Page 663 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

LAOZI MING

Laozi ming

Inscription for Laozi

The Laozi ming, by the court official Bian Shao ]iJ: iHi, dates from 24 September,
165, and contains a record of the imperial sacrifices to Laozi undertaken by Han
Huandi (r. 146-168) at the sage's birthplace in Bozhou ~ 1'1'1 (present-day Luyi
JlE~, Henan) and at the imperial palace in Luoyang. The inscription begins
with a summary of the facts known about the historical Laozi, repeating the
account of the Shiji (Records of the Historian; 63.2139-43; trans. Lau 1982, x-
xi), then gives a concrete description of Laozi's birthplace and cites the Daode
jing as the major expression of his ideas. In addition, the text praises Laozi
as the central deity of the cosmos, who was born from primordial energy,
came down to earth, and eventually ascended back to the heavenly realm as
an immortal.
Next, the inscription recounts the concrete circumstances that led Huandi
to make the sacrifice, mentioning a dream he had of the deity and listing the
credentials of the author for the compilation of the text. All this is still by
way of introduction to the actual praise offered to the deity, which combines
the immortality seekers' vision of Laozi with the understanding of Laozi as
a personification of the Dao. It begins:

Focusing only on the virtue of the mystery,
he embraced emptiness and guarded purity.
Happy even in a lowly position,
he never strove for emolument or authority.
Like a rope, he was always straight,
uncoiling naturally when twisted.

and concludes,

He joins the radiance of the Sun and the Moon,
is at one with the Five Planets.
He freely comes and goes from the Cinnabar Hut (danlu ft JJj),
easily travels up and down the Yellow Court (huangting ~ illD.
He rejects ordinary customs,
conceals his light, and hides himself.
Embracing the Origin (yuan Jl:), he transforms like a spirit
and breathes the essence of perfection.