by Brian Griffith
Like other saviors, Laozi (Lao Tzu) had a mother, and as her son was increasingly deified, she became a virginal mother of the deity. Reportedly, the mother of Laozi was none other than the Jade Maiden of Profound Wonder, who may be the same Jade Maiden who lived with Peng Gu, the first man (Chan, 1990, 39). As first described in Han times, Peng Gu had hatched from an egg, and then wandered the world for countless eons. One day, however, he found he was not alone. With amazement and delight, he discovered the Jade Maiden was also wandering the universe. Peng Gu asked for her love, and the first couple began the lineage of divine ancestors.
According to the Wide Sagely Meaning of the Perfect Scripture of the Dao and its Virtue, “The Holy Mother Goddess was the Jade Maiden of Mystery and Wonder as long as she resided in heaven. After she had given birth [to Laozi], she was promoted to Goddess of the Great One. As such she taught Lord Lao the basic principles of reforming the world and spreading the true teaching” (Despeux and Kohn, 2003, 50). She reportedly taught Laozi the cosmic nature of the human body, the course of its spiritual growth, and the arts of inner alchemy. Perhaps this is where Laozi got lines like “Know the eternal and forgive / Forgive and be altruistic / Be altruistic and embrace all / Embrace all and be like heaven” (stanza 16), or “Concentrating the breath to the utmost softness, can you become like an infant?” (stanza 10).
But the Jade Maiden didn’t just give away the whole shop. Some of the greatest secrets of life she required her son to figure out for himself: “I am the chief of all the immortals, queen of the wonderful Dao. The mysterious and numinous secret arts are all part of the Great Origin. How could I disgrace myself by revealing them?” After leading her son to the brink of sagehood, she avoided infringing on his own initiative, and made an exit worthy of the Virgin Mary: “She climbed into a jade carriage drawn by eight luminants and, followed by a host of transcendent attendants, ascended into heaven in broad daylight.” Later the Jade Maiden became the Eternal Mother, Wusheng Laomu, who spoke to numerous women’s groups through spirit writing. She assisted countless women in reaching paradise, and guided religious societies such as the White Lotus or the Unity Religion (or Yiguan Dao) (Despeux and Kohn, 2003, 59–60, 50, 42–43). Those who attained the Way were said to live in “free, spontaneous wandering,” like the Jade Maiden herself.
Like other sages of early Daoism, many ancient female immortals were basically yoginis, who withdrew to the mountains, practiced strict austerities, and became enlightened wild women. Their independent quests were described as “the path of higher virtue,” as compared to the lower virtue of conventional religious practice in temples or nunneries (Wang, 2009, 163–164). The women of higher virtue commonly reverted to a way of life from before farming, replacing a grain-based diet with herbs and minerals gathered from the forest floor. Some lived on pine needles, mushrooms, sesame seeds, or bits of mica. Chang Rong ate only raspberry roots. Yu Jiang became a famous “hairy lady of the forest,” who reportedly escaped her role as concubine for Prince Ying of the Qin state, and understandably fled to the wilds. They found her there hundreds of years later, living naked and free on a diet of pine needles and pure qi energy (Despeux and Kohn, 2003, 86–91). Likewise, the Tibetan master Yeshe Tsogyal reported going to the caves of Mön “to practice the extraction of the essence of various medicinal plants. I began, however, by taking the essence of minerals, knowing that the quintessence of all these is contained in chongzhi, or calcite.” On this primordial diet, Tsogyal reported, “My body became like a diamond; no weapon could harm it. My speech took on the qualities of the voice of Brahma, so that even a fierce tigress, when she heard me, became quiet and attentive. My mind passed into the immaculate vajra-like concentration” (Gyalwa and Changchub, 1999, 78). Though Tsogyal was a Buddhist, her methods were in this case indistinguishable from those of Daoist ascetics, such as the master of medicinal plants, Baogu (300s CE). Another legendary Daoist immortal was Magu, or “the Hemp Lady,” who was portrayed wearing a tiger-head pouch, a sword, and a headdress symbolizing the freedom of heaven. She had wild hair and bird-like fangs.
Clearly, some women went beyond romanticized longing for the primitive Golden Age.
(an excerpt from the upcoming THE FALL AND RISE OF CHINESE GODDESSES, by Brian Griffith, Exterminating Angel Press, Fall 2012)