The Secret of the Golden Flower (0062501933)

OTHER HARPER SAN FRANCISCOBOOKS BY THOMAS CLEARY The Essential Tao: An Initiation into the Heart ofTaoism through the Authentic 1Ao Te Ching and the Inner Teachings of Chuang Tzu The Essmtial Confucius: The Heart of Confucius' Teachings in Authentic I Ching Order The Secret of the Golden Flower The Classic Chinese Book of Lifo Translated, with.Introduction, Notes, and Commentary by Thomas Cleary 'I) HarperOne . A Di'!!i.!ion ofHarperCollinsPubliJhers ~ Ho.rp•rOne THE SECRET 01' THE GOLDEN FLOWER: The ClaJsic Chinese Book 4 Lift. Copyright© 1991 by Thomas Cleary. All rights reserved. Printed in the United Scates of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief qumations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For informarion address HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Sueet, New York, NY 10022. HarperCollins books may be purchased for educarional, business, or sales promotional use. For information please write: Special Markers Department, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. HarperCollins Web site: hrcp://www.harpercollins.corn HarperCollins®, =®, and HarperOne"' are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lii, Tung-pin, b. 798 [T'ai i chin hua rsung chih. English] The secret of the golden flower I translated, with introduction, notes, and commentary, by Thomas Cleary. - lsr ed. p. ern. Translation of: T'ai i chin hua tsung chih. ISBN: 978-0-06-250193-6 1, Spiritual life (Taoism) 2. Spiritual life (Buddhism) I. Cleary, Thomas F., 1949- II. Title. BL1923.L78 1991 299'.5144-dc20 90-55796 08 09 10 11 MART 20 19 Contents Introduction 1 The Secret of the Go/dm Flower 7 Translation Notes 73 Th.nslator's Afterword: Modern Applications of the Golden Flower Method 131 Works Cited 154 Introduction Naturalness is called the Way. The Way has no nameorfonn; it is just the essence) just the primal spirit . . ··he Secret of the Golden · Fb!wer is a lay manual of Buddhist and Taoist methods for clarifYing the mind. A distillation of the inner psycho- active elements in ancient spiritual classics, it describes a natural way to mental freedom practiced in China for many centuries. The golden flower symbolizes the quintessence of the paths of Buddhism andTaoism. Gold stands forlight, the light of the mind itself; the flower representS the blossom- ing, or opening up, of the light of the mind; Thus the expression is emblematic of the basic awakening of the real self and its hidden potential. In Taoist terms, the first goal of the Way is to restore the original Godo.given spirit and become a. self-realized human being. In Buddhist terms, a realized human being is someone conscious of the original mind, or the real self, as it is in its spontaneous natural state, independent of environmental conditioning. This original spirit is also called the celestial mind, or the natural mind. A mode of awareness subtler and more direct than thought or imagination, it is central to the l 2 blossoming of the mind. The Secret ofthe Golden r'/mver is devoted to the recovery and refinement of the original spirit. This manual contains a number of helpful meditation techniques 1 but its central method is deeper than a form of meditation. Using neither idea nor image, it is a pro- cess of gerting right to the root source of awareness itself. The aim of this exercise is to free the mind from arbitrary and unnecessary limitations imposed upon it by habitual. fixation on its own contents. With this liberation, Taoists say, the conscious individual becomes a "partner of creation 11 rather than a prisoner of creation. The experience of the blossoming of the golden flower is likened to light in the sky, a sky of awareness vaster than images 1 thoughts, and feelings, an unimpeded space containing everything without being filled. Thus it opens up an avenue to an endless source of intuition 1 creativity 1 and inspiration. Once this power of mental awakening has been developed, it can be renewed and deepened without limit. The essential practice of the golden flower requires no apparatus 1 no philosophical or religious dogma, no special paraphernalia or ritual. It is practiced in the course of daily life. It is near at hand, being in the mind itself, yet it involves no imagery or thought. It is remote only in the sense that it is a use of attention generally unfamiliar to the mind habituated to imagination and thinking. The Secret of the Golden Flower is remarkable for the sharpness of its focus on a very direct method for self- realization accessible to ordinary lay people. When it was written down in a crisis more than two hundred years 3 ·•·. ago, it was a concentrated revival of an ancient teaching; . ·.and it has been periodically revived in crises since) due to the rapidity with which the method can awaken awareness ofhidden resources in the mind. The Secret of the Golden Flmver is the first book of its kind to have been translated into a Western language. A German version by Richard Wilhelm was first published in 1929) and an English • translation of this German rendi- • tion was published shortly thereafter. Both German and English editions included an extensive commentary by the distinguished psychologist C. G. Jung) whose work became a majorinflllence in Western psychology; studies of mythology and religion) and New Age culture in general. Although J ung credited The Secret of the Golden Flower with having clarified his own work on the unconscious, he maintained serious reservations about the practice taught in the book. WhatJung did not know was that the text he was reading was in fact a garbled translation of a truncated version of a corrupted recension of the original work. Unawares, a critical communication gap occurred in the process of transmission; and yet the book made a powerful impression. It became one ofthe main sources ofWestern knowledge of Eastern spirituality and also one of the seminal influences in Jungian thought on the psychology of religion. Cary F. Baynes, who rendered Wilhelm's German into English, even went so far as to hail it as "the secret of the power of growth latent in the psyche." Psychological and experiential approaches to religion have enriched modern psychological thought and 4 research, which have in turn enriched the understanding and experience of religion. In terms of religion as culture, one of the advantages of a· psychological approach is the facility with which emotional boundaries of church and sect can thereby be transcended. In Wilhdm's own introduction to his translation of The Secret of the Golden Flown; he notes that Taoist organi- zations following this teaching in his time included not only Confucians and Buddhists but also Jews, Christians, and Muslims, all without requiring them to break away from their own religious congregations. So fundamental is the golden flower awakening that it brings out inner dimensions in all religions. From the point ofview of that central experience, it makes no more diffi:rence whether one calls the golden flower awakening a relationship to God or to the Way, or whether one calls it the holyspirit or the Buddha nature or the real self. The TtUJ Te Ching says, "Names can be designated, but they are not fixed terms.'' The image of the opening up of the golden flower of the light in the mind is used as but one of many ways of alluding to an effi:ct that is really ineffable. The pragmatic purpose of Taoist and Buddhist·teachings is to elicit expe- rience, not to inculcate doctrines; that is why people of other religions, or with no religion at all, have been able to avail themselves of the psychoactive technologies of Taoism and Buddhism without destroying their own cultural identities. Considered in terms of its essential aim rather than the forms it can take, the golden flower method can be used to transcend the barriers of personal and cultural 5 differences without losing the richness of diversity and distinction .... · The Semt of the Golden Flower is indeed a powerful trea- tise on awakening the hidden potential of a universal human being, and it is in reality an even better and more useful book than Wilhelm,]ung, or Baynes thought it to be. However immature his rendition may have been, I am deeply indebted to Richard Wilhelm for introducing this extraordinary text to the West, for it could otherwise have gone unnoticed for decades, even centuries, amidst the hundreds upon hundreds of Taoist and Buddhisttreatises awaiting translation. It can therefore be said that it is because of Wilhelm's efforts that this new English version of The Smtt of the Golden Flower has come into being. It is to further inquiries into ways of approaching universal psychology and mental wholeness in general, and to further inquiries into development of the researches initiated by Wilhelm and Jung in their presentation of this book in particular, that I have undertaken to follow up on their work with a new and complete rendition of The Secret of the Go/Mn F/Qwer. Because the still-current Wilhelm/Jung!Baynes edition of this manual contains dangerous and misleading con- taminations, a primary consideration of the new transla- tion was to make the contents of The Secret of the Golden Fluwer explicitly accessible to both lay and specialist audiences. This is partly a matter of translation and partly a matter of presentation. The text itself is somewhat like a series of explanations of practical meanings in esoteric terminology for the use 6 of lay people. To this have been added selections trans- lated from a canonical Chinese Taoist commentary that further refines the principles into pragmatic observations divested of the outward forms of religious and alchemical symbolism. The translation notes explain the expressions, ideas, and practices to which the text refers. The after- word joins the beginning and the end, from the back- ground of t h ~ translations to the psychological implications of the praxis. I. II. III. IV. v. VI. VII. VIII. IX. The Secret of the Golden Flower The Celestial Mind The Original Spirit ::md the Conscious Spirit Turning the Light Around and Keeping to the Center Turning the Light Around and Tuning the Breathing Errors in Turning the Light Around Authenticating Experiences of Turning the Light Around The Living Method of Turning the Light Around The Secret ofFreedom Setting Up the Foundation in a Hundred Days X. The Light of Essence and the Light of Consciousness XI. The Intercourse of Water and Fire XII. The Cycle XIII. Song to Inspire the World Questions and Answers Opening up the Mysteries of the Doctrine of the Golden Flower 7 9. 13 17 23 31 33 37 39 49 51 55 57 61 65 I The Celestial Mind 1 Naturalness is called the Way. The Way has no name or form; it is just the essence, just the prirriaispirit. 2 Essence and life are invisible, so they are associated with sky and light. Sky and light are invisible, so they are associated with the two eyes. 3 Since ancient times, those who realiied spiritual immortality all communicated their teaching verbally, transmitting it from individual to individual.·· 4 Thishang appeared magically to Donghua, and the Way was handed on. through a succession to Yan, then to the southern and northern schools of Com- plete Reality, which can be considered its full flourishing. 5 That movement flourished in the sense that there were a great many who followed it, yet it declined in the sense that its mental communication deterio- rated. This has continued up to the present day, when it is extremely confused and extremely degenerate. 9 10 6 When an extreme is reached, there is a reversion. Therefore there was a certain master Siu who extended his kindness to liberate all, especially setting up the teaching of the special transmission outside of doctrine. For those who heard, it was a rare opportu- nity; those who accepted it formed a religious associ- ation in their time. Everyone should respectfully understand the heart of master Siu. 7 First establish a firm foothold in daily activities within society. Only then can you cultivate reality and understaf1,: essence. 8 In obedience to a directive, I am acting as a guide to liberation. Now I am bringing to light the source message of the golden flower of absolute unity. After that I will explain in detail. 9 The absolute unity refers to what cannot be sur- passed. There are very many alchemical teachings, but all of them make temporary use of effort to arrive at effortlessness; they are not teachings of total tran- scendence and direct penetration. The doctrine I transmit directly brings up working with essence and does not fall into a secondary method. That is the best thing about it. 10 The golden flower is light. What color is light? It is symbolized by the golden flower, which [in Chinese characters] also conceals [the words] one light within. This is the absolutely unified real energy of celestial immortals; this is what is meant by the saying, "The lead in the homeland of water is just one flavor." 11 The whole work of turning the light around uses the method of reversal. The beauties ofthe highest heavens and the marvels of the sublimest realms are all within the heart: this is where the perfectly open and aware spirit concentrates. Confucians call inhe open center, Buddhists call it the pedestal of aware- ness, Taoists call it the ancestral earth, the yellow court, the mysterious pass, rhe primal opening. The celestial mind is like a house; the light is the master of the house. Therefore once you turn the light around, the energies throughout the body all rise. Just turn the light around; this is the unexcelled sublime truth. The light is easily stirred and hard to stabilize. When you have turned it around for a long time, the light crystallizes. This is the natural spiritual body, and it steadies the spirit above the nine skies. This is what is referred to in the Mind Seal Scripture as "silently pay- ing court'' and ''soaring upward." The golden flower is the same thing as the gold pill. The transmutations of spiritual illumination are all guided by mind. II The Original Spirit and the Conscious Spirit From the point of view of the universe, people are like mayflies; but from the point of view of the Way, even the universe is asanevanescent reflection. Only the true essence of the original spirit transcends the primal organization and is above it. Vitality and energy degenerate alorig with the uni- verse, but the original spirit is stillthere; this is the infinite. The production of the universe all derives from this. If learners can just preserve the original spirit, they live transcendentally outside ofyinarid yang. They are not within the three realms. This is possible only by seeing essence. This is what is called the original face. What is mC>st wondrous is when tlttdight has crystal- lized in a spiritual body, gradually becoming con- sciously effective, and is on the verge of moving into action. This is the secret that has not been transmit- ted in a thousand ages. 13 14 5 The conscious mind is like a violent general of a strong fiefdom controlling things from a distance, until the sword is turned around. 6 Now steadily keep to the chamber of the origin, turning the light around to look back, and this is like having a heroic leader on top with great ministers helping. Once the inner government is orderly, the strong and violent naturally become tame. 7 The highest secrets of alchemy are the water of vitality, the fire of spirit, and the earth of attention. 8 The water of vitality is the energy of the primal real unity. The fire of spirit is illumination. The earth of attention is the chamber of the center, the celestial mind. 9 The fire of spirit is the function, the earth of atten- tion is the substance, the water of vitality is the foundation. 10 People create the body by attention. The body is not just the physical body, because there is a lower soul therein. The lower sou! functions in association with consciousness, and consciousness develops based on the lower soul. The lower soul is dim; it is the sub- stance of consciousness. If consciousness is not inter- rupted, transformation and transmutation of the lower soul go on endlessly from lifetime to lifetime, generation to generation. 11 Then there is the higher soul, which is where the spirit is concealed. The higher soul resides in the eyes during the day and lodges in the liver at night. When it resides in the eyes, it sees; when it lodges in the liver, it dreams. 12 Dreams are the roaming of the spirit. It traverses the nine heavens and nine earths in an instant. If you are dull and depressed on awakening, that is a sign of clinging to the body, which means clinging to the lower soul. 13 So turning the light around is a means of refining the higher soul, which is a means of preserving the spirit, which is a means of controlling the lower soul, which is a means of interrupting consciousness. 14 The ancients' method of transcending the world, refining away the dregs of darkness to restore pure light, is just a matter of dissolving the lower soul and making the higher soul whole. 15 Turning the light around is the secret of dissolving darkness and controlling the lower soul. There is no exercise to restore the creative, only the secret of turn- ing the light around. The light itself is the creative; to turn it around is to restore it. 16 Just persist in this method, and naturally the water of vitality will be full, the fire of spirit will ignite, the earth of attention will stabilize, and thus the embryo of sagehood can be solidified. 16 17 A dung beetle rolls a pill of dung, from which life emerges, by the pure effort of concentration of spirit. If life can come even from a dung ball, how could it not be possible to produce a body by concentrating the spirit on where the celestial mind rests when the embryo leaves the shell? 18 Once the true nature of unified awareness has fallen into the chamber of the cnative) it divides into higher and lower souls. The higher soul is in the celestial mind; this is yang, energy that is light and dear. This is obtained from cosmic space and has the same form as· the original beginning.· The lower soul is yin, energy thatis dense and opaque. This sticks to the ordinary mind that has form. 19 The higher soul likes life, the lower soul looks toward death. All lust affecting the temperament is the doing of the lower soul. This is what consciousness is. After death it feeds on blood, in life it suffers greatly .. This is darkness returning to darkness, by a coming together of kind. 20 If learners refine the dark lower soul completely, then it will be pure light. III Turning the Light Around and Keeping to the· Center 1 Where did the term the light around begin? It began with the adept Wenshi. When the light is turned around, the energies of heaven and earth, yin and yang, all congeal. This is whatiscalled "refined thought,'' "pure energy:' or "pure thought.'' 