During the height of the Tang Dynasty, a period defined by its vibrant culture and the deep influence of Taoist philosophy, there lived a scholar named Lu Yan, better known to history as Lu Dongbin. Born in Jingzhao, he was a man of exceptional intellect, possessing a mind that could master the complex Confucian classics with ease. Despite his brilliance, Lu found himself repeatedly failing the high-level imperial examinations, a fate that left him wandering the roads of China with a sense of profound spiritual restlessness. One evening, while traveling through the district of Handan, he stopped at a small, nondescript inn to rest. There, he encountered a strange, jovial man with a bared belly and a large fan named Zhongli Quan. Unbeknownst to Lu, this man was a powerful immortal seeking a disciple worthy of the secrets of the Tao.
While Zhongli Quan set a pot of yellow millet on the hearth to cook, Lu Dongbin drifted into a deep sleep. In this sleep, he experienced what would become known as the 'Yellow Millet Dream.' He dreamed that he had finally passed the imperial examinations with the highest honors. He saw himself rising through the ranks of the government, eventually becoming a powerful minister. He married a beautiful woman from a noble family, fathered talented children, and lived in a palace of jade and silk. However, as the dream progressed, his fortunes turned. He was falsely accused of corruption by jealous rivals, his family was scattered, and he was sent into a lonely, frigid exile. He stood alone on a snowy mountain, stripped of everything he had spent fifty years building. When he woke up, gasping for air, he saw that the pot of millet had not even finished cooking. Zhongli Quan smiled and said, 'The dream of fifty years is but a moment.' Realizing the futility of worldly ambition, Lu begged the master to teach him the way to immortality.
Zhongli Quan agreed but informed Lu that the path was arduous and required the complete purification of the soul. He would be subjected to ten trials of character. The first trial began when Lu returned home from his travels. Upon entering his courtyard, he found every member of his family lying dead on the floor. Instead of collapsing in a fit of inconsolable grief or railing against the heavens, Lu accepted the impermanence of life. He began to quietly and respectfully prepare the funeral rites, recognizing that all things born must return to the earth. Seeing his lack of egoistic attachment, the family members suddenly stood up, fully restored to life. They had been an illusion created to test his equanimity in the face of ultimate loss.
In the second trial, Lu went to the marketplace to sell a load of goods. A buyer agreed on a fair price, but after the goods were delivered, the buyer refused to pay more than half of the agreed sum. Lu did not shout, nor did he seek the intervention of the city guards. He simply accepted the payment with a bow and walked away, realizing that conflict over material wealth was a weight upon the spirit. His non-attachment to silver and gold proved that his heart was no longer bound by the common greed of the world. He moved through the crowd like water, leaving no trace of anger behind.
The third trial occurred on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Lu was approached by a beggar who was not only filthy but also extremely rude and demanding. Lu gave the man his own food and some coins, but the beggar responded with curses, claiming the food was foul and the money was insufficient. The beggar even demanded Lu’s own warm outer cloak. Without a moment of hesitation or a flicker of resentment, Lu removed his cloak and draped it over the beggar’s shoulders, thanking the man for allowing him to practice the virtue of charity. The beggar vanished into a cloud of white smoke, leaving Lu standing in the winter chill with a heart full of warmth.
The fourth trial took place in the rugged mountains where Lu was tending to a small flock of sheep. A massive, hungry tiger suddenly leaped from the shadows, its eyes fixed on a defenseless lamb. Rather than fleeing to save his own life, Lu stepped between the tiger and the sheep. He opened his arms wide and offered himself to the beast, reasoning that his own life was a fair trade for the innocent creature. The tiger, sensing Lu's total lack of fear and his immense compassion, stopped in its tracks. It bowed its head as if in prayer and disappeared back into the forest, leaving the flock unharmed.