flourishing age. Returning by imperial carriage to Ku County, he paid homage at the source of the sage’s true lineage. At the ancestral shrine he proclaimed great filial piety, praised the Mysterious Origin, and bestowed upon it an added sacred title. In the first year of Qianfeng (666 CE), in the Bingyin year, on the twenty-eighth day of the second month, he issued this edict:

The Eastern Terrace submitted the following memorial: The Great Dao came into being as an undivided whole. It first established a single form and called it the Perfected Person; emptying the self, it made the myriad things wondrous. Lord Lao is the root of my lineage, from Fuxi down to the end of the Zhou dynasty. His numinous manifestations had no fixed form, and his transformations took many shapes: at times he moved with ease through the cosmos, breathing in and out clouds and winds; at times he served as teacher and friend to emperors, giving form to divine transformations as though with brush and pigment. He is like Yin-Yang, beyond all measure, and hangs alongside the sun and moon. When the age fell into disorder, he concealed his traces beneath the pillar, greatly spreading his elegant teachings and leaving models for generations to come. Though his mind was level with the Great Void, his principles returned to the true Lord.

As for abandoning sagehood and discarding knowledge, dwelling in calm and taking few desires; amid silence and obscurity, beyond the reach of sight and hearing; being tranquil and practicing Wuwei (non-action), wholly at ease in oneself—draw from him and he is never exhausted; use him and he is never depleted. Holding fast to the Great Image, he returns all to simplicity; cleansing the profound mirror, he casts off every burden. He stretches beyond Heaven and Earth in enduring longevity, and rises above the potter’s wheel of creation to nurture and sustain all things. How supreme he is! Truly, no name can encompass him.

A Plain-Language Reading of The Broad Meaning of the Sagely Dao and De

This passage is not part of the main text of Laozi’s Dao De Jing. It records historical events in the Tang dynasty, when the emperor posthumously honored Laozi and issued edicts. Its general meaning is as follows.

Edict posthumously honoring Laozi as the Emperor of Mysterious Origin

How much more so when the Great Sage Laozi grants his protection and can bring prosperity to the imperial house; when the Supreme De (Virtue/Power) has been put into practice, the time is truly ripe for peace and flourishing. I have inherited the Mandate of Heaven and govern the countless people. I take charge of the light of the sun, moon, and stars, and remain reverent and watchful day and night. Bearing the weight of the realm, I am ever cautious, whether waking or resting. In the ancestral temples, I give my fullest devotion to filial reverence; toward both the unseen and the visible—spirits and ordinary people alike—I extend every kindness. I promote a pure and tranquil way of governing and carry forward the work of peace. I ascended the sacred hill to perform the fengshan rites to Heaven, and sat in the Bright Hall to receive Heaven’s investiture. Auspicious vapors gathered in celebration; a double ring appeared as an omen of blessing. Cranes answered from the marshes, and the mountains echoed with cries of “Long live the emperor.” These signs surpass all those of antiquity and stand foremost among imperial auspices.

After completing the great rites, I returned to the capital, taking a detour through Laixiang. I personally offered fragrant grain at the altar, gazed up at the auspicious cypress and lingered, then cupped water from the sacred spring and sighed at length. My thoughts of Laozi, as though he were present, have grown profound; my reverence for the source of our dynasty has become all the more earnest. It is fitting to proclaim the mystery of our origin and make known the achievements of the Mysterious Sage. Laozi shall therefore be posthumously honored with the title Emperor of Mysterious Origin. Guyang County shall also be renamed Zhenyuan County, and members of the same clan in that county shall be exempted from service for one year. May this deepen our feelings of reverence for our distant forebears and express the duty of honoring our ancestors. Let this be announced throughout the realm, so that all may know of it. The responsible officials shall carry it out.

