開成七年，有生名英，於邯鄲逆旅，遇道者呂生，生語英：有求必應，應英自嘆困窮，道士取囊中枕授之。曰：“子枕吾之枕。”時主人方蒸黍，二小童伺之，生俛首就之，夢入枕中，遂至其家，數月，娶清河崔氏女爲妻，女容甚麗，生資愈厚，生大悅。於是旋舉進士，累官舍人，遷節度使，大破戎虜，爲相十餘年，子五人皆仕宦，孫十餘人，年逾八十而卒。及醒，蒸黍尚未熟。怪曰：豈其夢耶！呂道士笑曰：人生之適，亦如是耳。

經此黃粱一夢，英入山修道去也。

書為無形之夢。起於兩生曾密談，英曰：“吾此茍生耳，何適之謂？”

呂道士曰：“此不謂適而何謂適？”

生曰：“士之生世，當建功樹名，列鼎而食，使族益昌，而家易肥，然後可以言適乎，吾今已適壯，猶勤畎畝，非困而何言訖，抱枕而眠，夢中見天王大聖，百鬼夜行，皆凝神不語，夢境中聞雷聲亦深眠其中。”

冰逸書於蓮宮

In the 7th year of Kaicheng, there was a young scholar named Ying, who encountered a Daoist priest named Lü Sheng while travelling in Handan. Sheng told Ying that he would answer any requests he had. Having a poor life, Ying wished for a good fortune. Sheng then gave him a pillow and asked him to sleep on it. At that time, the owner of the inn was cooking a pot of millet. Ying quickly fell asleep on the pillow and dreamed that he married a beautiful and wealthy woman, succeeded in the imperial examination, became a high-ranking official, had children, and enjoyed a life of wealth and comfort. Upon waking up, he found that the pot of millet was still cooking on the fire. Ying then realized that it was only a dream. And priest Lü smiled and said that life is also just like a dream.

After experiencing the golden millet dream, Ying went to the mountains and became a Daoist practitioner.

Writing is a formless dream. It started with the secret talk between Ying and the Daoist priest. Ying said, “I’ve had a disorganized life, muddling along all day, what comfort is there?”

Priest Lü said, “if this isn’t comfortable, then what is a comfortable life?”

Ying said, “the life of a scholar, should be about contribution and achievement, becoming a government official and making the entire family prosperous. Then he could be considered having a comfortable life. I am now in the prime of my life, but still have to work hard in the fields, won’t stop unless extremely tired. So I just sleep on my pillow, no matter what I see in my dream, immortals, kings, or ghosts on a night march, just stay calm, concentrated and silent. Even the thunder in my dream, cannot disturb my sound sleep.

Written by Bingyi at the Lotus Palace