The Yuan Congyi 袁从义
Paul PengShare
Yuan Congyi (1158-1224) was a native of Yuqing (now part of Shanxi Province) during the Jin Dynasty.
His courtesy name was Yongzhi, and he styled himself Cangyun (Hermit of Concealed Clouds). His family was a prominent clan in Yuqing for generations.
According to The Epitaph of Mr. Yuan, the Cangyun Hermit: Yuan Congyi was quiet and taciturn from childhood. At the age of 18, he became a disciple of the Real Person Hu Yufeng, who imparted all his knowledge to him—apart from Taoist learning, this also included Confucian classics, historical records, works of various schools of thought, and Buddhist scriptures. Yuan secluded himself in the Zhongtiao Mountains, where he built the Cangyun Taoist Abbey in Wangguan Valley; hence, he adopted "Cangyun" as his literary name.
With extensive knowledge and broad learning, local magistrates and officials regularly visited the Taoist abbey to pay their respects. Senior officials in the imperial court, such as Zhao Zhouchen of the Ministry of Rites and Li Zhichun, a court academician (Neihan), all presented him with poems and essays as gifts.
Famous scholars in the capital, including Shi Jichong, Wang Longji, Luo Mingdao, Li Qinzhi, Ma Yuanzhang, and Xu Dechen, all studied the Dao of the I Ching under Yuan Congyi. Yuan was renowned for his filial piety toward his mother and never traveled far from home in his lifetime. He had a passion for medicine and saved the lives of many people through his medical skills.
In the first year of the Zhengda era (1224), the Mongol army invaded the Pu and Jie regions. Yuan Congyi took refuge with Shi Huaguo in Shanyang to seek safety with a group. When the refuge was attacked, Yuan Congyi, determined not to be humiliated, held his breath in his room and passed away at the age of 66.
His works include Chapter and Sentence Annotations on the Liezi, Concise Explanations on the Zhuangzi, Concise Interpretations of the I Ching, and Cangyun Hermit’s Selected Effective Prescriptions, among others.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is one of the curators of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
Read his full story →
