The Liu Yiming 刘一明

Liu Yiming (1734-1821) was a native of Quwo County, Pingyang Prefecture, Shanxi Province during the Qing Dynasty.

His literary names included Wuyuanzi, Supu Sanren (the Unadorned Hermit), and Beihe Sanren (the Hermit in Coarse Clothes).

In his youth, he was fond of the practices of cultivation and nourishment. Later, he met Elder Kanggu and Immortal Liuzhang, through whom he finally comprehended the profound secrets of the Dan Dao (the Way of Alchemy).

Subsequently, he secluded himself in Qiyun Mountain and Xinglong Mountain in Yuzhong County to practice Taoism. He established Xuantan (the Mysterious Altar) to spread Taoist teachings and conducted activities in the regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai. He became the 11th-generation successor of the Longmen School (Dragon Gate School) of Quanzhen Taoism.

He was a prolific writer, and his works were compiled and printed as Daoshu Shizhong (Ten Books on Taoism), which included: Cantongqi Zhizhi Jianzhu (Direct Annotation and Explanation of The Kinship of the Three), Cantongqi Jingwen Zhizhi (Direct Interpretation of the Scripture Text of The Kinship of the Three), Cantongqi Zhizhi Sanxiang Lei (Direct Analysis of the Three Categories in The Kinship of the Three), Yili Chan Zhen (Elucidating the Truth of the I Ching Principles), Kongyi Chan Zhen (Elucidating the Truth of Confucian I Ching), Qiaoyao Ge Zhijie (Direct Interpretation of The Song of Knocking Yao), Baizi Bei Zhu (Annotation of The Hundred-Character Stele), Yinfu Jing Zhu (Annotation of The Scripture of the Hidden Symbol), Wugen Shu Jie (Explanation of The Rootless Tree), Daode Jing Huiyao (Essential Compilation of The Tao Te Ching), Xin Jing Jie Yun (Uncovering the Meaning of The Heart Sutra), Huangting Jing Jie (Explanation of The Yellow Court Scripture), Jindan Sibaizi Jie (Explanation of The Four Hundred Words on the Golden Elixir), and Wuzhen Zhizhi (Direct Guidance to Understanding Reality).

His other works included: Xiyou Yuanzhi (The Original Meaning of Journey to the West), Xiuzhen Biannan (Refuting Doubts on Cultivating Perfection), Shenshi Bafa (The Eight Methods of the Divine Chamber), Xiangyan Poyi (Resolving Doubts Through Symbolic Language), Xiuzhen Jiuyao (The Nine Essentials of Cultivating Perfection), Jindan Koujue (The Oral Formula of the Golden Elixir), Tongguan Wen (The Text on Passing Through Barriers), Huixin Neiji (The Internal Collection of Heartfelt Insights), Huixin Waiji (The External Collection of Heartfelt Insights), and Wudao Lu (Records of Realizing the Tao).

In addition, he authored medical works such as Jingyan Zafang (Miscellaneous Empirical Prescriptions), Jingyan Qifang (Extraordinary Empirical Prescriptions), Yanke Qimeng (Introduction to Ophthalmology), and Zayi Zhengzhi (Treatments for Miscellaneous Epidemics). In these works, he expounded on and developed the traditional doctrines of the Quanzhen Longmen School and the ideology of Neidan (Internal Alchemy). He integrated the spirit of the consistency between the I Ching theory and Taoist thought, and proposed a complete set of cultivation methods emphasizing gradual practice and gradual enlightenment—with Zhouming Xiuxing (cultivating one’s nature based on the cycles of life) as the core, aiming to achieve Xingming Shuangxiu (the simultaneous cultivation of nature and life).

His theory of internal cultivation inherited and developed the ideological tradition of Sanjiao Heyi (the unity of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism) of the Quanzhen Longmen School. He extensively excerpted and drew insights from Buddhist sutras, Confucian classics, as well as books on history and medicine, integrating them into a systematic framework—endowing his theory of internal cultivation with profound philosophical connotations.