The Great Emperor of the
(Image: Source unknown) |
According to the Taoist tradition, the Birthday of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak (Mount Tai ) (泰山東嶽大帝聖誕) is observed on the 28th day of the 3rd Chinese lunar month.
A colored ink painting of
(Image: Nipic.com)
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When things are born, the Yang principle is strong and vibrant. As things age, the Yang is slowly depleted and the Yin becomes gradually more dominant. When things finally end in death, the Yang is totally exhausted and only the Yin abides. Things are then reborn and the cycle repeats again, just like the passing of the seasons. When Yin reaches it extreme, it transforms into Yang, and when Yang reaches its extreme, it transforms into Yin. This is a natural law that is true for all universal phenomena.
A contemporary tourist map of
(Image: Source unknown) |
In the Chinese psyche, Mount Tai is considered the greatest of all mountains, and it is perceived as symbolically being the pathway to heaven. Emperors have made imperial pilgrimage to this mountain for centuries, and countless numbers of poets, politicians, and commoners have also scaled its height because it has always been a place of artistic inspiration and an important center of religious activity for both Buddhist and Taoist followers. The greatness of the mountain is reflected in the common Chinese saying “You have eyes, yet you do not recognize Mount Tai .” The Chinese idiom “Mount Tai and Big Dipper” refers to a person of high acclaim. And the famous Chinese historian Sima Qian (司馬遷) once said “Though death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather.”
In the scheme of the Ten Kings of the Underworld Courts, the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak is also the supreme magistrate in charge of the seventh court where particular punishments are meted out to those that have committed certain sins (also mentioned in a previous post found here).
A scroll painting depicting the Great Emperor of the
as supreme magistrate of the 7th Court of the Underworld/Purgatory
(Image: Source unknown)
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Text © 2011 Harry Leong
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