Baosheng Dadi
Baosheng Dadi ( 保生大帝 , Bǎoshēng-dàdì , Paosheng Tati - "life -saving emperor", also Poh Seng Tai Tay ) (* 979; † 1036) is the posthumous name of a Chinese doctor who rose to become a deity of the healing arts and is still special today worshiped in Fujian Province and Taiwan .
Names
The actual name is Wu Tao ( 吳 夲 , Wú Tāo ), plus the adult name Hua Ji ( 華 基 , Huá Jī ) and the stage name Yun Zhong ( 云 衷 , Yún Zhōng ) as well as honorary names such as “True Man Wu” ( 吳 真人 , Wú Zhēnrén ), "Prince of the Great Dao" ( 大道 公 , Dàdào gōng ) etc.
History and legend
According to tradition, Wu Tao was born during the Song Dynasty in 979 (in the Chinese lunar calendar on the 15th day of the 3rd month of the 4th year of the motto Tàipíng Xīngguó) in Baijiao Village, Tongan District, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province . His father was called Wú Tōng ( 吳 通 ), the mother came from a family called Huáng ( 黄 ). Both died early.
Wu Tao's life is shrouded in legends. From childhood he was distinguished by his talent and interests. At the age of 17, the "Queen Mother of the West" ( Xiwangmu ) introduced him to exorcistic practices. After passing the provincial exams, he was appointed inspector at the age of 24. But he gave up this post to retire to Mount Dayen in Baijiao.
Wu Tao's medical healing art, with which he saved numerous people, is equally legendary. For example, he treated a dragon with eye drops, which he asked for help in the form of an old man. On another occasion, he removed a hairpin from a tiger's neck that had got stuck there while it was devouring a woman. His therapies show strong Daoist traits. In the case of injuries and infections, he sprayed cleansing salt and water, held a sword horizontally in front of the patient, lit incense sticks and prayed silently, whereupon the suffering disappeared. He treated rich and poor alike without regard to status or person.
Wu Tao died in 1036 (on the 2nd day of the 5th month in the 3rd year of the motto Jǐngyòu) and was accompanied to heaven by cranes. From there he continues to help the people and the nation. The posthumous miracles include all kinds of healings and protection against epidemics, the defense against pirate attacks, the creation of springs with medicinal water and the like.
Adoration
The historical content of all biographical information is extremely uncertain. There is no doubt, however, that Baosheng Dadi worship emerged during the Song Dynasty, which from the beginning bore clear traits of Daoism . The 10th Emperor Gāozōng had two temples built for him in Fujian. Gāozōng's son Xiàozōng granted him the title of Zhenren ( 大道 真人 , Dàdào zhēnrén - "True Man of the Great Dao") in 1171 . Further imperial honorary titles followed in 1195, 1208, 1227, 1235, 1239, 1240, 1245 and 1275. In 1241 the Emperor Lǐzōng ordered that all temples dedicated to Wu Tao ( 廟 , miào ) should have their name and status as a Daoist temple ( 宮 , gōng ) should change. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty also promoted this cult. In 1425, Emperor Rénzōng finally granted him a dragon robe and the status of “Guardian of the Heavenly Palace portal , Merciful Doctor, Wonderful Noble of the Dao, long-lived, infinite, life-saving Emperor”. At the same time, the officials were instructed to make offerings to him in spring and autumn.
During the rule of the Dutch East India Company over Formosa (Taiwan), the immigration of Chinese from Fujian began in the 17th century. a. brought the Baosheng Dadi cult to the island, where it gradually spread from the Tainan region to the northern areas. Temples for “Poh Seng Tai Tay” can also be found in Southeast Asia wherever Chinese immigrants from Fujian have settled. In addition to the sea goddess Mazu, Baosheng Dadi is still one of the most popular Daoist deities. His birthday on the fifteenth day of the third month in the lunar calendar is celebrated with parades in many places.
Medical
In many of the temples dedicated to Baosheng Dadi there are so-called "medicinal oracles" ( 藥 籤 , yàoqiān ). The visitor pulls or shakes an oracle stick ( 籤 竹 , qiānzhú ) from a bundle that is usually in a bamboo container and looks for the recipe under the number scratched or painted on this stick, which is supposed to help with his suffering.
literature
- Dean, Kenneth: The Great Emperor Who Protects Life . In: Dean, K .: Taoist Ritual and Popular Cults of Southeast China. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1993, p. 61-98 (978-0691044736)
- Li, Chunxing: Bǎoshēng dàdì Wú Tāo shēngpíng jí mínjiān jǐniàn kǎolüè (Folk memory of Baosheng Dadi). Zhonghua yishi zazhi - Chinese Journal of Medical History. Vol. 41 (4), pp. 249-251. ( 李春兴: 保生大帝 吴 夲 生平 及 民间 纪念 考 略. 中华 医 史 杂志 )
- Lu Chaolin: Paosheng Tati Yaoch'ien chieh . T'aiP'ei, Paoan-kung, 1998 ( 魯兆麟 ： 保生大帝 藥 籤 解. 臺北 保安 宮 )
- Osaki, Yasuko: Hosei-taitei - Taipei dairyūdō hoankyū no sekai (Baoshengdadi - The world of the Baoan temple in Taipei). Tokyo: Shunpūsha, 2007 ( 尾崎 保 子 『保生大帝 - 台北 大 龍 峒 保安 宮 の 世界』 春風 社 )
- Sung, Jin-shiu Jessie: Authority, Practice and History - Adoption and Re-creation of Yaoqian in Taiwan . In: Taiwan Historical Research. Vol. 19 (3), Sept. 2012, pp. 151-200.
Web links
- Website of the Dalongdong Baoan Temple in Taipei
- Dalondong Baoan Temple Tour (English, TNNTV)
- Chinese TV series, Youku Tudou, Beijing
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chinese 福建省 泉州 府 同安县 白礁 , Pinyin Fújiàn-shĕng Quánzhōu-fŭ Tóng'ān-xiàn Báijiāo
- ↑ In the Daodejing , Zhuang Zi and Huainan Zi scriptures , fully realized people are referred to as 'true people'.
- ↑ Chinese 恩主 昊天 金闕 御史 慈濟 醫 靈 妙 道 真君 萬壽 無極 保生大帝 , Pinyin ēnzhŭ hào tiān jīnquē yù shǐ cí jì yī líng
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Baosheng Dadi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wu Tao (real name); 吳 夲 (Chinese name); 保生大帝 (posthumous Chinese name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese doctor, deity |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 979 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Baijiao, Fujian Province, China |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1036 |