The Wei Jie 韦节

Wei Jie (497-569) was a person from Du Ling (present-day Xingping County, Shaanxi) during the Northern Zhou Dynasty of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. His courtesy name was Chuxuan.

Born into a prestigious and influential family from Guanzhong, he had generations of veneration for the Celestial Master Daoism.

As a child, Wei Jie enjoyed reading and was well-versed in the classics, history, and divination arts. At the age of fourteen, he became a court scribe for Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei in the Eastern Palace. During the reign of Emperor Xiaozhuang, he also served as the governor of Yangxia. At the age of thirty-eight, he resigned from his official position and ascended Mount Song to study under Master Zhao Jingtong, receiving the Three Treasures and Lingwen scriptures. When war broke out in the north, he moved to Mount Hua to practice fasting and the secret methods of "Three Ones, Eight Ones, Nine Truths."

The "Xianjian" volume 29 and the "Zhenxian Stele Inscription" state that during a visit by Emperor Wu of Zhou to the temple for rituals, he admired Wei Jie's Taoist demeanor and requested him to receive the "Lingbao Five Symbols Red Book True Text," bestowing upon him the title "Jingsi Master."

During the Southern Chen Dynasty, Zhou Hongzheng was sent as an envoy to Northern Zhou. Wei Jie analyzed the principles between heaven and man for him, promoted and suppressed the three teachings, and elucidated the path of inner sainthood and outer kingship. As a result, Emperor Wu changed his title to "Xuanzhong Grand Master," granted him the Taiyuan Jingshe, and people called him "Master of Guanzhong." 

He was a prolific writer, with works such as "Sando Yixiu," "Miaozhen Jing Annotation," "Xisheng Jing Annotation," and "Louguan Zhuan." He died in the fourth year of Tianhe at the age of seventy-three.