Lu Dong Bin “Hundred Word Inscription”

I received this froma Master Liu from China back in the late 80’s from China I thought everyone would enjoy this.

The Hundred Word Inscription

To nurture the vital energy, the chi,
keep watch without words
To subdue the mind, act without acting
Recognize the patriarch in movement and stillness
There is nothing to be concerned about:
who else are you seeking?
What’s true and eternal must respond to beings
To respond to beings you must not be deluded
If you are not deluded, real nature remains by itself
When vital energy returns, the elixir spontaneously forms
In the vessel the fire [of conditioned awareness] and water [of primordial awareness] are matched
Yin and Yang are born in succession
Universal transformation rolls like thunder
White clouds cover the peak in the morning
Sweet dew sprinkles down on Sumeru
Drink for yourself the wine immortality
As you roam free, no one will know
Sit and listen to the tune of the zither without strings
Clearly comprehend the working of creation
It’s all in these twenty lines
A true ladder straight to heaven.

— Luu Chunyang

Patriarch ‘s name was Luu Yan and he styled himself Luu Dongbin. He was normally known as Chunyangzi. Because the Complete Perfection sect worshiped him as Patriarch Chunyang, he was also called Patriarch Luu.

According to the Comprehensive Mirror of the Perfect Immortals Who Embodied the Dao, patriarch Lu was born on the 14th day of the fourth month of the 12th Zhenguan year (638 AD) during the Tang dynasty, in Yongle county, Hezhong district. Luu Ran, his father, was a high-rank official of the emperor’s son, who was later promoted to govern the Hai district. When Luu Yan was born under a sand pear tree, sweet smell filled the air nearby.

As a boy, he was so clever that he learnt more than ten thousand words by heart in one day. When grown up, he was a tall man with a slightly yellow and pockmarked face, always smiling, and had a triple goatee. It was said that he failed three times in the imperial examination during empress Wu’s reign. But he at last passed the examination and became a successful candidate of the national civil service in the Tang dynasty emperor Weng’s second Kaicheng year (837 AD). After that, he visited Mt. Luu on his tour and met a magician who taught him a formula for longevity that enabled him to attain to Dao. Another story said that Luu failed twice in the imperial examination. On his way to Changan, he met Patriarch Zhong Liquan who offered him a pillow. With his head on the pillow, slept and dreamed that he succeeded in the imperial examination. Then he was promoted to important positions and enjoyed an admirable life for thirty years. He lived in luxurious houses and was followed by many servants. But after committing a minor faux pas in a talk with the emperor, he had all his ranks and titles taken away, and was forced to leave the capital for the South. What made things worse, he was trapped by a snowstorm en route. Exhausted and penniless, he sighed alone for his bad luck.

Suddenly, he awoke from his dream to find that he had just dozed off briefly while having his millet cooked. After that, he had a new understanding about life. He left his family and followed patriarch Zhong to Heling on Mt. Zhongnan, starting his search for Dao. It was said that in the first Guangming year of Tang dynasty emperor Xi (880 AD), patriarch met gentleman Cui who conferred on him the Elixir Mirror through which patriarch realized that cultivation of spiritual nature and that of bodily life are equally indispensable. Afterwards, he began to visit places like Xiantan, Yueyang and Hubei, saving people there. According to the Biography of Patriarch Luu, after having obtained Patriarch Zhong Liquans Dao, patriarch Lu was also initiated into Perfect Man Huolong’s Swordsmanship for Pursuing Heaven, which was used to cut off vexation as well as sexual desire and greed and agitation. On his first tour to Jianghuai, he dispelled with his powerful sword a flood dragon which was doing harm to locals. After that, abiding by the order of the Emperor of Heaven, he inhabited Jinshan Grotto. At age of sixty-four, he was summoned by the Primeval Lord of Heaven and Jade Emperor. Since then, his whereabouts have been uncertain. Because he promised to save people living in this turbid and turbulent world, there were many stories about his salvation circulating in society. In the Yuan dynasty, Miao Sanshi, a Daoist, edited a seven-scrolled book entitled Records of Imperial Sovereign Chunyang’s Mysterious Salvation and Sublime Communion, which compiled patriarch Luu’s 108 stories for salvation. All these stories aimed at encouraging loyalty and filial piety as well as promoting good ideas and dispelling bad sensual desires.Back to top