2 When you first put this technique into practice, is seemingly nonbeing within being. Eventually, when the work is accomplished, and there is a body beyond your body, there seemingly being within nonbeing. 3 Only after a hundred days of concentrated the light real; only then is it the fire of spirit. After a hundred days, the light is spontaneous: a point of true positive energy suddenly produces a pearl, just as an embryo forms ftoJ1l the intercourse of a man and a woman. Then you should attend it calmly and quietly. The turning around of the light is the "firing process.'' 17 18 4 In the original creation there is positive light, which is the ruling director. In the material world it is the sun; in human beings it is the eyes. Nothing is worse than to have a running leakage ofspirit and con- sciousness; this is conformity, so theway of the golden flower is accomplished completely through the method of reversal. 5 Turning the light around is not turning around the light of one body, but turning around the very energy of Creation. It is not stopping random imagi- nation only temporarily; it is truly emptying routine compulsion for all time. 6 Therefore each· breath corresponds to one year of human time; and each· breath corresponds to a cen- tury in the various pathways of the long night of Ignorance. 7 Usually people wind up pursuing objects and come to age in conformity with life, never once looking back. When their positive energy fades and disap- pears, this is the netherworld. Therefore the Heroic March Scripture says, "Pure thought is flight, pure emotion is fall." When students have little thought and much emotion, they sink into low W<!.ys. Just observe clearly, and when your breath grows quiet you then become accurately aware. This is application of the method of reversal. 8 This is what is meant in the Yin Convergence Classic when it says, "The mechanism is in the eyes:' and the Plain QuestUms of the Yellow Emperor when it says, "The light rays ofthe human body all flow upward into the aperture of space." If you get this, long life is herein, and so is transcendence of life. 9 This is a practice that pervades the three teachings. 10 The light is neither inside nor outside the self. Mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and the whole earth are all this light, so it is· riot only in the self. All the operations of intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom are also this light, so it is not outside the self. The light of heaven and earth fills the universe; the light of one individual also naturallyextends through the heavens and covers the earth. Therefore once you turn the light around, everything in the world is turned around. 11 The light rays are concentrated upward into the eyes; this is the great key of the human body. You should reflect on this. If you do not sit quietly each day, this light flows and whirls, stopping who knows where. If you can sit quietly for a while, all time- ten thousand ages, a thousand lifetimes-is penetrated from this. All phenomena revert to stillness. Truly inconceivable is this sublime truth. 20 12 Nevertheless, the actual practice goes from shallow to deep, from crude to fine. Throughout, it is best to be consistent. The practice is one from beginning to end, but its quality during the process can be known only by oneself. Nevertheless, it is necessary to wind up at the point where "heaven is open, earth is broad, and all things are just as they are," for only this can be considered attainment. 13 What has been communicated through successive sages is not beyond reversed gazing. Confucians call it "reaching toward knowledge." Buddhists call it "observing mind." Taoists call it "inner observation." 14 The essential teaching is summarized above; as for the rest, matters of entering and exiting stillness, the prelude and the aftermath, one should use the book SmaJJ Stopping and Seeing for a touchstone; 15 The words focw on the center are most sublime. The center is omnipresent; the whole universe is within it. This indicates the mechanismofCreation; you focus on this to enter the gate, that is all. To focus means to focus on this as a hint, not to become rigidly fixated. The meaning of the wordfocw has life to it; it is very subtle. 21 The terms stopping and seeing basically cannot be sepa- rated. They mean concentration and insight. Here- after, whenever thoughts arise, you don't need to sit still as before, but you should investigate this thought: where is it? Where does it come from? Where does it disappearr Push this inquiry on and on over and over until you realize it cannot be grasped; then you will see where the thought arises. You don't need to seek out the point of arising any more. "'Having looked for my mind, I realize it cannot be grasped.' 'I have pacified your mind for you.'" This is correct seeing; whatever is contrary to this is false seeing. Once you reach this ungraspability, then as before you continuously practice stopping and continue it by seeing, practice seeing and continue it by stopping. This is twin cultivation of stopping and seeing. This is turning the light around. The turning around is stopping, the light is seeing. Stopping without seeing· is called turning around without light; seeing without stopping is called hav- ing light without turning it around. Remember this. IV Turning the Light Around and Tuning the Breathing 1 The doctrine just requires single-minded practice. One does not seek experiential proof, but experien- tial proof comes of itself. ·• · 2 On the whole; beginners suffer from two kinds of problems: oblivion and distraction. There is a device to get rid of them, which is simply to rest the mind on the breath. 3 The breath is one's own mind; one's own mind does the breathing. Once mind stirs, there is energy. ·Energy is basically an emanation of mind. ·· 4 Our thoughts are very rapid; a single random thought takes place in a moment, whereupon an exhalation and inhalation respond to it. Therefore inward breathing and outward breathing accompany each other like sound and echo. In a single day one breathes countless times, so has countless thoughts. When the luminosity of spirit has leaked out completely, one is like a withered tree or dead ashes. 23 5 So should one have no thoughts? It is impossible to have no thoughts. Should one not breathe? It is impossible not to breathe. Nothing compares to making the affliction itself into medicine, which means to have mind and breath rest on each other. Therefore tuning the breath should be included in turning the light around. 6 This method makes use of two lights. One is the light of the ears, one is the light of the eyes. The light of the eyes means the external sun and moon, combining their lights; the light of the ears means the internal sun and moon, combining their vitali- ties. However, vitality is congealed and stabilized light; "they have the same source but different names." Therefore clarity of hearing and seeing are both one and the same spiritual light. 7 When you sit, lower your eyelids and then establish a point of reference. Now iet go. But if you let go abso- lutely, you may not be able to simultaneously keep your mind on listening to your breathing. 8 You should not allow your breathing to actually be audible; just listen to its soundlessness. Orice there is sound, you are buoyed by the coarse and do not enter the fine. Then be patient and lighten up a little. The more you let go, the greater the subtlety; and the greater the subtlety, the deeper the quietude. 25 9 Eventually, after a long time, all of a sudden even the subtle will be interrupted and the true breathing will appear, whereupon the substance of mind will become perceptible. 10 This is because when mind is s ~ b t l e , breath issubtle; when mind is unified, it moves energy. When breath is subtle, mind is subtle; when energy is unified, it moves mind. Stabilization of mind must be preceded by development of energy because the mind has no place to set to work on; so focus on energy is used as a starting point. This is what is called the preserva- tion of pure energy. 11 You don't. understand. the meaning of the word 111Q'Pe,- mmt. Movement is pulling the strings; the word movement is another word for control. Since you can cause movement by vigorous action, how could you not be able to cause stillness by pure quietude? 12 The great sages saw the interrelation of mind and energy and skillfully set up an expedient for the benefit of people of later times. An alchemicaJ text says, "The hen embraces the egg, always mentally listening." These are the finest instructions. The way a hen can give life to an egg is through. warm energy; warm energy can only warm the shell and cannot penetrate the iriside, so she mentally conducts the energy inward .. That "listening'' is single-minded con;. centration. When the mind enters, the energy enters; with warm energy, the birth takes place. 26 13 Therefore even though the mother hen goes out from time to time, she is always listening, and the concentration of her spirit is never interrupted. Since the concentration of the spirit is never interrupted, then the warm energy is also uninterrupted day and night, so the spirit comes alive. 14 The life of the spirit comes from the prior death of the mind. If people can kill the mind, the original comes alive. Killing the mind does not mean quietism, it means undivided concentration. Buddha said, "Place the mind on one point, and everything can be done." 15 If the mind tends to run off, then unify it by means of the breath; if the breath tends to become rough, then use the mind to make it fine. If you do this, how can the mind fail to stabilize? 16 Generally speaking, the two afflictions of oblivion and distraction just require quieting practice to con- tinue unbroken day after day until complete cessation and rest occur spontaneously. When you are not sit- ting quietly, you may be distracted without knowing it; but once you are aware of it, distraction itself becomes a mechanism for getting rid of distraction. 17 As for unawares oblivion and oblivion ofwhich you become aware, there is an inconceivable distance between them. Unawares oblivion is real oblivion; oblivion that you notice is not completely oblivious. Clear light is in this. 27 18 Distraction means the spirit is racing; oblivion means the spirit is unclear. Distraction is easy to cure; obliv- ion is hard to heaL Using the metaphorofillness, one that involves pain or itch can be treated with medicine, but oblivion is a symptom of paralysis, where there is no feeling. 19 A distracted mind can be concentrated, and a con- fused mind can be set in order; but oblivion is unformed darkness, in contrast to distraction, which still has some direction. Oblivion means the lower soul is in complete con- trol, whereas the lower soul is a .lingering presence in distraction. Oblivion is ruled by pure darkness and negativjty, 21 When you are sitting quietly, if you become drowsy, this is oblivion." Repelling oblivion is simply a matter of tuning the breath. The "breath" inthiscase is respiration,not the "true breathing." Nevertheless the true breathing is present within it. 22 Whenever you sit, you should quiet your mind and unity your energy. How is the mind quieted? The mechanism is in the breathing, but the mind alone knows you are breathing out and in; do not let the ears hear. When you don't hear it, the breathing is fine; and when breathing is fine, the mind is clear. If you can hear it, the breathing is rough, which means the mind is cloudy. Cloudiness means oblivion, so it is natural to feel sleepy. Even so, the mind should be kept on the breathing. 28 23 It is also essential to understand that this device is not mechanical or forced. Just maintain a subtle looking and listening. 24 What is "looking"? It is the light of the eyes spon- taneously shining, the eyes only looking inward and not outward. Not looking outward yet being alert is inward looking; it is not that there really is such a thing as looking inward. 25 What is "listening"? It is the light ofthe ears spon- taneously listening, the ears only listening in\vard and not outward. Not listening outward yet being alert is inward listening; it is not that there really is such a thing as listening inward. 26 Listening means listening to the soundless; looking means looking at the formless; 27 When the eyes do not look outside and the ears do not listen outside, they are closed in and have a ten- dency to race around inside. Only by inward looking and listening can you prevent this inner racing as well as oblivion in between. This is the meaning of sun and moon combining their vitalities and lights. 29 When you sink into oblivion and become drowsy, get up and take a walk. When your spirit has cleared, sit again. It's best to sit f o r ~ while in the early morn- ing when you have free time. After noontime, when there are many things to do, it's easy to fall into oblivion. Also, there's no need to fix the length of time of meditation; it is only essential to set aside all involvements and sit quiedy for a while. Eventually you will attain absorption and not become oblivious or sleepy. v Errors in Turning the Light Around Even though your practice gradually matures, "there are many pitfu.lls in front of the cliff of withered trees." This makes it necessaryto elucidate the experiences involved in detail. Only when you have personally gotten thisfa.r doyouknow how I can talkofit now. Our school is not the same as Chan study in that we have step-by-step evidences of efficacy. Let us first talk about points of distinction, then about evidences of efficacy. When you are going to practice this doctrine, first see to it somehow that you don't have much on your mind, so that you can be alive and free. Make your mood gentle and your mind comfortable, then enter into quietude. . When you are quiet, it is then essential to find potential and find its opening; don't sit inside noth- ingness or indifference (so-called "neutral voidness"). 31 32 5 Even as you let go of all objects, you are alert and self-possessed. 6 But don't get enthusiastic about attaining the experi- ence. (This easily happens whenever reality is taken too seriously. That means not that you shouldn't recognize reality, but that the rhythm of reality is on the brink of existence and nonexistence. You can get it by intent that is not willful.) 7 Even in the midst of alert awareness, you are relaxed and natural. But don't fall into the elements of body and mind, where material and psychological illusions take charge. If you tend to fall into a deadness when- ever you go into meditation and are relatively lacking in growth and creative energy, this means you have fallen into a shadow world. Your mood is cold, your breath sinking, and you have a number of other chill- ing and withering experiences. If you continue this way for a long time, you will degenerate into a block- head or a rockhead. 8 And yet it will not do to go along with all conditions. 9 Once you have gone into quietude and all sorts of loose ends come to you for no apparent reason, you find you cannot tum them away if you want to, and you even feel comfortable going along with them. This is called the master becoming the servant. If this goes on long, you fall into the various roads of the realms of form and desire. 10 Once you know this, you can seek experiential proofs. VI Authenticating Experiences of Turning the Light Around 1 There are many authenticating experiences that can- not be undergone· responsibly by people with small faculties and small capacities. You must will the liber- ation of all beings; you cannot handle attainment with a careless or arrogant attitude. 2 When there is uninterrupted continuity in quiet, the spirit and feelings are joyful and happy, as if one were intoxicated, or in a bath. This is called positive har- mony pervading the body, its golden efflorescence suddenly blooming. 3 Once "myriad pipes are all silent;' and "the bright moon is in mid sky;' you feel the whole earth as a realm of light. This is the opening up of the luminos- ity that is the substance of mind, the proper release of the golden flower. 33 34 4 Once the whole body is filled completely, you do not fear wind or frost. When you meet things that make people feel desolate in facing them, your vital spirit shines even brighter. The house is built of yellow gold, the terrace is white jade; the rotten things of the world you bring to life with ;1 puff of true energy. Red blood becomes milk, the physical body is all gold and jewels. This is the great stabilization of the golden flower. 5 The first stage corresponds to the Visualizatron Scrip- turls technical symbols of the setting s u n ~ the great body of water, and the trees in rows. The setting of the sun stands for setting up the foundation-in the undifferentiated; this is the infinite. "Higher good is like water," flawlessly pure; this is the ultimate. The master is the ruler that produces movement, and since movement is symbolized by wood, it is repre- sented by trees in rows. The rows are in sevens, which stand for the light of the seven openings Of the "heart." 6 The second stage begins from the foundation; at this point the whole earth· becomes a jewel ground of ice crystals; the light gradually solidifies. Therefore a great terrace follows. As for the Buddha on the ter- race of enlightenment, once the golden essence has become manifest, what is it if not Buddha? Buddha is the "gold immortal" of great awareness. This is just the authenticating experience of the major stage. 35 7 There are three authenticating experiences that can be considered now. One is when you are sitting and the spirit enters into a state of openness, and then when you hear people talking it is as though from far away, but everything is clearly understood even though all sounds coming in are like echoes in a Valley. All are heard, you have never heard anything yourself. This is the spirit in a state of openness; it cari be experienced by oneself at any time. 8 Another experience is when in the midst of quiet the light of the eyes blazes up, filling one's presence with .· light. It is like opening the eyes in a cloud. There is noway to look for ones body. This is "the empty room producing light." Inside and outside are per- meated with light, auspicious signs hover in stillness. 9 Yet another experience is when in the midst of quiet the energy of the physical body becomes like silk or jade; while sitting, if you don't stop it, the energy will soar buoyantly upward. This is the spirit return- ing to the highest heaven. Eventually, after a long time, it is thereby possible to ascend. 10 These three experiences can be verified now, but it is still not possible to explain them thoroughly .. People experience higher things individually, according to their faculties and capacities. This is like what Stopping and Seeing calls the emerging manifestations of roots of good. 36 11 These things are like when people drink water and know for themselves whether it is cool or warm: it is necessary for you to attain faith on your own. Only then is the true primal unified energy present. 