Taishang Laojun

Taishang Laojun (太上老君, "Supreme Venerable Sovereign") is the deified form of the sage Laozi (老子), traditional author of the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching). In religious Taoism he is one of the Three Pure Ones (Sān Qīng) — the highest triad of Taoist divinity — embodying the primordial Dao as the "Pure One of the Grand Pure" (Tàiqīng). The historical Laozi is usually dated to the 6th century BCE, though his historicity is debated. His deification into Taishang Laojun began by the **Later Ha