Sun Suzhen
Sun Suzhen (Chinese: 孫素真; 16 October 1895 – 4 April 1975) was the 18th matriarch of Yiguandao. She was the successor of Zhang Tianran.
Sun Suzhen | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
孫素真 | |||||||||
| Title | 18th Taoist Matriarch (Yiguandao) | ||||||||
| Personal | |||||||||
| Born | 16 October 1895 | ||||||||
| Died | 4 April 1975 (aged 79) | ||||||||
| Resting place | Taoyuan, Taiwan | ||||||||
| Religion | Taoism | ||||||||
| Partner | Zhang Tianran | ||||||||
| Children | 12 | ||||||||
| Sect | Yiguandao | ||||||||
| Other names |
| ||||||||
| Senior posting | |||||||||
| Period in office | 1930 – 1975 (alongside Zhang Tianran until 1947) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Lu Zhongyi Zhang Tianran | ||||||||
| Reincarnation | Yuehui Bodhisattva | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 孫素真 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 孙素真 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Early life
Sun Suzhen was born in Shan County, Shandong on the 28th day of the eighth lunar month in 1895. She was introduced to Yiguandao in 1908, and became the student of Lu Zhongyi. She was regarded by Yiguandao's followers as the incarnation of the Yuehui "Moon Wisdom" Bodhisattva, the counterpart of Ji Gong. She became the 18th matriarch of Yiguandao, together with Zhang Tianran (the reincarnation of Ji Gong), in 1930.
Yiguandao leadership
After the death of Zhang in 1947, she took control of Yiguandao. Many of Zhang's followers followed her leadership. Only a small fraction stayed on with Madame Liu.
When the communists took over China in 1949, Sun moved to Hong Kong. She then went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a short period (1951–52) then returned to Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, she was said to have left behind a large number of "heavenly mandates" (天命). To this day, there are a few elders in Hong Kong who are believed to be the keepers of these heavenly mandates.
Later life and death
In 1954, she moved to Taiwan. Because Yiguandao was illegal in China under communism, she kept a low profile and was kept under seclusion. She was sick in her last years and under the care of a nun surnamed Zhou in Taichung. Later she was under the care of Wang Hao De until her death. She died on the 23rd day of the second lunar month in 1975 (4 April 1975), one day before the death of Chiang Kai-shek.
She was buried in Daxi, Taoyuan. She was given the title Zhonghua Shengmu (中華聖母) (Holy Mother of the Chinese) by her followers.
References
- David Jordan & Daniel Overmyer. 1985. The Flying Phoenix: Aspects of Chinese Sectarianism in Taiwan. Princeton University Press.
- Soo Khin Wah. 1997. A Study of the Yiguan Dao (Unity Sect) and its Development in Peninsular Malaysia. Ph.D. dissertation, University of British Columbia.