12 If you find the unified energy yourself in authenticat- ing experience, the eliXir immediately crystallizes. This is a grain of reality. "A grain, and then another grain, from vagueness to clarity." This refers to the "primal grain" that builds up through time; there is also the total primal grain, which is measureless. 13 Each grain has a grain's power. This requires individ- ual fortitude above all. VII The Living Method of Turning the Light Around As you go along practicing turning the light around, you need not give up your normal occupation. An ancient said, "When matters come up, one should respond; when things come up, one should discern." If you manage affil.irs with accurate mindfulness, then the light is not overcome by things, so it will do to repeat this formless turning around of the light time .and again. If you can look back again and again into the source of mind, whatever you are ?oing, not sticking to any image of person or self at all, then this is "turning the light around wherever you are." This is the finest practice. In the early morning, if you can clear all objects from your mind and sit quietly for one or two hours, that is best. Whenever you are engaged in work or dealing with people, just use this "looking back" technique, and there will be no interruption. If you practice in this way ror two or three months, the realized ones in Heaven will surely come to attest to your experience. 37 VIII The Secret of- Freedom 1 Jadelike purity has left a secret of freedom In the lower world: Congeal the spirit in the lair of energy, And you'll suddenly see ·. . White snow flying in midsummer, The sun blazing in the water at midnight. Going along harmoniously, You roam in the heavens Then return to absorb The virtues of the receptive. 2 There is a n o t h ~ r line, a mystery within a mystery: "The homeland of nothing whatsoever isthe true a bode." The depths of the mystery are all contained in a single measured verse. ' .... 3 The essence of the great Way is to act purposefully without striving. Because of nonstriving, one does not cling to local conventions, forms, or images; but ·because of not striving yet acting purposefully, one does not fall into indifferent emptiness, dead voidness. 39 40 4 The function is all in the center, but the mechanism is all in the two eyes. The two eyes are the handle of the stars) whichmanages Creation and operates yin and yang. 5 The major medicinal ingredient beginning to end is only the "metal in the middle of primary water" (i.e., the "lead in the region ofwater"). The preceding talk of turning the light around points out a method for beginners to control the inside from outside, thus helping them to attain independence. 6 This is fur middling and lesser people cultivating the lower two passes in order to penetrate the upper pass. Now as the Way gradually becomes clear and mastery of the device gradually matures, Heaven does not begrudge the Way but directly divulges the unsurpassed doctrine. Keep it confidential, and work it out. 7 7 U r n i ~ the light around is only the general term: with each level of progress in practice, the efflorescence of the light increases in magnitude, and the method of turning around becomes subtler. Previously one con- trolled the inside from the outside; now one abides in the center and controls the outside. Befure, the assistant administered for the master; now one promulgates policy in service of the master. There has manifestly been a great reversaL 41 8 When you want to enter quietude, first tune and concentrate body and mind, so that they are free and peaceful. Let go of all objects, so that nothing what- soever hangs on your mind, and the celestial mind takes its rightful place in this center. 9 After that, lower your eyelids and gaze inward at the chamber ofWatet: Where the light reaches, true positive energy comes forth in response. 10 Ft:n is yang outside and yin inside, so it is in substance the creative, with one yin inside ruling it, arousing mind according to things; going along out into habitual routines. 11 Now when you turn the light around to shine inward, [the mind] is not aroused by things; negative energy then stops, and the flower of light radiates a concentrated glow, which is pure positive energy. 12 Correlates inevicibly associate, so the positivity in wam-leaps up, whereupon it is notthe positivity in wam- but just the positivity in the creative itself responding to the positivity in the creative. Once the two things meet, they join inextricably, the living movement of creative energy now coming, now going, nowfloating, now sinking. In the basic cham- ber in oneself there is an ungraspable sense of vast space, beyond measure; and the whole body feels .. wondrously light and buoyant. This is what is called "clouds filling the thousand mountains." 42 13 Next, the coming and going is traceless, the floating and sinking are indiscernible. The channels are stilled, energy stops: this is true intercourse. This is what is called "the moon steeped in myriad waters.'' 14 When the celestial mind first stirs in the midst of that utter darkness of the unknown, this is the return of initial positive energy. This is "living midnight."So what transpires at this point should be explained in detail. 15 Ordinarily, once people let their eyes and ears pursue things, they get stirred up, only to stop whenthings are gone. This activity and rest are all subjects, btlt the sovereign ruler becomes their slave. This is "always living with ghosts.'' 16 Now if in all activity and rest you abide in heaven while in the midst of humanity, thesovereignis then the real human being. When it moves, you move with it; the movement is the root ofheaven; When it is at rest, you rest with it; the rest is the moon cavern. 17 If the celestial mind keeps still and you miss the right timing in action, then that is an error of weakness. If you act in response to it after the celestial mind has acted, this is an error of staleness. 18 Once the celestialmind stirs, then usqmre attention to raise it up to the chamber of the creative) with the light of spirit focused on the crown of the head to guide it. This is acting in time. 43 19 When the celestial mind has risen to the peak of the cn:ativeJit floats upward of its own accord, then sud- denly verges on utter quiescence; immediately use pure attention to conduct it into the yellow court, as the light of the eyes is focused on the spiritual room in the center. 20 Once about to enter utter quiescence, not a single thought is born; when gazing inward, suddenly one forgets the gazing. At that time body and mind are in a state of great freedom, and all objects disappear without a trace. Then you don't even know where the furnace and cauldron in your spiritual rooin are; you can't even find your own body. This is the time when "heaven enters earth" and all wonders return to the root. This is solidifying the spirit in the lair of energy .. · 21 When you first practice turning the light around and your mind gets scattered or distracted, so you want to concentrate it, your six senses are not used;th.is is called "nurturing the root source, adding fuel to continue life.'' 22 Once concentration is attained, you are naturally buoyant and do not expend any strength; this is called "settling the spirit in the original openness, gathering the primal together.'' 23 When even shadows and echoes have all disappeared, and one is highly stabilized in profound tranquillity, this is called "hibernating in the lair of energy, all wonders returning to the root." 44 24 These three stages are in each stage, so there are nine stages in one stage. I will expound upon that later; for now I will speak of three stages in one. 25 During the nurturing and initial quieting, gathering is also nurturing, and hibernating is also nurturing. At the end, nurturing is also hibernating. The stage in between can be figured out by analogy. 26 You do not change places, but places are distin- guished therein; this is the fOrmless opening, where all places are one place. You do not change times, but times are clistinguishedtherein; this is time without a period, an interval of a world cycle of the original organization. 27 As long as the mind has not reached supreme quiet, it cannot act. Action caused by momentum is ran- dom action, not essential action. Therefore it is said that action influenced by things is human desire, while action uninfluenced by things is the action of Heaven. 28 This does not contrast the action of Heaven to the nature ofHeaven. There is a line missing [sic]. After this ru explain the word desit-e. 29 Desire is in considering things to exist, or being pos- sessive toward things; This is thought that is out of place, action with an ulterior motive. 45 30 When not a single thought arises, then true mindful- ness is born; this is pure attention. When the celes- tial potential is suddenly activated in the midst of silent trance, is this not spontaneous attention? This is what is meant by acting without striving. 31 The first two lines of the verse at the beginning of this chapter wrap up the function of the golden flower. The next two lines refer to the interchange of sun and moon; "midsummer" stands fur the "fire" of [the trigrammatic Book The "white snow'' is the true yin within fire about to retum.to earth. "Midflight" is the water ofwatn: The "sun'> is the single yang in the center of on the verge ofblazing·and returning to heaven. Herein lies [the operation of spiritual alchemy known as] "taking from to fill in .fire." 32 The next two lines explain the function of the ctipper handle; the whole mechanism of rising and descend- ing. Does not "in the water" refer to watnf The eyes, as the breeze of wind) shine into the chamber of and beckon the vitality of dominant yang. That is what these lines mean. 33 "In the heavens'' refers to the chamber of the &native. "Roaming and returning to absorb the virtues of the rtceptiPe" means nurturingthe fire. 34 The lasttwo lines point out the secret within these- cret. The secret within the secret cannot be ctispensed with from start to finish. This is what is called cleaning the mind, washing the thoughts, which is "bathing." 46 35 The learning of sages begins with knowing when to stop and ends with stopping at ultimate good. It begins in the infinite and winds up in the infinite. 36 In Buddhism, activating the mind without dwelling on anything is considered the essential message of the whole canon. In Taoism, "effecting openness" is the whole work of completing essence and life. In sum) the three teachings are not beyond one saying, which is a spiritual pill that gets one out of death and preserves life. 37 What is the spiritual pill? It just means to be unminding in all situations. The greatest secret in Taoism is "bathing." Thus the whole practice described in this book does not go beyond the words "emptiness of mind." It is enough to understand this. This single statement can save decades of seeking. 38 If you do not understand how three stages are included in one, for an analogy let me use the Budd- hist teaching of contemplating emptiness, the condi- tional, and the center. 39 First is emptiness; you see all things as empty. Next is the conditional; though you know things are empty, you do not destroy the totality of things but take a constructive attitude toward all events in the midst of emptiness. Once you neither destroy things nor cling to things, this is the contemplation ofthe center. When you are practicing the contemplation of empti- ness, if you still know that the totality of things can- not be destroyed, and yet do not cling to them, this includes all three contemplations. Since empowerment after all means really seeing emptiness, when you cultivate contemplation of emptiness, emptiness is empty, t ~ e conditional is also empty, and the center is empty too. In practicing contemplation of the conditional, much of the empowerment is attained in action; so while the conditional is of course conditional, emptiness is also conditional and the center is conditional too. When on the way of the center, you still meditate on emptiness; but you don't call it emptiness, you call it the center. You also meditate on the conditional; but you don't call it the conditional, you call it the center. When you come to the center, there is no need to say. Although !·sometimes speak only o(fire, sometimes I also speak of warer. Ultimately they have never moved; with one saying I open my mouth: the essential mechanism is all in the two eyes. The mechanism means the function; you use this to manage Creation. This docs not mean that is all there is to Creation; all the faculties of sense and mind are mines of light, so how could we presume to take only the two eyes and not deal with the rest? 48 46 To use the yang of water, you use the light of fin to illumine and absorb it. This shows that the "sun and moon" are originally one thing. 47 The darkness in the sun is the vitality of the true moon; the "moon cavern" is not on the moon but on the sun. That is why it is called the "moon cavern," for otherwise it would be enough just to say the ''moon." 48 The white of the moon is the light of the true sun. The sunlight being on the moon is what is called the "root of heaven." Otherwise it would be enough just to say "heaven." 49 When the sun and moon are separated, they are but half; only when they come together do they form a whole. This is like the case of a single man or a single woman, who cannot form a family living alone; only when there are husband and wife do they amount to a family. 50 But it is hard to represent the Way concretely. If a man and a woman are separated they are still individuals, but if the sun and moon are separated they do not form a complete whole. What I am say- ing just brings out the point of communion, so I do not see duality; you just cling to the separation, so the separation has taken over your eyes. IX Setting Up the Foundation in a Hundred Days 1 One of the Mind Seal scripturessays, "the returning wind mixes together, the hundred days' work is effec- tive.'' On the whole, to set up the foundation requires a hundred daysbefore you have real light. As you are, you are still working with the light of the eyes, not the fire of spirit; not the fire of essence, not the torch · ofwisdom. 2 Turn it around for a hundred days, and the vital energy will naturally be sufficient for true yang to rise spontaneously, so that there is true fire naturally existing in water. If you carry on the practice this way, you Will naturally achieVe intercourse and for- mation of the embryo. You are then in the heaven of unknoWing, and the child thus develops. If you entertain any conceptual view at all, this is immedi- ately a misleading path. 49 so 3 A hundred days setting up the foundation is not a hundred days; one day setting up the foundation is not one day. One breath setting up the foundation does not refer to respiration. Breath is one's own mind; one's own mind is the breath's original spirit, original energy, and original vitality: rising and descending, parting and joining, all arise from mind; being and nonbeing, emptiness and fullness, are all in the thoughts. One breath is held for a lifetime, not only a hundred days; so a hundred days is also a single breath. 4 The hundred days is just a matter of empowerment: gain power in the daytime, and you use it a.t night; gain power at night, and you use it in the daytime. 5 The hundred days setting up the foundation is a pre- cious teaching. The sayings of the, advanced realized ones all relate to the humanbody; the sayings oftrue teachers all relate to students, This is the mystery of mysteries, which is inscrutable. When you see essence, you then know why students must seek the direction of a true teacher. Everything that emerges naturally from essence is tested. X The Light of Essence and the Light of Consciousness 1 The method of turning the light around basically is to be carried on whether walking, standing, sitting, or reclining. It is only essential that you yourself find the opening of potentiaL 2 Previously I quoted the saying, "Light arises in the empty room." This light is not luminous, but there is an explanation of this as an evidence of efficacy in the beginning before one has seen the light. If you see it as light and fix your attention on it, then you full into ideational consciousness, which is not the light of essence. 3 Now when the mind forms a thought, this thought is the present mind. This mind is light; it is medicine. Whenever people look at things, when they perceive them spontaneously all at once without discriminat- ing, this is the light of essence. It is like a mirror re- flecting without intending to do so. In a moment it becomes the light of consciousness, through discrim- ination. When there is an image in a mirror, there is no more mirroring; when there is consciousness in the light, then what light is there any more? · 51 52 4 At first, when the light of essence turns into thought, then it is consciousness. When conscious- ness arises, the light is obscured and cannot be found. It is not that there is no light, but that the light has become consciousness. This is what is meant by the saying of the Yellow Emperor, "When sound moves, it does not produce sound, it produces echoes." 5 The introduction to logical examination in the Heroic Ma"'h Scriptun says, "neither in objects nor in con- sciousness;' only picking out the organ. What does this m e a n ~ Objects are external things, or the so- called material world. This has no actual connection with us. If you pursue objects, you are mistaking things for yourself. 6 Things must have an attribution. Transmission of light is attributable to doors and windows, light is attributable to the sun and moon, Borrowing them for myself, after all I find "it is not mine." When it comes to where "it is not you;' then who attributes if not you? 7 "Light is attribUtable to the sun and moon." When you see the light of the sun and moon, there is noth- ing to attribute it to. Sometimes there is no sun or moon in the sky, but there is never an absence of the essence of seeing that sees the sun and moon. 53 8 If so, then can that which discriminates sun and moon be considered one's own possession? Don't you know that discrimination is based on light and dark? When both light and dark are forgotten, then where is discrimination? Therefore there is still attribution; this is an internal object. 9 Only the seeing essence cannot be attributed to any- thing. But if when seeing seeing, 8eeirig is not seeing, then the seeing essence also has an attribution, which refers back to the seeing essence of the revolving flow of consciousness, alluded to in Buddhist scripture where it says, "Using your flowing revolving consciousness is called error." 