Zhao Bichen’s Transmission Poem
Original Chinese
Language Article By: Qianfeng Daoist Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺)
(Translated by Adrian
Chan-Wyles PhD)
Keeping in good health has many and varied methods,
including fitness training, different types of nourishing diets, meditation (to
quiet the mind), four seasons recuperation, and so on. In fact China has a very well developed
culture of health building and fitness maintenance. This is because Daoist self-cultivation goes
back many thousands of years, as is shown by the Yellow Emperor’s Internal
Classic (皇帝内经 – Huang Di Nei Jing), which
clearly advises about the development and free-flow of qi energy (and blood) around
the body, and the balancing of yin and yang to eradicate disease from within
the body. Daoism has developed this
knowledge into the developing health and prolonging life methods and
exercises. However, unlike ordinary
medicine, Daoist development is entirely dependent upon moral and virtuous
behaviour. Without virtue, there can be
no true progression. Many people exhaust
their essential nature (jing) through excessive sexual activity, and lack the
vitality to perceive or develop spirit (shen).
Daoists must work hard to repair the deficiencies of the body, and calm
the mind.
In the past, there was much secrecy surrounding Daoist practice. This led to the situation whereby many masters practiced in isolation, and did not pass on their teachings to the next generation in great numbers, but only to a select few. Due to this preference, correct knowledge of Daoist self-cultivation techniques that build health and prolong life did not become well known or properly understood amongst the common people. Finding authentic Daoist teachers who were willing to teach ordinary people became a very difficult task. However, this exclusivity did ensure that the standard of a student’s aptitude and dedication was very high, and this in-turn meant that authentic Daoist teaching was successfully passed on to the next generation, albeit in limited numbers. Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) did much of his Daoist training during the latter Qing Dynasty, and was the 11th generation inheritor of the Dragon Gate (Longmen) School, which is a prominent branch of the Complete Reality (Quanzhen) School. He came from Yang Feng Town, which is situated in the Changping District area of Beijing. He trained in Daoist self-cultivation techniques from a very early age, and strove diligently to build health and prolong life. In his search for Daoist knowledge, he travelled to several provinces and trained with at least 36 different Daoist masters. During the 21st year of the reign of the Qing Emperor Guangxi (1895), on the 13th day of the 10th lunar month, he met the 10th generation inheritors of the Dragon Gate School – the Ch’an Buddhist monks named Liao Ran (了然) and Liao Kong (了空). He trained diligently with both these masters who taught him how to correctly and successfully practice the Daoist Law of effective self-cultivation which builds the vigorous health of the mind and body, and which leads to a prolonged life. Eventually, Zhao Bichen inherited the Dragon Gate lineage in his own right, and became the 11th generation descendent. With this knowledge he founded the ‘Thousand Peaks Prenatal School (千峰先天派 - Qianfeng Xiantian Pai), and together with the assistance of his learned brother Zhao Kui Yi (赵魁一), set about introducing authentic Daoist teachings to the general public.
Traditionally, Daoist masters did not pass on their teachings to large numbers of practitioners, and they hid the true meaning of their teachings in obscure language (or ‘code’) that only they understood. For a student to gain entry into a Daoist school, he had to be accepted by a master, and then taught what the code words meant. This was basically an exercise in translating obscure concepts into understandable concepts, with the obscurity ensuring that no one outside the school could make use of the teachings should they encounter them outside of the master – student relation (this attitude is also found in traditional Chinese martial arts, where self-defence movements are given names unrelated to their real or actual purpose). Although Zhao Bichen was educated within this exclusive master – student tradition, his final masters of Liao Ran and Liao Kong had different ideas, and encouraged him to share the teachings widely. This is why he established the Qianfeng School, and why he wrote his now famous Daoist manual of instruction entitled ‘The Secret Cultivation of Essential Nature and Eternal Life’(性命法訣明旨 - Xing Ming Fa Jue Ming Zhi), which he wrote in the vernacular, deliberately using a language that everyone could potentially read. This development was a major departing from the old ways of hiding the teachings from the common people. In this book he made it clear that qi energy, essential nature (jing), and spirit (shen), all have to be cultivated, developed, and repaired if good health is to be established and long life attained. This involves various qigong exercises that are designed to unblock and unite the 8 extraordinary qi energy channels, as well as calm and still the mind (through seated meditation), in preparation for heating the stove (situated in the lower dantian). The list of things to do and objectives to achieve is very long and comprehensive. Making all this knowledge openly available to the general public, has set a historical precedent. Zhao Bichen did not discriminate between rich or poor, and taught everyone who respectfully requested instruction. Although thousands of people have been taught Qianfeng Daoism, included amongst the more notable students has been President Li Yuan Hong (黎元洪); the Warlords Wu Pei Fu (吴佩孚), Zhang Zuo Lin (张作霖), and his son Zhang Xue Liang (张学良); the fathers of the 1911 Revolution Zhu Xi Qiao (朱子桥) and Du Xin Wu (杜心五); senior KMT General Zhang Zhi Zhong (张之中), and the famous Beijing Opera star Chang Yan Qiu (程砚秋).
