Lu DongBin was the most popular of ‘The Eight Immortals’. He is regarded as the healer of the poor and a slayer of evil spirits. His symbols were a devil slayer sword and a bushy whisk.

Lu DongBin attained immortality through perseverance. He was born in the Tang dynasty and his father and grandfather were court officials. When his mother was pregnant it was known that an exotic fragrance filled the room and there was music from Heaven. A white crane descended from Heaven, flew into her mother’s room and vanished into her womb. After that Lu DongBin was born. As a child he was exceptionally smart and could easily memorize and recite the Confucius classic.

 

Then he went to the mountain Lushan and there he met the Fire Dragon Immortal and was taught the advanced swordplay. Later he went to Chang’an, the capital twice to sit for the imperial examinations. He failed both the examinations and by then he was 42 years old. One day while having a drink in an inn, immortal Zhongli Quan came and pretended to join him in the drink. He poured out his great disappointment to the immortal and finally got drunk and the immortal took him to his hut to rest.

 

While resting in the immortal’s hut, he had a dream. He dreamt that he became the top scholar and rose steadily in his office career. He also got married and had an enjoyable and blissful family life. Eventually he became the Prime Minister and held the post for many years. He offended the new emperor one day and his whole family was executed. He was sent into exile and was in deep desperate state. Then he woke up from the dream and was gripped with fear.

 

The immortal Zhongli Quan gesture with him about his dream and he was amazed at how the immortal knew about his dream. He realized that Zhongli Quan must be an immortal and offered him respect. The immortal then advised him that the greatest happiness in life is to associate with the good spirit and the greatest misery is to know too much and yet unable to be detached. Lu DongBin pleaded with the immortal to accept him as his disciple and he accepted with conditions.

 

His spiritual tests took him to the limit until he was prepared to die for it. He passed all the tests with perseverance, honesty, generosity, bravery in protecting the weak, fidelity and many others including during dreams until the immortal appeared before him and declared that he had passed all the tests at the final moment when he was prepared to kill himself to maintain his word and deed. Eventually after learning much from the immortal he became an immortal.

 

In the temple of Tao of Heaven, God conferred him as "Heavenly 2nd Discipline Teacher of Tao" like Kuan Ti in guiding and disciplining Tao devotees to attain great discipline.

 

In Tao of Heaven, there are four Heavenly Discipline Teachers and the other two are ‘Yeh  Fei’ and ‘Chang Fei’, both were righteous people of the past. 

Manifestation of Lu DongBin