Origin of the Real Liu Ren Sect – Shang Qing Liu Ren Sect (上清六壬法门) or Old Liu Ren Sect (古六壬派)

Founder of Old (Or Original Liu Ren) Sect – Li Bo （李播)
Three Liu Ren Branches:
Feng Huo Yuan (风火院)
Qun Ying Guan (群英馆)
Fu Ying Guan (伏英馆)

Master Li Bo (李播) aka Priest Huang Guan Zi (黄冠子), born in AD 552 during Sui Dynasty 隋朝), Date of the Birth unknown. Hometown in China Shan Xi Province, Feng Xiang County (中国陕西省凤翔县).

Since young, Li Bo had been studying Taoist Scriptures, Prediction Methods & Spiritual Skills. At the age of 20 (AD 572), Li Bo decided to leave home to seek for proper Taoist Training. After doing researches & asking, Li Bo finally decided to enroll into Shang Qing Mao Shan Taoist School (上清茅山道宗) to do his training & study.

Upon reaching the Main Ancestral School of Shang Qing Sect, Li Bo was taken in by High Priest Zheng Si Yuan (上清祖师郑思远) as Disciple.

By the age of 32 (AD 584), Li Bo mastered almost all the Taoist Skills that High Priest Zheng had imparted to him. On 15th Day of Lunar 9 Month, High Priest Zheng called upon Li Bo to his Preaching Hall and advised him to go back to his hometown.

Upon hearing that, Li Bo was shocked & sad, assuming that he was being expelled by his Master, but after High Priest, Zheng explained to him that, he got other tasks waiting for him to settle in his hometown. After then, Li Bo finally understands and with some simple packing, Li Bo reluctantly bid farewell to his Master and left Mao Shan.

After leaving Mao Shan, Li Bo didn’t go back to his hometown immediately but traveling around to do his Field-study and hoping to gain experiences from his observations. During this period, Li Bo composed quite a number of Poems & Songs and most of his Articles were being pass-down (now in some of the Chinese Museum, his Poems & Songs can still be seen).

AD 588, due to his Articles & Poems getting more popular, Li Bo was being summoned by the Sui Emperor to the Imperial Court. After the meeting up with the Sui Emperor, Li Bo was given a post to assist the Sui Emperor in doing planning & strategies.

On the following year (AD 589), while Li Bo was practicing his Spiritual Skills of Observing the Stars, he found out that Sui Empire would be destroyed in another few years and so, he decided to resign from his post. Soon, his resignation was being granted and Li Bo gained back his freedom as a Wandering Priest again.

After he was being released from the Sui Empire, Li Bo began his Travelling again.

By the time he returned to his hometown, Li Bo was already 40 years old (AD 592), by then, his parents had already match-made a Lady for him as the Wife. On the 3rd year of his marriage (AD 595), Li Bo got his 1st son and he chose a Name, using his Prediction Skills, as Li Chun Luo (李淳洛).

At the age of 45 (AD 597), Li Bo’s wife gave birth to the 2nd son and the child was given the name of Li Chun Pu (李淳浦).

In AD 602, just before his 3rd Son was being born, Li Bo got a dream Tai Shang Lao Jun aka The Supreme Lord (太上老君) passing a set of Scriptures to Jiu Tian Xuan Nv aka The Ninth Heaven Maiden (九天玄女) in a Celestial Palace. After Ninth Heaven Maiden got the Scriptures, Li Bo was being asked to step forward to receive the Scriptures. Just as the moment of Li Bo receiving the Scriptures, a strong aroma of Sandal-wood fragrance entered into his nose and he was being woken up by a Maid telling him that his Wife had given birth to the 3rd Son.

With joyous, Li Bo dashed to his Wife’s Room and just as he was about to step into the Room, Li Bo started to smell the fragrance of the Sandal-wood again. This time around, he told himself that, he must have got a Spiritual Child that is given to him by the Heaven.

