See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/282331337

The life of Ma Dan Yang

Article · January 1999

CITATION READS

1 3,361

1 author:

Brian H May
RMIT University
127 PUBLICATIONS 2,176 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Brian H May on 01 October 2015.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

THE LIFE OF MA DAN-YANG

By Brian May, Michael Wang and Takako Tomoda

Reference as: May, B., Wang, M. and Tomoda, T. (1999). The life of Ma Dan Yang. Journal
of the Australian Chinese Medicine Education and Research Council, 4(6): 12-16.

Ma Dan-yang is a minor figure in the history of Chinese medicine who is frequently omitted
from accounts of medicine during the Song and Jin dynasties. However, he is quite prominent
as a saint in the Daoist religion. The purpose of this article is to outline the main events in the
life of this acupuncture practitioner.

Ma Dan-yang's (馬丹陽) original name (原名) was Cong Yi (從義); his pen-name (字) was Yi
Fu (宜甫). After becoming a daoist he changed his personal name to Yu (鈺) and his pen-name
to Xuan Bao (玄寶). His respect-name (號) was Dan Yang Zi (丹陽子). He was born in Ning
Hai prefecture (寧海縣), which is modern day Mou Ping prefecture (牟平縣) in Shan Dong (山
東) province, in 1123, the 5th year of Xuan He (宣和), just before the fall of the Northern Song
to the invading Jin (金) dynasty. He died in 1183, the 10th year of Chun Xi (淳熙) by Nan Song
南宋 reckoning, at age 61.

Ma Dan Yang’s father was very rich. He was called "Ma Ban Zhou" (馬半州) which implied
that half of the province belonged to Ma’s family. Ma Dan-yang was brought up as a scholar in
the Confucian tradition. He was famous for literature, drama and calligraphy. He was known
for helping people and not caring about money.

When he was a young child, he often went to his home town (本鄉) in area of Kun Yu mountain
(崑崙山) to play. At that time, there was a daoist called Li Wu-meng (李無夢) who was trying
to make dan (丹) but had no success after many years. He concluded that he could only succeed
in making dan if a person with spirit bones (xian gu 仙骨) descended from heaven. One day,
young Ma Dan-yang was playing around the daoist’s stove and strangely, the making of dan
was successful. The daoist Li was amazed and gave the credit to Ma Dan-yang. He said to Ma
Dan-yang, "You have three mountains on your forehead, and your arms extend below the knees,
you have the makings of an immortal" (你額有三山, 手垂過膝, 真是大仙之才). After that Li
made a poem for Ma Dan-yang: "Well-built body, round face and long ears, beautiful eyebrows
and sharp eyes, straight nose with squarish mouth, equipped with the best physiognomy, I can
see the light of your spirit on the top of your head." (身體堂堂, 面圓耳長, 眉修目俊, 准直口
方, 相好具足, 頂有神光). Even though Ma Dan Yang was very young at that time, everything
the daoist had said was deeply imprinted in his mind.

He passed the examinations to become a scholar (jin shi 進士) at the age of 20. He also got
married to Sun Bu-er (孫不二) and had three children named Ting Rui (庭瑞), Ting Zhen (庭
珍) and Ting Gui (庭珪). After mid age, he became interested in the idea of daoists becoming
immortals. No doubt this was due to the influence of what the daoist Li had told him when he
was young. When he was 44 he is said to have had a dream in which a crane burst from the
ground at a spot in his southern garden and soon after the daoist Chong Yang Zi (重陽子
respect-name; personal name Wang Che 王寡) arrived and pointed to the same place that Ma
had dreamt of. He and his wife studied the dao under Wang. This was in the 7th year of Jin Da
Ding (金大定七年) (1167). The following year, Ma Dan-yang established Yan Sha Cave (煙
霞洞) in the Kun Yu Mountains, which are on the Shandong peninsula, as a place to practice
attaining purity (xiu zhen 修真). His wife joined him the following year. They also traveled
around Shaan Xi (陜西) province with their teacher Wang Chong-yang. Wang seems to have
attracted numerous followers in the Shandong region of whom Ma Dan-yang and Sun Bu-er
were among the first. After they left their home to become devotees of the dao their marriage
connection was considered finished and they later went their separate ways. Both Wang and
Ma produced a considerable body of literature mostly in the form of poems on personal and
daoist themes. Much of it is preserved in the Daoist Canon. Wang and his followers traveled
around visiting daoist communities and delivering sermons on the cultivation of the dao and on
reaching enlightenment. They appear to have led a rather unorthodox lifestyle and both
referred to themselves as feng zi 風子 (crazy men).

The main concerns of Wang’s teachings appear to be:

1. renunciation of worldly connections
2. liberation from desires, greed, sex, money, and anger.

He and his followers also appear to have practiced austerities some kinds of internal training 内
丹 (nei dan). It is recorded that Ma went without water in summer and did not warm himself in
front of the fire in winter as part of his training. He also had to beg in the streets.

After 3 years of traveling Wang died (in 1170) and they returned to the Kun Yu Mountains and
built a temple named Qi Yu (契遇) on Zi Jin peak (purple-gold peak 紫金峰). Ma continued to
travel and teach and appears to have become quite famous. He wrote numerous poems, songs
and possibly some dramatic works. He is also featured as a character in some later plays. He
wrote a number of daoist books including the Shen Guan Can (神光璨 The Glorious Light of
the Spirits) and the Dong Xuan Jin Yu Ji (洞玄金玉集 Collection of Gold and Jade from the
Mystical Cavern).

