The ShinsungHwa of Immortal Lü Dongbin (2019)
A Brief Introduction to the ShinsungHwa of Immortal Lü Dongbin
Among the Eight Immortals of Chinese tradition, Lü Dongbin remains the most beloved and widely revered figure. At 64, he encountered the immortal Zhongli Quan, who taught him the secrets of the Tao and guided his transformation into immortality. His wisdom extended into Buddhism, earning him the title Master Lü. He later taught Taoist practices to Wang Chongyang, founder of the Quanzhen school, securing his place as a patriarch of this influential tradition. His teachings focus on preserving the primordial state before birth and returning to the Original Spirit (Yuanshen)—the supreme divine nature within.
Master Lü Dongbin wrote Taiyijinhuazongzhi (The Secret of the Golden Flower), which reveals methods for transcending life and death to reach the original mysterious realm. This profound work eventually reached the West, gaining recognition through psychologist Carl Jung’s involvement in its publication. The core principles can be summarized as follows:
Taiyi represents the supreme reality—the ultimate beyond which nothing higher exists.
Jinhua refers to light itself. Being abstract in nature, it manifests symbolically as the golden flower, also called the Golden Elixir or Immortal Elixir, formed through divine illumination.
The central teaching is Huiguang—”turning the light around.” This involves redirecting light that normally flows outward toward the Heavenly Center (Tianxin). Like salmon swimming upstream or sperm traveling against natural flow to create new life, reversing the outward flow of light illuminates the Heavenly Center and reveals the Original Spirit that existed before birth. The Heavenly Center refers to a point about one inch deep within the face.
When sustained over time, a new body begins forming beyond one’s physical form.
Only the Original Spirit, which governs all life activities, represents our true nature before birth. It transcends time and space, while everything else remains impermanent and illusory. When revealed, one escapes the bonds of the Desire Realm, Form Realm, and Formless Realm, ending the cycle of rebirth.
The human body contains Po (the corporeal soul), which interacts with consciousness to generate experience. Po is yin in nature—turbid and heavy—serving as consciousness’s foundation. This consciousness perpetuates the endless cycle of death and rebirth.
Hun (the ethereal soul) serves as spirit’s dwelling place. During the day, it resides in the eyes, enabling sight; at night, it dwells in the liver, creating dreams. In dreams, Hun can instantly travel through nine heavens and nine earths, but upon waking, everything fades into dim obscurity.
When trapped by appearances, Po leads us astray. Therefore, we must burn away this yin Po and rectify Hun. Huiguang accomplishes exactly this—achieving pure yang by turning the light around. It restores everything to its original state, breaking the endless wheel of rebirth and achieving emptiness. The essence of The Secret of the Golden Flower lies in turning the light around to bloom the Golden Flower.
In this ShinsungHwa, vast energy flows emanate from the spiritual core while diverse currents encompass the entire field. This reveals that Lü Dongbin himself embodies The Secret of the Golden Flower—the supreme mystery of the golden flower. What appears miraculous in material creation is as natural as leaves swaying in wind.
Though Lü Dongbin could ascend to heaven and enjoy eternal bliss, he chooses to remain on earth for those suffering in darkness. The spiral antenna patterns visible beneath his feet exist for this mission, manifesting symbolically as eyes and ears that observe and listen to this world. This aspect recalls the Buddhist bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. These spiral patterns also represent the expansion of material life force.
While creating this ShinsungHwa of Master Lü Dongbin, I felt most strongly his transcendent state of being. He exists beyond life and death, outside the wheel of rebirth where he is no longer born, moving freely like a bird between worlds. I sensed that boundary of existence where he both exists and does not exist—present in this world yet not of it.
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“Sixteen, beauty’s body resembles butter. Waist, raising sword, beheads mortals. Even if unseen, people’s heads drop. Secretly, the lord’s bone marrow dries.”
“Alone from contact, alone I sit. Unlimited commoners do not know me. Only south city, an old tree spirit, clearly aware of immortal’s pass.”
“Secret chamber quietly exists God. Yin and Yang with weight of one catty. Smelt to complete Fire, female liquid. Swallow to exhaust Water, male fluid. Gradual change, free and unfettered body. Be detached, free and unrestrained body. Further repair achieves full study. Crane banner draws out dynastic truth.”
“Only after one hundred days of consistent work, only then is the light genuine; only then can one begin to work with the spirit-fire.”
“‘Good’ refers to our original nature before our parents were born. Before anything develops within us, we possess this goodness. ‘Good’ means natural.”
“Consciousness dissolves itself in vision.”
“The good cultivate themselves, they don’t concern themselves with others.”
