How Zhao Bichen Inherited the Wu Liu Lineage

[Shi Da Dao]

Original Chinese Language Article By: Qianfeng Daoist Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺)

(Translated by Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD)

For thousands of years many people in China have been observing the cycles and rhythms of the body and mind, and based upon the data gathered through those observations, have developed a collection of exercises designed to develop the psycho-physical energy centres known to exist. These exercises are known as ‘external cultivated-energy’ (外丹 – Wai Dan) and ‘internal cultivated-energy’ (內丹 – Nei Dan) techniques. One branch of this philosophical Daoist development can be found in the self-cultivation exercises of the neidan method known as ‘building health and refining mind and body’ (性命双修 - Xing Ming Shuang Xu), which serve as an exact Daoist law that must be correctly followed if it is to be effective.

It is important to understand that Chinese Daoism is a science that has existed for thousands of years, and which has been passed from one generation to the next without exception. The ‘building health and refining mind and body’ (xingming shuangxu) technique was not designed to be kept secret and used by a select few, but is rather intended for the use of the entire world. My great grandfather – Zhao Bichen (1840-1942) – was the 11th generation inheritor of the Dragon Gate (longmen) School of Daoism, and through his ingenuity the above technique was developed and refined. The vehicle he developed for transmitting the above teaching is the Qianfeng (thousand peaks) Xiantian (prenatal) School of Daoism. In his formative years he trained with at least 36 different masters before being accepted as a disciple of Masters Liao Ran (了然) and Liao Kong (了空) – who were recognised as the 10th generation descendents of the Dragon Gate School. From these two masters Zhao Bichen correctly learned all the Daoist law, and he recorded his findings in a book entitled ‘The Secret Cultivation of Essential Nature and Eternal Life’ (Xingming fajue mingzhi), which he subsequently passed on to the world.

Zhao Bichen (赵避尘) was also known as Zhao Jindiao (赵金鵰) and Zhao Shunyi (赵顺一), and his Daoist name was ‘Yi Zi’ (一子). He was the founding patriarch of the Qianfeng School. He was born in the 10th year of the reign of Qing Emperor Xianfeng (1860), in Yang Feng Town, which is situated in the Changping County of northwest Beijing. His father was called Zhao Yongkuan (赵永宽), and his birth-mother was called Meng Shengzhen (孟生贞). The Zhao family had three sons, the eldest of whom was called ‘Xing Yi’ (兴一), the next eldest was called ‘Kui Yi’ (魁一), and the youngest was called ‘Shun Yi’ (顺一) [i.e. Zhao Bichen]. From an early age, Zhao Bichen trained under the guidance of his uncle who was named ‘Zhao Yongsheng’ (赵永升), and was treated like a son.

At that time, the Zhao family were very poor and lacked influence in the world, and so Zhao Bichen could only attend three years of free schooling in the winter. In the first year of the reign of Qing Emperor Guangxu (1875), Zhao Bichen suffered from blood in his stools (i.e. very bad diarrhea). His grandmother took him from Yang Feng Town to 10 (Chinese) miles southwest of Qianfeng Mountain, where the ‘Peach Garden Temple’ (桃园观 – Tao Yuan Guan) resides (which is also known as ‘Quiet Corner Temple’ - 旮旯庵-Ga La Na). There, they requested entry to the temple to receive treatment from the renowned Daoist master called Liu Mingrui (刘名瑞). Liu was the lineage inheritor of Tan Chu Duan (谭处端), a master in the Namo School (南无派 – Na Mo Pai), as well as being the disciple of Liu Huayang (柳华阳). Thanks to Master Liu’s knowledge of the Dao, Zhao Bichen fully recovered, and as a result, Liu granted Zhao the Daoist name of ‘Great Enlightenment’ (大悟 – Da Wu), and since that day, there was genuine affection between the two on the path of the Dao.

Zhao Bichen learned the law of energy centred self-cultivation (丹法 – Dan Fa) from Master Liu Yunpu (刘云普), together with martial arts, and once served as a bodyguard on a journey from Beijing to Ulan Bator in Mongolia. Around the beginning of the 16th year of the reign of the Qing Dynasty of Emperor Guangxu (1890), Zhao Bichen became a salt-tax official for the government. His general area of tax-collecting activity was along the route of the Beijing-Hangzhou canal. At this time, Zhao Bichen started to seek-out experts in Daoist self-cultivation, and learn from their instruction. This is how he acquired authentic knowledge and instruction in the art of Chinese health and longevity exercises.