Sun Bu-er seems to have been the only woman admitted to the inner circle of the devotees of
Wang Che. In 1175, after paying her respects at Wang’s burial temple she headed west to lead
the life of a wandering ascetic. According to some accounts she disfigured her face by
splashing hot oil on it, but other accounts say she rubbed coals on her face, and wandered as a
mad woman. In 1179 she settled in Luo Yang where she converted many people and amassed a
large following. Two scriptures and a number of poems aimed at female daoist adepts are
attributed to her and are found in the Daoist Canon. They include topics such as embryonic
breathing (胎息 tai xi), refinement of the spirit (煉神 lian shen) and avoidance of grains (辟毅
pi gu). She died on the 12th of February 1184 and is one the best known of the daoist matriarchs.

Ma returned to his home in 1182 and spent his later life at You Xian Gong (游仙宮) in Lai
Yang (萊陽). In the 12th volume of the Lai Yang Xian Zhi (萊陽縣志 The Annals of Lai-Yang)
it says: “… in the Kui-Mao (癸卯) year, 12th month, 2nd day (February 5th 1184), (Ma Dan
Yang) featherized (i.e. became an immortal) in the You Xian Gong (游仙宮) in Lai Yang (萊
陽).” He was given the title of "Dan Yang Bao Yi Wu Wei Zhen Ren" (丹陽抱一無為真人),
which means "Dan Yang the Pure One who holds the One and practices Not Doing", by the
emperor Yuan Shi Zu (元世祖) (aka Khublai Khan) in the 6th year of Zhi Yuan (至元) (1263).

Ma Dang Yang and his wife became two of the Seven Pure Ones (qi zhen ren 七真人) of the
Quan Zhen Jiao (全真教) “Complete Purity Sect”. The founder of the northern daoist sect
called Quan Zhen was Wang Chong Yang (1112-1170) and his 7 early disciples became the
Seven Pure Ones. They are: 1. Dan Yang Zi (丹陽子), Ma Yu (馬鈺) 1123-1183; 2. Zhang
Zhen Zi (長真子), Tan Chu Duan (譚處瑞) 1123-1185; 3. Zhang Sheng Zi (長生子), Liu Chu
Xuan (劉處玄) 1147-1203; 4. Zhang Chun Zi (長春子), Qiu Chu Ji (邱處機) 1148-1227; 5. Yu
Yang Zi (玉陽子), Wang Chu Yi (王處一) 1142-1217; 6. Guang Ning Zi (廣寧子) Hao Da
Tong (郝大通) 1140-1212; 7. Qing Jing San Ren (清淨散人) Sun Bu Er (孫不二) 1119-1183.
 Each of the seven is regarded as a founder of a branch of Qian Zhen Daoism (Boltz, 1987, p.64;
Min & Li, 1994, p.31).

Ma Dan Yang was said to have been good at Acupuncture but we could not find out how he
learned or any details of his medical practice. The Zhen Jiu Da Cheng (針灸大成) by Yang Ji
Zhou contains a collection of Ma Dan Yang’s methods in a section called Ma Dan Yang Tian
Xing Shi Er Xue Zhi Za Bing Ge (馬丹陽天星十二穴治雜病歌) "The Poem of Ma Dang
Yang's Twelve Heavenly Star Points for The Treatment of Miscellaneous Diseases". This
poem is said to have first been recorded in

The poem outlines a simple method of choosing 12 points from the upper and lower limbs to
treat diseases of the whole body. The 12 points are:

ST-36 Zusanli (足三里); ST-44 Neiting (內庭); L.I.-11 Quchi (曲池);

LI.-4 Hegu (合谷); BL-40 Weizhong (委中); BL-57 Chengshan (承山);
LIV-3 Taichong (太沖); BL-60 Kunlun (崑崙); GB-30 Huantiao (環跳);
GB-34; Yanglingquan (陽陵泉); HE-5 Tongli (通里); LU-7 Lieque (列缺).

This poem includes the location of the points, therapeutic indications, needling and moxa
methods, efficacy, and cautions. A more detailed discussion of Ma Dang Yang's Poem will be a
topic for a later issue.

References

Boltz, Judith M. (1987) A Survey of Taoist Literature: Tenth to Seventeen Centuries. Berkeley:
University of California.

Min Zhi Ting & Li Yang Zheng (1994) Dao Jiao Da Ci Dian (道教大辭典 Great Dictionary of
Daoism). Suzhou: Hua Xia Chu Ban She.

Shang Guan Liang Pu (1974) Zhong Guo Yi Yao Fa Zhan Shi (中國醫藥發展史). Hong Kong:
Shin Li Chu Ban Fa Xin Gong Si.

Zhen Zhi Ya (Ed.) (1994) Zhong Guo Yi Xue Shi (中國醫學史 Chinese Medical History).
Taipei: Zhi Yin Chu Ban She (知音出版社).

Zhou Feng Wu (Ed.) (1995) Zhong Guo Yi Xue Yuan Liu Gai Yiao (中國醫學源流概要
Abstract on the Origin and Flowing of Chinese Medicine). Shanxi (山西): Shanxi Ke Xue Chu
Ban She (山西科學出版社).

View publication stats