Ren Farong任法融

Style & Daoist names

Daoist name Farong

Period

Modern

Dates

1936 — 2021

School

Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism, Longmen (Dragon Gate) Lineage of Quanzhen

Role

President of the China Taoist AssociationPrior of LouguantaiDaoist Scholars

Birthplace

Tianshui (present-day Tianshui, Gansu)

Places of activity

Louguantai (Louguan Terrace), White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan), Beijing

Life

Ren Farong, a native of Tianshui, Gansu, was a Daoist of the Quanzhen Longmen lineage. In 1955 he entered the priesthood at Louguantai in Zhouzhi, Shaanxi, and for many years cultivated the Dao and lectured on scripture there; after the Cultural Revolution he presided over the restoration of Louguantai and served as its prior. From the 1980s onward he served successively as president of the Shaanxi Provincial Daoist Association and vice-president of the Chinese Taoist Association, and in 2005 was elected president of its seventh session, stepping down in 2015; he also served as president of the China Taoist College and traveled abroad many times to propagate the Dao. Ren Farong was renowned for his expositions of the Daodejing, and wrote works such as Daodejing Shiyi (Explication of the Daodejing), Zhouyi Cantong Qi Shiyi (Explication of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi), and Huangdi Yinfu Jing, Huangshigong Sushu Shiyi, written in accessible language and widely circulated; he was also accomplished in calligraphy. He died in Xi'an in 2021.

Contributions & Influence

• Presided over the restoration of Louguantai, promoting the culture of Laozi
• Served as president of the Chinese Taoist Association for a decade, promoting the International Forum on Daoism and other initiatives
• Wrote Daodejing Shiyi and other works, popularizing Daoist scriptures

Works

• Daodejing shiyi (道德经释义, Explanation of the Daodejing)
• Zhouyi cantong qi shiyi (周易参同契释义, Explanation of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi)
• Explanation of the Yellow Emperor's Scripture of the Hidden Talisman and the Su shu (素书, Book of Simplicity) of Huang Shigong