 |
|||
| Similar Pages | |||
|
Hsuan-tien Shang-ti
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Click to Purchase
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Supreme Lord of the Dark heavens, Hsuan-tien Shang-ti, is known by a number of unique titles within Chinese communities. he is possibly best known to foreigners and laymen as the Northern Emperor, Pei Ti (Cantonese Pak Tai) and even better as the True God of Martiality, Chen Wu. Although Chen-wu is the most common influential title bestowed on Hsuan-tien Shang-ti by outsiders of his sect, they are the most inaccurate by which they deny that he is the Northen Emperor, and could be taken with great disrespect by Hsuan-tien Shang-ti and Wu-Tang Taoists.
Hsuan-tien Shang-ti is a major, awesome, popular religion deity of the Wu-Tang Shan Sects, a stellar God of antiquity, dating back to times of celestial and animal worship. Formally worshipped throughout China and known to many Chinese as one of the most powerful ministers of the jade Emperor. Over recent centuries, he has become more a general protective God to the laymmen peaple whereas originally he was one of the spirits of great antiquity who ruled one quarter of the universe as the Dark Warrior, Hsuan Wu. This was a term used for the nothern sector of the twenty-eight lunar mansions. It was associated first with the tortoise, then with the tortoise and Snake. The spirit of Hsuan-Wu became an enshrined deity during the Sung times. his title was changed to Chen-wu during the Sung to avoid using the taboo name of the Sung imperial line Hsuan Lang.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
A popular legend described how he was conceived by the emperess Pao Yueh-kung, the wife of the emperor Ch'ing Ti. She dreamed that Lao Chun came to her one night in a Dragon carriage bearing a male baby from whom were emanating brialliant rays of every color. She asked Lao Chun for a child; soon she found herself with child and eighteen months later gave birth to a son. he grew to be a valiant youth with intelligence and compassion. Succeeding tot he throne when his father died, he realized the instability of his existence. he abdicated and retired to Wu-Tang Shan where, after 800 incarnations, he became the first of many Golden immortals.
Later he was appointed Guardian of the North by Shang-ti and posted to T'ai-ho Shan in hupei provence. During the Shang-Chou wars, he commanded the thirty six Heavenly Armies, raising his black banner to stop Mo Wang, the Demon King, from ravaging the Earth. He defeated the Serpant and Gray Tortoise, two magical allies of the demon King, emerging the victor, barefoot and disheveled, He overcame the demonic forces and confined them to the depths of the cave at Fengtu.
Many temples honor this great battle on their walls, showing Great respect to the Thirty Six Celestial Generals (the T'ien-Chiang) Heroes who fell during the Chang-Chou wars. In legend he is supposed to have cleared heaven and Earth of all resident demons, and now even those in the Underworld who can and do haunt the Earth, fear his very name. Many Wu-Tang Shan Taoists, especially the Pei Chi sect believe, hordes of malevolent and dangerous spirits roaming the Earth from the Underworld can only be held in check and destoyed by the Northern Emperor's large force of spirit soldiers organized into spirit armies.
*
Look to the North and repeat, Hsuan-tien Shang-ti for guidance. Waving his black banner he may show the mysteries, Waving his black banner he flashes his sword to evil beings, barefoot he may show the steps to the Tao, disheveled hair he may show you the ways of the Tao, to honor him is to honor the North itself, which Heaven is the direction of mystery.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| page created with Webpage Designer (NS) |