Another edict, issued on the fourth day of the twelfth month in the second year of Yongchun (683):

The ruler esteems the Dao and dwells in the Purple Tenuity Palace, governing without exertion; the minister cultivates De and gives his whole heart to serving as a whetstone for the ruler. If those above uphold righteousness and those below honor ritual, this is how moral teachings are passed down in their original purity—and how loyalty and trust gradually grow thin.

In ancient times, during the eras of Xu Ting, Lian Lu, Nüwa, and Suiren, Fuxi governed without coercion, and the realm was transformed. Even the most public-spirited rulers—Xuanyuan, Zhuanxu, Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, and Kings Wen and Wu—still practiced deep benevolence and sought to build up virtue. When Qin occupied the usurped throne, extravagance and excess began to flourish. The Han inherited a dominion founded on force, and the customs of quietude and restraint had already declined. Looking far back to the Wei and Jin, and more recently to the Zhou and Sui, each succeeding age grew more noisy and frivolous, while people became ever more presumptuous and extravagant. The corrupt customs of a hundred kings reached their worst, and the misfortunes of a thousand years their height.

After inheriting the aftermath of great disorder, we now open an age of great sages. Having passed beyond a time of mutual ruin, we must bring forth a new era of harmony and prosperity. Our August High Ancestor, Emperor Shenyao, received Heaven’s splendid Mandate in the Biao Palace. He swept away the evil miasmas that infested the wilderness, hung the sun and moon once more in the sky, and restored order throughout the realm. Our August Emperor Taizong, the Civil Emperor, unfurled the charts at the Wen River and wielded the axe of command in the region of Can Xu. He summoned divine troops from the Northern Dipper and cleansed the vast floods that had inundated the land. He established the realm’s four pillars and brought peace to the central lands, enduring a hundred battles in the service of the people.

Note: Passages of this kind in The Broad Meaning of the Sagely Dao and De often reproduce original records and edicts concerning successive emperors’ reverence for the Dao, fengshan rites, changes to county names, and related matters. They differ from the teachings of the eighty-one chapters of the Dao De Jing. Proper names such as Emperor of Mysterious Origin (Laozi’s honorific title), Zhenyuan County (in the area of present-day Luyi, Henan), and Laixiang (an old name for Laozi’s native place) have been retained as in the original.

Let education spread far and wide, carrying its influence to distant places; let the borders stretch across the land, and the great enterprise flourish beyond measure. Its full extent is beyond words.

My talents and understanding are limited, yet I have inherited the imperial throne. I have never slackened in seeking the Dao, and I govern the people as if treading on thin ice. I have taken greater care with each passing day, and thirty-four years have now gone by. When those below are secure, those above may rest; when the age is troubled, the ruler must bear concern. Though I dwell deep within the palace, my thoughts are with the people. My resolve to strengthen the foundations grows ever more urgent, and my determination to curb excess ever deeper.

Though the affairs of government are now gradually falling into order, the roots of simplicity and honesty have yet to reach everyone. My lineage descends from the Mysterious Origin (Xuanyuan, Laozi), and I have always wished to follow the ancient precepts from afar, to exalt the transformation brought by the Dao, and to lead all under Heaven into a realm of longevity, where the people may enjoy its blessings. I often think of Huaxu, the ideal realm of peace, and labor over it in waking and in sleep. I hope that officials, within the court and beyond it, will each give their sincere effort, encourage the people to value simplicity, cast off old customs of frivolity and shallowness, and renew themselves together.

Let us open a new era in accordance with the Great Dao, and begin anew together with all under Heaven. It is fitting to proclaim grace and extend it in every direction. Grant a general amnesty throughout the realm, and change the second year of Yongchun to the first year of Hongdao. Let every prefecture across the realm establish Daoist temples: three in upper prefectures, two in middle prefectures, and one in lower prefectures. Let each temple ordain seven Daoist priests, to make manifest the spirit of purity and stillness and bring about a transformation through Wuwei (non-action). Let the responsible officials carry this out.

This is the meaning of honoring our forebears and venerating our ancestors, and of returning to simplicity and restoring sincerity.