Saints & Sages Part III: 锺离权 & 吕洞宾 Zhong Li Quan & Lü Dong Bin

吕洞宾年满二十，不娶妻室。当他还是婴儿的时候，马祖看到他说：“这孩子体貌骨相不同凡人，将来定是遨游世外的人。以后‘遇庐则居，见锺则扣’，留心记住这两句话。”（“庐”暗指庐山，“锺”暗指锺离权，即云房先生）以后，洞宾游庐山遇到火龙真人，传授他天遁剑法。

When Lü Dong Bin reached twenty years of age, he had not taken a wife. When he was still an infant, Ancestor Ma saw him and uttered:
“This child’s appearance and bones are unlike a common person; in the future [he is] certain to be a free wanderer beyond the mundane world. Later, pay attention to remember these two sentences: ‘If you encounter a hut, dwell there; if you meet a bell, knock it’.”

(“Hut” suggests Mount Lu, “Zhong” is a hint for Zhong Li Quan, namely Teacher Cloud Chamber). Later Dong Bin roamed Mount Lu, encountering the Fiery Dragon Perfected One, who transmitted to him the Heavenly-Escape-Swordsmanship.

唐会昌年时，洞宾参加了两次进士科举考试，都失败了。他六十四岁时在长安酒店里见到一位道士，头裹青巾，身穿白袍，在酒家墙壁上题写了一首绝句：“坐卧常携酒一壶，不教双眼识皇都。乾坤许大无名姓，疏散人间一丈夫。”洞宾因此人的样子古怪，诗句意思飘逸不羁，感到惊奇。于是上前施礼，问道士的名姓。那人说：“我就是云房先生。住在终南山鹤岭，你愿随我去游四方吗？”

In the Hui Chang Years of the Tang-dynasty (841-846), Lü Dong participated twice in the palace graduate imperial examination test, all in vain. At the age of sixty-four he met a Daoist in an inn in Chang An, the capital of China in the Tang Dynasty, who had an azure hat wrapped around his head [and his] body wore a white robe. On the wall of the tavern a four line poem was inscribed:

“Sitting or lying, constantly carrying a pot of wine,
un-teaching both eyes to recognize the imperial capital.
Qian and Kun are of such greatness, yet without name,
scattered and unrestrained, a husband amongst people.”

Dong Bin felt surprised because of this man’s eccentric appearance, and the graceful, and uninhibited meanng of the verses, Consequently, he stepped forward, greeted [him and] asked the Daoist for his given and family name. This man said [in reply]: “I am precisely Teacher Cloud Chamber. I dwell in the Zhong Nan Mountains’ Crane Ridge. Are you willing to travel the four directions with me?”

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Post-Scriptum: The full article on Lü Dong Bin’s life will appear in the appendix of Purple Cloud Press’ forthcoming publication of 《The 49 Barriers of Daoist Cultivation》 by Xing De, a manual for refining Inner Nature based on Liu Yiming’s 50 Barriers.