Taiyi Shengshui
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2015) |
Taiyi Shengshui (Chinese: 太一生水; pinyin: Tàiyī Shēngshuǐ; lit. 'The Great One Gave Birth to Water') was an ancient Chinese text written about 300 BC during the Warring States period. It is part of the Guodian Chu Slips.
It is a Taoist creation myth. According to the transcription and translation by professors Wen Xing and of Dartmouth College, the opening lines are:
太一生水， 水反輔大一， 是以成天。天反輔太一，是以成地。 天地（復相輔）也， 是以成神明。 神明復相輔也， 是以成陰陽。[1]
The Great One gave birth to water. Water returned and assisted Taiyi, in this way developing heaven. Heaven returned and assisted Taiyi, in this way developing the earth. Heaven and earth [repeatedly assisted each other], in this way developing the "gods above and below." The "gods above and below" repeatedly assisted each other, in this way developing Yin and Yang.[2]
Commentators describe Taiyi as a representation of Heaven (James Legge), an impersonal "Watery Chaos" (Kong Yingda). At least one scholar (Medhurst) interprets this as the "Supreme One", possibly Shangdi.
In Japan, Amaterasu is traditionally considered syncretic deity with Taiyi. The name O-Amaterasu-Omikami is also sometime use for Amenominakanushi-no-kami.
The Taiyi Shengshui was written on 14 bamboo strips and was discovered in 1993 in Hubei, Jingmen (the Guodian Chu Slips).[3]
References[]
- ^ Xing, Wen; 邢文, trans. & ed. (July 2005). 郭店老子與太一生水 Guodian Laozi & Taiyi shengshui（in Chinese） (1 ed.). Beijing: Academy Press 學苑出版社. p. 232. ISBN 7-5077-2587-1.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help) - ^ Henricks, Robert G. (2000). Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching (1 ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-231-11816-3.
- ^ Full text of the myth
 | This Taoism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- Taoist texts
- Zhou dynasty texts
- 4th-century BC works
- Taoism stubs