Upon entering the Room, Li Bo was delighted to see his 3rd Son being born with an extraordinary face (looking like an Immortal), immediately, Li Bo used his Prediction Skills to choose a name for his 3rd Son and the Child was given the name of Li Chun Feng (李淳风).

After returning to his room, Li Bo was shocked to see a stack of Scriptures being placed on his study table. Upon opening, he was amazed by the cover-page of the Scriptures, cos these Scriptures were those he saw in his dream. After going thru the Scriptures, he realized that ALL the Skills recorded in the Scriptures were known as Liu Ren Skills (六壬法门) and from then, he started his In-depth study of the Scriptures and hoping that one day, he & his descendants could bring pride to the Heavenly’s Gift.

In AD 603, Li Bo got another Son which was known as Li Chun Xue (李淳雪). By then, Li Bo was already 51 years old.

AD 620, Li Bo was being summoned by the 1st Emperor of Tang Dynasty – Li Yuan (唐高祖李渊), to the Imperial Court. After the meeting up with Emperor Li Yuan, Li Bo was being appointed as the Officer of Prediction (司天监).

During this Period, Li Bo was being high respect by Li Shi Min (李世民), the 2nd Son of Emperor Li Yuan.

Soon after Li Yuan pass-on, Li Shi Min became the 2nd Emperor of the Tang Empire, by then, Li Bo had reached an age of 75 years old, he decided to return to his hometown and just before Li Bo returned home, he recommended his 3rd Son – Li Chun Feng (李淳风) & his Eldest Disciple – Yuan Tian Gang (袁天罡), to assist Emperor Li Shi Min in the Prediction & Strategies Planning (cos only Li Chun Feng & Yuan Tian Gang were being imparted the full set of Liu Ren Skills).

Upon returning to his hometown, Li Bo started to do his cultivation on the Liu Ren Skills again. Due to he knew that his Lifespan was getting to an end, he decided to impart the reminding Liu Ren Skills to his other 3 sons. And so at the age of 90, the set-up 3 branches for his 3 sons. These 3 branches were Feng Huo Yuan (风火院), Qun Ying Guan (群英馆) & Fu Ying Guan (伏英馆).

After setting up the 3 branches, he wrote a Letter to Li Chun Feng & Yuan Tian Gang to look after these branches, in-order not to let the Disciples of the 3 other sons fight against each other for the gaining of the Leadership Throne.

At the age of 109, Li Bo got his Immortal-hood and from then, Li Chun Feng & Yuan Tian Gang were being appointed as the 2nd Generation Leadership of Liu Ren Sect.

Important Note: Due to a lot of misconceptions misleading information, the Actual Teaching of Liu Ren Sect was being distorted and used in an astray-method. Until today, a lot of People who are undergoing the Training of Liu Ren Sect still do not know who is the Official Founder of the Sect, which is really a miserable thing to know.

Important Notes:

Modern Liu Ren Lineage (新六壬派)

In Ming Dynasty, the Chaotic Period of Mixing Religions and Fighting for gaining the Fame of Religious Leaders, the Folks Groups tend to import Deities & Immortals into their Religions in-order to gain more Followers’ Support. Master Jin Ying (金英祖师) was one of them.

After Importing Master Jin Ying into the Group, the Folks Groups claimed that they are the Branch-out of Quan Zhen Sect (叁教全真道) – a Sect that Promotes the Combination of Three Religions’ Teaching. From then, most of the Folks Groups used the Reputation of Three Religions to do Promotion of their Culture.

3) In Late Ming Dynasty (明朝末年), after the Three Religions’ Groups started to get more Popular, some Spiritual Teachers started to import the Ancient Liu Ren Sect (古六壬派) into the New Created Liu Ren Sect (新六壬派 which most of the Liu Ren Sect Groups that we can found in Today are from that Period).

And in order to gain the Supports from the Followers of Master Jin Ying, Master Jin Ying ( was being imported and was made as the Main Spiritual Deity of the Modern Liu Ren Sect.

