Legendary Encounters
In Tu Kuang-t'ing's text, after Introducing Xiwangmu, he includes narrative accounts of the Queen Mother's encounters with legendary Chinese heroes. One such account narrates an encounter between the Queen Mother and Laozi (Note: The Laozi being referred to in the text is the god Lord Lao):
"In the 25th year of King Chao of the Chou dynasty (1028 BCE) ..." "...Lord Lao and the realized person Yin Hsi went traveling..." "...on their behalf, the Queen Mother of the West explicated the Scripture of Constant Purity and Quiet." (CMYC, 24159)
In this account, Xiwangmu plays the role of Laozi's superior and is credited with the ultimate authorship of the Dao De Jing. This dichotomy of Xiwangmu as the superior is a characteristic of Shang Ch'ing Daoism, a Goddess worshiping sect of Daoism of which Tu Kuang-t'ing was a master. There is also an account of a meeting between Xiwangmu and Laozi in T'ang poetry (CTS, 1708.) This account however, being of traditional Daoist thought, has the Queen Mother taking an inferior role to Laozi, calling him "Primordial Lord" (the title of his highest manifestation) and pays homage to the sage.
Read more about this topic: Queen Mother Of The West
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