Taishang Laojun, The Grand Supreme Elder

The Supreme Deity of Daoism and Founding Patriarch of Alchemy

Domain

The Tushita Palace in the Heaven of Departing Sorrow, the Taiqing Realm of the Three Pure Ones in Daoism

Function

One of the Three Pure Ones, the supreme deities of Daoism; founding patriarch of alchemy; incarnation of the Dao

Sacred Instruments

The Eight-Trigram Furnace and the Diamond Bracelet — the Eight-Trigram Furnace refines all things into immortal elixirs, while the Diamond Bracelet absorbs every weapon in the world

Appearance

White hair and youthful face, with a flowing white beard, wearing a Ruyi crown and a robe adorned with the eight trigrams, holding a fly whisk, riding a green ox, with the bearing of an immortal, embodying kindness along with deep wisdom that perceives all Three Realms

Legendary Stories

If the Jade Emperor is the CEO of the Heavenly Court and the Tathagata Buddha is the supreme enlightened being of the Buddhist cosmos, then Taishang Laojun (Tàishàng Lǎojūn) is the ultimate big boss of China's indigenous religion — Daoism. He is the Taiqing Moral Heavenly Worthy, one of the Three Pure Ones (Sānqīng), the highest deities of Daoism, and also the deified incarnation of Laozi (Lǎozǐ) — the Spring and Autumn period philosopher who wrote the five-thousand-character Dao De Jing (Dàodé Jīng). A single person who is both a real historical figure and a cosmic-level supreme deity — this dual identity of "man and god united in one" is extremely rare in the entire history of world religion.

First, let us speak of Laozi in history. Laozi's surname was Li, given name Er, courtesy name Dan (Dān), born around 571 BCE in Kuxian of the State of Chu. He served as the Keeper of the Archives of the Zhou dynasty — translated into a modern job title, roughly "Director of the National Library." Later he rode a green ox westward out of Hangu Pass (Hánɡǔ Guān), where the pass keeper Yin Xi (Yǐn Xǐ) stopped him, saying, "Sir, once you leave, you will not return, will you? Could you leave something behind for posterity?" Laozi then wrote the five-thousand-character Dao De Jing and drifted away, never to be seen again. A librarian who wrote one book and then vanished from the world — the ending alone is full of mystery.

In the theological system of Daoism, Laozi is not merely a philosopher who wrote a book. He is revered as the one among the Three Pure Ones closest to the human world — the Taiqing Moral Heavenly Worthy. The Three Pure Ones are: the Primeval Lord of Heaven (Yuánshǐ Tiānzūn, the highest but most abstract, representing the beginning of the cosmos), the Lord of Numinous Treasure (Língbǎo Tiānzūn, who governs scriptures and salvation), and the Moral Heavenly Worthy, namely Taishang Laojun (closest to the human world, directly involved in worldly affairs). In the Daoist cosmology, Taishang Laojun is the incarnation of the "Dao" — and the "Dao" is the source and ultimate law of all things in the universe. He is not a god who was created; he is the "Dao" itself that created everything. Chapter Twenty-Five of the Dao De Jing states clearly: "There was something undifferentiated and yet complete, which existed before heaven and earth. Soundless and formless, it depends on nothing and does not change. It operates everywhere and is free from danger. It may be considered the mother of the universe. I do not know its name; I call it Dao."

However, the most vivid image of Taishang Laojun in the minds of Chinese people does not come from Daoist scriptures, but from Journey to the West (Xīyóu Jì). In Wu Cheng'en's writing, Taishang Laojun is the most senior immortal in the Heavenly Court — even older than the Jade Emperor. He lives in the Tushita Palace (Dōushuài Gōng) in the Heaven of Departing Sorrow, and his daily work is one thing: refining elixirs. His Eight-Trigram Furnace (Bāguà Lú) is one of the most famous "devices" in Chinese literature — configured with eight kinds of heavenly fire according to the eight trigrams, theoretically capable of refining any substance into an immortal elixir or ashes.

Then Sun Wukong arrived. During the havoc in heaven, this monkey broke into the Tushita Palace and swallowed in one go all five gourds of golden elixirs that Taishang Laojun had painstakingly refined for untold years — supreme elixirs originally meant to be sent to the Peach Banquet for the immortals to enjoy. Taishang Laojun was so furious that his white beard trembled (one can imagine that iconic three-foot-long beard probably whirling several times around), but his reaction is worth pondering: he did not fly into a rage and demand the monkey's death, but instead proposed a "technical" solution — throw Wukong into the Eight-Trigram Furnace to be refined.

