Liu Yuanran刘渊然

Style & Daoist names

Styled Tixuan Zi, Perfected Changchun (title granted by the Ming), Perfected Changchun of Emptiness and the Utmost Dao, Mysterious Wonder and Non-Action, Illumining the Model and Expounding the Teaching, Solemn Stillness and Universal Salvation

Period

Late Yuan–Early Ming

Dates

1351 — 1432

School

Qingwei (Pure Tenuity) School, Jingming (Pure and Bright) Daoism

Role

Daoist LeaderTransmitter of Qingwei and Jingming

Birthplace

Ganxian (present-day Ganzhou, Jiangxi)

Life

Liu Yuanran, a native of Ganxian, Jiangxi, was a disciple of Zhao Yizhen and one of the most important Daoist priests of the early Ming. In the twenty-sixth year of the Hongwu reign (1393) he was summoned to the capital, where he won the trust of the founding emperor, was granted the title "Eminent Daoist," and took charge of Chaotian Palace. During the Yongle reign he offended powerful figures at court and was banished to Yunnan, where he propagated the Dao in Kunming for ten years, transmitting Jingming Daoism and the Qingwei ritual methods to Yunnan, from which Yunnan Daoism began to flourish. When Emperor Renzong acceded to the throne, he recalled Liu Yuanran and further granted him the title "Perfected Changchun," placing him in charge of Daoist affairs throughout the empire; during the Xuande reign he was further elevated to the rank of "Great Perfected," placed on the same rank as the Celestial Masters of Mount Longhu — one of the very few Daoist priests of the Ming to be ranked alongside the Celestial Masters. He died in Nanjing in the seventh year of the Xuande reign (1432). His disciple Shao Yizheng went on to continue the compilation of the Daoist Canon. Temples such as the Longquan Temple in Yunnan still honor him today as a founding patriarch.

Contributions & Influence

• Served as the leading Daoist figure at the early Ming court, ranked alongside the Celestial Masters
• Propagated the Dao in Yunnan, initiating the flourishing of Daoism in that region
• Trained disciples including Shao Yizheng, influencing the compilation of the Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Era

Works

• Immortals' Emergency Formulas (one account)
• Yellow Silk Book of Lingbao Jingming
• Recorded Sayings of the Perfected Liu Changchun (compiled by disciples)