Exiled Immortal Revealed 14: The Difference Between Gods and Immortals (Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua)

Overview: Gods had a strict hierarchy. They were concepts of faith, collectives within a system, and tied to belief and worship; immortals, meanwhile, were individuals, tied to self-cultivation and self-perfection. Gods held divine offices, much like civil servants in a government, while immortals were unemployed wanderers—free and unrestrained loose immortals.

I wrote an article called "Imitable Mortal Immortal Cultivation, Irreproducible Exiled Immortal," and Qidian put it on Qidian Reading, stirring up quite a bit of controversy. A certain mortal's alliance leader actually @'d me, saying he could not figure out what a "god" was, what an "immortal" was, or why gods were stronger than immortals. Here, I will give that certain mortal's alliance leader one sentence—as you wish: "Immortals are stronger than gods. From now on, please call your great gods Great Immortals, if you are not afraid of being cursed to death!" Fine, enough joking. Let us now discuss "the difference between gods and immortals."

Many people had been misled by Investiture of the Gods, believing that only "humans or immortals" who were posthumously enfeoffed could become gods, and thus that "immortals" were stronger than "gods." That was not the case. The origins and composition of "gods" were far more complex than those of "immortals." The "gods" in Investiture of the Gods were merely one source among many, and there was no way to compare the strength of "gods" and "immortals." Let us first discuss the origins of gods.

I. The Concept and Origins of Gods

Judging from the bronze-script form of the character for "god," it depicted "a kneeling person worshipping lightning." To ancient people, lightning possessed unfathomable and mysterious might. Before such heavenly power, people trembled with fear and offered worship and faith. Thus, beyond great power, "gods" also carried worship and the Power of Faith.

1. Origin of gods, type one: innate natural gods, born before Heaven and Earth were divided, also called innate sages. Examples included Pangu, who split Heaven and Earth apart, and the Three Pure Ones, born from one breath dividing into three—such innate true sages.

2. Origin of gods, type two: embodiments of certain natural phenomena or natural powers—Sun God, Moon God, Thunder God, Rain God, Wind God, Mountain God, River God, and so on.

3. Origin of gods, type three: remnants of primitive totems—such as the Frog God, Snake God, Gu God, and so on.

4. Origin of gods, type four: human-ghost gods arising from ancestor worship. Historical figures who had rendered meritorious service to the country and its people were posthumously enfeoffed as gods. For example, Kou Zhun was enfeoffed as King Yama; Yuchi Gong and Qin Shubao were enfeoffed as Door Gods; filial sons were enfeoffed as City Gods, Earth Gods, and the like.

5. Origin of gods, type five: ancient people believed that the human body, like the Heavenly Dao, was full of mysteries. The organs within the human body were likewise appointed as gods: the Five Viscera Gods, Heart God, and so on.

In short, the origins of gods were roughly these five types. Their complex origins resulted in gods of vastly differing strength. The powerful could split Heaven and Earth, shove mountains aside, and overturn seas; the weak might only be a little stronger than Ghost Soldiers. Yet regardless of the type, one could see that gods had a strict institutional system, each performing their own duty and occupying their own position, while enjoying offerings of incense and the power of merit. From the five types above, one could see what Exiled Immortal said: "Gods are not cultivated. Gods produced through cultivation are merely Virtual Gods."

II. The Concept and Origins of Immortals

"Immortal" was anciently written as "xian," an associative character depicting a person climbing a tree to take a bird's nest, later extended to mean a person in the mountains. "Immortals" actually carried religious connotations. In the early days, they were connected with Taoism; after Buddhism entered China, "Buddhas" were also called "Great Immortals."

Immortals were people who cultivated and perfected themselves, thereby attaining immortality. Such people were all called immortals. There were Heavenly Immortals, Earth Immortals, Human Immortals, Ghost Immortals, Demon Immortals, and so on. In the narrow sense, "immortal" referred only to a Heavenly Immortal.

1. Passive ascension to immortality—humans, animals, plants, and the like sensed the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth and absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, such as Sun Wukong; or they were enlightened by immortals, such as several among the Eight Immortals.

2. Active ascension to immortality: "All beings with nine orifices may cultivate immortality." Take Sun Wukong's Golden Cudgel, which weighed thirteen thousand five hundred jin. The number "thirteen thousand five hundred" had an extraordinary origin. The Huangdi Neijing said, "A person breathes thirteen thousand five hundred times in a day and a night." Four Hundred Word Golden Elixir, written by Song-dynasty Zhang Boduan, stated that if one wished to form the embryo, one had to cultivate with single-minded dedication: "At most, in one day one forms an embryo of thirteen thousand five hundred breaths; at least, in twelve hours one circulates qi for eighty-four thousand li." Those who actively cultivated immortality mostly practiced the orthodox arts of the Daoist Sect. A small number of those with affinity could cultivate into immortals.

In summary, "gods" possessed a strict system, each in their proper place and each performing their proper duty. They were an institution within a system of faith; immortals, meanwhile, were a concept, relatively loose and free. In other words, gods were necessarily immortals, but immortals were not necessarily gods. And immortals were a necessary stage on the road to becoming gods. For an immortal to become a god, they had to possess merit and the Power of Faith of believers, then hold a divine office, receive official recognition, and be enfeoffed before they could become a god.