Saintly Mother, Heavenly Immortal of the
Eastern Peak (detail)
Ming dynasty, c. 1600
Hanging scroll; ink, colors,
and gold on silk 216 x 100 cm
MusÈe National des
Arts Asiatiques Guimet, Paris cat. no. 96
This
work will only be shown at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Saintly Mother, Heavenly Immortal of
the Eastern Peak
This goddess, usually known as the Sovereign of the Clouds of Dawn,
developed relatively late in Chinese history, coming to prominence only
in the early Ming dynasty. Almost immediately, she became one of the
most popular deities of northern China. She is closely connected with
Mount Tai in Shandong province, the easternmost of the Five Sacred Peaks1, and her main temple is
located on that mountain. Worshiped by at least the third century B.C.,
Mount Tai was traditionally seen as the gateway to the afterlife. The
god of Mount Tai was traditionally male, a figure of considerable
severity who controlled the paths of the dead. The Sovereign of the
Clouds of Dawn was believed to be his daughter. Unlike her father, she
is a compassionate figure associated with life, especially childbirth.
She is the yielding yin2
counterpart to her father's yang3
sternness.
This
painting, which probably served as an image of worship in a Taoist
temple, shows the Sovereign of the Clouds of Dawn seated on a throne in
her celestial court, surrounded by female attendants and holding a
tablet. She can be identified by the multiple phoenixes in her
headdress. Both this goddess and the Queen Mother of the West4 are usually adorned with
images of the phoenix, but the Queen Mother of the West wears only a
single phoenix on her head, while the Sovereign of the Clouds of Dawn
typically wears three or more.
the lesson:
Divine Manifestations of Yin:
Goddesses and Female Saints
Introduction
Women have always played an
important role in Taoism—as teachers who have influenced the
development of Taoist teachings and as goddesses, the principal
embodiments of feminine yin energy and the necessary counterparts to
masculine yang energy. The significance of goddesses is most apparent
in the divine mother figures, special protectors of women and
childbirth. Their worship, however, was not limited to women; in fact,
they had an equally strong male following. These mother figures were
especially associated with the Tao itself, which was often described as
an empty, receptive womb that made possible the birth of the world and
the transformation of energy into matter.
The most important divine
embodiment of feminine energy, the Queen Mother of the West4, was worshiped in China
before the rise of religious Taoism. In the Northern and Southern
dynasties5, it was
believed that she had appeared to different emperors to legitimize or
deny the legitimacy of their rule. She eventually came to be seen as
the head of a complex pantheon of different goddesses—the feminine
equivalent of such supreme figures as the Three Purities6 or the Jade Emperor7.
Mortal women have also had a
deep impact on Taoism, both as patrons and teachers. Not only emperors
but also women from the imperial family could be ordained as Taoist
priests. Many other women served as the religious instructors of
high-level officials and scholars. Several movements within Taoism are
attributed to female founders. Both Taoism and Buddhism offered female
followers the possibility of becoming nuns, an accepted option for a
woman who did not wish to become a wife and mother. Although Taoism
inherited many social biases against women, it allowed them to play a
vital role. The influence of women on the growth of religious Taoism is
undeniable.
glossary:
1 Five Sacred Peaks five
sacred mountains located along the five directions (north, south, east,
west, and center) that occupy powerful places in Taoist geography. The
sacred mountains are not actually single peaks; rather they are
networks of peaks, cliffs, gorges, hills, ravines, etc. To communicate
with the deities on these mountains, emperors ordered the construction
of important Taoist temples on each peak. Taoists also believe that
immortals inhabit the Five Sacred Peaks. On their slopes grow the
magical mushrooms that bestow immortality.
2,
3 yin and yang two opposing types of
energy or contrasting forces. Yin is described as yielding, passive,
negative, dark, and female. Yang is dynamic, assertive, positive,
light, and male. The two energies are opposite and yet mutually
dependent. Yin may become yang and vice versa, just as day becomes
night, cold becomes hot, and the reverse. The behavior of yin and yang
describes the structure of any event or thing. It may be said that
their dynamic relationship describes the operation of the Tao in its
cycles of creation, and that their alternating movement underlies the
structure of everything in the universe. The concept of yin and yang is
conveyed by the tiger and dragon and by the Taiji symbol.
4
Queen Mother of the West the Taoist goddess who
rules over the western paradise and is the head of a pantheon of
goddesses and female immortals. In her garden, she grows the peaches of
immortality.
5
Northern and Southern dynasties (386—589) long
period of political disunity after the fall of the Han dynasty. During
this time, China was divided into a number of smaller kingdoms. The
period is also known as the Six Dynasties.
6
Three Purities (Three Clarities) the highest deities
in Taoism, they reside over the three greatest heavenly realms. Their
names are the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Celestial
Worthy of Numinous Treasure, and the Celestial Worthy of the Way and
Its Power.
7
Jade Emperor chief of the pantheon of popular gods
incorporated into Taoism
T A O I
S M A N D T
H E A R T
S O F C H I
N A
THE
TAOIST CHURCH
THE TAOIST RENAISSANCE
Taoism
and Popular Religion
Overview
From its very beginnings,
religious
Taoism has made a special point to distinguish itself from popular
religion, especially local cults that relied on blood sacrifice as the
primary means of worship. At the same ordinary, Taoism developed from
popular religious beliefs and practices and has been influenced by
different regional traditions throughout its history. Popular religion
has been an important source of new gods, and the orthodox Taoist
establishment has frequently turned to popular traditions to renew its
own spiritual doctrines.
The
relationship between Taoism and popular religion, in particular the
incorporation of popular gods into the official Taoist pantheon, became
increasingly subject to official rules and procedures in the Song
dynasty. Absorption of a local deity into the official Taoist pantheon
meant imperial recognition of the deity's followers, with the political
security that this recognition entailed. Imperial recognition could
also provide increased economic opportunity for cults that centered
around merchants and guilds. After the Song dynasty, Taoism and popular
traditions often maintained a mutually beneficial relationship. Taoism
was able to increase its appeal and expand its pantheon by absorbing
popular deities, while local cults were able to avoid persecution and
reach a wider audience through the elevation of their gods to national
status.
© 2000 AND many thanks to
the Chicago Institute of Art
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