Dou-mu (“mother of the ladle”) is the Taoist goddess of the North Star, who is in charge of life and death. Dou-mu had nine sons - Zhen-huang. They were the first rulers on earth. Dou-mu herself lives in a heavenly palace with her husband. And her sons became gods and settled in a nearby palace.
Dou-mu is depicted with four faces and eight arms, in which he holds a bow, a spear, a sword, a flag, a dragon's head, a pagoda, the sun and the moon. Dou-mu was revered by both Taoists and Buddhists. Among Buddhists, she is considered the deity of light and the protector from wars. Under the influence of Buddhism, Dou-mu began to be depicted sitting on a lotus with a bodhisattva crown on her head. She has three eyes, one set vertically in the middle of her forehead, thanks to which she sees everything that happens in the world.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru