Daoist hagiographies: Lord Lao as high God of the Dao -- Official inscriptions: Lord Lao as the symbol of political stability -- Revealed instructions: Lord Lao as the source of wisdom and long life -- Rules and rituals: Lord Lao as the object of communal worship -- Sacred tales: Lord Lao as the model for other gods -- Art, literature, and talismans: Lord Lao as popular protector -- The creation of Heaven and Earth -- The order of the universe -- The unfolding of culture -- The birth of the god -- The transmission of the Daode jing -- The conversion of the barbarians -- Revelations of the Dao -- The rule of the perfect dynasty.

Lord Lao, first known as the philosopher Laozi, the purported author of the "Daode jing," later became an immortal, a messiah, and high god of Daoism. Laozi, divinized during the Han dynasty and in early Daoist movements, reached his highest level of veneration under the Tang when the rulers honored him as a royal ancestor. In subsequent eras he remained prominent and is still a major deity in China today. Livia Kohn's two-part study first traces the historical development of Lord Lao and the roles he played at different times for different believers. Part Two is based on one of Lord Lao's major hagiographies, the twelfth-century "Youlong zhuan (Like Unto a Dragon)," and studies the complex myth surrounding him. Lord Lao appears in eight distinct mythical roles, each associated with a particular phase in his life: He is the creator of the universe, bringer of cosmic order, teacher of dynasties, and the divine made flesh on earth. He is also the converter of the barbarians, the source of major Daoist revelations, and the god of Great Peace and political harmony. Comparing his story with related Confucian, Buddhist, and Western mythic tropes, Kohn illuminates the dynamics of the Daoist tale and persuades us to appreciate Lord Lao as a key deity of traditional China. Includes illustrations and tables.

Another copy Gleeson Library [N.B. Livia Kohn's other works are held at Gleeson Library].