Although Zhong Kui is a heavenly master, why is he not among the four great heavenly masters of Taoism?

Why is the enchanted general Celestial Master Zhong Kui not among the four great Celestial Masters of Taoism? Today we will talk about this topic.

The God of All Things - Zhong Kui

The Pavilion Master’s hometown is in the countryside. In the 1990s, there were very few entertainment activities in the countryside. At that time, people still liked to watch theater. Therefore, there are always opera troupes coming to our village every year to sing opera, and singing opera is very particular. Before singing, a big stage is needed. After the stage is set up and before the first play begins, one has to worship the gods. At this time, a champion crown will be placed on the incense table in the center of the stage. I didn’t know it at the time, so I asked the adults. The adults said that this was a sign of worship. Zhong Kui is called "Please greet Zhong Kui and win the first place in the ranking". Then many adults bring their children to worship, and the leader of the theater troupe will put Zhuangyuanhong on each child's forehead. (Haha, order one for 10 yuan)

Why do you want to worship Zhong Kui? Doesn't he specialize in catching ghosts? Come on, let's talk.

Zhong Kui, whose courtesy name is Zhengnan, is from Zhongnan Mountain. He had a very dark face and a full beard, which made him ugly and weird. However, Zhong Kui was a well-known scholar who read poetry and books, was rich in knowledge, and had great talents. What's more important is that he is upright, treats others with integrity, and has an upright spirit. (There is a saying that what the demons and ghosts in the world are most afraid of is the awe-inspiring righteousness in the world. This also explains why Tianshi Zhongkui can become the god of demons)

(Tianshi Zhongkui)

However, most people from ancient to modern times have judged people by their appearance, even the emperor. The first place in Zhongkui High School in the Tang Dynasty was not called the number one scholar, but a Jinshi. Although Zhong Kui was a Jinshi in high school, the emperor thought he was ugly and refused to admit him. As a result, Zhong Kui was killed in the main hall. After his death, Zhong Kui only served as a ghost judge in the underworld, and he was not very famous at that time. According to the "History of Tang Dynasty", "Zhong Kui, a Jinshi of Nanshan, died on the palace steps due to his failure in martial arts. I was given a green robe to bury him, and I swore to be grateful and swear to rid the world of wasteful evildoers with my king." It wasn't until Xuanzong came to power in the Tang Dynasty that a strange thing happened, which made Zhong Kui rise to prominence in the divine world!

What's going on? It turned out that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty liked to go out and play, so he fell seriously ill after returning to the palace. The imperial doctors were helpless, until one night Tang Xuanzong dreamed that a kid in red clothes had stolen his treasure, and he angrily scolded the kid. There is nothing you can do about the kid. At this time, a big ghost wearing a broken hat suddenly appeared, caught the little ghost and ate it. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty asked him who he was, and the big ghost replied: I was originally a Zhongnan Jinshi, named Zhong Kui. Because the late emperor disliked my appearance and refused to admit me, he was so angry that I was killed on the steps of the palace. I died. He was named a ghost god and specialized in catching ghosts. After saying this, Zhong Kui disappeared, and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty recovered from his illness after waking up from his dream. The next day, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty went to court and told the officials about the incident. He ordered the painting saint Wu Daozi to paint a portrait of Zhong Kui and place it in the palace, and named Zhong Kui the Holy Lord who blessed the house.

(Bao Zheng, the reincarnation of Zhong Kui and Wenquxing)

You must know that in heaven the Jade Emperor canonizes gods, but in the world only the emperor has the right to canonize gods. For example, in "Journey to the West", the Dragon King of Jinghe begged Emperor Taizong Li Shimin not to let Wei Zheng kill him. In addition, Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was originally a Taoist, so Zhong Kui's worth in the immortal circle has skyrocketed since then.

The emperor liked it, so the people below rushed to imitate it, so the people put Zhong Kui's statue on their doors to ward off evil spirits and avoid ghosts, so Zhong Kui became the door god after Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong. (The earliest door gods are Shen Tu and Yu Lei)

Zhong Kui is a man of great righteousness and lives up to the trust of the people in the world. He blesses the house, subdues demons, kills the five poisons, confers wealth and studies. Granting wisdom and responding to requests, he became the only all-responding god among the Taoist gods of the Han nationality.

Then why can’t such an omnipotent god be among the four great heavenly masters of Taoism? This needs to be compared with the four great heavenly masters of Taoism.

(Portrait of Zhang Tianshi)

Zhengyi Cult Leader-Zhang Daoling

Last year the Pavilion Master went to Qingcheng Mountain, the ancestral home of Taoism, and saw Zhang Tianshi’s introduction on the mountain.

