T’ien-tsun Chin., lit. “celestial venerable”; title accorded to the highest deities in religious Taoism (tao-chiao, shen). The most important t’ien-tsun are the Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning (Yüan-shih t’ien-tsun), the Celestial Venerable of the Magic Jewel (Ling-pao t’ien-tsun), and the Celestial Venerable of the Tao and the Te (Tao-te t’ien-tsun, san-ch’ing). In addition, the Jade Emperor (Yü-huang) is venerated as a t ‘ien-tsun.
The celestial venerables of Taoism are modeled on the bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. The title t’ien-tsun began to be attached to Taoist deities around the 3d century C.E., at which time Buddhism became a growing influence in Chinese religion, so that Taoists felt impelled to create a counterpart to the Buddhist idea of a bodhisattva.
The celestial venerables -like bodhisattvas in popular belief- descend from Heaven to teach mankind or intimate their knowledge and wisdom to lower ranking deities or immortals (hsien), who in turn explain them to ordinary humans. This is how man is believed to have come into possession of the sacred Taoist writings and of the prescriptions for attaining immortality. When Buddhism first came to China, the title t’ien-tsun became attached to the Buddha himself, but was later withdrawn in favor of shih-tsun (“terrestrial venerable”) to avoid confusion.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
T’ien-tsun documents
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