10 When first practicingthe eight attrib1ltions for dis- cerning perception, the first seven show how each is attributable to something, temporarily leaving the seeing essence as a crutch for the practitioner. But ultimately as long as the seeing essence still carries with it the eighth consciousness, it is not really un- attributable. Only when this last point is broken through is this the real seeing essence, which is truly unattributable. · . ·.. .·. : . 11 When turning the light around, y6uproperly turn around the primary l!nattributable llght, so not a single conscious thought is applied. 54 12 What causes you to flow and revolve is just the six sense organs; but what enables you to attain enlight- enment is also just the six sense organs. But the fact that sense objects and sense consciousnesses are not used at all does not mean using the sense organs 1 just using the essence in the sense organs. 13 Now if you turn the light around without falling into consciousness 1 you are using the original essence in the sense organs. If you turn the light around fallen into consciousness, then you use the nature of con- sciousness in the sense organs. Herein lies the hairs- breadth's distinction. 14 Deliberate meditation is the light of consciousness; let go, and it is then the light of essence. A hairs- breadth's clitference is as that of a thousand miles, so discernment is necessary. 15 If consciousness is not stopped, spirit does not come alive; if mind is not emptied, the elixir does not crystallize. 16 When mind is clean, that is elixir; when mind is empty 1 that is meclicine. When it doesn't stickto anything at all 1 it is said that the mind is clean; when it doesn't keep anything in it 1 it is said that the mind is empty. Ifemptinessis seeri as empty 1 emptilless is still not empty. Wren empty and mindless of emptiness 1 this is called true emptiness. XI The Intercourse of Wtl-ter and Fire 1 Whenever you leak vital spirit, being stirred and interacting with beings, that is all .fire. Whenever you gather back spirit's consciousness and quiet it down to steep in the center, that is all water. When the senses run outward, that is .fire; when the senses turn around inward, that is water. 2 The one yin [inside the.fire trigram] concentrates on pursuing sense experience, while the one yang [inside the warer trigram J concentrates on reversing and withdrawing the senses themselves. 3 Water and fire are yin and yang, yin and yang are essence and life, essence and life are body and mind, body and mind are spirit and energy. Once you with- draw to rest your vital spirit and are not influenced by objects, then this is true intercourse, as of course when you sit in profound silence. 55 XII The Cycle . . . . 1 For the complete cycle, energy is not the main thing; mental attainmenfis the sublime secret. If you won- der what it ultimately is, the cycle helps growth; it is maintained without minding, carried out without deliberate·intention. 2 Look up at the sky; it changes from hour to hour, through 365 ·days,· yet the polar star never moves. Our mind is also like this; mind is the pole, energy is the myriadstars revolving around it. The energy in our limbs and throughout our whole body is basi- cally a network, so do not exert your strength to the full on it.•Refine the conscious spirit, remove arbitrary views, and then after that medicine will develop. 3 This medicine is not a material thing; it is the light of essence, which is none other thari the primal true energy. Even so, it is necessary to attain great con- centration before you see it. There is no method of culling; those who speak of culling are quite mistaken. 57 58 4 When you have seen it for a long time, eventually the light ofthe basis of the mind becomes spontaneous. When the mind is empty, and all indulgence is ended, you are liberated from the ocean of misery. 5 If it is "dragon and tiger" today, "water and fire" tomorrow, in the end they turn into illusions. 6 There is a cycle in each day, there is a cycle in each hour; where water and fin: interact, this is a cycle. Our interaction is the "revolving of Heaven." As long as you are unable to stop the mind directly, as a conse- quence there are times of interaction and times of non interaction. 7 Yet the revolving of Heaven never stops for a moment. If you are actually able to join yin and yang in tran- quillity, the whole earth is positive and harmonious; in the right place in your central chamber, all things simultaneously expand to fulfillment. This is the method of "bathing" spoken of in alchemical classics. What is it if not the great cycle? . 8 The processes of the cycle do indeed have differences of scale, but ultimately there is no way to distinguish great and small. When you reach the point where meditation is spontaneous, you do not know what fin: and water are, what heaven and earth are, who does the interacting, who makes it one cycle or two cycles, or where to find any distinction between great and small. 59 9 It is all the operation of one body; though it appears to be most great, it is also small. Each time it takes a turn, the universe and all things take a.turn with it. Thus it is in the heart; so it is also most great. 10 The alchemical process should ultimately become spontaneous. If it is not spontaneous, then heaven and earth will revert on their own to heaven and earth; myriad things will go back to myriad things: no matter how hard you try to join them, you can- not. Then it is like a season of drought, when yin and yang do not join. Heaven and earth do not fail to go through their cycles every day, but ultimately you see a lot that is unnatural. 11 If you can operate yin and yang, turning them suit- ably, then naturally all at once clouds will form and rain will fall, the plants and trees refreshed, the mountain rivers flowing freely. Even if there is some- thing offensive, it still melts away all at once when you notice it. This is the great cycle. 12 Students ask about "living midnight." This is very subtle. If you insist on defining it as true midnight, that would seem to be sticking to forms; but if you do not focus on forms and do not point out true midnight, by what means can the living midnight be known? 60 13 Once you know living midnight, there is definitely also true midnight. Are they one or two, not true or not alive? It all requires you to see the real. Once you see the real, everything is true, everything is alive. If your seeing is not real, what is living, what is true? 14 As fur living midnight, when you see it at all times, finally you reach true midnight; your mood is clear and light, and living midnight gradually blooms into ever-greater awareness. 15 At present, people do not yet clearly know the liv- ing; just test it out when you head for the true, and the true will appear, while the living will be sublime. XIII Song to Inspire the World 0 Because ofthe warrnth of my cinnabarheartto liber- ate the world, I do not refrain from coddling and talking a lot. Buddha also pointed directly to life and death for a great cause, and this is truly worthwhile. Lao-tzu also lamented the existence of the egotistic self and transmitted the teaching of the open spirit, but people did not discern. Now I give·a general explanation of finding the road oftruth: ·. 1 The pervasive principle of the center Bears universal change; 2 The very being of true poise Is the mysterious pass. 3 Midnight, noon, and in between, If you can stabilize breathing, 4 The light returns to the primal opening, .· So all psychic functions are calm. 5 There emerges the unified energy Of the river source that produces the medicine. 61 62 6 It passes through the screen And transmutes, with golden light; 7 The single disk of the red sun Shines with constant brilliance. 8 Pepple of the world misconstrue The vitalities wattr and fire; 9 Conveying them from heart and genitals, Thus producing separation. 10 How can the human way Meet the celestial mind? 11 If in accord with the celestial, The way is naturaUy meet. 12 Put down all objects, so nothing comes to mind; This is the true infinity of the primal. 13 Cosmic space is silent, Signs are gone; 14 At the pass of essence and life, You forget conceptual consciousness. 15 After conceptual consciousness is forgotten, You see basic reality. 16 The water-clarifying pearl appears, Mysterious and unfathomable: 17 The screen of beginningless afflictions Is voided all at once. 63 18 The jade capital sends down A team of nine dragons; 19 Walking in the sky, You climb to the gateway of heaven: 20 Controlling wind and lightning, You make the thunder rumble. 21 Freezingthe spirit and steadying breath are for beginners; Retreating to hide in secrecy is eternal calm. 22 The two poems lused when I initiated Zhang Zhennu long ago both contain the great Way. "After midnight and before noon'' are not times, but 1vatl:r and fire. "Settling the breath" means a state of certteredness in which you go back to the root with each breath. "Sitting" means that the mind is unmoved. The "mid- spine where the ribs join" does not refer to vertebrae; it is the great road directly through to the jade capi- tal. As for the "double pass;' there is something inef- fable in this. "Thunder in the earth rumbles, setting in motion rain on the mountain" means the arising of true energy. The "yellow sprouts emerging from the ground" refer to the growth· of the medicine. These two little verses are exhaustive; in them the highway of practical cultivation is clear. These are not confusing words. Turning the light around is a matter of single- minded practice: just use the true breathing for stable awareness in the central chamber. After a long time at this you will naturally commune with the spirit and attain transmutation. This is all based on quieting of mind and stabilization of energy. When the mind is forgotten and the energy congeals, this is a sign of effectiveness. The emptiness of energy, breath, and mind is the formation of the elixir. The unification of mind and energy is incubation. Clarify- ing the mind and seeing its essence is understanding the Way. You should each practice diligently; it would be too bad if you wasted time. If you do not practice for a day, then you arc a ghost for a day; if you do practice for a sin- gle breath, then you are a realized immortal for a breath. Work on this. Questions and Answers Opening up the Mysteries of the Doctrine of the Golden Flower You suppose that attainment is possible in quietude but lost in activity; you do not realize that the reason for loss through activity is because nothing is attained through stiUness. When you attain nothing in quietude or lose anything through activity, in either case you have not yet reached the Way. When you keep presence of mind, only then do you have autonomy. When you have autonomy, only then can you manage affaixs .... However, presence of mind is easily fnterrupted. Practice it for a long time, though, and it will naturally become unbroken. Once it is unbroken, it is continuous. With continuity, the light shines bright. When the light shines bright, energy is full. When energy is full, then oblivion and distraction disappear without effort. ·observing mind means observing the purity of mind. The mind is basically nondual, just one vital reality; throughout the past and future, there is no other. With- out leaving the objects of sense, you climb transcendent to the stage of enlightenment. 65 66 But observation of mind can be deep or shallow; there is forced observation and there is spontaneous observation. There is observation outside of sense objects, there is observation within sense objects; there is observation that is neither internal nor external, there is panoramic obser- vation. With what observation do you observe mind? When observation is deep and illusion is cleared, then this is true emptiness. Turning the light around is done not by the eyes but by the mind; the mind is the eyes. After long persistence, the spirit congeals; only then do you see the mind-eyes become clear. When you observe mind and become aware of openness, thereby you produce its vitality. When its vitality stabi- lizes, it becomes manifest, and then you see the opening of the mysterious pass. Gazing at the lower abdomen is external work. As for the inner work, when the mind-eye comes into being, that alone is the true "elixir field." The light you see before your eyes is rat-light, not the light of the tiger-eye or dragon-vitality. The light of mind does not belong to inside or outside; if you look to see it with the physical eyes, that is bedevilment. You have been affected by pollution for so long that it is impossible to become clear all at once. In truth, the mat- ter of life and death is important: once you turn the light around and recollect the vital spirit to shine stably, then your own mind is the lamp of enlightenment. 67 Everyone already has the lamp of mind, but it is necessary to light it so that it shines; then this is immortality. Don't let yourselves forget the mind and allow the spirit to be obscured. If you have no autonomy, your vital spirit diffuses. Forms are all conditioned. Cognition is a function of mind, empty silence is the substance of mind.Jf you fix the mind on anything conditioned, then temperament is in control, so you cannot govern if completely or com- prehend it thoroughly. The minor technique of circulating energy can enhance .. the body so as to extend the life span, but if you therefore suppose that the great Way requires work on the physical body, this is a tangential teaching. External work has no connection to the great Way. The true practice of the great Way first requires that vitality be transformed into energy. As alchemical literature has clearly explained, this vitality is not sexual. Refining energy into spirit means keeping the clear and removing the polluted. Few are those who are calm and serious, rare are those who are sincere and unified. Radiant light is the function of mind, empty silence is the substance of mind. If there is empty silence without· radi- ant light, the silence is not true silence, the emptiness is not true emptiness-it is just a ghost cave. 68 The breathing that passes through the nose is external breathing, which is a phenomenon of the physical body. Only when mind and breathing rest on each other is this the true breath. The venerable Prajnatara [considered the twenty-seventh Indian ancestor of Chan Buddhism] said, "Breathing out, I do not follow myriad objects; breathing in, I do not dwell on the elements of body or mind." Is this the nose? When it comes to watching the breathing, or listening to the breathing, these are still connected with the physical body. These are used to concentrate the mindand are not the real lifeline. The real lifeline is to be sought from within the real. Looking and listening are one thing. The three realms are none other than your mind; your mind is not the three realms, yet it contains the three realms. Whenever there is dependence, that is tempoi:al; where there is no dependence, that is primal. Where is the primal to be sought? It must be sought by way of the temporal. Temporal feelings and consciousness are marvelous functions of the primal. It must be sought through the work of practical balance in harmonious accord, which means calmness and openness. Of course, as long as clarification has not taken place, all is polluted. Clear up the pollution, and eventually there will be spon- taneous clarity even without attempting to achieve clarity. Only then will the "gold pill" come out of the furnace. 69 When there is no self in the mind, it is even and dear; when the spirit is pure and the energy dear, this is Buddhahood and immortality. It is only because the iron pillars of thoughts are deeply rooted, and it is hard to escape their limitations, that it is necessary to observe one's own mind. When you see the mind, only then will you find the roots are insubstantial and thus have a sense of freedom from pher10mena while having the ability to enter their range. The primal and temporal are originally not two: what makes the distinction is only temporal. When you dis- criminate, then action and stillness are not united, and primal energy becomes conditioned. When they are united, temporal energy is also primal, and there is no distinction between primal and temporal. If there is discrimination between primal and temporal, that is just consciousness;ifyou discriminate, then condi- tioning flares up, and this is the source of the profuse confusion of thoughts. What cannot be spoken and cannot be named is the generative energy,· which is the.su b9tance of the Way. When the substance is established, the function operates. When people are deluded by emotions and do not know there is essence, they are ordinary ignoramuses. If they know there is essence but do not know there are emo- tions, this is senseless vacuity. TherefOre our teaching is actively living and does not settle into one corner, but instead applies to heaven and earth, combines eternity with the present, equalizes others and self, and has nei- ther enemy nor f.uniliar. 70 It is said that we are the same in essence but different in feeling. There is no difference in feeling either; it is just that habits develop unnoticed, evolving in a stream, con- tinuing to the present, so that their defiling influence can- not be shed. Ultimately this is not the fault of essence. The great Way is not in quiet living. If you stay quietly in a room, that has the countereffect of increasing the· flames of fire in the heart. It is necessary to beworking on the· Way whatever you are doing in order to be able to "sit on the summit of a thousand mountains without leaving the crossroads." Consciousness is knowledge. In ordinary people it is called consciousness, in immortals and Buddhas it is called knowledge. The only distinction is between purity and impurity. The noncognizing in the consciousness is the eternal; the consciousness in noncognizing is wisdom. If you arouse a discriminatory, galloping mind, this is routine, and you become an ordinary mortal. How can you find purity in the mind? It is just a matter of seeking out purity in the midst of impurity. Then when you discover signs of impurity in the midst of puiity, you have now found purity. The true 'mind has no form: what has forin is ultimately illusory. 71 Is the true mind to be sought from the source of mind? If the source is clean, then the celestial design is apparent, and daily activities never obstruct the supreme Way. If the source is not clean, then even ifyou have some vision it is like a lamp in the wind, flickering erratically. What we call the true mind is the enlightened clear mind. Therefore it can pervade the heavens and permeate the earth, without the slightest artificiality. When mind is empty yet not vacant, this is called true emptiness; when mind is there but not reified, this is called subtle existence. Don't tarry on one side, and you then enter the middle way. Then you have a basis for gaining access to virtue. The Way is present before our eyes, yet what is before our eyes is hard to understand. People like the unusual and enjoy the new; they miss what is right in frorit of their eyes and do not know where the Way i s ~ The Way is the immediate presence: if you are unaware of the immediate presence, then your mind races, your intellect runs, and you go on thinking compulsively. All of this is due to shallowness of spiritual power, and shallowness of spiritual power is due to racing in the m i n ~ . Translation Notes I. The Celestial Mind I. The identification of the Way with essence and primal spirit follows the traditions of the Chan school of Buddhism and the northern branch of the Completely Real school ofThoism. 