Chinese Studies: What does it mean to be blessed by a heavenly official?国学研究：天官赐福是什么意思？

The Heavenly Judge gives blessings, signifying the blessings of heaven on earth. Continued good deeds will be rewarded with blessings.

 ------ Zhuge Changqing

   What is the core connotation of Chinese culture?

   According to Zhuge Changqing's comprehensive research, the core of Chinese culture is a culture of good fortune.

   In everyday life, phrases such as "Bless you with the blessings of the Heavenly Officials, the Five Blessings, the Star of Fortune, the Gate of Blessing" and so on are familiar to everyone.

    Since everyone blesses each other, what is the origin of Tian Guan Ci Fu?

   What is the blessing of the Heavenly Master?

    Firstly, the Heavenly Judge is one of the "Three Officials", the "First Grade Blessed Heavenly Judge" in heaven, that is, the Great Purple Emperor.

   According to Zhuge Changqing's research, the Heavenly Official is one of the three officials of the Taoist deities, namely the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official and the Water Official.

    The three officials are known as the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official and the Waterly Official. The Heavenly Official is the First Grade Blessing Heavenly Official, also known as the Great Purple Emperor (also known as the "Great Purple Arctic Emperor", "Great North Pole Emperor" and "North Star King", one of the four emperors of the Jade Emperor). He is a member of the Jade Emperor's realm.

    The Three Officials, also known as the Three Officials Great Emperor.

    The Three Officials are the combined name of the Heavenly Official Ziyiwei Da Di, the Earthly Official Qingxu Da Di and the Waterly Official Dongyin Da Di.

    In ancient China, there were rituals for the worship of Heaven, Earth and Water. In the Ritual of Haji, it is said: "Burnt firewood was sacrificed to heaven, hills and mountains were raised, rivers were sunk, and the earth was buried". In ancient times, however, it was the right of the emperor to sacrifice to heaven, earth and water, and the common people could only sacrifice to their ancestors. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Zhang Ling founded the Way of the Heavenly Master, the three officials of heaven, earth and water were worshipped and handwritten by the three officials as a way for Daoists to ask for prayers to cure illnesses. "One of them is on the mountain; the other is buried in the earth; and the other is sunk in the water. It is called the Three Officials Handwriting".

    The Three Official Gods were the three heavenly deities worshipped by early Taoism.

   They refer to the Heavenly God, the Earthly God and the Water God. In ancient China, there were rituals for the worship of Heaven, Earth and Water. In the Ritual of Haji in the Ritual of Yi Li, it is said that "burnt wood was sacrificed to heaven, hills and mountains were raised, rivers were sunk and the earth was buried". In ancient times, however, it was the right of the emperor to sacrifice to heaven, earth and water, and the common people could only sacrifice to their ancestors. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Zhang Ling founded the Five Dou Mi Dao, the three officials of heaven, earth and water were worshipped and handwritten by the three officials as a way for Daoists to ask for prayers to cure their illnesses. "One of them is on the mountain; the other is buried in the earth; and the other is sunk in the water. It is called the Three Officials' Handwriting". During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the three gods of heaven, earth and water and the three gods of the upper, middle and lower spheres were merged into one.

   It was only with the spread of Zhang Daoling that activities such as worshipping the Heavenly Officials moved from imperial royalty into the homes of the social masses.

   The responsibilities of the three gods were divided into three parts: the Heavenly Gods bestowed blessings, the Earthly Gods pardoned sins and the Water Gods relieved misfortunes.

   1. The Heavenly Officials give blessings: The Heavenly Officials are called the First Grade Blessing Heavenly Officials of the Upper World, the Great Purple Emperor, and are subordinate to the Jade Emperor. The Heavenly Official is formed by the three qi of green, yellow and white, and is the master of the emperors of the heavens. The time for the Heavenly God to bestow blessings is the 15th day of the first month of the year. It is called the Shang Yuan Festival in Taoism. On this day, the Heavenly Judge comes to earth and, according to the amount of good deeds people have done, he will judge their sins and blessings, hence the name "Heavenly Judge Gives Blessings".

    2. The Earth Officer forgives sins: The Earth Officer is called the Second Grade Earth Officer of the Central Yuan who forgives sins, the Great Emperor of Qingxu, and belongs to the realm of Shangqing. It is formed from the mixed spiritual energy of the Yuan Cave and the essence of extreme yellow, and is the master of the five emperors and the gods of the five mountains. The time for the Earth God to forgive sins is the 15th day of the 7th month. This is known as the Chung Yuan Festival in Taoism. On this day, the Heavenly Magistrate comes to earth and, according to the amount of good deeds people have done, he will judge the sins and blessings of the people and forgive the sins of those who have done good deeds.

