Heavenly Paradise of Kunlun in Daoism

Abstract

Among the Chinese religious traditions, it is particularly Daoism that pays a strong attention to heavenly paradises and gives a detailed account of their features. Daoism clearly makes a difference between earthly and heavenly forms (zhenxing lit. true form) of the paradises. This paper depicts those traditional accounts that give more attention to archetypal geography and tries to illustrate common characteristics of the paradises. Nevertheless, our special concern is focused on the heavenly paradise of Kunlun. The final section of the paper is dedicated to the symbolism attached to the paradises, such as the symbols related to mountains representing Axis Mundi, and that of water that denotes their belonging to the subtle state of manifestation as containing possibilities of the gross manifestation as well as the capacity of emerging the saviors of the world.