Zhang Tianshi, whose original name was Zhang Ling, had extraordinary talent since childhood. When he became an adult, he had a strange appearance. He was nine feet and two inches tall, with plump eyebrows and broad eyebrows. It is a book that understands the Four Books and Five Classics, astronomy, geography, and Heluo map. He once served as an official, but he saw the darkness of the officialdom and the suffering of the people. Later he resigned and went into seclusion. He devoted himself to Taoism, so he added the word Tao to his name.

(Photographed by the Pavilion Master in Qingcheng Mountain, Sichuan in the 15th year: An introduction to the founding of Zhang Tianshi)

(Photographed by the Pavilion Master in Qingcheng Mountain, Sichuan in the 15th year: An introduction to Zhang Tianshi’s founding of the teaching)

Later, he studied Taoism and practiced Taoism in Heming Mountain, which is today's Qingcheng Mountain area, and founded the Zhengyi League Weidao (Wudou Rice Sect), which is now known as the Zhengyi League of Taoism. At that time, people in the Bashu area were poisoned by witchcraft. The shamans gathered people to make money and did all kinds of evil. Forcing people to believe in the Ghost King. Zhang Tianshi couldn't bear the abuse of the people. On the one hand, he treated diseases and saved people, and on the other hand, he practiced diligently. Legend has it that his desire to learn Taoism moved Taishang Laojun, who came to Shu and taught "Taipingdongji Sutra", "The Twenty-fourth Rank of Zhengyi League", the Jade Seal of Three and Five Du Gong, and the male and female slaying of evil spirits. Swords and other scriptures and magical instruments were worshiped as heavenly masters, and the heavenly masters were instructed to practice the righteous and powerful way, eliminate demons and demons, and save the people. So in July of the second year of Han'an, Zhang Tianshi climbed Qingcheng Mountain, met with eight ghost commanders, fought against all ghosts, subdued heretic demons, and put an end to evil and hypocrisy. The Celestial Master's Taoism is so profound that all demons are invincible. They all surrender and are willing to convert to the righteous way. Therefore, the Celestial Master ordered the ghosts and gods from the five directions, eight tribes and six heavens to swear an oath under the Yellow Emperor's Altar in Qingcheng Mountain. Humans live in the world of the sun, and ghosts live in the underworld. The Ghost King of the Six Heavens was imprisoned in the capital city of Beiyin, and the Ghost Commanders of the Eight Tribes were exiled in the borders of the Western Regions. Since then, the demons have been surrendered and the people are happy. To this day, there are still relics in Qingcheng Mountain such as the ghost swearing platform, the demon subduing stone, and the pen throwing trough where the heavenly masters fought with the ghost commanders. (You can go and see it if you have the opportunity)

(The pen-throwing trough photographed by the owner in Qingcheng Mountain in 2015)

(Introduction to the pen-throwing trough attractions)

(Yang Ping Zhidu Gong Seal)

Because Zhang Tianshi defeated demons and saved all living beings, the people of Shu were very moved and were willing to listen to Tianshi's teachings. So the Heavenly Master established the Twenty-Four Rules, recruited disciples, educated the people, and allowed Zhengyi to flourish. The Emperor of Houtian awarded him a jade book and named him Zhengyi Zhenren, the first generation ancestor of Zhengyi Dao. He attained enlightenment at the age of 123 and ascended to heaven in the daytime.

(Portrait of Ge Tianshi)

Tai Chi Immortal - Ge Tianshi

Ge Tianshi, named Ge Xuan, is Ge Hongzhi's grandfather. Ge Hong is familiar to everyone. He was a Taoist theorist, medical scientist, and alchemist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He called himself Baopuzi and wrote "Baopuzi". If your grandson is so powerful, how can Ge Xuan not be so powerful?

According to "Baopuzi" written by Ge Hong, Ge Tianshi's grandson, Ge Tianshi was a person from the Three Kingdoms era. He once worshiped Taoist Zuo Ci as his teacher and studied Taoism. Therefore, Taoism sometimes calls him "Taishi Zuo Xian Gong". According to legend, he practiced Taoism in Gezao Mountain, Jiangxi Province, often fed grain and took bait, and was good at spells and spells. Like Zhang Tianshi, he was diligent in cultivating Taoism, curing diseases and saving people, being willing to give charity, and conquering demons. In the end, he was moved by Taishang Laojun. Laojun came to the world again, taught him 36 volumes of scriptures, and taught him how to refine the Nine-turn Golden Pill. Master Ge Tianshi went deep into the mountains to refine the pill for decades, and finally made the Nine-turn Golden Pill and ascended to heaven. , founded the Lingbao Sect, a Taoist alchemy sect that ascended to heaven, and was the founder of the Lingbao Sect of Taoism. He left the "Lingbao Jinggao" for future generations to refine elixirs and cultivate immortality.

