Lu Dongbin (呂洞賓) is the most important character from the pantheon of eight Taoist immortal patriarchs, to whom the largest number of practices are attributed, which he built according to sacred schemes and spiritualized scriptures on the instructions of his teacher Zhongli Quan (鐘離 權 / 鐘离 權). Very often he is seen as a mythological figure in Taoist folklore, but in fact Lü was a real person.
Lu was born in 798 during the Tang Dynasty. From childhood he loved to read and had an outstanding memory. As a teenager, he could freely reproduce any passage from the many books he read. Although he was viewed by many as a potential candidate for a high-ranking government official, Lu failed twice in the civil service exam.
During the Tang Dynasty, the exam was held at the imperial court in the capital Chang'an. According to Taoist stories, he managed to pass ten tests before he was accepted as a student by a Taoist master and embarked on the true path of self-improvement. These ten tests are described below.
After returning from a long journey, Lü learned that all of his loved ones had died. Without sadness or remorse, Lü began to prepare for their funeral, but suddenly they all came to life.
In the market, the buyer gave Liu only half of the money and took the goods. Lü didn't get angry and let him go.
On the morning of the Chinese New Year, the beggar who received alms from Liu turned out to be greedy and continued to swear and demand more. Lu only replied with a smile.
When Lu was a shepherd, he got in the way of a hungry tiger to protect the sheep he was tending. The tiger left without touching Lu.
Once Lu several times denied sexual claims to a beautiful woman when, out of the kindness of his soul, he left her for one night in his small hut in the mountains.
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Soon after he was robbed and he lost all his valuables, Lü found gold in the field, but did not touch it, but pretended not to see anything.
As soon as Lü learned that the bronze utensils he bought from the market were actually made of gold, he immediately returned them to their owner.
The crazy-looking Taoist promised anyone who took his medicine immediate death or receiving the Tao after reincarnation. No one but Liu approached him and took his medicine. However, Lü did not die.
When Liu's boat began to fill with water due to a severe storm on the river, he did not worry about life and death at all.
When the ghosts and monsters appeared in the room where Lü was meditating, he remained calm. The ghosts began to claim that Lü owed them his life in his previous life and threatened to kill him. Lü replied calmly, "If it's true, then let it be your way." At that very moment, all the devils suddenly disappeared and a Taoist master appeared who said, "Now you are ready to hit the road." In the end, Liu was able to complete his cultivation.
There are many legends and stories about Lue. Many people know him as the main character in the story “Dream and Yellow Millet”: “Once an educated and ambitious man fell asleep on a pillow in a hotel while a Taoist was preparing a dish of yellow millet for him. When he woke up, he went to take the civil service exam and, thanks to an excellent grade, was appointed a government official.
He later became prime minister and lived happily in his home with a beautiful wife and two children. However, he was soon slandered by several envious servants of the monastery, and he fell out of favor with the emperor. He was sent into exile, his wife left him, and his children died. In such a difficult situation, he was left alone and was on the verge of death …
Then he woke up and found that he was still in the hotel, and the yellow millet had not yet been cooked. Looking at the smiling Taoist, he suddenly realized that it was only a dream. Then he decided to become a follower of Taoism."
This story shows us the ephemeral nature of human life, its continuous change from fame and wealth to poverty and helplessness.