Zhao Bichen was the founder of the Qianfeng Prenatal School and this is his 40 character generational inheritance poem:
In the past, there was much secrecy surrounding Daoist practice. This led to the situation whereby many masters practiced in isolation, and did not pass on their teachings to the next generation in great numbers, but only to a select few. Due to this preference, correct knowledge of Daoist self-cultivation techniques that build health and prolong life did not become well known or properly understood amongst the common people. Finding authentic Daoist teachers who were willing to teach ordinary people became a very difficult task. However, this exclusivity did ensure that the standard of a student’s aptitude and dedication was very high, and this in-turn meant that authentic Daoist teaching was successfully passed on to the next generation, albeit in limited numbers. Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) did much of his Daoist training during the latter Qing Dynasty, and was the 11th generation inheritor of the Dragon Gate (Longmen) School, which is a prominent branch of the Complete Reality (Quanzhen) School. He came from Yang Feng Town, which is situated in the Changping District area of Beijing. He trained in Daoist self-cultivation techniques from a very early age, and strove diligently to build health and prolong life. In his search for Daoist knowledge, he travelled to several provinces and trained with at least 36 different Daoist masters. During the 21st year of the reign of the Qing Emperor Guangxi (1895), on the 13th day of the 10th lunar month, he met the 10th generation inheritors of the Dragon Gate School – the Ch’an Buddhist monks named Liao Ran (了然) and Liao Kong (了空). He trained diligently with both these masters who taught him how to correctly and successfully practice the Daoist Law of effective self-cultivation which builds the vigorous health of the mind and body, and which leads to a prolonged life. Eventually, Zhao Bichen inherited the Dragon Gate lineage in his own right, and became the 11th generation descendent. With this knowledge he founded the ‘Thousand Peaks Prenatal School (千峰先天派 - Qianfeng Xiantian Pai), and together with the assistance of his learned brother Zhao Kui Yi (赵魁一), set about introducing authentic Daoist teachings to the general public.
Traditionally, Daoist masters did not pass on their teachings to large numbers of practitioners, and they hid the true meaning of their teachings in obscure language (or ‘code’) that only they understood. For a student to gain entry into a Daoist school, he had to be accepted by a master, and then taught what the code words meant. This was basically an exercise in translating obscure concepts into understandable concepts, with the obscurity ensuring that no one outside the school could make use of the teachings should they encounter them outside of the master – student relation (this attitude is also found in traditional Chinese martial arts, where self-defence movements are given names unrelated to their real or actual purpose). Although Zhao Bichen was educated within this exclusive master – student tradition, his final masters of Liao Ran and Liao Kong had different ideas, and encouraged him to share the teachings widely. This is why he established the Qianfeng School, and why he wrote his now famous Daoist manual of instruction entitled ‘The Secret Cultivation of Essential Nature and Eternal Life’(性命法訣明旨 - Xing Ming Fa Jue Ming Zhi), which he wrote in the vernacular, deliberately using a language that everyone could potentially read. This development was a major departing from the old ways of hiding the teachings from the common people. In this book he made it clear that qi energy, essential nature (jing), and spirit (shen), all have to be cultivated, developed, and repaired if good health is to be established and long life attained. This involves various qigong exercises that are designed to unblock and unite the 8 extraordinary qi energy channels, as well as calm and still the mind (through seated meditation), in preparation for heating the stove (situated in the lower dantian). The list of things to do and objectives to achieve is very long and comprehensive. Making all this knowledge openly available to the general public, has set a historical precedent. Zhao Bichen did not discriminate between rich or poor, and taught everyone who respectfully requested instruction. Although thousands of people have been taught Qianfeng Daoism, included amongst the more notable students has been President Li Yuan Hong (黎元洪); the Warlords Wu Pei Fu (吴佩孚), Zhang Zuo Lin (张作霖), and his son Zhang Xue Liang (张学良); the fathers of the 1911 Revolution Zhu Xi Qiao (朱子桥) and Du Xin Wu (杜心五); senior KMT General Zhang Zhi Zhong (张之中), and the famous Beijing Opera star Chang Yan Qiu (程砚秋).
