Page 338 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

DALUO TIAN 299

Daluo tian

Great Canopy Heaven

The Great Canopy Heaven appears in *Lingbao texts as the highest heaven
in two different cosmological systems. In the first, it is associated with the
Thirty-two Heavens (*sanshi'er tian). Although these heavens are located hori-
zontally in the four directions with the Great Canopy Heaven situated above
them, their number brings to mind the thirty-three heavens of Indian Buddhist
cosmology. In the second system, the Great Canopy Heaven is placed above
a vertical series of three heavens that represent a synthesis of earlier Taoist
ideas. In this system, the *Tianshi dao idea of the Three Pneumas (sanqi -
*t; see *santian and liutian), which sequentially arose at the beginning of the
cosmos, was combined with the Heavens of the Three Clarities (*sanqing),
which developed simultaneously. According to Lingbao cosmogony; the divi-
sion into three pneumas led to the creation of Great Clarity (Taiqing )c1~),
Highest Clarity (Shangqing 1: r~), and Jade Clarity (Yuqing ~r~). These three
heavens are topped by the Great Canopy Heaven, the residence of Yuanshi
tianzun jfJ~X. (Celestial Worthy of Original Commencement; see *san-
qing) who is the highest Lingbao celestial being.
In Tang dynasty Taoist texts, an attempt was made to synthesize the vari-
ous cosmologies. In one systematization, the Great Canopy Heaven is placed
above the twenty-eight heavens of the Three Realms (sanjie .::.W, i.e., desire,
form, formlessness), the Four Heavens of the Seed-People (si zhongmin tian [9
~ ~ X), and the Heavens of the Three Clarities (see table 20). As were many
Taoist cosmological terms and imagery, the Great Canopy Heaven was also
adopted as a metaphor for a celestial palace by Tang poets, particularly in the
creations of Li Bai ::$ B (Li Bo, 70I-62) and *Wu Yun (?- 778).

Amy Lynn MILLER
W Bokenkamp I997, 382-83

* sanshi'er tian