The Zhen Xizhen 甄栖真

The Zhen Xizhen 甄栖真

Paul Peng
Zhen Xizhen (?–1022), styled Daoyuan and known by his literary name Shenguangzi, was a native of Danfu in Danzhou (now Dan County, Shandong Province) during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty.
He took the imperial examination for Jinshi (a title for successful candidates in the highest imperial examination in ancient China) but failed. Thus, he abandoned his Confucian studies and went to seek Taoist teachings from Mr. Huagai on Mount Lao. Later, he entered Jianlong Guan (Jianlong Taoist Temple) and became a Taoist priest.

He traveled around the country and helped people with his medical skills.
During the Dazhong Xiangfu era (1008–1016), he resided in Jinzhou and served as the head of Ziji Palace. At the age of 75, he met a divine figure who taught him the secret of "refining the physical form and nurturing the primordial vitality" (a Taoist practice for physical and spiritual cultivation). After practicing this secret for two or three years, he became so light that he could move as if flying.
He passed away in the twelfth lunar month of the first year of the Qianxing era (1022). He wrote two volumes of Huanjin Pian (The Essay on Returning the Golden Vitality), which have been handed down to later generations.
(From "The Biography of Zhen Xizhen" in History of the Song Dynasty)
Paul Peng — Zhengyi Taoist Priest, Longhu Mountain

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.

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