Zhao Bichen was the founder of the Qianfeng Prenatal School and this is his 40 character generational inheritance poem:
The Profound Prenatal Dao is the Empty Essence of all Existence.
即,玄妙先天道,自然性体空。
True Reality is the Circle of Light, brightly reflected as if from the Kunlun Mountains.
悟真圆光现,慧命上昆仑。
The Golden Pill of Immortality is the Vast Universe - acting correctly leads to its realisation.
金丹乾坤大,礼意善养功。
The Mind and Spirit are Empty and Still, and Youthfulness is Retained Forever.
虚灵清静意,留得万古春。
即,玄妙先天道,自然性体空。
True Reality is the Circle of Light, brightly reflected as if from the Kunlun Mountains.
悟真圆光现,慧命上昆仑。
The Golden Pill of Immortality is the Vast Universe - acting correctly leads to its realisation.
金丹乾坤大,礼意善养功。
The Mind and Spirit are Empty and Still, and Youthfulness is Retained Forever.
虚灵清静意,留得万古春。
I am honoured to be the great grandson of Zhao Bichen. I believe in my great grandfather’s mission of making the Daoist techniques of self-cultivation techniques readily available through the Qianfeng Prenatal School. This is why I have established the ‘Beijing Qianfeng Zhao Bichen Cultural Arts and Exchange Centre’ to facilitate this wonderful purpose.
Beijing Qianfeng Zhao Bichen Cultural Arts and Exchange Centre – Inheritor of the Law
Daojia Dragon Gate School 14th Generation Inheritor
Daojia Qianfeng Prenatal School 3rd Generation Inheritor
Great Grandson of Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) – Zhao Ming Wang
Tel; 13260457672
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2015.
Original Chinese Language Source Article: http://752315496.blog.163.com/blog/static/88300182200882395449859/
中国养生
养生.是多种多样的.健身锻炼.饮食补养.静心致善.四季调养等都是人们为了健康而去追求的养生方法.其实在我国就养生而言. 以有好几千年的历史了.其中[皇帝内经]讲述了人体内部气. 血运行.阴阳调养去邪扶正. 等等而道家以. [性命双修]为主.老子创建道教以[道德]为主.而性命双修正是要以德. 善为本.运用自身的精.气.神修炼自己.德.功深者已修炼成道.
