The Zi Gen 訾亘

Zi Gen (1153-1231) was a native of Bozhou, Shandong during the Jin Dynasty. He was taciturn and rarely spoke, with a simple and sincere natural disposition.

In the 10th year of the Dading era (1181), he met "True Person Danyang" (Ma Danyang, a founding master of the Quanzhen Sect) and thus began to follow the Quanzhen Sect; he was bestowed the Taoist title "Genchu". In the 1st year of the Minglü era (1190), he switched to studying under Qiu Changchun (Qiu Chuji, another founding master of the Quanzhen Sect), and later furthered his Taoist learning with Liu Changsheng (also a core master of the Quanzhen Sect). Zi Gen practiced Taoism diligently without slackening  throughout his life. Master Liu imparted all his Taoist teachings to him and granted him the Taoist title "Shouzhenzi" (Master of Upholding Truth); later, to avoid a imperial name taboo, the title was changed to "Cunzhenzi" (Master of Preserving Truth).

During the Cheng’an era (1196-1200), he arrived at Juntai. He begged for food in the streets during the day and returned to a niche by the river at night, hiding his identity among ordinary people—so the world did not know he had attained profound Taoist attainments. At that time, a heavy snowfall occurred, and many people starved to death; yet Zi Gen did not eat or drink for ten days, still sitting upright calmly as usual.

After this incident, people from the surrounding villages all came to him to study Taoism. In the 4th year of the Zhenyou era (1216), the Mongol army (referred to as "Yuan troops" in the text, as the Yuan Dynasty was later established) invaded the Guanshan and Shaanxi regions and captured the Jin imperial capital. Government officials and common people were scattered in panic and chaos, but Zi Gen predicted that the situation would stabilize safely, and the local villagers were all preserved from harm because of his guidance. During the Yuanguang era (1222-1223), he was summoned to the imperial capital by imperial edict, and his replies to the emperor’s questions in the court fully satisfied the imperial will.

In the 1st year of the Zhengda era (1224), he attended the "Qianzan Gathering" (a major Taoist assembly) in Caizhou, where he was highly praised. A local government official then donated over 30 mu (a traditional Chinese unit of area, approximately 2 hectares) of his family’s land to establish the Xuanzhen Taoist Abbey, and appointed Zi Gen as its abbot.

Within a few years, a large number of Taoist practitioners flocked to the abbey, and Zi Gen initiated several hundred disciples into Taoism. When Emperor Aizong of the Jin Dynasty visited Caizhou, he summoned Zi Gen to the palace; Zi Gen’s answers to the emperor’s inquiries met the imperial expectations, and he was greatly rewarded.

In the 3rd year of the Tianxing era (1234), Zi Gen passed away due to illness at the age of 82.

His deeds can also be found in Continued Comprehensive Examination of Literature and History (a classic Chinese historical compilation).