The Liu Kaiwu 柳开悟

Liu Kaiwu was a native of Fangzhou, Shaanxi Province, during the Jin Dynasty.

His courtesy name was Juji, and his literary name was Wuranzi (Master Wuran).

As recorded in Zhongnan Shan Zuting Xianzhen Neichuan (Inner Biographies of the Immortal Sages from the Ancestral Court of Zhongnan Mountain): In his youth, Liu Kaiwu studied Confucianism. He passed the imperial examination to become a jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), ranked first in the local selection, and was recommended as the Zhou Xuelu (an official in charge of academic affairs and student management at the prefectural level) due to his reputation for talent in the palace examination.

In the 12th year of the Dading era (1172), he met Ma Danyang in Chang'an, and subsequently became Ma's disciple. He resided at the Liujiang Ancestral Hermitage, and together with other eminent Taoist figures of his time—including Cao Zhen, Lai Lingyu, Liu Zhenyi, Li Dasheng, Lei Datong, Li Dajing, and Zhao Jiuyuan—he was known as one of the "Ten Jieyuan of the Mysterious Gate" (Jieyuan here refers to those who once topped local imperial examinations, honoring their scholarly background before entering Taoism).

In the 22nd year of the Dading era (1182), he accompanied Ma Danyang on his eastward journey back to Ninghai. After Ma Danyang passed away, Liu Kaiwu went to the coastal regions to study under Qiu Changchun. During the Mingchang era, by Qiu Changchun's order, he propagated Taoist doctrines and spread the faith in the Yanji region (encompassing present-day Beijing, Tianjin, and parts of Hebei Province), and resided at the Qixuan Hermitage in Gu'an.

He passed away due to illness in the 1st year of the Chongqing era (1212).

In the 5th year of the Yuan Dingzong era (1250), he was posthumously conferred the honorific title "Mingxuan Chongde Wuran Zhenren" (Perfected One Wuran, Who Illuminates Mystery and Honors Virtue).