Sanqing Gods

In the solemn Taoist Sanqing Hall, the three solemnly-dressed deities are usually worshipped, which are the supreme gods of Taoism, the “Three Primes”. The Three Primes are Yuzhen Yuanshi Tianzun, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun and Taqing Dade Tianzun, and they are a symbol of the Taoist philosophical doctrine of “the Trinity”. Chapter 42 of the Tao Te Ching says: “The Dao gave birth to One, One gave birth to Two, Two gave birth to Three, Three gave birth to all things. All things contain Yin and embrace Yang, and the rush of Qi is harmony.” From the nameless Dao comes the primordial chaos, from which the primordial chaos gives rise to the two energies of yin and yang. The harmony of yin and yang gives rise to all things in the world. Chapter 14 goes on to say: “What cannot be seen is called small, what cannot be heard is called remote, and what cannot be grasped is called subtle. These three cannot be questioned, so they become one. It is believed that one becomes three, and three become one. Later, Taoism used this to derive the three revered gods who reside in the Three Pure Ones paradise. Therefore, the Three Pristine Ones are the most revered gods in the Taoist pantheon. The Taoist Canon, Volume 7, quotes the Taizhen Code as saying: “The Great Ultimate is born of the three primordial energies of the mysterious primordial, and becomes the Three Pristine Ones: the first is the Celestial Realm of the Jade Clarity of the Qingwei Heaven, born of the primordial energy; the second is the Celestial Realm of the Upper Heavens of the Yu Yu, born of the primordial spirit; the third is the Celestial Realm of the Great Vermilion Heaven of the Supreme Ultimate, born of the primordial mystery. From this, the three primordial energies each gave birth to the world,” according to the Cloud Classic Seven? and other Taoist records, the Jade Realm of the Qingming Heaven, the Primordial Void of the Mixed Cave, its qi is initially green, the true Dao ascends to the realm of the saint, and it is ruled by the Heavenly Precious Treasure (Yuan Shi Tianzun); the Celestial Pure Realm of the Yu Yu Heaven, its qi is primordially yellow, the immortal Dao ascends to the realm of the true, and it is ruled by the Precious Spiritual Treasure; the Great Red Sky's Supreme Pure Realm, its qi is mysteriously white; the human Dao ascends to the realm of the fairy, and it is inhabited by the Dao Tianzun. The text says: “These four heavenly realms are above the three realms, beyond the reach of disasters. There are three pure realms in these four heavenly realms. Above the three pure realms is the great heavenly realm, where the primordial deity lives and spreads his teachings. The heavenly treasure lord rules in the jade pure realm, and the clear and subtle heavenly realm. The spiritual treasure lord rules in the upper pure realm, which is the remaining heavenly realm, and the divine treasure lord (the Taoist deity) rules in the supreme pure realm, which is the great red heavenly realm.” ("The Cloud Classic VII? Volume 3, ‘Taoism Origin Section’) According to ‘Collection of Commentaries on the True Meaning,’ citing ‘A Brief Account of the Number of Readings,’ it says: ‘The Three Pure Ones are the holy realm of the jade-pure, where the primordial began; the holy realm of the upper pure, where the Taoist Lord resides; and the heavenly realm of the great pure, where the Old Lord resides.’ At the same time, the Three Pure Ones of Taoism also reflect the deification of the ‘Three Cave Sutras’ of Taoism. The sixth volume of the “Clouds and Books Seven” says in the “San Dong Jingjiao Bu”: “The Daoist Great Treatise on the Three Holes speaks of the three holes, which are also the three realms. The three realms are interconnected and encompass the three realms of the first hole, the second hole and the third hole. It is the profound meaning of the three realms and the spiritual chapter of the eight meetings.” According to the record of the Qingwei God's position in the ‘Qingwei Dao Fa Zhuzhu’ in Volume 1 of the ‘Dao Fa Huiyuan’; the Qingwei Shengzu Yuqing Yuanshi Miaodao Shangdi represents the Dongzhen Jingbu, Taiyuan Fu, and passes on the Qingwei school of Taoism; the Qingwei Xuanzu Shangqing Lingfu represented the Dongxuan Jingbu, Taihe assisted, and passed on the Lingbao school; the Qingwei ancestor Taiqing Daode Wuling Xuanlaojun represented the Dongjing Jingbu, Taiqing assisted, and passed on the Daode school and Zhengyi school.