These are the name of many of the masters that Zhao Bichen learned from at this time, there was Wu Chan (悟蟾), Zhu Baoxiang (朱宝祥), Guang Siye (广四爷), Peng Maochang (彭茂昌), Tan Zhiming (谭至明), Zhang Maode (张懋德) and many others of high Daoist attainment. In the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1895), on the 13th day of the 3rd lunar month, Zhao Bichen sought refuge from the world of dust, and one day followed the waterway to Huai’an (in Jiangsu province) and entered the Ch’an Buddhist Golden Mountain Temple (金山寺 – Jin Shan Si), situated there. This is where he met and studied with the two Ch’an masters named Liao Ran (了然) and Liao Kong (了空), who were also Daoist masters of the Wu Liu (伍柳) School. At this Ch’an Buddhist temple, Zhao Bichen trained diligently and was taught without exception, the entire path of the Wu Liu Daoist School.

During the 5th lunar month of the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), the Patriarch Liao Kong visited Beijing. At this time, Zhao Bichen managed a salt-shop and lived in the Pingxi Fu area of the Changping District of Beijing. It was here that Master Liao Kong bestowed upon Zhao Bichen the Daoist transmission text entitled ‘Divine-sky Duty Law Scroll’ (天命法卷 – Tian Ming Fa Juan), with the instruction to break with old and outmoded traditions of secrecy and elitism, and make the Daoist teachings available to as wide an audience as possible. Zhao Bichen then established 10 laws of discipline, and formerly founded the ‘Thousand Peaks Prenatal School’ (千峰先天派 – Qian Feng Xian Tian Pai), as a Daoist refuge from the world of dust. On the 17th day of the 4th lunar month of the 17th year of the Republic of China, Zhao Bichen established a genealogy for the Qianfeng School, recording himself as the founding patriarch. This established the new tradition of teaching ancient Daoist teachings in an open manner, with Zhao Bichen as the acknowledged instigator of this lineage.

In the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933), Zhao Bichen compiled his manual of Daoist self-cultivation entitled ‘The Secret Cultivation of Essential Nature and Eternal Life’ (性命法訣明旨 – Xing Ming Fa Jue Ming Zhi), and its printing and publication was funded by the latter Qing Dynasty Beijing Opera performance artists Guo Xianglin (果湘林) and his wife Madam Yu Suxia (余素霞). This book has become an enduring masterpiece, within which Zhao Bichen explains the complex Daoist path of self-cultivation in a clear and concise language that is accessible to all readers. He carefully describes the entire neidan path, and minutely explains every facet of the journey. What is of particular note, is that Zhao Bichen devised a 16 step approach – with each ‘step’ forming a complete chapter in the book, which also includes extensive anatomical diagrams. This clarity and organisation has been appreciated and made use of by many scholars and researchers who have studied and valued this book long after the passing of Zhao Bichen. In fact, Zhao Bichen and his late Qing Dynasty disciple named Dr Li Shirong (李士荣), experimented with each chapter, putting the instructions into practice, and recording their observations, findings and results in a scientific manner. Once all the instructions were verified as being physically and psychologically correct, Guo Xianglin drew the instructional diagrams following precise guidelines. This development was very important and ground-breaking, because it was the first time in history that modern (Western) science in the form of anatomy and physiology was used to explain traditional Chinese Daoist self-cultivation techniques.

Zhao Bichen wrote a commentary for the Daoist book entitled ‘Three Character Law Summary Classic’ (三字法诀经 – San Zi Fa Jue Jing). He personally wrote ‘The Secret Cultivation of Essential Nature and Eternal Life’ (性命法訣明旨 – Xing Ming Fa Jue Ming Zhi), the ‘Clear Explanations of Hygiene and Physiology’ (衛生理學明指 – Wei Sheng Li Xue Ming Zhi), and the ‘Inner Cultivation Secret Instruction’ (内修秘要 – Nei Xiu Mi Yao), although the latter two books have not been widely published.

Sometime between the years 1928 to 1931 of the Republic of China, the old venerable Xinhai Revolutionary named Zhu Ziqiao (朱子桥), applied to the then Central Government, recommending that the founder of the Qianfeng School – Zhao Bichen – should be officially awarded a ‘Teacher in Health and Longevity Science’ (传授卫生性理学 – Chuan Shou Wei Sheng Xing Li Xue) certificate. Now it is common academic knowledge that Zhao Bichen – the founder of the Qianfeng School – openly taught everyone without any regard to social class, rank, or status – because as far as he was concerned, all people were equal. This approach has led to everyone being taught over-time, from high officials and dignitaries, down to the most humblest of people – no one has been turned away. In fact, at least 42 of these individuals received full Daoist lineage transmission within the Qianfeng School, whilst being given permission to teach others in their own right.

