Saints & Sages Part II: 呂祖 Founding Ancestor Lü

起先，洞宾母亲临产时，室内飘满奇香，空中有天乐声传来。有一只白鹤从天空飞下来，飞入产帐就不见了。洞宾生下，身体合乎金木五行之数，头背形状有灵龟仙鹤的神姿，一对凤目炯炯有神，两道长眉连到发际。少小时聪慧过人，读书可以一天背诵万言，言语出口便能成章。身高八尺二寸，面容仿佛汉代的张良。

At the beginning, when Lü Dong Bin’s mother was about to give birth a very bizarre fragrance floated within [her] chamber. In the air a divine musical sounds were transmitted, [and] a white crane flew down from the sky, [which] could not be seen again upon entering the birthing chamber. [When] Dong Bin was born, his body was in harmony with Metal and Wood [and] the Five Phases’ numerology. The shape of his head and back had the spiritual appearance of a divine turtle and an immortal crane. [His] pair of phoenix eyes were shining with Spirit, [and] two lines of long eyebrows connected to his hairline. At a young age he surpassed people in brightness and intelligence. [When] reading books, he could memorize ten thousand words in one day. [And] speech flowed from his mouth as if from the pen of a master. [His] body was eight Chinese feet and two Chinese inches tall. [His] facial features resembled the image of the Buddha and Han Dynasty’s Zhang Liang .

Image Source: Wellcomecollection.org