By design, the eight kinds of heavenly fire in the Eight-Trigram Furnace were enough to refine anything. But Taishang Laojun never expected that Wukong would hide in the "Xun" position (xùn wèi, the trigram representing wind) — where there is wind but no fire. The result? Not only was Wukong not burned to death, but over forty-nine days of smoke and fire he refined the "Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils" (Huǒyǎn Jīnjīng) — a pair of golden eyes capable of seeing through the disguises of all demons and monsters. The ultimate treasure carefully crafted by the supreme deity of Daoism instead gave a free upgrade to the monkey of the Buddhist camp — this is probably one of the most darkly humorous episodes in Chinese literature.

But Taishang Laojun is by no means just the unlucky old man whose elixirs were stolen in Journey to the West. In Daoist tradition, he is the founding patriarch of alchemy (liàndān shù, the predecessor of ancient Chinese chemistry). From Qin Shi Huang sending Xu Fu to sea in search of the elixir of immortality, to Emperor Wu of Han's obsession with occult arts, to countless Daoist priests over two thousand years lighting alchemical furnaces in deep mountains and old forests — the origins of China's alchemical history are all traced back to Taishang Laojun. Ironically, although the elixir of immortality was never successfully refined, a "by-product" of the alchemical process — gunpowder (huǒyào) — unexpectedly changed the course of world history.

There is another divine artifact of Taishang Laojun that cannot go unmentioned — the Diamond Bracelet (Jīngāng Zhuó), also called the Golden Steel Ring. In Journey to the West, Taishang Laojun's mount, the Green Ox Spirit, stole the Diamond Bracelet and descended to the mortal world as a demon. This inconspicuous little ring could absorb all weapons — Wukong's golden cudgel, Erlang Shen's three-pointed double-edged spear, Nezha's entire set of equipment, all were sucked away by it. In the end, Sun Wukong had no recourse but to run up to the Tushita Palace to find Taishang Laojun. The old man then leisurely rode his green ox down to the mortal world and, without changing expression, retrieved his own "pet" and "component." That calm composure seemed to say: a small scene, not worth mentioning.

The classic image of Taishang Laojun is the ultimate epitome of Chinese Daoist aesthetics: white hair and youthful face, a three-foot white beard flowing, wearing a Ruyi crown, dressed in a robe of the eight trigrams, riding a leisurely green ox, holding a banana-leaf fan or a fly whisk. He looks like nothing more than the kindest old grandfather — but in those eyes that seem forever half-closed shines the light of wisdom that perceives all Three Realms. He is the kind of being who commands awe without anger: you would not fear him, but you would absolutely never dare to underestimate him.

East-West Comparison

East · Taishang Laojun

Western counterpart: Merlin

Taishang Laojun is most often compared to Merlin in Western literature. The two indeed share striking similarities: both are elderly wise men with silver hair and long beards; both are masters of alchemy or magic; both are closely associated with the highest rulers (Merlin advised King Arthur, Taishang Laojun is an elder statesman of the Heavenly Court); both represent the archetype of the "mysterious old man" in their respective cultures. But the essential difference lies in their level of existence. Merlin is mortal — he is born and dies, has weaknesses, and is ultimately sealed in a crystal cave by the Lady of the Lake, a rather bleak end. Taishang Laojun is the incarnation of the "Dao" — as long as the Dao endures, he endures. Merlin's wisdom comes from magical training; Taishang Laojun's wisdom comes from the fact that he himself is the cosmic law. More importantly, Merlin is a fictional literary character, whereas the mortal prototype of Taishang Laojun — Laozi — was a real historical figure, a great thinker who left behind a philosophical work that influenced the intellectual history of all humanity. The Dao De Jing has been translated into dozens of languages and is a common heritage of human civilization. This makes Taishang Laojun an extremely rare case in world religion: a real philosopher who was gradually deified after his death into a supreme cosmic being.

Modern Influence

Taishang Laojun (Laozi) is one of China's most successfully exported cultural images. The Dao De Jing is one of the most translated Chinese works in the world, second only to the Bible. Concepts such as "Dao," "wu wei" (non-action), "the highest good is like water," and "the Dao follows nature" have transcended language and national borders to become common vocabulary for intellectuals worldwide — Silicon Valley entrepreneurs quote Laozi when discussing management philosophy, and European philosophers refer to the Dao De Jing when discussing ontology. In domestic film and television, Taishang Laojun is a classic character in every adaptation of Journey to the West, and the famous scene of the Eight-Trigram Furnace refining Wukong is a must-shoot segment. In various mythological games, Taishang Laojun usually appears as an alchemy system NPC or master forger — continuing his classic persona as the "founding patriarch of alchemy." In Daoist temples (such as the White Cloud Temple in Beijing and the Green Ram Temple in Sichuan), the Hall of the Three Pure Ones must enshrine the statue of the Taiqing Moral Heavenly Worthy — this is a basic regulation of Daoist architecture. The image of Laozi riding a green ox is also a frequent guest on Chinese stamps, paintings, and tourism cultural products.