Lunar Jan 9th is the anniversary of this god named Jade Emperor, Yioh Hwong Daai Di (玉皇大帝), who has a very important role in our lineage. This article is for our disciples to learn about him and why he is so important. I am going to write this post like how I would be talking to a disciple; I hope you can understand it better that way! There is also another post that we talked about the other three emperors too.
Many other sects also worship the Jade Emperor, but they differ from what we have here. I have always said that gods are exclusive to their lineage/sect. That means, even if we have gods with the same name or title, it’s not the same “god” or “person,” if that is easier to understand for you. Like we all have a father and mother, my mother is not the same lady as your mother. Our Jade Emperor is best described as the “Boss of the Celestial Court,” like the CEO! He makes the decision and is in charge of the whole court system.
Civic Mindset
Think of the lineage as a country, and the people who came in are like civilians, the people who live in the country. The people put their faith and investment into the lineage; then, the lineage gives them care, protection, guidance, teachings, etc. The celestial court is like the government; they have people who work to bring us help and care!
As a disciple matures in the lineage, they will move up in the system and eventually become a celestial court member. When the disciple is at that stage, they will learn to do work for the lineage, such as caring for the lowers, helping the lower disciples when they need help, and even defending the lineage when we are facing any attacks. This happens when a disciple enters the Sun Lung Stage and becomes a Taoist priest. However, some disciples can stay in the lower level as “civilians” forever.
You might ask, why does one want to go up to Sun Lung Stage and work for the court if they can be a civilian forever with much less responsibility?
It all has to do with your bigger goals. Working for the court (the lineage) allows you to earn your credit in the system, which is kept in a record system in the celestial court. When you die later, this record will determine your future. For example, if your credit score is very good, you might get an express ticket to Daai Law Tin (the end goal) which is the Taoist’s heaven. Maybe your credit is not good enough; then you have to stay in the court and work for a certain amount of time before transferring to DLT (heaven) to have your new life. In short, the better you do in the court system while alive, the better you will be after you die.
Another perk of being a good worker for the court is that the court will deploy their armies at your location to protect you and your family who live with you. You will also get more power when you do magic, which improves everything. Imagine you are always bothered by evil magic attacks, and now the evil magic cannot hurt you anymore because of all the court’s power protecting you and your home. It’s like police having a gun, and now the bad guys don’t want to mess with you anymore.
As a disciple, even a newbie, you are like a child in the lineage/country. Your goal should be eventually to “get a job” equivalent to working for the celestial court. Some people might be old or have a special condition, and they will not be able to do that, but if you are not in that category, it is always a good idea to keep that goal in mind. Therefore, you should pray to the Jade Emperor to give you the opportunity and help you make your way into the court system one day! As you say, you hope to “be hired” in the future!
Being Hired and Being Fired
Now you know that it is a good thing to be “hired” by the Jade Emperor for being a worker in the court. However, you should also know that you can risk being fired. When you are an ordinary civilian, everything is easygoing and casual. When the Jade Emperor looks up to you, he will give you blessings and magical powers, and you will then feel the hype and urge to level up yourself and get to Sun Lung Stage for being a real “civic worker” for the court. That’s nice, but it also means you will face more challenges once in that stage.
It’s easy to get you to the Sun Lung stage; all it takes is approval from the god and a ceremony to be done by distance. However, it doesn’t mean you are “done” and all good after that. While in Sun Lung Stage, you are learning to become a qualified civic worker. That means you should be proactive in learning and always care for the lowers (for the lineage!) and not just hide away, be quiet, and try to get the power for yourself.
There are two stages in the Sun Lung Stage level, which are the learning stage and the practice stage. In the learning stage, you are still a newbie in the system but determined to start learning. No one will have much expectation from you yet, and you will have the opportunity to show your desire to learn. Once you are picked and put into the practice stage, it means that you are now officially in the position, and therefore you must work to fulfill your obligations and have the quality of a civic worker for the court. There are rules to follow, virtues to possess and work to be done! It’s not scary, but just like you got hired by a company, you need to go to work, or else why are you getting paid?
Once a disciple is put into the actual position as a Taoist priest and a senior, and they decide to break the rules, not do their work, and not care for the lowers, etc., the Jade Emperor will issue warnings. When the warning comes, the master will give out warnings and teachings, but if all fail to deliver the message, the Jade Emperor will issue the disciple an official “kick out” and remove them from the court. Once that happens, there is no way to beg for mercy. The disciple will not even get a chance to appeal because they have already failed and rejected the teachings and warnings. When the magical power strikes them, the disciple will lose all their heart in the Tao and eventually withdraw from the lineage. They might say they want to quit, or they will disappear and vanish like a quiet rat. It’s not uncommon because we had witnessed this happen a few times in lineage history when the Jade Emperor brought those lazy and unqualified seniors to justice. It’s hard to watch how some disciples can fail and be kicked out by the gods, but it also shows us that we must cherish what we got and do our best to fulfill our obligation to give love and care to the lower disciples as seniors. If we fail, it also means that we aren’t going to have a good ending when we die too.
Asking for Amnesty
There is a scripture of Amnesty, a magical treasure that the Jade Emperor granted us in the past. We must repent for our wrongdoings, things we might have failed to do, etc. For example, if you feel bad about your progress this year as a senior, maybe you have broken some rules or do not care for the lowers enough etc., but you wish to improve and do better next year, then you can do this scripture to ask the Jade Emperor to give you a chance to do better.
Doing the magic and chanting delivers your message to the Jade Emperor, but it also requires physical activity to show your true heart. After asking for forgiveness, you must do what it takes to improve to make up for your wrongdoings. This will at least save your butt from being kicked out, and you can also ask the Jade Emperor for some blessings and guidance to help you improve. Maybe you have some weakness that needs to be overcome, or you lack some teachings that can fix your mindset, etc. Whatever you lack to become a qualified civic worker, the Jade Emperor can help shed light for you after you have repented with the scripture chanting.
There is also a foundational magic book for you to to learn his FU HEAD, prayers, and such.
Jade Emperor and the Future
The lineage is like a company; it doesn’t have everything that everyone needs at the moment. The people might want something that we don’t have yet. Imagine we are a tech company that makes smartphones; our consumers might want some special feature or device that we don’t have at the moment. Once these ideas are told to the Jade Emperor, then he can consider guiding the lineage toward that direction and bring out new elements to fulfill the people’s desires.
For example, we don’t have the magic for XYZ purpose now, and a disciple prayed to the Jade Emperor begging for this kind of magic. Once the prayer is heard, the Jade Emperor might release the magic and pass it on to the master; then, the master can release the magic and teach the disciples.
The Jade Emperor helps the lineage to build the future and projects their visions to help the lineage grow. Just like a company boss always has to look far ahead and bring up new ideas for the company. He is the biggest god of wealth and wisdom of the lineage!
All disciples should pray and respect the almighty Jade Emperor and thank him for keeping the celestial court in good condition, bringing us all the potential and help, and giving us love and care so that we can live a peaceful and happy life in the lineage!
Not yet a disciple? No worry, get ordained today!