(Portrait of Xu Tianshi)

The leader of Jingming Cult - Xu Tianshi

Xu Tianshi was a master of Taoism in the Jin Dynasty. His original name was Xu Xun, because he was Before Dao became an immortal, he served as a local official, Jingyang Order, so later generations also called him Xu Jingyang. According to legend, he was well versed in classics, history, astronomy, geography, medicine, and the art of yin and yang and the five elements. He was also a filial son who cared about the world and the world. When he was 20 years old, he was promoted to be a filial and honest person and made a Jingyang Order. He treated the people well. Nine years later, he became a disciple of Wu Meng, the Taoist master of Dadong, and practiced Taoism.

The Taoist classic "Yun Ji Qi Jian" Volume 16 "The Biography of Xu Xun" records: "When Meng Shengxian left, he said to his son: 'After I left, there was someone in the southeast, named Xu Mingxun. , should come to pay homage to you, you should value it, and you can teach it the true talisman. 'When the time came, Xuguo came to pay homage to him, and his son passed on the true talisman to Xun according to his father's order, and his true sense of cultivation became stronger.

"After Da Dong Dao Lord ascended to heaven, he passed on all the secrets to Master Xu Tian. Master Xu Tian lived in seclusion in the mountains and founded the Jingming Taoist sect. It is said that he has done many things for the people of Li. The most classic one is to kill the dragon in Panyang Lake and lead the people to control floods. . He performed good deeds throughout his life and lived for 136 years. In the end, he became an immortal with great merits and was praised by the courts of all dynasties and loved by the people.

(Portrait of Master Sa Tian holding a precious fan).

The Master of Biyun - Master Sa

Master Sa is the most ambiguous of the four Celestial Masters. He was originally a doctor, but later abandoned medicine. It is said that on the way to seek Taoism, he met two real people, Wang Wenqing and Lin Lingsu of the Shenxiao sect, and Zhang Jixian, the 30th generation master of Longhu Mountain. Anonymous each taught Sa Shoujian one method, one was the jujube spell, one was the fanning method, and the other was the thunder method. After that, Master Sa used the jujube method to cure diseases and save lives for the people; he used the thunder method to eliminate evil and demons, and prayed. Pray for clear weather and rain; use the five-light fan to cast down ghosts and bring people back to life.

Among them, Master Sa is famous for his thunder method and has written scriptures such as "The Theory of Thunder" and "The Theory of Continuing Wind, Rain and Thunder". He accumulated good deeds throughout his life, taught Taoism, and conquered demons. Finally, he accepted Wang Shan as his disciple, that is, Wang Lingguan, and founded the "Sazu Sect". Sa Shoujian was the founder of the Dharma, and his Dharma protector Wang Shan was the commander. He had a profound influence on later generations of Taoism. When he became the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, he named Sa Shoujian the "True Lord of Chongen" and was favored by the people forever.

(Statue of Zhang Tianshi and Xu Tianshi)

(Statue of Tianshi Sa and Tianshi Ge)

To sum up, we can see from the following points why Tianshi Zhongkui cannot Entering the list of the four great heavenly masters of Taoism:

First, the four great heavenly masters have perfected their merits and ascended to the Taoism. It is not like Zhong Kui who hated to die and became a ghost or god in the underworld, but directly ascended to the underworld.

Secondly, the four heavenly masters experienced the sufferings of the people, endured the hardships of the sun and moon, practiced hard, brought peace to the people, and were respected and believed by the people. Although Zhong Kui was in high school. But he chose to commit suicide after failing to do things for the people, which is against human nature, so he cannot enter the heaven directly.

Thirdly, the four great heavenly masters founded sects, established Taoism, and wrote books for future generations. The practice was believed by later generations of Taoists, which Zhong Kui could not match.

Fourthly, the four great heavenly masters are protected by heaven and have strong backings. They are deeply loved by Laojun and other Taoist masters and teach them. Zhong Kui does not have Taoism and scriptures. There is no relationship circle in the immortal world, so it is no wonder that he cannot enter a high position.

Fifth, the four great heavenly masters are all canonized. Although Zhong Kui is also canonized, his level is not enough. To put it bluntly, his influence is not as far-reaching as the four heavenly masters in the human world.

So, although Zhong Kui is a heavenly master and can go to heaven and earth and become the god of all things, he is still the most diligent civil servant. The four heavenly masters are all at the director level, and they are the famous people in front of the Jade Emperor's Palace, so they don't care about many trivial matters in the world.