2. Essence is open and spacious, like the sky; life is a quantity of energy, like light. When the text talks about the two eyes guiding attention, it means that both spacelike aware- ness and specific perception are operative at the same time. 3. This passage introduces the idea of a succession of transmit- ters of the teaching of the goldc,;n flower, to link it with the Way of the ancients. 4. The honorific name Taishang (f'ai-shang) refers to the metaphysical realit)' represented by Lao-tzu,legendary author of 1i4o Te Ching, the baSic classic ofThoism. Donghua. (I'ung-hua) was the teacher of Zhongli Quan. (Chung-li Ch'uan), who was the teacher ofLu Yan (Lu Yen). Lu Yan is the ''Yan" mentioned in our text; he is regarded as the immediate ancestor of the Completely Real (Quanzhen /Ch'uan-chen) school of Taoism, which was founded by his disciples and descendants in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. 73 74 The teaching of the golden flower itself is attributed to Lu Yan. There are numerous conflicting stories about the life and times ofLu Yan, but in Taoist tradition it is widely believed that he attained immortality and is still alive. Most of the texts attributed to Lu Yan were received by spiritual communications centuries after the founding of the Com- plete Reality school and were not written by Lu himself. 5. Completely Real Taoism became so influential in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries that it attracted many opportunistic followers and imitators. Later many practices originally abandoned by the school were amalgamated with elements of Completely Real Taoism to produce bastardized forms. At the time of the writing of our text, approximately 250 years ago, Completely Real Taoism was almost entirely a name without a reality. 6. "Master Siu" seems to refer to Xu Jingyang (Hsu Ching- yang), a great Taoist of the third and fourth centuries who is said to have foretold the appearance ofLu Yan, to whom this text is attributed. He is also believed to have said he would reappear in the world twelve centuries later, which would have been shortly before The Secret of the Golden Flower is supposed to have been received from Lu Yan. This text is said to be a written form of a teaching that was origi- nally wordless, an esoteric component of the movement received during a period ofspecial concentration. The term special tmnsmis1ion outside of iWctrine is a byword of Chan Buddhism. The practice of contemplative vigils likethe one in which the golden flower teaching was revealed is also a standard exercise of latter-day Chan Buddhism. 7. The foregoing passages on the lineage of the text were omitted in Richard Wilhelm's translation. These passages are rather laconic, and someone with Wilhelm's knowledge 75 of Chinese language and Taoist history could hardly have been expected to be able to interpret them; It is not clear, however, why Wilhelm also excised paragraph 7 on the importance of an orderly life as a prerequisite for the mysti- cal practice of the golden flower. It may not have con-: formed sufficiently to his idea of mysticism. Westerners have often professed to believe that mystics are generally isolated from society, and this opinion has affected many Western attempts to interpret and adopt mystical teachings. 8. The speaker is supposed to be Lu Yan, or Ancestor Lu, whom later Taoist texts envision as having been entrusted with a mission for the cdestial government and d ~ t y ­ bound to reappear in the human world from time to time. 9. Wilhelm completely mistranslates this passage, making it outto say the very opposite of what it actually does. This appears to be mostly due to simple misunderstanding of the language and unfamiliarity with the background of the text. The passage describes the distinctive nature of the text as representing a sudden enlightenment teaching, in con- trast to the gradual teachings of ordinary Taoist works on spiritual alchemy. This identifies the Chan Buddhist influence behind the Taoist facade of the text. 10. "The lead in the homeland of water is just one flavor" comes from Umlerstanding Reality, the great classic of the Completely Real school. Lead symbolizes the true sense of real knowledge. Water stands for a symbol from the ancient I Chi1¥J representing the true sense of the knowledge of reality enclosed within conscious knowledge .. To say that it is just one flavor means that it is attained by the essence of consciousness itself, not by any modification of conscious- neSs. This is what makes it truly universal and unlimited by sectarian or cultural discriminations. 76 11. The expression "turning the light around" refen; to the Chan Buddhist exercise of mentally looking inward toward the source of consciousness. Wilhelm translates this as "circulation of the light," which is not very plausible linguistically but nevertheless could have been an honest mistake. Evidently he confused this ~ i t h the watetwheel exercise of Taoist energetics, in which a quantity of psychic heat would be consciously conducted along a certain route through the body. Many cultists imitated this exercise on the level of fixated attention without the psychic heat and noticed the characteristic modifications of consciousness these postures produce. It is quite possible that Wilhelm got this idea from a member of such a cult. The notes added to the Golden Flower text he used (which was printed some two hundred years after the movement had arisen) tend to dilute the Chan with materials that make it look like a run- of-the mill mixture of alchemy and energetics. Wilhelm's medical training also seems to have predisposed him to make physiological interpretations There is evidence to suggest that it was possible to read certain special mind-body postures of attention into por- tions of the original text. These postures were used only for temporarily anchoring the mind while performing the inner gazing toward the source of consciousness. This is not the same as the energy circulation of 'Thoist practice. The' text speaks of the highest experiences being purely mental, "in the heart:' elevating the spiritual over the physical in the manner of Chan Buddhism and the northern branch of Completely Real Taoism. 12. The celestial mind refers to unconditioned consciousness; light is its function. When the light is "turned around" and directed toward its own source, environmental and psycho- 77 logical factors influence the mind less, with the result that the energy in the body is also preserved and purified because it is not drawn into conflicts with inner or outer states. 13. The expression "above the nine skies" means a state of mind beyond the influence of mundane conditioning. In , Buddhist terminology it also has the special meaning of. being above all cultivated meditation states. Silently paying CbUrt (m God) and soari1f!}' upward are common Taoist ex sions for elevation of consciousness. There are several Mind Seal scriptures, and it is not certain to which of these the text refers in this passage. 14. Taoist maSter Liu says of the gold pill, ('The pill is the original, primal, real unified energy. This energy, when passed through fire to refine it,. becomes permanently. indestructible, so it is called the gold pill." II. The Original Spirit and the Conscious Spirit 1. The distinction between the original spirit and the scious spirit isone of the most important ideas in Taoist psychology. The conscious spirit is historically conditioned; the original spirit is primal and universal. The conscious spirit is a complex of modifications of awareness, while the original spirit is the essence of awareness. To say that this essence transcends the' "primal organization" means that it is by nature more fundamental than even the most basic patterns of modification to which consciousness may be subject. In Jungian terms; this means that the essence of the original spirit is beyond, or deeper than, even the· archetypes of the coJlective unconscious. Jung himself does not seem to have attained this,and his work reflects \vhat in Taoist terms would be rermed confusion of the con- scious spirit (which includes the Jungian "unconscious") with the original spirit. 2. Vitaliry, energy, and spirit are the fundamental triadof being, known in Taoist terms as the "three treasures" of the human body. Here the spirit is the only one regarded as transcendental. This is characteristic of Buddhistic nco- Taoist spiritual immortalism, which tends to deemphasize the physiological practices of old alchemical immortalism. To ''live transcendentally outside of yin and yang" means to be aloof from the ups and downs of ordinary life in the midst of changes in the world. Th,-ee nalms is a Buddhist term. The realms are the domains of desire, form, and formlessness, representing the totaliry of conditioned experience, from the coarsest to the most subtle. Wilhelm, who seems to have known little about Buddhism, writes in a note that the three realms, or "three worlds:' as he translates them, are "Heaven, earth, and heU." Jung's work on archerypes and dreams would have benefited immensely from an accurate understanding of the real Buddhist concept of three realms or worlds. As it was, J ung does not seem to have been able to distinguish these realms of experience clearly; most of his work appears to hover on the border of the realms of (orm and desire; the realm of formless consciousness seems to have been unfamiliar to him. Perhaps Wilhelm's Christian background influenced his interpretation of this term. 3. Seei'!!J essence and original foce are· both· Chan Buddhist terms, here used to refer to the Taoist experience of the primal spirit. It is evident that Wilhelm was not familiar with even the most rudimentary lore of Chan Buddhism. 4. This passage refers to a certain stage that is often referred to 79 in Taoist yogic texts in much more physical terms than it is here, where the Chan Buddhist/northern Complete Reality influence is again manifest. Wilhelm's translation of "instincts and movements" for "on the verge of moving into action" misconstrues both Chinese grammar and the nature of the experience to whiCh the passage refers, When the text speaks of this as a secret that "has not been trans- mitted in a thousand ages;' it means that the experience can only be understood.firsthand. 5. Chan Buddhism traditionally describes the mechanism of delusion as mistaking the servant for the master. In the metaphor of this passage, the general is supposed to be a servant but instead usurps authority. According toChan/ Taoist psychology, the conscious mind (which does the thinking) is supposed to be a servant of the original mind, but the activity of the conscious mind tends to become so self-involved that it seems to have become an independent entity. When "the sword is turned around;' in the metaphor of our text, the original mind retrieves command over the delinquent conscious mind. 6. The "chamber of the origin" means the source of aware- n e s s ~ keeping to the chamber of the origin is turning around the light ofconsciousness to be aware of its own source. In this way the mind is freed from compulsive con- cern with its own productions. Through this practice it becomes possible to control and order the conscious mind without force, by maintaining the central position of the original mind. Like many Western interpreters of his time, Jung had the idea that yoga involves or produces abnormal psychic states and is aimed at total detachment from the external world, or at transcendental unity without differentiation. 80 In the real Goidm Flower teaching there is no suggestion of obliterating the conscious mind (which in this context means the mind that thinks, imagines, dreams, and emotes, including what Jung called the unconscious). The faculties of thinking, imagining, dreaming, and emotion are not destroyed in the earthly immortal ofTao- ism; rather they are brought under the dominion of their source of power and made into channels of its expression. The taming of unruly consciousness is far from the intro- verted, quietistic cult that Wilhelm, Jung, and othe1'5 of their time imagined from their fragmentary observations of Eastern lore. 7. Wilhelm translates c'the water of vitality" as "seed-water" and equates it with Eros; he translates "the fire of spirit" as "spirit-fire" and equates it with Logos; and he translates "the earth of attention" as ((thought-earth" arid equates it with intuition. Of these three, Eros is closest to certain Taoist meanings of vitality, in the sense of creative energy and erotic feeling. In this context; however, Eros is inap- propriate in that the meaning of vitality here does not . include erotic feeling. Even the connection with creative energy is actually remote in this text, because the real meaning here is the sense of true knowledge of the original mind. This can be known from the symbolism of water as explained in the following text. As for "spirit-fire" and Logos, this seems even less appropriate, since the fire of spirit here just means aware- ness and does not at this point differentiate between the original spirit and the conscious spirit. The sacred and the profane are mixed, and the spirit does not deserve the name of Logos yet. This is the very reason for the alchemy: to refine the sacred, pure primal spirit out of the profane, conditioned conscious spirit. 81 The earth of attention is translated by Wilhelm as ''thought-earth" and identified with intuition, but thought and intuition properly belong to the realm symbolized by fire, not of earth. Water and fire, :real knowledge and conscious knowledge, primal unity and present awareness, are brought together in the medium of earth, which stands for attention, concentration; intent, or will. Here it is identified with the celestial mind, which means that it is of temporal conditioning. In other texts this is called pure attention or true intent. Since earth is the medium, it must be purified before it can absorb the pure essences of water and fire to combine them. If the focus of attention is itsel(already biased by the activity of an unruly consciousness; then it may not be able to draw thiu consciousnessto an orderly reality of which it is as yet unconscious. 8. The "energy of the primal real unity" stands for the living flux of the perpetual cycles of natural evolution, wherein all beings and all things live in the lives of one another. The Book of Balame and an ancient text of the Complete Reality school antedating the golden floWer ··dispensation by over four hundred years, expresses the idea of the primal unityin these terms: "All beings are basically one form and one energy. Form and energy are basically one spirit. Spirit is basically utter openness, The 'Tho is basically ultimate non being. Change is therein." The combination of water and fire in the medium of earth thus refers to en rial realization of the unity of being from a tal point ofview that is changeless itself yet accommodates all change. 9. Wilhelm used the terms Eros, Logos, and intuition in an attempt to convey the Chinese ideas to a Western audience, 82 but the assignments he made are largely subjective and arbitraryfrom the point of view of Chinese Taoist tradition. Part.ofthe problem seems to be that as a Christian he understood the Chinese word "spirit" to be with either the divine or the supernatural. In the first section of this text, for example, Wilhelm translates zhixu zhiling zhi shen, which means a spirit (i.e., mind) that is completely open and completely effective, as "God of Utmost Emptiness and Life." Based on this sort of translation, Jung thought that the Chinese had no idea that they were discussing psychological phenomena. He then tried to repsychologize the terminology, but since he did not quite understand it to begin with he could not but wind up with a distortion in the end. . It is little wonder thatJung came to imagine, through his own attempts at meditation, that the Taoists had arrived at the entrance to the science of psychology "only through abnormal psychic states;' as he wrote in his com- mentary to Wilhelm's version of The Secret of the Goldm Fkrwer. lt is wori:h noting in this connection that J ung also found late medieval baroque Christian alchemical books puzzling but did not openly accuse their authors Of having come upon their science through induction of aberrated mental states. 10. The concepts of the higher and lower souls were among those that caught the special attention of Wilhelm and Jung in connection with their Christian backgrounds and interests. Wilhelm uses the term anima for lower soul and animus fur higher soul. ln his introduction he deemphasizes the gender associations of yin and yang, but in connection with the concept of the souls Wilhelm calls the anima feminine and the animus masculine. Jung then proceeds to exaggerate this distortion even further in his 83 own disquisition on feminine and masculine psychologies. None of this gets to the heart of the discussion of our text. The idea that the body is created by attention is typi- cally Buddhist, but it is also found in the schools ofTaoism influenced by Buddhism. In this text, the "lower soul" sim- ply means the feeling of being a solid body physically pres- ent in a solidworld. As long as this feeling persists, the srate of the lower soul (\\lhich includes visceral emotions) is subject to random environmental influences. Therefore the text speaks of"interruptingconsciousness" in the sense of withdrawing attention from the feelirigof solidity in order to free it frOm the bonds of external influences, making it less sticky and more fluid, unbounded by temporal events. II. In colloquial Chinese usage, "liverand heart" means what is essentiaL In a human being, the liver is associated with courage and conscience. This passage illustrates the Taoist awareness of the connection between waking and dreaming experience .• 12. The nine heavens and nii1e earths stand for the whole universe of experience, frOm the most exalted to the most profound. 13. This passage connects the last three: the process Ofthe exercise is to turn attention around to the source of aware- ness to refine the higher soul, thus preserve the spirit, thus control the lower soul, and thus interrupt the conditioned stream of consciousness. The purpose ofinterruptingthe stream of consciousness is described in the following passage. 