The Xie Taiyi 谢太易

Xie Taiyi was a native of Wujin, Jiangsu Province, during the early Qing Dynasty, and he styled himself "Ningsuzi" (the Adept of Condensed Purity).

As recorded in Jingai Xindeng (The Golden Canopy Lamp of the Heart): "Taiyi had a calm and resolute temperament. In the 16th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty (1643), he went to Gushan Mountain (Solitary Mountain) and obtained a copy of The Dao De Jing with Annotations by Bai (Bai Zhu Daode Jing). From then on, he resolutely dedicated himself to pursuing the Dao: he sought guidance and correction from Yao Taining, and later went to study under Taoist Chongxuzi. Under Chongxuzi’s tutelage, he annotated and explained Taoist classics, engaging in profound discussions on the mysterious and abstruse principles of the Dao.

Chongxuzi took him on travels to Wuling, where he imparted to Xie Taiyi the Major Precepts of the Longmen (Dragon Gate) School and various esoteric methods. After the Shizu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty pacified the Jiangnan region, Xie Taiyi returned to Jingshan Mountain (Golden Canopy Mountain).

In the 3rd year of the Kangxi reign (1664), he paid a formal visit to Wang Changyue at Zongyang Palace, receiving further teachings and instructions from him.

In the 22nd year of the Kangxi reign (1683), he went on a wandering journey away from the mountains, and his whereabouts thereafter became unknown. He authored numerous works that have been passed down to later generations, including Cantongqi Zhushu (Annotations and Commentaries on The Zhouyi Cantongqi), Bai Zhu Daode Jing Shu (Commentaries on The Dao De Jing with Annotations by Bai), Jinxian Zhenglun (Orthodox Discourses on the Golden Immortal), Huiming Pian (On the Wisdom-Life), Jindan Huohou (The Fire Phases of the Golden Elixir), Meishi Qingshang Ji (A Collection of Refined Appreciations of Plum Blossoms and Stone Carvings), Zhi Mei Pu (A Manual on Plum Cultivation), and Riyong Bian (A Compilation on Daily Practice).