Yi Xinying易心莹

Style & Daoist names

originally named Liangde, courtesy name Zongqian, Daoist name Xinying, also Yuanxu

Period

Republican Era–Present

Dates

1896 — 1976

School

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

Role

Daoist ScholarsAbbot of Mount QingchengVice President of the Chinese Taoist Association

Birthplace

Suining (present-day Suining, Sichuan)

Places of activity

Mount Qingcheng

Life

Yi Xinying, a native of Suining, Sichuan, was a Daoist of the Quanzhen Longmen lineage and a leading representative of modern Daoism at Mount Qingcheng. In 1917 he entered the priesthood at the Tianshi Cave on Mount Qingcheng, studying under Wei Zhiling and later under Wu Junke; he was diligent in study, read widely through the Daozang, and associated with scholars such as Meng Wentong and Chen Yingning, earning him a reputation as a "historian-scholar" type of Daoist priest. After 1942 he served successively as abbot of the Tianshi Cave and chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Daoist Association, and wrote works such as Daojiao Xitong Biao (Chart of the Daoist Lineages), Daoxue Kebeen (Textbook of Daoist Studies), Laozi Tongyi (General Meaning of the Laozi), and Daojiao Sanzijing (Three-Character Classic of Daoism), contributing to the popularization and organization of Daoist history and doctrine. In 1957 he took part in founding the Chinese Taoist Association, serving as vice-president, and in 1961 became president of the Sichuan Provincial Daoist Association. Mount Qingcheng suffered upheaval during the Cultural Revolution, and he died there in 1976.

Contributions & Influence

• Wrote Daojiao Xitong Biao and other works, organizing the outline of Daoist history
• Presided over the Tianshi Cave on Mount Qingcheng, preserving the Quanzhen tradition in Sichuan
• Took part in founding the Chinese Taoist Association, serving as vice-president

Works

• Daojiao xitong biao (道教系统表, Chart of the Daoist Lineage System)
• Daoxue keben (道学课本, Textbook of Daoist Studies)
• Laozi tongyi (老子通义, General Meaning of the Laozi)
• Daojiao sanzijing (道教三字经, Three-Character Classic of Daoism)
• Nüzi daojiao congshu (女子道教丛书, Collectanea of Women's Daoism)