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| | T'ien: Heaven |
 | | Heaven, like Shang-ti, guided and ruled the material and spiritual universe; however, Heaven, unlike Shang-ti, does not seem to be a distinguishable identity. |
 | | Heaven rules the cosmos through two means, ming and t'ien ming, or "destiny" and "the Mandate (or Decree) of Heaven;" the combination of these two in ancient China made up the Tao, or Way of Heaven. |
 | | Sickness, health, wealth, position, floods, pianos falling on your head, and so on, were all directly the result of ming which was the direct result of the action of Heaven. |
| www.wsu.edu:8000 /~dee/GLOSSARY/TIEN.HTM (370 words) |
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