   3. The Water Officer is called the Third Grade Water Officer of the Lower Yuan, the Great Emperor of Tung Yin, and is attached to the realm of Yuqing. It is formed from the qi of the wind and the essence of the morning ho, and is the master of all the great gods in the water. The time for the Water God to relieve the evil spirits is the 15th of October. It is called the Lower Yuan Festival in Taoism. On the 15th day of the first month, the Heavenly God is born, the Earthly God is born, and the Water God is born. On this day, the Heavenly God comes to earth and, according to the amount of good deeds people have done, calibrates people's sins and blessings and resolves the bad luck of those who have done good deeds.

   The most important thing that people want is to seek good fortune, so it is very important that the Heavenly Judge gives them good fortune. The words "Heavenly Officials bestow blessings" became a common blessing in people's daily lives.

   Successive dynasties also attached great importance to them. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the court often ordered a ban on killing them on their birthdays; during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the government even stipulated that the trial and execution of condemned prisoners be stopped on their birthdays

 　The Decree of Emperor Yuan of Liang says: "The upper yuan is the day when the Heavenly Officials Division bestows blessings; the middle yuan is the day when the Earthly Officials pardon sins; and the lower yuan is the day when they relieve misfortune." Later the Taoists also set up fasts and recited scriptures on the 15th day of the first month for the Heavenly Official, the 15th day of the seventh month for the Earthly Official and the 15th day of the tenth month for the Waterly Official.

    The Origin of the Three Officials

     The Chronology of the Three Officials, their priesthood, and the objects and scope of their jurisdiction are also recorded in detail in The Book of the Gods and the Book of the Three Professors.

    In the book, it is said that Chen Zi prayed with the three daughters of the Dragon King and gave birth to three sons, all of whom grew up to be powerful, with infinite magical power and manifestations.

    The oldest was then ennobled by the First Heavenly Father as the first-ranking Nine Qi Heavenly Official, the Great Purple Emperor, who was born with the symbol of the beginning of Yang and formed into the Supreme Truth, and lived in the Seven Treasures Purple Palace of the Xuandu Yuan Yang, the chief master of the Heavenly Emperor, the Divine King, the Supreme Saint, the High Truth, and the Three Luo Wanxiang Heavenly Monarch.

    He is the Second Emperor of the Middle Element, the Second Grade, the Seven Qi Officer of the Earth, and resides in the palace of the Nine Earths and the World of the Sky, and is the Lord of the Five Mountains, the Twenty-four Mountains, the Nine Earths and the Four Dimensions and the Eight Extremes.

    He is also known as the Third Emperor of the Lower Yuan, the Third Grade, the Fifth Air Water Officer, the Great Emperor of Tung Yin, who resides in the Palace of Golden Spirit and Longevity, and is the chief master of the Nine Rivers Water Emperor, the Four Daoist Gods, the Twelve Streams and the Three Rivers and Four Plums.

    It is also said that on the day of the Sanyuan Festival, the Three Officials' Great Emperor will visit the altar to examine the ascension of the gods and immortals, the limits of human qualities, and the birth of all kinds of things in the ten kingdoms of the great world.

     Since the Ming Dynasty, many Sanguan temples, Sanguan halls, Sanguan nunneries and Sanguan temples have been built around the world. During the Sanyuan Festival, people go to the temples to worship the Three Officials, to confess their sins and pray for blessings and avoid disasters. People who believe in Sanguan have to abstain from meat and eat vegetarian food, which is called "Sanguan Su". During the Qing Dynasty, the belief in the Three Officials became more widespread, and there were many different kinds of paintings of the "Heavenly Officials bestowing blessings".

   Three, "Tian Guan Gives Blessings" led to the saying of "blessings" in every household.

    When celebrating the Spring Festival or moving house, people like to say their blessings.

    So where did the word blessing come from?

    According to Zhuge Changqing, the word blessing should come from the "blessing of the Heavenly Judge".

    Let us first look at the basic meaning of the word 'fortune'.

    In the Shuowen Jiezi, it is explained that fu (福) means "blessing". It is derived from the sound of xi yun.

    According to Zhuge Changqing, the word blessing means to be blessed by heaven.

    In the oracle bone inscription, the word fu means to hold a wine altar in both hands and pour the wine on the altar.

    Why then is the wine placed on the altar? Zhuge Changqing believes that this means to worship the heavens and to pray for their protection. In many places nowadays, at the beginning of the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year), the heavenly officials are worshipped in the hope of the gospel.

    From this we can judge that the saying of the blessing in every household means inviting Heaven to give blessings.

    4. The image of the Heavenly Master giving blessings is very auspicious

    The image of the Heavenly Master giving blessings is usually a figure of the Heavenly Master and a bat.

   The Heavenly Official wears a prime minister's hat with ruyi wings, five locks of beard, a red robe embroidered with dragons, a jade belt, and a ruyi in his arms. The bat is a homophone for "bat" and "fortune", which is a symbol of good fortune and blessing.

    The Heavenly Judge is the deity who bestows blessings and fortune. The Heavenly Judge is holding a banner with the words "Heavenly Judge Gives Blessings", with the word "Blessings" in a cluster of flowers at his back, with auspicious clouds and five bats encircling his head and feet, and a longevity peach at his feet, symbolising "many blessings and longevity". "The heavenly official bestows a good and happy life on earth.

　  The Ming engraving "The Three Religions Searching for Gods and Goddesses", Volume 1 "Sanyuan Da Di", contains the following words: "The first-ranking Heavenly Official of Shang Yuan gives blessings to the Ziyou Di Qun, who was born on the 15th day of the first month."

　　In folklore, a couplet is affixed with the upper couplet, "Lucky and prosperous", and the lower couplet, "The Heavenly Officials bestow blessings" or "Receiving a hundred fortunes from Heaven".

   The couplets are surrounded by lingzhi or miscellaneous treasures, and are mostly used for congratulating the birth of a child in the form of paintings and gift decorations. There is also a square decorative painting for the shadow wall, the 'Blessing Lamp'. It is usually decorated with the words "Tian Guan Gives Blessings", with the words "Tian Guan Gives Blessings" and the words "Tian Guan Gives Blessings" on the picture, plus the four seasons of flowers and auspicious clouds, etc. It is a folk New Year decoration.

    Zhuge Changqing wishes those who are filial to their parents and do good deeds the blessings of the Heavenly Master!

    Do not do evil and practice all good deeds. Be persistent and answer all your requests.

     Blessings of prosperity, good fortune, blessings from the Heavenly Judge, soaring careers and prosperity to all those who are fortunate!

    For those who are new to Buddhism, life releasing, food giving, vegetarianism and Buddhist chanting, please refer to the following article on Zhuge Changqing's Sina blog

   (Zhuge Changqing: Please don't be in a hurry, have patience, read it carefully and you will understand)

      Zhuge Changqing wishes prosperity to all those who have the good fortune to honour their parents and do good deeds!

   We wish all those who are fortunate enough to have a good fortune, a blessing from the heavenly officials, a soaring career, and prosperity!

What are the acts of abstaining from killing and releasing

 戒杀与放生的行为包括哪些

 1. Do not kill a living being with your own hands.

　　2. Do not abet others to kill.

　　3. Do not help others to kill.

　　4. Abstain from eating meat.

　　5. Do not engage in trades related to killing.

　　6、Whenever there is worship, regardless of what is being worshipped, use vegetarian dishes, flowers and fruit, not animal gifts.

　　7. If you see someone killing a human being, you should discourage them or buy the animal to be slaughtered with money and release it. If this does not work, or if the person does not sell the animal, then you should have compassion for the slaughtered animal, and even better if you can recite the Buddha's name or mantra for it.

　　8. Do not abuse the animal.

　　9、Other actions that are contrary to killing.

　　10. Abstain from killing and releasing animals yourself, and advise others to do the same. 

   1、不亲手杀生。

　　2、不教唆别人杀生。

　　3、不帮助别人杀生。

　　4、戒除肉食。

　　5、不从事与杀生有关的行业。

　　6、凡有祭拜，不管拜的是什么，一律用素菜、鲜花、水果，不用牲礼。

　　7、见人杀生，应加劝阻，或用钱将临宰之动物买而放之。若劝阻无效，或他不卖，则应对被杀之动物起同情心，若能为它念佛号或往生咒更好。

　　8、不虐待动物。

　　9、其他与杀生行为相反之行为。

　　10、自己戒杀放生，也劝别人戒杀放生。 

(This article is an original article by Zhuge Changqing, and the pictures are selected from the Internet. Welcome to forward it, and please indicate the source for forwarding)

Introduction to Zhuge Changqing: Zhuge Changqing, the inheritor and promoter of traditional Chinese culture, is willing to "learn from sages, promote virtue, revitalize China and benefit the world" together with people with the same ideals in the world.

(Zhuge Changqing: zhuge8031@163.com ）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

Zhuge Changqing's Chinese Dream

Learn from sages and carry forward virtue

Revitalizing China for the benefit of the world

 （本文是诸葛长青原创文章，图片选自网络。欢迎转发，转发引用请注明出处）

诸葛长青简介：诸葛长青，中国国学传统文化传承弘扬者，愿与天下志同道合者一起“学习圣贤、弘扬善德、振兴中华、造福世界”。

（诸葛长青：zhuge8031@163.com）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

  诸葛长青中国梦  

学习圣贤 弘扬善德

振兴中华 造福世界

Selected Articles in Previous Periods

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4How to repent: the ritual of repentance and the method of repentance (full version)

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7Zhuge Changqing's Repentance Culture: A Case Study of Repentance Methods for Changing Destiny

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8Free Life Culture: Free Life Culture in Ancient China

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