During the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), Zhao Bichen withdrew from the world and prepared his mind and body for transformation. In 1942, he transcended the body whilst sat upright in the crossed-legged meditation posture. Zhao Bichen spent more than 60 years engaged in Daoist self-cultivation. In that time, he travelled the length and breadth of China (and suffered many hardships) whilst searching for highly qualified masters who possessed authentic Daoist knowledge. In that time he trained with around 36 masters representing various Daoist paths. In the end he realised Immortality, and because of this realisation, he was able to extensively teach others in a scientific manner and further the understanding of authentic Daoism not only in China, but also throughout the modern world.

Beijing Qianfeng Zhao Bichen Cultural Arts and Exchange Centre.

Great Grandson of Zhao Bichen - Zhao Ming Wang

©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2015.

Original Chinese Language Source Article:

752315496.blog.163.com/blog/static/883001822008112913112931/

中国道家神仙论

几千年自人类文明以来，就有了研究长生之道，从道家炼外丹之术到后来的内丹修炼经过了许多前辈的努力研究。终于有了一整套的道家内丹修炼功夫，以道家[性命双修]之法。

几千年来道家功夫代代相传从无间断，而道家[性命双修]养生功法真正得以世人所之，是清末龙门派庙外第十一代传人[赵避尘]号一子，又亲创千峰先天派，他的一生为了追求道家性命双修功夫先后拜了36位师父最后拜在龙门派第十代‘了然，了空门下学得了全决全法，并著[性命法决明指]一书。自此得以留传于世。

赵避尘，又名赵金鵰、赵顺一，道号一子，自号千峰老人。清咸丰十年（1860）生于北京昌平县阳坊镇，生父赵永宽，生母孟生贞。赵氏兄弟三人，长兄兴一，次兄魁一，三子顺一，即是赵避尘。顺一自幼承继叔父赵永升为子。

由于家境贫寒父母无力，赵避尘只免费上过三年私塾冬学。清光绪初年（1875）因患便血病，由祖母带至距昌平阳坊镇西南十里千峰山桃园观（又名旮旯庵），请庙内刘名瑞道长为其治病（刘为谭处端南无派传人，又为柳华阳弟子）。病愈后拜刘为道师，师赐道号大悟。自此与道结缘。

后赵避尘又拜刘云普为师学习丹法、武术等，曾走镖于北京至乌兰巴托一线。
约于清光绪十六年（1890）开始，赵避尘任清朝盐税官员，到各地（主要沿京杭运河）为官府收取盐税，借此开始寻访修道高人，学习中国传统丹法养生文化的历程。

在此期间，赵避尘曾先后拜过悟蟾、朱宝祥、广四爷、彭茂昌、谭至明、张懋德等高真明师，并于光绪二十一年（1895）三月十三日，赵避尘由淮安关水路过金山寺，遇了然、了空二位禅师，得授全诀，成为伍柳一脉正宗传人。

民国九年（1920）五月，了空祖师至北京，在北京昌平县平西府赵避尘盐店寓所，赐予赵避尘天命法卷，嘱其打破陈规大开普渡，并设立戒律十条，令赵避尘开创千峰先天派传道。
民国十七年（1928）四月十七日，赵避尘开始立千峰先天派宗谱，并以千峰老人为号初度传法。自此，改丹法之密授单传为普传，开历史之先河。

民国二十二年（1933），赵避尘著述的《性命法诀明指》由清末著名京剧表演艺术家果湘林及夫人余素霞出资刻板印刷。在这部不朽名著里，赵避尘为平实易懂的语言，详细介绍了内丹全程功法，并具体地将功法划分为十六步，以为后世学者之梯航。书中有解剖图四张，是经赵避尘与其弟子清末名医李士荣一起进行多次解剖实验，验证后由果湘林之子果文德负责绘制。以现代解剖学、生理学观点解释丹法机理，这在历史上是第一次。

此外赵避尘还注有《三字法诀经》，绘有《性命法诀全图》，以及著有《卫生性命生理学》、《内修秘要》等，后两种未广泛印行。

民国十七年至民国二十年左右，著名辛亥革命老人朱子桥向当时的中央政府申请，由中央政府颁发给千峰老人赵避尘“传授卫生性理学”证书。自此学者如云，千峰老人传人的标准：为人人健康服务，不分贵贱一律平等。因此一段时间内，上至高官显贵，下至庶民百姓几千人先后受到传授。其中有四十二位得天命法卷全诀全法证书。

民国二十九年（1940）赵避尘隐修，1942年羽化。赵避尘在近六十多年学道、修道、传道的过程中，寻访名山大川，足迹遍布大江南北，历尽艰辛，先后投真伪师三十六位之多，各种滋味遍尝，后终成大果，为中国传统修道文化的传播与发展做出了巨大贡献。

北京千峰赵避尘文化艺术交流中心，

赵避尘之重孙-赵明旺