Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles
available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Yuanshi Tianzun,
the Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning or the Primeval Lord
of Heaven, is one of the highest deities of religious Taoism. He is one
of the Three Pure Ones. He resides in the Heaven of Jade Purity. It is
believed that he came into being at the beginning of the universe as a
result of the merging of pure breaths. He then created Heaven and Earth.
He once was the supreme administrator of Heaven but later entrusted that
task to his assistant Yuhuang, the Jade Emperor. Yuhuang took over the
administrative duties of Yuanshi Tianzun, and became the overseer of
both Heaven and Earth. At the beginning of each age, Yuanshi Tianzun
transports the Lingpao ching (or "Yuanshi Ching"), the Scriptures of the
Magic Jewel, to his students (who are lesser deities), who in turn
instruct mankind in the teachings of the Tao. Yuanshi Tianzun is said to
be without beginning and the most supreme of all beings. He is in fact,
a representation of the principle of all being. From him all things
arose. He is eternal, limitless, and without form.
