Eight Immortals: Lu Dongbin

Lu Dongbin is considered by some as the leader of the Eight Immortals. He had the Taoist name of Chun Yangzi and was born with the name of Lu Yan. Out of all of the Eight Immortals Lu Dongbin is the most famous and most mentioned.  His talisman is a magical sword that subdues demons and evil forces. Lu Dongbin can also be recognized not only by his sword but by the scholar clothes he wears.
Lu Dongbin is the patron of jugglers, magicians and barbers.

At the time of Lu Dongbin’s birth a divine fragrance was with the house and as a child he was intelligent. He could even memorize thousands of lines a day. By the age of twenty Lu Dongbin hadn’t married and he had taken imperial examination twice but failed.

Lu Dongbin was at a tavern at a place called Chang’an where he met a man called Zhongli Quan. While Zhongli Quan was cooking a pot of yellow milled Lu Dongbin fell asleep. Lu Dongbin had a dream, that he took the imperial examination and did great. That he had became a government official and later prime minister. In this dream Lu Dongbin was also married twice with both wives from families of wealth and position and with children of his own.

However, despite the success in his dream, he dreamt that people were jealous of his success who accused him of a crime which lead to his possessions being confiscated, and to his wives and children being separated. From dreaming of gaining fame to being a solitary outcast, Lu Dongbin awoke to find the yellow millet still being prepared. To this Lu Dongbin realized the impermanence of fame, glory and wealth to which he went with Zhongli Quan to cultivate Tao.

Over the years Zhongli Quan instructed Lu Dongbin but refused to teach Lu Dongbin how to attain immortality unless Lu Dongbin did a least three thousand good deeds. The amount of good deeds was eventually reached and Lu Dongbin was active in the mortal world after attaining immortality, often testing people, giving rewards for those proving themselves virtuous.

Lu Dongbin himself is said to be a ladies man, even after becoming immortal, so people don’t really invoke Lu Dongbin with romantic problems. Not only that, but Lu Dongbin is also known for his bouts of drunkenness and soon after becoming immortal himself deformed a riverbank in a bout of anger.

There is a Chinese proverb, “dog bites Lu Dongbin”, meaning an inability to recognize goodness and repay kindness with vice.