18th Patriarch Zhang Tian Ran
From IKTWiki
Birth of 18th Patriarch
“The Yellow River is clear, the Yellow River is clear!” as a person yelled in excitement, running towards his village. “Every time the yellow river clears means a saint is born, which means that our suffering can finally come to an end!”
As the news of Yellow River became unbelievable clear started to travel across China, the sky of Ji Ning, northern province of Shan Dong, turned into a beautiful red and golden color. The citizen of Ji Ning were excited and talked about the extraordinary event. News started to travel throughout other provinces as well.
Many felt blessed and hopeful for the future because of such wonderful news. During that period of time, corruption plagued the people and the government.
A beam of bright light beamed down to the Zhang household, located in the south city of Ji Ning. This day was July 19, 1889 and a baby boy was born to the Zhang family named Zhang Guang Bi (張光璧). Born to this world, the mission of Zhang Guang Bi was to save all sentient beings, who later became our 18th patriarch named Zhang Tian Ran (張天然). In the temple, we called him our Shi Zun (師尊)
The Zhang family was scholarly and focused on education. Shi Zun’s father became a teacher and mentor for him. The father’s hope was that his son could contribute to the society. As years passed, Shi Zun learned philosophies from the Tao Te Ching, Confucius, and Mencius. The teachings behind the philosophies resonated within Shi Zun. Shi Zun’s father also felt the wisdom in his child and knew that Shi Zun would accomplish wonders as he continues his journey of life.