“When occupations come to us we must accept them; when things come to us we must understand them from the ground up.”
The Scholar Who Became a Legend
A student fails his government exams twice, gets tired of politics, and ends up at a wine shop instead. There, he meets a stranger who changes his life. It sounds like a story, but it’s actually how Lü Dongbin became one of China’s most famous immortals.
The Eight Immortals’ Unofficial Leader
Among the famous Eight Immortals (Ba Xian 八仙) of Chinese tradition, Lü Dongbin stands out like a bright star. While his seven companions each have their own special powers and quirky personalities, Lü has earned the unofficial title of group leader. His real name was Lü Yan (呂巖), but everyone knows him by his courtesy name, Dongbin, which means “Guest of the Cavern”. People also call him Master Pure-Yang (純陽子), a title that hints at his mastery of Taoist inner alchemy.
What makes Lü special isn’t just his magical abilities—it’s how relatable he remains despite being an immortal. He’s like that brilliant friend who excels at everything but still makes mistakes and learns from them.
From Scholar to Wanderer
Born around 796 CE during China’s Tang Dynasty, Lü showed exceptional intelligence from childhood. Legend says that when he was born, a beautiful fragrance filled the entire room. As he grew up, everyone expected great things from this gifted young man. He seemed destined for a successful career as a government official, the dream job of every educated person in ancient China.
But life had other plans. Despite his brilliance, Lü failed the imperial examinations twice. These weren’t just any tests—they were the golden ticket to becoming a high-ranking government official. Imagine studying your whole life for the most important exam ever, only to fail not once, but twice. Most people would be crushed, but Lü saw it differently.
Instead of trying a third time, he made a bold choice. He abandoned his dreams of political success and headed for the mountains, seeking something deeper than worldly achievement.
The Life-Changing Wine Shop Encounter
The turning point came when Lü visited a wine shop in Chang’an, the bustling capital city. There he met Zhongli Quan (鍾離權), one of the existing immortals who would become his teacher. This wasn’t a coincidence—in Chinese legends, the most important meetings often happen in the most ordinary places.
Zhongli Quan saw potential in the disappointed scholar, but becoming an immortal isn’t easy. Before accepting Lü as his student, the master put him through ten challenging trials. These tests weren’t about showing off magical powers or solving riddles. Instead, they examined Lü’s character, wisdom, and determination to help others.
The Path to Immortality
Once Lü proved himself worthy, his real education began. Zhongli Quan taught him the secrets of inner alchemy—the Taoist practice of cultivating spiritual energy to achieve immortality. But there was a catch: Lü couldn’t become truly immortal until he performed three thousand good deeds.
One famous story illustrates Lü’s wisdom perfectly. When his teacher offered to show him how to turn stones into gold, Lü asked a simple question: “Will the gold stay gold forever?” When Zhongli admitted the gold would turn back to stone after three thousand years, Lü refused to learn the technique. “I don’t want to learn something that might trick and hurt people,” he said. This response impressed his teacher so much that he realized Lü’s understanding already surpassed his own.
An Immortal with Human Flaws
What makes Lü Dongbin fascinating is that even after becoming immortal, he kept very human characteristics. He enjoyed drinking wine, perhaps a bit too much sometimes. He had a quick temper in his early immortal days—one story tells of him getting so angry that he actually changed the shape of a riverbank. He was also known as something of a ladies’ man, which is why people with romantic problems usually don’t pray to him for help.
These flaws don’t diminish his greatness—they make him more approachable. Chinese culture appreciates the idea that even enlightened beings can have quirky, imperfect sides. It reminds us that growth and learning never really stop.
The Helper of Humanity
Despite his personal quirks, Lü Dongbin dedicated his immortal life to helping people. He often disguised himself to test human nature, rewarding those who showed kindness and virtue. In one tale, he pretended to be a blind oil seller, planning to help anyone who didn’t try to cheat him.
His compassion inspired a famous Chinese saying: “A dog bites Lü Dongbin” (狗咬呂洞賓), which means being ungrateful to someone who’s trying to help you. The phrase comes from a story where Lü rescued a heavenly dog that had fallen to earth, only to be bitten by it because the dog remembered an old grudge.
Beyond individual acts of kindness, Lü became known as the “King of Medicine,” helping people with health problems. Traditional barber shops in China still display his image, and he serves as a patron saint for doctors and scholars alike.
Today, Lü Dongbin remains incredibly popular throughout Chinese culture. You’ll find his statue or image in most Taoist temples, and many people still believe he actively helps those in need. He’s credited with founding important Taoist schools and writing influential texts like “The Secret of the Golden Flower”.
