The Chen Zicheng 陈自诚
Paul PengShare
Chen Zicheng was a native of Changle, Fuzhou, during the Yuan Dynasty.
As recorded in Gazetteer of Fujian: His courtesy name was Wuchu. He entered school at the age of eight. When he was seventeen, Zhang Yangang from Shangqing Palace on Longhu Mountain sought to take him as a disciple. However, his parents were unwilling to let him travel far, so he first went to Chongxu Palace west of Fuzhou City. After staying there for seven days, he left for a journey to Longhu Mountain, where he met Master Zhang. Master Zhang instructed him to study under Li Zeyang.
In the 9th year of the Dade period (1305), he was initiated as a Daoist priest.
In the 7th year of the Yanyou period (1320), he accompanied the Successor Celestial Master (the leader of the Zhengyi School of Daoism, inheriting the title from the Zhang lineage) to the imperial court for an audience. After returning, he took charge of affairs at Chongxu Palace.
In the 1st year of the Taiding period (1324), he again accompanied the Successor Celestial Master to the capital for an imperial audience. In the 3rd year of the Taiding period (1326), he was officially appointed by imperial order as "Lingwu Xuanning Wentai Dharma Master" and "Zhuchi Tidian (Abbot-Supervisor) of Bao'en Guangxiao Daoist Temple in Quanzhou Circuit."
In the Yuantong period (1331), he presented a memorial to the imperial court in the capital.
In the 3rd year of the Yuantong period (1335), he returned to preside over rituals at Shangqing Palace. In the 2nd year of the Zhiyuan period (1336), he went to the capital for an imperial audience and was re-appointed by imperial order as the Tidian (Supervisor) of Guangxiao Daoist Temple.
In the 3rd year of the Zhiyuan period (1337), he was further appointed by imperial order as "Zhizheng Yuanjia Wentai Dharma Master," "Jiaomen Gaoshang (Senior Eminence of the Daoist Community)," and "Tiju Zhiguan (Administrator-in-Chief) of Fanxi Daoist Temple on Longhu Mountain."
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is one of the curators of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
Read his full story →