14. "Dissolving the lower soul" means detachment frOm t:he feeling ofphysical existence. As the text subsequently makes clear, there is no real lower soul that is in substance 84 different from the higher soul. They are both aspects of one spirit, artificially alienated by confusion. When energy is freed from obsessive clinging to the body or lower soul, it can be used to restore the original spirit to completeness. 15. Turning the light around, or directing attention toward the source of awareness, counteracts the tendency to dwell on objects or modifications of consciousness. Here this is called "dissolving darkness and controlling the lower soul." Taoists use a symbol from the I Ching known as heapen or the creative to represent what Chan Buddhists call the original face or the mind ground. When the text says that other than turning the light around there is no special exer- cise for restoring this primal wholeness, it confirms that the practice being taught is that of Northern Taoism as influ- enced by Chan Buddhism, and not the physiological energetics of Southern Taoism as influenced by Tantric Buddhism. 16. The term embryo of sage hood or embryonic enlightenment is very common in classical Chan Buddhist texts of the Tang and Sung dynasties. It seems to have passed into Complete Reality Taoism from Chan, but a parallel idea occurs in certain pre-Chan Taoist scriptures. The formation of the embryo represents the initial awakening of the mind. Nunuring the embryo, a term frequently found in Chan, refers to the process of development and maturation after awakening. 17. "Concentrating the spirit on where the celestial mind rests when the embryo leaves the shell" is a typical Chan Bud- dhist formulation, here expressed in the terminology of Taoism. The Northern Taoist master Liu 1-ming also uses the metaphor of the dung beetle in his Awakeni'fq to the TtUJ, where he uses it similarly to describe the creation of 85 the transcendent being by concentration of spirit: «rn the midst of ecstatic trance there is a point ofliving potential, coming into being from non being, whereby the spiritual embryo tan be formed and the spiritual body be produced." 18. This passage shows that the division higher and lower souls is regarded as not a primal metaphysical reality but a temporal psychic phenomenon. When the text says that the light, clear energy characteristic of the higher soul is <nbtained from cosmic space," it refers to the equanimous spacelike aWa.reness taught in Chan Buddhism and plete Reality Taoism. This spacelike awareness contains everything while resting on nothing; it is the basic experi- ence of the Chan master or Taoist wizard who lives in the midst of the things of the world yet is free from bondage to them. 'Fhis contrasts with the limitation of awareness represented by the lower soul, mixed up in the objects of its perception. Since }ling's «collective unconscious" still has form, from the point of view of the golden flower it must there- fore be dassified.with the lower soul and ordinary mind; his hope was to make this collsci()us in order to transcend it, but Jung himself appears to have become so involved in the discovery and discussion of the unconscious that he became attached to it and as a consequence was never able to experience the higher soul and open the golden flower. His commentary on Wilhelm's translation bearswitness to this, as do his other writings on Eastern mysticism. . 19. Here life means spirit, and death means matter. Feeding on blood is emblematic of attachment to the body as self, ried through the very portals ofphysicai·death. According to Chan Buddhist psychology, what are mythologically 86 portrayed as experiences of hell after death are in facr mani- festations of this attachment wrenching the heart as one is dying. When this text speaks of a "coming together of kind," it means that whatever attention is fixated on mate- rial things inevitably meets the fate of all material things, which is to perish and decay. 20. This final passage again drives home the point that the lower soul has no independent existence but is just a condi- tioned modification of the original "unified awareness" and can therefore be changed and refined to a point at which it is also pragmaticaJiy no different from the higher soul. This refinement is the object of the practice of turning the light around taught in this Golden Flower text. III. Turning the Light Around and Keeping to the Center ' l. The 'Thoist adept Wenshi (Wen-shih) was believed to be a student ofLao-tzu, transmitter of the classic Tao Te Chitig. A text known as The 11-ue Scriptttre ofWemhi says, "Our Way is like being in darkness. Those in the light cannot see a single thing in the darkness, whereas those who are in darkness can see everything in the light." 2. "Nonbeing within being" refers to a sense of openness and spaciousness in the midst of things, which is first produced by the exercise of turning the light around. "Being within non being" refers to the presence of energy within the vast- ness of the mind merged with space. The "body beyond your body" refers to the hidden reserve of vital energy uncovered by the opening of the mind. 3. The period of a hundred days is commonly mentioned in Taoist texts as the length of time required to set up the 87 foundation by stabilizing the concentration of conscious- ness.The actualtime may naturally be different; the crite- rion is the production of the effect. The term firing process is also taken from Taoist spiritual alchemy and means the course of meditation work, symbolized by the firing or cooking of elixir to crysta!lize it into a pill. 4. "Positive light" means the creative energy in the original mind. The "eyes"ai:ethe two mainaspect.S of consciousness symbolized by sky :md light: formless awareness andaware- ness of form. "Running leakage" means that energy is wasted through involvement with objects. This is called "confor- mity" because it happens as a matter of course when the mind is conditioned by things. "Reversal" therefore means withdrawing energy from objects; so that it can be stabi- lized and mastered from within rather than controlled from without. 5. Turning the light around is turning around the energy of creation· in that the total experience of the world depends upon the orientation of the mind. Changsha, a distin- guished Chan master of the ninth century, is famous for worlds in theten directions are thdight of the. self. All worlds in the ten directions are in the light of the self. In all wor:ldsin the ten directions, there is no one who is not oneself. !always tell people that the Buddhas of past, present, and future, together with the sentient beings of the whole universe, are the light of great wisdom. Before the light radiates, where do you placeit? Before the light radiates, there is not even a trace of Buddhas or sentient beings-'where do you find the mountains, rivers, and lands?" This exercise stops random imagination and empties routine compulsion by stopping them at the source; The 88 teaching of Pure Land Buddhism expresses a similar experi- ence by saying that one single-minded recollecrion of rhe Buddha of Infinite Light erases eighty eons of sins. The idea is that habits of false thought exist only to the extent that they are continually tended, groomed, and renewed. Deprived of center-stage attention, these habits lose their power over the mind. 6. Being rhythmical, breathing is thought of as going through four seasons with each breath. One of the founders of the Complete Reality school describes the intensification of time in the process of spiritual incubation in Taoist alchemy as the experience of the men tal equivalent of thirty-six thousand years within one year of concentration. This represenrs a process of accelerated conscious evolution. 7. Here "conform1ty" is defined as pursuing objects. The idea of a "netherworld" is not confined in this context to a state after death, but srands for a condition of depletion in which there is no more creativity left and one lives through sheer force of habit. TheHeroic March Scripture is a Buddhist text that came into vogue among Chan contemplatives in the tenth or eleventh century. It has continued in popularity because of its detailed descriptions of meditation states, highly valued in the absence of expert teachers. Eventually certain formu- lations of this scripture were also taken over by Taoisr yogis borrowing techniques from Buddhism. 8. The Yin Conmzence Classic (Yinfu ]ing) and the Plait: Q!as- tions of the Yelknv Emperor (HuangDi suwen jing) ·are Taoist texts, both considered very old. The former work is also attributed to the Yellow Emperor mentioned in the title of the larter. This legendary figure of high antiquity is one of the great cultural heroes of Taoism and Chinese culture in 89 general. One type ofTaoism) called the Huang-Lao teach- ing after the names of the mythical founders known as Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) and Lao-tzu) was ostensibly concerned with immortalism. Note that here «longlife"and ''transcendence oflife" are presented as rooted in psychological experience. It is common among Complete Reality Taoists to understand immortality as higher consciousnes.s,with Ilo necessary relation to the)ongevi ty ()f the body as rn.easured in terrestrial time. Nevertheless, the mental ease ftom the experience of spiritual "immortality" is als() said to generally preserve and enhance physical health by freeing the individual from destructive streSs and tension. 9. The "three teachings" areTaoism, Buddhism, and fucianism. From its very inception; the Complete Reality school of Taoism has taught that these three philooophies share a common essence. This was acceptedby Buddhists, especially the Chan contemplatives, but Confucians were averse to recognize any affinitywith Buddhism eVen as they absorbed Chan methodologyintotheir own studies. Wilhelm translates this passage, "This is the common goal of all religions;' andinhisintroductionhe notes thatTaoist organizations included not only Confucians, Taoists, ·and Buddhists but also Muslims, Christians, and Jews; 10. Jung used the concepts ofintraversioll and extroversion to describe what he. thoughtwere attitudes of Eastern and Western mentaliries .. He absorbed himself in his own fantasyworld, .and.he imagined that the· Chinese Taoists did the same thing. Since our textsays, however, that "the light is neither inside nor outside rhe self;' it can. hardly be supposed that turning the light around is the same thing as introversion in the Jungian sense. The 90 Chanfraoist meditative exercise of turning the light around does not make one oblivious of the external world, nor does it by any means involve concern with images or fantasies that may occur to the mind. 11. Quiet sitting was commonly practiced by Buddhists, Taoists, and neo-Confucians. The Book of Balame and Harmony, a compendium of all three teachings as they were practiced in the Completely Real school of Taoism, says; "What the· three teachings esteem is calm stability. This is called being based on calm. When the human mind is calm and stable, unaffected by things, it is merged in the celestial design." 12. The state where "heaven isopen, earth is broad, and all things are just as they are" is described in graphic detail by the nineteenth-century Completely Real Taoist master Liu 1-ming in his Awakeni'{q tv the TiW, wherein he speaks of emulating heaven and earth: "If people can be open minded and magnanimous, be receptive to all, take picy on the old and the poor, assist those in peril and rescue thosein trou- ble, give of themselves without seeking reward; never bear grudges, look upon others and self impartially, and realize all as one, then people can be companions of heaven. If people can be flexible and yielding, humble, with self- control, free of agitation, clear of volatility, not angered by criticism, ignoring insult, docilely accepting all hardships, illnesses, and natural disasters, without anxiety or resent- ment when faced with danger or adversity, then people can be companions of earth. With the nobility of heaven and the humility of earth, one joins in with the attributes of heaven and earth and extends to eternity with them." 13. "Reversed gazing" means turning attention to the source of awareness; it is one of the standard expressions of the golden flower technique. &aching tmvard knmv/edge is a special 91 Taoist usage of a Confucian term. Originally it meant attaining knowledge by assessment of things. Here it is used to stand fOr the exercise of"tuming the light around" and reaching toward the source of knowing. There are many examples of special 'Th.oist uses ofConfucian and Buddhist terms to be found in·the literature of syncretic schools such as that of the Golden Flower. There fOllow in Wilhelm's translation six paragraphs that are not in the Chinese text available to me. Their content marks them as interpolations or footnotes. 14. Small StDJIPi"'f JUUl Seeing is a classic compendium of basic meditation techniques, composed by the. f o n n d ~ . r ofTian- tai Buddhism in the sixth century A.D. Wilhelm does not translate: this passage, and he llliscoristrues.the terms stoJr .. pi'I!J and seei1f!J as "fixating contemplation." The terms mean stopping random thought and seeing successive layers of truth. This recommendation of a popular Buddhist medita- tion gUidebook as a "touchstone'' illustrates the close rela- tionship between Buddhist and 'Th.oist contemplative practices of the time. 15. "Focus on the center" is translated by Wilhelm as "the center in the midst of conditions," misreading the verb )'Iiiii', "focus," as the noun yuan, "condition." There fOllows a passage (not in my Chinese text) interpreting "focus on the center" to mean, as Wilhelm translates, "fixing one's thinking on the point which lies exactly between the two eyes." 'This is not what the Buddhist tc:rin originally means, and this consciousness- altering technique in Wilhelm's version is the subject of strong warnings in modem literature of the Completely Real school of'Th.oism; it is said to be very dangerous. The presence of numerous such fraglllentary yOgic interpolations out of character with the overall teaching of 92 the text leads me to suspect that Wilhelm's text had been doctored by quasi-Taoist cultists, quite possibly disaffected Confucians, who were devoted or addicted to altered states of consciousness. The meaning of the "center" in the context of Complete Reality Taoism is more accurately defined by Liu I-ming in my I Chi"'J Ma""""'-r: "The spirit of openness is the center. The mysterious female is essence and life. The immortality of the spirit of openness is the center containing essence and life. Setting up the foundation on the mysterious female is essence and life constiruting the center. Those who keep to this center are sages, those who loSe: this center are ordinary mortals." As to the center being the "mechanism of Creation," Liu says, "The center is the great root of the world. All the sages; immortals, and Buddhas of all times are bom from this center. It is so vast that there is nothing outside it, yet so minute that it retreats into storage in secrecy. Those who awaken to this immediately ascend to the ranks of sages, while those who miss this are sunk fur eons." Liu also affirms the subclety of the center, and the delicacy of the mental posrure of focus on the center, to which he denies any physical location as suggested by Wil- helm's version of the Go/Jen Flowertext. Liu says: "It has no location, no fixed pbsinon. Look for it and you cannot St:e it, listen for it and you cannot hear it. Try to grasp it and you cannot find it .... It is not easy for people to see this center, and not easy for them to know it. It cannot be con- sciously sought, it cannot be mindlessly kept. If you seek it . consciously, you fall into forms; if you keep it mindlessly, you enter into empty silence. Neither of these is the central way?' In IChi"'J MtuUJAJas Liu specifica!Jy repudiates interpre- tations in terms of yogic exercises such as that described in 93 Wilhelm,s text, emphasizing the dangers inherent in such practices: "Srudents everywhere are ignorant of just what this center is. Some say it is the center of the body, some say it is the center of the top of the head, some say it is the region of the heart, some say it is the center of the fore- head, some say it is the throat, some say it is in the middle of the space· between the kidneys and genitals. Vainly hop- ing for eterriallife, they cling to points in this ephellleral body and call that keeping to the center and embracing the one. Not only will they not live eternally, they will even hasten death." 16. This passage is seriously misconstrued in Wilhelm,s version. When the text says, "Hereafter, wheneverthoughts arise, you don,t need to sit still as before," it is referring to the time after the hundred days' work of setting up the founda- tion, during which the power of introspective concentra- tion is stabili:red. Investigating the locus of thought, where it arises and passes away, is a method ofrurning the light around commonly practiced in later Chan Buddhism. Here and following, Wilhelm translates "need not" as "must not;, and ''cannot be grasped" as ''cannot be done." These misconstructions thoroughly skew the meaning, because they miss the effective thrust of the text. The point of the exercise is to experience the ungraspability of mind in itself. ·where the text says "Push this inquiry on and. ori over and over until you realiZe it cannot be grasped," Wilhelm translates, "Nothing is gairied by pushing rdlec.:. tion funher;' which is completely off the mark; it would be impossible to attain the true effect of the practice following Wilhelm's version. What he renders as "nothing is gained" is a very common Buddhist expression meaning"ungraspable." When the text says, "'Having looked for my mind, I realize it cannot be grasped.' 'I have pacified your mind for 94 you,"' it alludes to one of the most famous of Chan Bud- dhist stories. A seeker asked the founder of Chan to pacifY his mind. The Chan founder said, "Bring me your mind and I will pacifY it for you." The seeker said, "Having looked for my mind, I realize it cannot be grasped." The founder said, "I have pacified your mind for you." This illustrates the climax of the exercise of turning the light around. Wil- helm had apparently never read or heard this story. 