The Chen Daochong 陈道冲

Chen Daochong was a native of Xunyang (present-day Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province) during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

As recorded in Volume 31 of Comprehensive Mirror of True Immortals Through the Ages Who Embodied the Dao, he did not consume meat or alcohol from childhood and enjoyed listening to the recitation of scriptures.

When he grew up, he adhered to strict ascetic practices and maintained noble moral integrity. He encountered an extraordinary person who passed down Taoist ritual talismans to him, after which he built a thatched hut on Zixiao Peak (Purple Cloud Peak) to practice Taoism.

He had eight or nine disciples, all of whom attained a high level of Taoist cultivation. Chen Daochong would definitely explain scriptures to his disciples every dawn and dusk. He once said, "The fundamental origin of our teaching lies in the doctrines of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and the core essence of Laozi and Zhuangzi is to realize and illuminate the true nature of one's mind. Later generations only focus on learning external techniques and rigidly cling to superficial practices, which deviates far from the true essence."

Chen Daochong passed away in the 21st year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (647 CE). One of his treatises has been handed down to later generations.