Sun Suzhen
Sun Su Zhen 孫素真(1895-1975) is the Matriarch or Mistress 師母 of I Kuan Tao. She is the successor of Zhang Tian Ran the last patriarch of I Kuan Tao. She is also known Ming Shan 明善 or religious name Hui Ming 慧明, was born in Shan County, Shandong Province on the 28th day of the eight lunar month in 1895. She was introduced to I Kuan Tao in 1908 and became the student of Lu Zhong Yi, there she met Zhang Tian Ran. Zhang took her as his second wife believed to be Heaven's will and lifted her as the incarnation of Bodhisattva Yue Huei (Moon Wisdom), the wife of Ji Gong. She is believed to hold the seat of the 18th patriarch together with Zhang in 1930. After the death of Zhang in 1947, she took control of I Kuan Tao. Many of the Zhang's followers (or apostles) followed her leadership. Only a small fraction stayed on with madam Liu, the first wife of Zhang.
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 return to Hong Kong. In Hong Kong she was said to left behind a large number of Heavenly Mandate 天明. Until today there are few elders in Hong Kong who were believed to be the keeper of this Heavenly Mandate. In 1954 she moved to Taiwan. Because I Kuan Tao was illegal then, she stayed low profile and under seclusion. She was sick most of the time and under the care of a nun named Zhou in Taichung. And later she was under the care of Wang Hao De until her death. She passed away 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 burried in TaShi, Taoyuan 桃園大溪鄉. She was given the title Zong Hua Sheng Mu 中華聖母 (Holy Mother of the Chinese) by her followers.
See also:
Links
- History of Sun Su Zhen according to her followers
- The patriarch of I Kuan Tao
- History of I Kuan Tao according to the 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.