在以前中国道家[性命双修]功夫是不外传的.就连门内弟子也是三口不说六耳不传.所以很多人是不了解道家内修养生之法的.把它说的神呼其神.其道家[性命双修]功法在我国代代相传从无间断.自清末民初传至道教全真龙门派第十一代传人.赵避尘.道号一子.赵避尘1860-1942北京昌平阳坊镇人从小与道有缘为了追求性命双修真功,跑遍数省拜师三十六位之多,可谓历尽艰苦于清光绪21年3月13日拜在龙门派第十代(了然).(了空)门下完整的继承了道教龙门派性命双修金丹大道全决全法,后受众师公推。创(千峰先天派)其胞兄赵魁一做为开创千峰老人的另一位宗师修练卓有成效。
千峰老人为了人人健康改变了以往的三口不说,六耳不传之规。改文言用白话教人遍著了(性命法决明指)一书中分成四大手功法共记十六部,以下手练精化气。转手练气化神,了手练神还虚。撒手练虚化无合道。此四大手之功道尽了历代秘而单传的性命性命双修功法。其中讲明了决法.火候.开通奇经八脉等等一一尽表。从此打开了道教性命双修历史的先河。它不分贵贱贫富一率平等,因此一段时期内上至总统黎元洪,军阀吴佩孚,张作霖,及其子张学良,辛亥革命元勋朱子桥,杜心五,国民党高级将领张之中,著名京剧表演艺术家程砚秋。下至平民百姓,上千人先后受到千峰老人的传授。
千峰老人又为千峰先天派传承留下40字辈
即,玄妙先天道,自然性体空。
悟真圆光现,慧命上昆仑。
金丹乾坤大,礼意善养功。
虚灵清静意,留得万古春。
做为赵避尘的后裔子孙我身感荣幸.为了能让人人健康.人人可学继承太爷的愿望和发展[千峰先天派]特开办了[北京赵避尘文化艺术交流中心]
北京赵避尘文化艺术交流中心;法人
道教龙门派第十四代弟子
道教千峰先天派第三代传人
千峰老人[赵避尘]重孙;赵明旺
联系电话;13260457672
Beijing Qianfeng Zhao Bichen Cultural Arts and Exchange Centre – Inheritor of the Law
Daojia Dragon Gate School 14th Generation Inheritor
Daojia Qianfeng Prenatal School 3rd Generation Inheritor
Great Grandson of Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) – Zhao Ming Wang
Tel; 13260457672
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2015.
Original Chinese Language Source Article: http://752315496.blog.163.com/blog/static/88300182200882395449859/
中国养生
养生.是多种多样的.健身锻炼.饮食补养.静心致善.四季调养等都是人们为了健康而去追求的养生方法.其实在我国就养生而言. 以有好几千年的历史了.其中[皇帝内经]讲述了人体内部气. 血运行.阴阳调养去邪扶正. 等等而道家以. [性命双修]为主.老子创建道教以[道德]为主.而性命双修正是要以德. 善为本.运用自身的精.气.神修炼自己.德.功深者已修炼成道.
在以前中国道家[性命双修]功夫是不外传的.就连门内弟子也是三口不说六耳不传.所以很多人是不了解道家内修养生之法的.把它说的神呼其神.其道家[性命双修]功法在我国代代相传从无间断.自清末民初传至道教全真龙门派第十一代传人.赵避尘.道号一子.赵避尘1860-1942北京昌平阳坊镇人从小与道有缘为了追求性命双修真功,跑遍数省拜师三十六位之多,可谓历尽艰苦于清光绪21年3月13日拜在龙门派第十代(了然).(了空)门下完整的继承了道教龙门派性命双修金丹大道全决全法,后受众师公推。创(千峰先天派)其胞兄赵魁一做为开创千峰老人的另一位宗师修练卓有成效。
千峰老人为了人人健康改变了以往的三口不说,六耳不传之规。改文言用白话教人遍著了(性命法决明指)一书中分成四大手功法共记十六部,以下手练精化气。转手练气化神,了手练神还虚。撒手练虚化无合道。此四大手之功道尽了历代秘而单传的性命性命双修功法。其中讲明了决法.火候.开通奇经八脉等等一一尽表。从此打开了道教性命双修历史的先河。它不分贵贱贫富一率平等,因此一段时期内上至总统黎元洪,军阀吴佩孚,张作霖,及其子张学良,辛亥革命元勋朱子桥,杜心五,国民党高级将领张之中,著名京剧表演艺术家程砚秋。下至平民百姓,上千人先后受到千峰老人的传授。
千峰老人又为千峰先天派传承留下40字辈
即,玄妙先天道,自然性体空。
悟真圆光现,慧命上昆仑。
金丹乾坤大,礼意善养功。
虚灵清静意,留得万古春。
做为赵避尘的后裔子孙我身感荣幸.为了能让人人健康.人人可学继承太爷的愿望和发展[千峰先天派]特开办了[北京赵避尘文化艺术交流中心]
北京赵避尘文化艺术交流中心;法人
道教龙门派第十四代弟子
道教千峰先天派第三代传人
千峰老人[赵避尘]重孙;赵明旺
联系电话;13260457672