How is a god defined? What is the difference between a god and a god?

Those who have a field are called gods, and those who don't are called immortals.

Generally speaking, it is said that the level of gods is higher than that of immortalsBut in fact, gods and immortals in mythology do not belong to the same system, and it cannot be said which level is higher.

There is a difference between gods and immortals, and they cannot be compared with high and low due to their wide range. God, there is the blessing of heaven and man, but there is no reward of heaven and man (enjoy the blessing of heaven and man but not heaven and man); Immortals, there are earthly immortals, flying immortals and heavenly immortals, from low to high. Gods are reincarnated after death, and immortals are cultivators, and there are extremely large numbers.

Gods can be broadly divided into four categories:

The first category is the Most High God. "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" explains "God" as: "The god of heaven leads to all things." This is what God meant in the first place. For example, Taoism's Lao Tzu, Sanqing, Yuan Shi Tianzun, Jade Emperor and so on.

The second category is the gods of nature, such as the god of the sun, the god of the moon, the god of the mountain, the god of the river, and so on. This is supposed to be a remnant of the original cult.

Zhuangzi. "Getaway" said: The mountain of contempt and shooting, there are gods and people living in the mountains, the skin is like ice and snow, the skin is like a virgin, does not eat grains, sucks wind and drinks dew, rides the clouds, flies the dragon, and swims beyond the four seas. This should also be considered a kind of nature god.

The third category is the inner god. Taoism believes that all organs in the human body are controlled by gods, such as the three corpse gods, the five visceral gods, and so on. Chapter 7 of the Yellow Court Sutra begins with a list of names of the inner gods for meditation. That's why meditation is also called contemplation.

The fourth category is the most numerous type of gods, that is, ghosts and gods, which are usually elected as gods by worshippers or believers after death, or officially canonized as gods. For example, Wu Zixu is believed by the people as the tide god of Qiantang.

Difference 1: Shen Xingqing is reincarnated after death, and Xian is a cultivator. Extremely large.

Difference 2: God is the innate god of nature, which came from before the division of heaven and earth, also known as the innate saint, and is the true saint who exists in nature. And the immortal is the person who cultivates in the world after tomorrow, also known as the acquired immortal, who finally achieves immortality through long-term cultivation, is an immortal.

Difference 3: The meanings of "god" and "immortal" are different, and their difference is, in other words, from heaven to man is God (except for the god of man and ghost); It is said that the immortals are made by people and heavens. Most gods are innate, while many immortals are acquired. ”

Difference 4: God is an official in heaven and is controlled by man. Immortals, on the other hand, have no official position, are not constrained by people, and live freely on their own immortal mountains.

Difference 5: Gods are reincarnated after death, and immortals are immortals. The real difference between immortals and gods is that immortals are born and cultivated, and gods are given by death. Immortals are often associated with Taoism. As for the god of liquid, he only became a god after death.

Difference 6: Gods are the inherent rulers of heaven and supernatural gods in legends, while immortals are a kind of transcendent and supernatural people who transcend life and death through mortals through cultivation. The gods are in the heavens, and the immortals are in the mountains.

It is generally said that the level of gods is greater than that of immortals, and there is a saying that in the sky, they are called gods, and in the earth, they are called immortals.

Difference 7: The power of gods is innate, and the power of immortals is cultivated, which is the biggest difference between gods and immortals. God holds the priesthood to accept the prayers of believers and bless them. Immortals live with heaven and earth, and are free from things.