Are the Five Mothers and Five Elders the same? Which Five Mothers does Sheng Zhen Men worship?

We need to understand the Five Mothers and the Five Elders separately. Sharing the number five does not make them the same group of deities. In the spiritual tradition I am introducing, both are explained through the five directions and five elements, but their roles and the stories about them are different.

The Five Mothers worshipped at Sheng Zhen Men are the Guanyin Buddha Mother, meaning Thousand-Armed Guanyin; the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool; the Supreme Earth Mother; the Old Mother of Mount Li; and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady. My own spiritual connection with the Mother and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady is especially deep. However, other temples may have different combinations, including replacing one of them with Mazu. Introducing our five does not mean that I am prescribing a list for every temple.

The Five Elders appear in a creation story in which primordial qi gives rise to the Three Pure Ones, and then transforms into the five elements and nurtures life. The five I introduce are the Yellow Elder at the centre, the Eastern King Father in the east, the Western Golden Mother in the west, the Red Essence Master in the south and the Water Essence Master in the north. Their different powers work together. Within this religious story, these relationships explain the origin of life.

The Western Golden Mother appears in the contexts of both the Five Mothers and the Five Elders. That does not mean that the other four in each group are also identical. When learning divine names, we need to consider which tradition and which part of a story is being discussed, together with the virtues and relationships being expressed. That way we will not confuse them merely on the basis of names.

As for the number five, I explain it through metal, wood, water, fire and earth, or through east, west, south, north and centre. The idea is that different parts come together to express a more complete whole. Both the Five Mothers and the Five Camps may use this number, but we still have to return to their individual meanings. We cannot force different beliefs into a single system.

When discussing the Supreme Earth Mother, I have also explained the correspondence between the five elements and five directions, placing the Earth Mother at the centre. This explains the relationships within the beliefs discussed at Sheng Zhen Men. It is not an attempt to make all the different local lists of the Five Mothers identical.

When discussing the Five Mothers during a pilgrimage, I again explained them one by one: the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, Thousand-Armed Guanyin, the Old Mother of Mount Li, the Supreme Earth Mother and the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool. These are five deities. The Old Mother of Mount Li and the Supreme Earth Mother must be understood separately; saying their names together does not make them one deity. This list describes the tradition I have encountered, while still allowing for different combinations at different temples.

Drawing close to the Five Mothers can also begin with understanding their vows and virtues, rather than simply memorising a list. When I introduce precious proclamations, I hope people will understand that the texts describe a deity’s virtues, aspirations and energy. Becoming attuned through recitation is one practice within the faith. What we learn still needs to be gradually brought into how we treat people and face situations.

Learning the Mother’s loving care brings very practical work: can we think beyond our own position and try to understand the other person? When I visited Songshan Cihui Hall, I experienced the Mother’s concern for living beings as being like a mother’s care. It also reminded us to have empathy and love for life. Even toward people who criticise us or whom we dislike, can we be willing to learn in this direction? It is easy to say and difficult to do, so I regard it as something to keep working toward.

Loving care does not mean that we need not change after making a mistake. When I speak of the Mother’s willingness to teach patiently, I hope that people will learn what they do not understand and, once they know they were wrong, avoid doing it again. We need to learn empathy and correct our faults together. We cannot remember only that we may start again while repeatedly making the same mistakes.