Cheng Bohan
12/03/2024
Tianhuang Dadi 天皇大帝, also known as the Great Emperor of the Gouchen High Palace勾陈上宫天皇大帝, is a revered deity in Daoism, particularly among the "Four Emperors" 四御. He is said to be born on the first day of the second lunar month in the Chinese calendar. 二月初一
Tianhuang Dadi, like the North Star Emperor of the North Pole (Beiji Ziwei Dadi), has roots in ancient Chinese celestial worship. According to the "Lingbao Dafa" 灵宝大法, Tianhuang Dadi is described as follows: "To the left of the North Pole Emperor's seat, there are four constellations shaped like hooks, known as Gouchen. In the center of these constellations, there is a large star, which is the Tianhuang Dadi. He oversees all the stars, positioned similarly to the North Pole, acting as a pivot. Tianhuang Dadi rotates with the heavens." It is believed that Tianhuang Dadi incarnated as Fuxi Dadi, teaching people about fishing, hunting, animal husbandry, and creating the Eight Trigrams Ba Gua八卦. During the time of Fuxi, a dragon horse emerged from the Yellow River carrying the "River Diagram,"河图 and a divine turtle emerged from the Luo River carrying the "Luo Book."洛书 Based on these "diagrams" and "books," Fuxi created the Ba Gua八卦. Thus, Fuxi is considered the incarnation of Tianhuang Dadi and is also known as the Patriarch of the Ba Gua 八卦祖师.
Tianhuang Dadi is one of the divine rulers of heaven and earth in Daoism, governing myriad spirits, holding the map of myriad gods, and overseeing all spirits. He assists the Jade Emperor in managing the North and South Poles, the heavens, the earth, and humanity, and he is in charge of military matters in the mortal world.
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