Zhang Sanfeng, a Taoist priest of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The year of birth and death is unlucky. Mingtong, also known as Quanyi, also named Junbao, also named Junbao, named Sanfeng, and Feng is also called Feng. A more testable theory is that Zhang Sanfeng was active between Yanyou of the Yuan Dynasty (1314-1320 AD) and Yongle's fifteenth year of the Ming Dynasty (1417 AD). He was from Yizhou, Liaodong (now Liaoning), and later generations called him the Yinxian Sect. It may be said that Zhang Sanfeng was from the Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty or even the Jin Dynasty. His place of origin is also said to be "Pingyang", "Yishi" and "Baoji".
In the third year of Tianshun reign of Emperor Yingzong of Ming Dynasty (AD 1459), he was named "Tongwei Xianhua Zhenren". In the 22nd year of Chenghua (AD 1486), Xianzong named him "Taoguang Shangzhi True Immortal". In the third year of Tianqi (AD 1623), Emperor Xizong claimed that Sanfeng descended on the altar and manifested his spirit, and named him "The True King of Feilong Manifestation, Hongren and Benefiting the World".
Legends and historical facts:
Zhang Sanfeng "has a tall posture, a turtle-shaped crane's back, big ears and round eyes, and a beard like a halberd. In the cold and hot weather, he only has a straw hat. He often eats up all his food." , He may eat only once for several days, or he may not eat for several months. "He has an unforgettable reading record, is erudite, and can write poems." Free and unrestrained, with a fairy-like demeanor. He is unkempt and is also known as "Zhang Sloppy".
There are many legends about Zhang Sanfeng: It is said that Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty summoned him in the late Song Dynasty, so "Sanfeng may be said to be a man of the Jin Dynasty"; Sanfeng's martial arts is amazing, it is said that he once killed a hundred thieves with a single fist; he has achieved great success in cultivation , it is said that he can escape from the dead and come back to life. According to his own account, he once served as a county magistrate, and later abandoned his official position and became a Quanzhen Taoist priest. He once met Master Huo Long in Zhongnan Mountain and taught him the elixir secrets.
Zhang Sanfeng traveled to Wudang Mountain, where he and his disciples "removed brambles and rubble" and built a thatched cottage to practice Taoism. He predicted that "this mountain will prosper in the future" and told his disciples to "keep the incense well". Soon I left Wudang Mountain and traveled to Sichuan, where I visited the True Range Rover in Qingcheng Mountain and Heming Mountain. Tai Chi was first introduced for the purpose of cultivating Taoism and keeping fit, and it is now very popular in the world.
Zhang Sanfeng is known as the "Hidden Immortal". He did not seek glory or gain in his life, but lived in isolation from the world. Traveling around the world, his whereabouts are unpredictable. In the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu (1391), Zhu Yuanzhang sent Zhang Yuchu, the 43rd generation heavenly master, to look for him everywhere, but there was no trace of him. Later, during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty sent Zhang Yuchu and others to search for it many times, but they could not find it. Therefore, the temple in Wudang Mountain was overhauled, so that the prophecy that Sanfeng would be prosperous in the future would come true.
The admiration and praise of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, as well as Zhang Sanfeng's unpredictable Taoism, as well as Zhang Sanfeng's own erratic whereabouts as "a dragon that sees its head but not its tail", made Zhang Sanfeng's legend of immortals endure for a long time. In the Qing Dynasty, and even in modern times, the story of encountering Zhang Sanfeng as a preacher is still spread among Taoists and people.
Writings and Thoughts:
Zhang Sanfeng advocated that the three religions have the same origin. It is believed that Taoism and Dharma have been divided into good and evil since ancient times, and Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism are all orthodox religions. Although the founders of the three religions are different, they all "cultivate oneself and benefit others, and they all tend to be the same." Therefore, "Muni, Confucius, and Lao are all named Tao." He said in "Tao Lun": "Confucians are those who practice the Tao to help the world, Buddhas are those who understand the Tao and enlighten the world, and immortals are those who hide the Tao and save people." He advocated that cultivating Tao means cultivating the way of "yin, yang, and life" , "The saints of the three religions all established their teachings based on this Tao." He advocated that "metaphysics takes merit as its body, gold elixir as its use, and then you can become an immortal." He has many writings.
Li Xiyue, a Taoist scholar in the Qing Dynasty, edited "The Complete Works of Mr. Zhang Sanfeng" and included it in "Tao Zang Ji Yao".
References:
"History of Ming Dynasty" Volume 299
"Biography of Zhang Sanfeng"
"History of Taoism in China" Volume 3,
The first volume of "Chinese Taoism".
"Cihai" 1999