Take Note:
Ancient Liu Ren Sect does not involve in Mediumship, Summoning of Spirits, Catching of Ghosts, Playing of Sharp-objects, Issuing of Wealth-Talismans or Combining of another form of Teaching from any other Religions.

Ancient Liu Ren Sect was being pass-down by Old Master Li Bo (李播) aka Taoist Priest Huang Guan Zi (黄冠子) to his son Li Chun Feng (李淳风) & Disciple Yuan Tian Gang (袁天罡).

Only those who still followed the Teaching of Li Chun Feng & Yuan Tian Gang are known as the Official Taoist Liu Ren Students, other than that, the Modern Liu Ren Students’ Spiritual Master will be Master Jin Ying (金英祖师) or Master Li Chun Feng (李淳风).

Now, most of the Hong Kong Liu Ren disciples only know abt Li Chun Feng (李淳风) and totally forget about Li Bo （李播) and Yuan Tian Gang  (袁天罡).  Liu Ren Skills need Yuan Tian Gang’s Sets of Liu Ren Knowledge and combined with Li Chun Feng’s Sets of Liu Ren Knowledge, which then can be considered Full Set of Liu Ren Skills.
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六壬法门起源

李播，为修道人，道号黄冠子，隋代人仕，有儿子名叫李淳风，年幼时亦曾学道，有说师承道教上清派郑思远，精通天文地理术数，知李世民为真命天子，并会开创中国盛世，遂扶助他而得天下，直至功成身退前除对天文历法的贡献，还演说推背图，祈助大唐千秋万载，天下太平。

先生弃官后，避世修真，修成正果，白日飞昇，由于精通大六壬神数，自号六壬仙师。仙师虽已得道，但慈悲喜舍难量，遂向太上道祖求开法门传世，以助解困厄病苦。得道祖开法门及玉帝答允并命众神辅助，以仙师之名开六壬法门，法称为六壬仙法，后世亦称为六壬妙法或统称六壬神功！亦因此后世有些馆门有「太上老君坐中央，六壬仙师在左旁。」的说法和神像摆法！

仙师在世时有三子，亦传说有四子，所谓「一人得道，九族飞昇！」其子亦得位列仙班，但只为地仙，心须继续修练以达至天仙甚至更高境界。当然已较一般人事半功倍，走少了很多路！

传说有四子的，说仙师其中一子年幼已夭折，或说此子福德甚厚，直接获封神，扶助仙师管理天庭，其时仙师在天庭司职左班丞相！

由于另三子需修练行善积德，仙师既已开法门，所以先将法门传给三人，待学成后发扬六壬仙法，广传世人，替天行道，驱邪解厄，帮助贫苦……三人分别得传授风火院、群英馆及伏英馆。自此各自修行，在学成传世前，伏英馆以修心为要，仙师特别加许，风火院所修之法较霸道，心中不悦，遂与伏英馆切磋，并扬言落败便把火字倒转写，心摄万法，风火院落败了……而群英馆所修之法较温纯，同奉伏英馆为首。后世亦因此以伏英馆为主流！

明朝，在众多宗教角遂宗教领袖的名誉而形成混乱斗争。民间教派多引入外地神祗以争取更多弟子的支持以及追随。金英祖师乃 其中一位。引入金英祖师进入民间法教后并宣称其为(三教全真道) – 一个宣扬三教合一的教派, 自此大部民间道教组织利用三教的名义去推行其教派文化。

明朝末年，当三教全真道越来越流行，一些师傅开始加入外来的古六壬派法门进入新建立的新六壬派 ，而大部份现今的 六壬门派乃发源于此时期。为争取金英教弟子的支持，金英祖师被引入六壬派并成为近代六壬派主要祖师之一。

备注：古六壬派没有请僮身，役使鬼神，捉鬼，顶刀及招财符咒，甚至没有结合其他宗教流派的法门。古代六壬派传承自李播老师傅黄冠子传其子李淳风及其徒袁天罡。依据李淳风及袁天罡的法门为古老传统六壬，而近代六壬则除李淳风外亦有以金英为祖师。

Articles source from Taoist sorcery website.