17. "Once you reach this ungraspability" is translated by Wilhelm as "That leads to no goal." In many cases Wilhelm does not seem to have been able to decipher the text well enough even to discern where a sentence begins or ends. He also translates "stopping" as "fixating," but fixation is definitely proscribed in the instructions ofthis very same text. 18. The canonical Chinese text ends the section here; Wil- helm's includes a rather long discourse on yogic technique, which he treats as an addition separate from the main text. The content of the interpolated passages points to a fairly typical kind of cultism and mentions practices that are pop- ular but dangerous. It is worth reemphasizing this danger, for such practices are also found in other popular books on Taoism in English, without the warnings that accompany their mention in authentic Chinese Taoist books. These exercises are in fact unnecessary for the practice of turning the light around as taught in the real golden flower docrrine. IV. Turning the Light Around and Tuning the Breathing 1. Chan Buddhism teaches that realization comes of itself and cannot be anticipated because it is not a product of subjec- 95 tive imagination. Hopes and expectations on the part of the practitioner inhibit the spontaneous working of the potential that makes realization possible. 2. Oblivion anddistraction are commonly treated in Buddhist meditation manuals as the two main"sicknesses" to which meditators arc prone. Focusing the mind on the breathing is an ancient Buddhist practice that is especially popular among modern.:.day Zennists. Spirihm.l Akhemy for Women, ·a late-nineteenth-century Taoist work, says, "In general, what is most essential at the beginning of this study is self- refinement. Self-refinement is a matter of mind and breath- ing resting on each other. This means that rhe mind rests on the breathing and the breathing rests on the mind" (from Immortal Sisters). . .. 3. Taoists and Buddhists both observe the intimate natural connection between breathing and mental state. When the mind is excited, the breathing accelerates; when the mind is calm, so is the breath; The practice of resting mind and breath on each other makes deliberate use of this relation- ship to calm the mind down and gradually bring it to a state of stillness. 4. "Inward breathing" is the rhythm of consciousness, "out- ward breathing" is the rhythm of respiration. Taoists and Buddhists both use the image of "leaking" to represent the loss of energy through random mental activity and its cor- responding physical unrest. Buddhas and Taoist immortals are described as having "put an end to leakage." 5. Taoist and Buddhist texts describe many manifestations of human tendencies toward polarization and extremism. These include notices of people trying to Stop thinking completely, believing this to be the goal of meditation 96 practice. In Taoist literature there is also mention of people who even try to stop breathing. The idea of"making the affliction itself into medicine'' is characteristically Buddhist, also described in later Taoist literature as "temporarily using things of the world to cultivate principles of the Way." 6. Here the "light of the eyes" refers to awareness of the world at large, while the "light of the ears" refers to fOrmless inner awareness. Here again the text makes it dear that there is no real boundary or difference between inside and outside: "They have the same source, but different names'' (7Jw Te Ching). The practice of"turning back to the nature of hear- ing," which is one way of turning the light around, comes from the Heroic March &ripture, a Buddhist text popular among latter-day Chan Buddhist contemplatives and figur- ing prominently in the technical procedures outlined in the Golden Flower text. 7. To "let go" is to free the mind from entanglement in objects, but to "let go absolutely" is to fall into oblivion. Again the balance of"stopping" and "seeing" is critical to the success of the exercise. 8. Taoist texts distinguish severaJ levels accord- ing to sound, but soundless breathing is considered best of all. Six audible breaths are used for healing, while silent breathing is used for quiet meditation. Since mental silence is considered the best hygiene as well as the best curative, soundlessly subtle breathing is generally considered very important for both mental and physical aspects ofTaoist practice. 9. The term true breathing is variously defined in Taoist litera- ture; sometimes it is represented as respiration that is so subtle that it is completely unnoticeable, sometimes it is 97 represented as the inner rhythm of awareness ordinarily obscured by the coarseness of thinking. 10. This passage' makes it clearthat practice of resting mind and breathing on each other is justa starting point. Such con- centration exercises are only temporary expedients, but · cultists sometimes perform them routinely for years on end; A famous Chan poem says, "When the wine is always sweet, it lays out the guests;' meaning that overindulgence in concentration and.consequent addiction to cahnness can actually incapaCitate the individual for further · development. ll, The Book ofBalllnce tmd Harmony says, "By keeping energy complete you can nurtUre the mind. To keep energy com- plete first requires that the mind be dear and cahn. When clear and cahn, there are no thoughts, so energy is complete." 12.-13. The metaphor of the hen incubating an egg is com- monly used in Chan Buddhism to represent continuous attention. 14. The Book of Balance tmd Hamwny says, "Of old it has been said, always extinguish the stirring mind, don't extinguish the shining mind. The unstirring mind is the shining mind, the mind that does not stop is the mind?' 16.-20. It is so much easier to notice distraction when sitting quietly than when engaged in activity that people often feel their minds to be more scattered than usual when they begin to sit quietly. Oblivion is a much more difficult problem, not only because of its nature as unawareness but also because contemplatives are ofu:n unconsciously attracted to it. Distraction, in contrast, is so annoying that it naturally provokes the desire to overcome it. Therefore Thoism traditionally emphasizes the importance ofusing 98 both stillness and movement in developmental exercises, to avoid &lli.ng imo either extreme. 23.-27. Not looking or listening does not mean· not seeing or hearing. It is a matter of being spontaneous rather than contrived. The text again makes it clear that this is not introversion as understood by Jungian psychology. In par- tirular, paragraph 27 shows that thi'> practice is not a matter of attention to subconscious mental activity, as Jung seemed to think. 28. Fixing the length of time for meditation can have negative effi:cts, turning what is supposed to be a liberative tech- nique into an automatizing ritual. Japanese Zennists and their Western imitators often seem to think of sitting medi- tation in quantitative terms, but in the golden flower teach- ing quality is the foremost consideration. According to National reacher Muso Soseki, one of the early greats of Japanese Zen, the establishment of fixed periods of sitting meditation was originally a matter of discipline, instituted during the Middle Ages to cope with large numbers of monastic inmates who had entered Zen orders for economic or sociological reasons. V. Errors in Turning the Light Around 1. "There are many pitf.ills in front of the cliff of withered trees" is an adaptation of a Chan Buddhist saying. The cliff of withered trees stands for a state of nonthinking quies- cence, from which standpoint it is easy to f.ill unawares into deviations. Wilhelm translates "in front of the cliff of withered trees" as "before you reach the condition where you sit like a withered tree before a cliff." This may give the 99 misleading impression that the "withered tree" condition is the goal. 2. Chan Buddhism tended to become increasingly simplistic as time went on, and it was generally not systematized to the same degree as Taoist alchemy. Thm was also a tradi- tional reluctance in Chan Buddhism to speak much about psychic states. 4. This passage combines Taoist arid Chan Buddhist w:imings against quietism. "Don't sit inside nothingneSs or indifier- ence" is a c01nmonChanBuddhist expression. Wilhelm misconstrues it as "One must not sit down (to meditate) in the midst of frivolous affitirs," which is in a sense antitheti- cal to the actual meaning of the expression. The Buddhist term neutmJVoidnesr is insetted in a note in the original text. 5. This is another caution against quietism or nihilism; "letting go"' is not to be exaggerated irito oblivion. 6. Both Completely Real Taoism and Chan Buddhism com- monly Warn against becoming enthusiastic or excited in anticipating in meditation, since this agitates the mind and stimulates subjoctive1'rojections, thus retard- ing progress. Wilhelm translates, "Nor must the thoughts . be concentrated on the right procedure." This is a misread- ing of the words, and a misleading idea. . . The parenthetical cominents in my translation an: also notes in the original text. "You can get it by intent that is not willful"' is translated by Wilhelm as "If one can attain purposelessness through purpose." It is not clear what he thought this meant. The idea seems to have appealed to C. G. Jung insofar as he rebelled against the materialistic interpretation of pragmatism characteristic of his own culture, but the Taoist text means no such thing. 100 7. Wilhelm's rendition of this passage is also murky,largely because ofthe use of a numberofBuddhist terms that he did not understand. This was unfortunate for Jung, who in his meditative fantasies quite evidently did "fall into the ele- ments of body and mind, where material and psychological illusions take charge." Although Jung admits that he never fOllowed the directions of the Golden Flower (which may be just as well considering the quality of the translation), nevertheless it is tempting to speculate on whatwould have happened had there been an accurate version of the text available to him. · 8. This passage is added to balance the foregoing warning about becoming deadened through malpractice; one should not become senseless, yet neither should one pursue objects. As ever, balance in the center is the keynote. 9. "Loose ends" tend to come up "for no apparent reason" in quietude because of heightened awareness and lowered inhibitions. Wilhelm translates "the realms ofform and desire" (a Buddhist term) as "the warld ofilh.lsciry desires." Again this was unfortunate for Jung, who showed a marked inability to distinguish between the realm of form and the realm of desire. This tended to skew his interpretations of fantasies and led him to imagine that golden flower medita- tion is culture-bound in spite of his beliefin universal archetypes. 10. People who enter into contemplative practices without this sort of theoretical preparation are easily deluded by unusual psychic experiences. Jung, himself a prime model of this, projected his imaginations on Taoism and thus believed that the teaching of the golden flower came from "abnor- mal psychic states." This f.alse belief may be attributed partly to Wilhelm's inexpert translation of the text, but 101 it also seems to be due in large measure to Jung's own arbitrary ideas and personalistic interpretations. VI. Authenticating Experiences ofTurning the Light Around 1. Wilhelm mistranslates "cannot be undergone responsibly by people with small faculties and small capacities" as "one must not conti:ntoheselfwith small demands." The ques- tion of capacity is extremely important in the teaching and practice of Taoist alchemy. In his introduction to the text, Wilhelm asserts that "asfar as the Chinese psyche is con- cerned, a completely assured method of attaining definite psychic experiences is available." If the expression ''definite . psychic experiences" is supposed to mean authentic realiza- tion of the golden flower awakening, this statement would seem absurd in the context ofBuddhism and Thoism. A more accurate reading of the text would have clarified Wilhelm'sconfusion on this point; it is a matter not of"the Chinese psyche"in general, but of the faculties and capaci- ties of the individual. ]ling would also have done wellto observe the warning of the text that ''you cannot handle attainment with a careless or:ll"r<lgaht attitude," for the careless arrogance of his essays on the Golden Flower hin- dered him. from a more serious and sober investigation of Taoism as much as did lack of resources. 2. Zhang Boduan (Chang Po-tu an), fuunder of the Southern School of Completely Real Taoism, wrote of a similar expe- rience in his Introdliction tiJ Akhemy: "The pores are like after a bath, the bones and circulatory system are like when &st asleep, the vitality and spirit are like husband arid wife in blissful embrace,·the earthly and heavenly souls are like child and mother remembering their love." 102 3. "Myriad pipes arc all silent" refers to a mental state of pro- found quietude; "rhe bright moon is in mid sky" refers to clear awareness within stillness. Both are common metaphors in Taoism and Chan Buddhism. 4, This passage refers to the refinement of sensory experience realized through the golden flower practice. The "filling of the body" with stored energy is said to be sufficient in itself to preserve health and well-being, even without physical exercise. "Red blood becoming milk" is a common Taoist symbol of the sublimation of passion. 5. The Vimalizati<m Scn'pture is a popular Pure Land Buddhist text, the Guan Wuliangshou jing (Scripture on visualization of infinite life). There are many examples of Taoists borrow- ing and reinterpreting Buddhist symbolism; some of them more plausible than others. The MingChing) a small fragment of which is included in the Wilhelm/Baynes ver- sion of the Golden Flower, provides numerous instances of Chan Buddhist sayings borrowed by Taoist yogis and given esoteric interpretations in terms of Taoist energy work. "Higher good is like water" comes from the Tao Te Ching. 6. The Buddha on the terrace of enlightenment is the essence of one's own mind. The Visualization Scriptttre itself says, "When you see Buddha, you are seeing your own mind; for mind is Buddha, mind makes Buddha." 7. Wilhelm translates ''the spirit enters into a state of ness" as "the gods are in the valley:' giving the text a prim- itive polytheistic sound that is not there at all in the original. It was evidently on the basis of this sort of mis- translation that Jung came to the conclusion that the con- cepts of Chinese philosophy are, as he said, "never taken psychologically." Nothing could be further from the truth. 103 As a result of his misconception about the nature ofTaoist practical philosophy,Jung thought that he himself was a pioneer in psychological interpretation; but since he did not understand the original Taoist concepts to begin with, his attempts to interpret them psychologically were based on his own imaginations and noton the real meanings of the ideas as they are understood by Taoists themselves. 8. "The empty room producing light" is an expression from the famous ancient Taoist Classic Chuang-tztt, This is one of the quotations from that classic commonly used by practi- tioners of the Complete Reality school ofTaoism, who .. found it a fitmetaphor for one oftheir experiences in quiet meditation. Chan Buddhists tend to downplay the feelings of such experiences as remoteness, clarity, and suffusion with light, for two main reasons. One is that such experi- ences are just signals of something and not goals in· them- selves. The other is that the impression they nevertheless create on the mind can be so strong that "the spoils of war are lost through celebration." 9. The image of ascent is ofren used ill Taoist literature. Sun Bu-er, one of the great female adepts ofCompletely Real Taoism, concluded her classic collection of poems with this verse on "flying": At the right time, just out of the valley You rise lightly into the spiritual firmament. The jade girl rides a blue phoenix, The gold boy offers a scarlet peach. One strums a brocade lute amidst the flowers, One plays jewel pipes under the moon. One day immortal and mortal are separated, And you coolly cross the ocean. (from Immortn.l Sisters) 104 10. The Buddhist meditation manual known as Small Stqpping and Seeing was mentioned earlier. This passage refers to a more complete manual by the same author known as Great Stopping and Seeing. 11. "When people drink water, they know for themselves whether it is cool or warm" is a common Chan Buddhist expression used to illustrate the fact that there is no way to communicate or understand realization of spiritual awaken- ing except by one's own personal experience. 12. "A grain, and then another grain, from vagueness to clar- ity" is an often-quoted line from Four Hundnd Wonir on the Gold Elixir, a short work by the founder of the Southern School ofCoinpletely Real Taoism, Zhang Boduan (Chang Po-tuan). Liu 1-ming explains, '"Grain after grain' means that when the basis is established, the path develops and the positive energy gradually grows. It does not literally m ~ a n there is the form of gfains" (The Inner Tmchi'!!]S of Taoism). 13. In his classic Undentanding &ality, Chang Po-tuan also writes, "Truly it is said of a grain of the gold elixir that a snake that swallows it is immediately transfOrmed into a dragon and a chicken that eats it is then changed into a phoenix, flying into the pure realm of true yang." Liu 1-ming explains, "When yin and yang combine into one, the celestial order is clearly revealed; the innate knowl- edge and capacity which had been about to fade away in people is round and bright, clean and bare. A bead of gold elixir hangs in the center of vast space, lighting up the universe to view, unobstructed in all directions. When people ingest a grain of this elixir, they immediately become immortals." 105 VII. The Living Method of Turning the Light Around A "living method, is one that is efficiendy adapted to individ- ual needs and in regrated in to everyday life. A "dead methoo" is one that is performc:d mechaniCally as an automatic routine. Chan Buddhist proverb say5, "Study the living word, not the dead word." l. "You need not give up your normal occupation." According to his own writing, Jungwasofthe opinion that yoga prac- tice needs an ecclesiastical setting. Some professional Japa- nese Zennists also share this belief, and many Western Zenriists following latter-day Japanese schools have there.:. fore come to believe that Zen has traditionally been a primarily mona5tic movement. The fact that ecclesiastical operations generally Call more attention to themselves than individual practitioners, who "hide their light" according to classical recommendations, has given Westerners the false impression that monasticism represented the mainstrearll of Eastern spiritual practice. 