by Lü Dongbin, Tang Dynasty

translated by Zheng Zhen (郑震)

Nurture your qi, forget idle words, and calm your mind, focusing on the art of doing without doing.

Recognize the source of movement and stillness; when you have nothing to do, seek nothing and no one else.

Truly respond to things, but don’t be disturbed or obsessed with them.

Without entanglement, your nature will remain stable, and when your nature is stable, your qi will naturally return.

As your qi returns, the elixir of life will condense and take form, matching the Kan and Li trigrams (☵ and ☲, representing water and fire) in your crucible.

Yin and yang interact and transform, resounding in thunderous harmony.

White clouds pilgrimage to the top of your head, and sweet dew rains down on Mount Sumeru.

Drink the wine of immortality and enjoy unfettered happiness that few know.

Sit and listen to the music played without musical instrument, and understand clearly the secret mechanism of creation.

These ten sentences form the ladder to heaven.

百字碑

[唐] 吕洞宾

养气忘言守，降心为不为。

动静知宗祖，无事更寻谁。

真常须应物，应物要不迷。

不迷性自住，性住气自回。

气回丹自结，壶中配坎离。

阴阳生返复，普化一声雷。

白云朝顶上，甘露洒须弥。

自饮长生酒，逍遥谁得知。

坐听无弦曲，明通造化机。

都来二十句，端的上天梯。