Jade Emperor

Jade Emperor

The Jade Emperor (Pinyin: Yu Huang or Yu Di), known informally by children and commoners as Heavenly Grandfather (Tian Gong) and known formally as the Pure August Jade Emperor or August Personage of Jade (Yu Huang Shangdi or Yu Huang Da Di), is the ruler of Heaven according to Chinese mythology and among the most important gods of the Chinese Taoist pantheon.

From the ninth century, he was also the patron deity of the Chinese imperial family. The Jade Emperor is thought to rule over Heaven and Earth just as the earthly emperors once ruled over China. He and his court are part of a celestial bureaucracy (mirroring that of ancient China) ruling over every aspect of human and animal life.

The origin of the Jade Emperor

It was said that the Jade Emperor was originally the crown prince of the kingdom of Pure Felicity and Majestic Heavenly Lights and Ornaments. At birth he emitted a wondrous light that filled the entire kingdom. When he was young, he was kind, intelligent and wise. He devoted his entire childhood to helping the needy (the poor and suffering, the deserted and single, the hungry and disabled). Furthermore, he showed respect and benevolence to both men and creatures. After his father died, he ascended the throne. He made sure that everyone in his kingdom found peace and contentment, after that he told his ministers that he wished to cultivate Dao on the Bright and Fragant Cliff. After 1,750 trials, each trial lasting for 120,976 years, he attained Golden Immortality. After another a hundred million years of cultivation, he finally became the Jade Emperor.(In total, using the given figures, this period before his becoming the Jade Emperor lasted for about 311,708,000 years.)

The Jade Emperor vanquishing evil

There is a little known myth which tells of how the Jade Emperor became the monarch of all the deities in heaven. It is one of the few myths in which the Jade Emperor really shows his might. In the beginning of time, the earth was a very hard and difficult place to live. Men were having tremendous difficulty coping with existence; not only did men have to deal with harsh conditions, but also with all kinds of monstrous beings. At this time, there were also not many gods or deities to protect men. Furthermore, a lot of powerful, evil demons were defying the immortals of heaven. The Jade Emperor was still an ordinary immortal who roamed earth to help as many people as he could. However, he felt sad because his powers were limited and could only ease the sufferings of men. He decided to retreat in a mountain cave and cultivate his Dao. He passed 3,200 trials, each trial lasted for about 3 million years. Unfortunately, a powerful, evil entity which dwelt on earth had the ambition to conquer the immortals and gods in heaven and proclaim sovereignty over the entire universe. He went into retreat later than the Jade Emperor. This evil entity retreated himself too and went into meditation to expand his power. He passed through 3,000 trials each trial lasting for about 3 million years too. After he passed his final trial, he felt confident that no one could defeat him anymore. He re-entered the world again, and recruited an army of demons with the purpose of attacking heaven. The immortals being aware of the threat gathered themselves and prepared for war. The gods were unable to stop the powerful demon and all were defeated by him. The Three Pure Ones were leading the celestial beings at that time. Fortunately, the Jade Emperor finished his cultivation in the midst of this war. He was changing the land to make it more liveable for men and repelling all kinds of monstrous beasts. Suddenly, he saw an evil glow emitting from heaven and knew something was amiss. He ascended and saw that a war was going on, he saw that the demon was too powerful to be stopped by any of the gods present. He went up and challenged the demon, and a battle ensued between them. Mountains shook and rivers and seas toppled; however, the Jade Emperor stood victorious due to his deeper and wiser cultivation, not for might but for benevolence. After totally annihilating the demon, all the other demons were scattered by the gods and immortals. Because of his noble and benevolent deeds, the gods, immortals and mankind proclaimed the Jade Emperor the supreme sovereign of all.