The Tao Sixuan 陶思萱

Tao Sixuan (?–1692) was a native of Guian (now part of Zhejiang Province) during the transition from the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty.

His courtesy name was Qianshan; he also went by the name Taiding and styled himself Shi’anzi (Hermit of the Stone Hut).

His family had been merchants for generations and was among the wealthiest in Guian. His father died early, and his mother was skilled in composing poetry and prose.

Because his grandmother disliked him, he was fostered in his elder cousin’s home.

By nature, he was fond of poetry and painting, with particular expertise in painting orchids and bamboo; he was also adept at cursive and clerical scripts of Chinese calligraphy. He enjoyed charitable acts and helping the poor. Later, he resided on Jinge Mountain (Golden Canopy Mountain) for secluded cultivation. After his clan uncle Tao Jing’an passed away, he continued and upheld Tao Jing’an’s aspirations.

During his mountain seclusion, he lived in quietude, reading Daxue (The Great Learning), Zhongyong (The Doctrine of the Mean), Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and Virtue), and Lengyan Jing (The Shurangama Sutra) daily. In the evenings, he would light incense and perform rituals to venerate the Dipper (a Taoist practice of paying homage to the Big Dipper for blessings or spiritual cultivation).

His works include annotations and commentaries such as Zhouyi Zhushu (Annotations and Explanations on the I Ching), Wuzhen Zhushu (Annotations and Explanations on The Awakening to Reality), Cantongqi Zhushu (Annotations and Explanations on The Kinship of the Three), and Nanhua Jing Zhu (Annotations on the Zhuangzi). He also compiled texts including Daoyuan Douchan (Penitential Rituals of the Daoist Destiny and the Dipper), Yushu Jing Jizhu (Collected Annotations on The Jade Pivot Scripture), Huangben Xingjing Jizhu (Collected Annotations on The Scripture of the Emperor’s Fundamental Nature), Qianzhen Lei Chan (Penitential Rituals of a Thousand Immortals and Thunder), and Ziting Jing Zhushu (Annotations and Explanations on The Purple Court Scripture).

He passed away from illness in July of the 11th year of the Kangxi reign (1692).

Detailed accounts of his life and deeds can be found in Jingai Xindeng (The Lamp in the Golden Hut).