2. As the oftumingthe light around is repeated in the midst of everyday aahlrs, the mind becomes increasingly fiuid and buoyant, able to engage in ordinary activitieS without getting stuck oil 3. The keynote of this passage is "not sticking to any image bf person or self at all." According to his own reports, Jung was fascinated by the images that came to mind when he tried to meditate according to his owil method, which he apparendy believed to· be similar to that of the golden Bower. Inasmuch as this sort of preoccupation is rigorously proscribed in Taoist meditation texts, it is no wonder at all 106 that Jung's work shows no indication that he really experi- enced anything like the golden flower awakening. "If you can look back again and again into the source of mind, whatever you are doing" is rendered by Wilhelm as "When in ordinary life one has the ability always to react to things by reflexes only," which is not only technically incor- rect but potentially dangerous. "Turning the light around wherever you are" is translated by Wilhelm as "circulation of the light arising out of circumstances." This small mis- reading of the words is greatly misleading if it means that the practice depends on circumstances. 4. Although the practice lacks power if it cannot be carried out in the midst of activity, it becomes easier if a quiet time is set aside early in the morning to refresh and orient the mind in turning the light around. "The realized ones in Heaven will surely come to attest to your experience" means that higher or more refined levels of awareness become accessible to consciousness, experientially proving the efficacy of the practice. VIII. The Secret of Freedom Wilhelm translates the title of this section as ''A Magic Spell for the Far Journey." He tends to read weird and superstitious ideas into the text. Then again, it was not unusual for people ofhis time to expect Eastern ideas to be exotic and mysterious. The word translated as "magic spell" actually means a spoken teach- ing, or a secret teaching. It also comes to mean "secret" in the everyday how-to sense of what is essential for success in accom- plishing something. As fOr "the far journey," this expression, which literally means "roaming" and really means "freedom of action," is the title of the opening chapter of Chutmg-tzu, one of the most popular Taoist classics. 107 l. Jadelike purity is one of the "three purities," which are said to be realms of higher awareness to which Taoist adepts and immortals ascend. Thus they are representative of sources of inspiration for latter-day Taoist texts received through mediums in trance. According to Liu 1-ming, "White snow symbolizes the energy of the primordial unity; this is like the metaphor of 'white light arising in the empty room.'"That this white snow flies in "midsummer" means that it is manifested in the "fire" of consciousness. The "sun blazing" symbolizes positive energy, ''water" stands for real knowledge hidden within, and "midnight" represents profound stillness. Therefore ''the sun blazing in the water at midnight" means the emergence of the positive energy of real knowledge from the depths of qui erode. The recepti-Pe is the I Ching symbol for mother earth. Liu I-ming says, "If people can be flexible and yielding, hum- ble, with self-control, entirely free of agitation, cleared of all volatility, not angered by criticism, ignoring insult, docilely accepting all hardships, illnesses, and natwal dis- asters, utterly without anxiety or resentment when faced with danger or adversity, then people can be companions of eanh" (Awakening to the 11w). 2. "The homeland of nothing whatsoever" is another expres- sion from the Taoist classicChuang-tzu: It appears at the end of the first chapter, "Freedom," after which this section of the Golden F/Qwertext isnamed: in the ancient classic, the philosopher Chuang-tzu says, "Now you have a huge tree and worry that it is useless. Why don't you plant it in the vast plain of the homeland of Nothing Whatsoever, roaming in effortlessness by its side and sleeping in freedom beneath it? The r e ~ n it does not f.ill to the axe, and no one injures it, is that it cannot be used. So what's the trouble?" 108 3. "To act purposefully without striving" is translated by Wil- helm as "action through non-action." It is not certain what he meant by this. Wilhelm renders "indifferent emptiness" as "numbing emptiness;• which could be right except for the impression it conveys that "emptiness" is itself"numb· ing.'' This expression should rather be rendered as «numb emptiness." Only "numb emptiness" is «numbing;• not real emptiness as understood experienced in Buddhism and Completely Real Taoism. Here again, acquaintance with Buddhist thought would have helped Wilhelm to under- stand the point of this passage. 4. The "center" is explained in the notes to paragraph 15 of Section III; the "two eyes" are explained in the notes to paragraph 4 of Section III. The "handle of the stars" refers to the crux or key of awareness, by which self-mastery and autonomy are attained. 5. The alchemical symbol of metal or lead is explained by Liu 1-ming in his commentary on Chang Po-tuan's R>ur Hu7z- dml Wonis on the Gold Elixir in these terms: "Lead is dense and heavy, hard and strong, lasts long without disintegrat- ing; what is called true lead here is not ordinary material lead, but is the formless, immaterial true sense of real knowledge in the human body. This true sense is out- wardly dark but inwardlybright, strong and unbending, able to ward off eJiternal afiliedohs, able to stop internal aberrations. It is symbolized by lead and so is called the true lead .... Because its light illumines myriad existents, it is also called the golden Because it is the pivot of creation, it is also called the North Star. Because itconceals light within darkness, it is also c<lued metal within water" (The Inner Teachings of Taoism). 6. The "lower two passes" are the first two stages of a tradi- 109 tiona! formulation of Taoist spiritual alchemy: "refining vitality into energy," and "refining energy into spirit?' The "upper pass" is the stage of"refining spirit into openness." At this point "Heaven directly divulges the unsurpassed doctrine', in the sense that knowledge comes spontaneously through elevation of consciousness rather than by formal learning. 7. The "outside" is surface consciousness, the "inside" is the "true sense of real knowledge" hidden below. To "control the inside from the outside" means to reach deliberately for this real knowledge and stabilize its connection with con- sciousness. To "control the outside frOm the inside'; means to be rooted in real knowledge and thereby control the activity of the conscious mind. The "master" is the true sense of real knowledge; the "assistant" is the conscious mind. 8. The mind is a Taoistterm for what Chan Buddhists call the original mind. This refers to the mind as it is in its pristine State unaffected by temporal conditioning. 9. This section of the text, particularly from this passage onward, is more thickly veiled than ever in the garb of Taoist alchemical language. Here the meaning becomes ambiguous in the sense that it can be interpreted in· terms of the waterwheel exercise of Taoist energetics so popular in the SOuthern School of Complete Reality, orin purely spiritual terms characteristic of Chan Buddhism and the Northern School ofCornplete R.ealityTaoism. In terms of energetics, the "chamber of waur" means the lower abdo- men, where energy is built up for circulation. In spiritual terms, the "chamber of waur" refers to the true sense of real knowledge hidden within temporal conditioning; I have italicized water because it stands for one of the main signs 110 of the I Chitzg) consisting of one solid (positivt:) line sur- rounded by two broken (negative) lines: in Taoist alchemy, this represents the primal hidden within the temporal. 10. The I Ching sign for .fire) which represents consciousness, consists of two positive Jines surrounding a negative line. In this case, the negative line represents temporal conditioning ruling consciousness. The sign tor the creative) which repre- sents the enlightened mind, consists of three positive lines. Fire is in substance the creative in the sense that conscious- ness is itself enlightenment; but this is not realized because of the influence of mundane conditioning. 11. "Negative energy stops" because- the exercise ofturning the light around vitiates the power of conditioned thought habits. 12. The joining of the positive energy in water and the creative means the reuniting of conscious knowledge and real knowledge. The "basic chamber" is the center, which again may be interpreted psychophysiologicall)' or spiritually. Wilhelm renders "the positivity in water}) as "the polarized light-line of the Abysmal;' which is not very meaningful and certainly does not convey the sense of the positivity, creativity, or celestial nature of the "light" that the text emphasizes. 13. The movement of creative energy hecomes ''traceless" at1d "indiscernible" in the sense that the ecstasy accompanying the initial mating of consciousness and the true sense of real knowledge later subsides in favor of a more subtle experience. 14. "Living midnight" is a Taoist term for a state of profound mental stillness and guierude that is nevertheless pregnant with primal energy, preceding the "dawn" of resurgent light. The restless "human mind" is stilled so that the clear "celestial mind" may come to light. Wilhelm translates "liv- ing midnight;' which is an extremely common expression in this sort of Taoist literature, as ''the time when the child comes to life." 15. The images of the master becoming a servant and taking the servant for the master are common in Chan Buddhism. In Taoist terms, this means that the mundane conditioning of the "humann1entality" comes to govern the whole mind and is consequently mistaken for the self. 16. The root of heaven and moon cavern are alchemical terms for · the movement of energy emerging from stillness and rerurning to stillness. They can also be expressed as the points of shift from passivity to activity and from activity to passivity. 17. In alchemical language, the positive creative energy of unconditioned primal awareness must be consciously "culled" or "gathered" when it emerges from the shrouds of unconsciousness. If it is not gathered, or if it is gathered too late, the positive energy is ineffective and mundane conditioning reaSserts its power. 18. In Thoist energetics, «the chamber of the cnative''is the head: energy is drawn by attention upward from the lower torso (the chamber of water) through the spine and into the head. In purely spiritual Taoism; the energy of the initial stirring of the "celestial mind" of unconditioned awareness is fostered until it becomes complete awakening, as symbol- ized by the creative. Focusing on the crown of the head is a method of enhancing alertness (to prevent quiet stillness from slipping into oblivion) and is only for temporary use at appropriate times. 112 19. In energetics, the "yellow court" is the middle of the body, where the energy is conducted after passing through the head. In spiritual practice, this means that heightened awareness is centered to keep the mind from floating off into utter abstraction. 20. In Chan Buddhism this experience is described in terms of "melting" or "unlocking" to indicate a transition from bondage to freedom. 21.-25. The six senses are the faculties of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling, and thinking. Not using the six senses is believed to be the most excellent form of hygiene,. both mental and physical, practiced by Taoists to restore and pre- serve spirit and energy. Paragraphs 21 to 23 describe three levels of profundity in experience of the same exercise; paragraph 25 illustrates their interpenetration. This scheme of three stages, each also containing three, or a total of nine, stages, derives from the teaching of the Chari i.nasterLinji, who was regarded as the founder of vir- tuallyall the lines of Chan Buddhism extant at the time of the writing of The Secret of the Golden Flower. 26. The three and nine stages are spoken of in relation to the subjective experience of the practitioner, but all are obj ec- tively of the same source. The "interval of a world cycle" means the interval between stirring of mind and return to quiescence. 27. caused by momentum is raridom action, not essen- tial action?' This means that one should learn to act objec- tively, first quieting the mind so as to be able to act from a state of cool clarity rather than by impulse. Wilhelm trans- lates, "One moves the movement and forgets the move- 113 ment; this is not movement in itself." It is not clear what he thought this might have meant. 28. ''This does not contrast the action of Heaven to the nature of Heaven" in that it does not consider stillness superior to action; both action and stillness are part of the total enlight- enment as long as they proceed from the primal uncondi- tioned source of mind ratherthan from temporal habit ... 29. Desire>as considering things to exist or desire as being pos- sessive toward things are typically Buddhist definitions. Desire as thought that is out of place and based on ulterior motives is a typical neo-Confucian definition. 30. Wilhelm translates "spontaneous attention'i as "a move- ment without purpose;' and "acting without striving" as "action through non-action." Neither of these expre.Ssions hits the mark, but from the point of vieW ofcross<ultural studies it is significant to take note of them as reflections of standard misconceptions of Eastern mysticism. 31. In paragraph lOofthis section, the yin line inside the sym" bOl of .fin is understood as "falseyin;' which means mun- dane conditioning. Here it is understood as "true yin," which means calmness. The operation referred to as "taking from water to fill infirtl' consists of replacing the negative line (temporal col1ditioning) inside fin ( wnsciousness) with the positive line (real knowledge) inside ·wtmr· (the depths of the unconscious). This formula comes from the alchemi- cal classic Undmtmuling Radity, which says, "Take the solid in the heart of the position of lMm; and change: the yin in the innards of the palace of fin.· From this transformation comes the sound body of h t m ~ m (the ~ ) - t o lie hidden or to fty and leap is all up to the mind." Liu 1-ming 114 explains, "The solid in the heart of the position of 1PIIIzr is the real knowledge in the mind ofTao; the yin in the innards of the palace of.ftn is the conscious knowledge of the human mind. Take out the reality-knowing mind of 'Tho that has fallen into water and with it replace the con- sciously knowing mind in the palace of fire. In a short time the yin (temporal) energy will dissolve and the yang (pri- mal) energy will return, and you will again see the original face of ht#Pen, recovering your original nature of innate knowledge and innate capacity, tranquil and unperturbed yet sensitive and effective, sensitive and effective yet tranquil and undisturbed." 32. The "breeze of wind" symbolizes gradual penetration through fOllowing an initiatory process. Here it means the use of focused consciousness to gain access to real knowl- edge hidden in the unconscious. 33. "Nurturing the fire" means developing consciousness by calm and flexible receptivity. 34. is also a key alchemical term. According to The Book of lJ4Jim&e 11nd HRmwny, in the higher type of grn.dual method "bathing" means "being suffused with harmonious energy;' while in the very highest type of alchemy it means "cleaning the mind." 35. The expression "stopping at ultimate good" comes from the ancient Confucian classic DRxue ('IR Hsueh; The Great Learning) and is commonly employed in later Taoist alchemi- cal texts. ''The infinite" is a Taoist and nco-Confucian term for the state of awareness prior to discur.;ive discrimination. 36. the mind without dwelling on anything" is a famous line from the popular Buddhist Diamond Cuttzr Scripture. The sixth patriarch of Chan Buddhism is said to 115 have become enlightened on hearing this line of scripture being recited as he was passing through a marketplace. As fur "effecting openness," The Boolt of &lima 111111 Hamumy says, "laoism, Buddhism, Confucianism -all simply transmit one openness. Throughout all time, those who have transcended have done the work from within openness. Openness and sincerity are the essence of alchemy, learning Buddhism is meditation plunging into openness; and as fur learning the affairs of Confucian sages, selBessness in openness clarities the celestial design." 37. Again Wilhelm proposes a misleading translation: "to be unminding in all situations" he render.; as "furever dwelling in purposelessness." It is likely that Jungderived some of his more bizarre ideas about Eastern philOsophy from just such mistranslat:ions as this one. In the beginning of Sec- tion VI it says that in order to develop the capacity to undergo the experience of the golden £lower awakening responsibly it is necessary to will the liberation of aU beings; so the very idea of"purposelessness" is incompati- ble with this practice. Although Wilhelm translates that pan somewhat clumsily, nevertheless the meaning does come through there; apparently it slipped his mind when he came to this section. The tenn is a common Chan Buddhist expression. 38. "Contemplating emptiness, the conditional, and the cen- ter" is a fundamental meditative exercise ofTiantai (f'ien- t'ai) Buddhism. Again Wilhelm shows virtually comjJlete ignorance of Buddhism in any context but standard West- em cliche, translating "the conditional" as "delusion," In reality, the conditional per se is not delusion; delusion means to mistake the conditional fur a fixed or indepen- dent reality in itself. 116 39.-43. Paragraphs 39 to 43 present what may be the simplest and most concise statement of this Tiantai Buddhist prac- tice to be found anywhere: the point is to achieve a state of centered mental poise wherein both the fluidity and factu- ality of phenomena are evident to the mind without either exerting an overwhelming influence toward bias. According to this way of meditation, by realization of fluidity the mind transcends attachment to conditional things; by realization of factuality the mind transcends attachment to emptiness. By realization of the center, one attains a harmonious unity of freedom and responsibility. In Tiantai Buddhism: the accomplishment of this practice is called "three insights in one mind." 44. Fire is spirit, ~ a , - is vitality. Alchemists sometimes say that Buddhism starts with fire while Taoism starts with Jm.ter. 45. Here "the two eyes" is meant literally. There is a strong ten- dency to place great emphasis on the data of sight in every- day life, so the text makes it clear that all the faculties of sense and perception are channels of enlightened awareness. The third patriarch of Chan Buddhism wrote, "The six senses aren't bad, they are the same as true awakening." 46. This means that the true sense of real knowledge, which in ordinary people falls into abeyance in the unconscious, must be "resurrected" by consciousness through the exercise of deliberate attention. 47. The darkness in the sun is true yin within true yang, flexibility within firmness. 48. The white of the moon is true yang within true yin, firmness within flexibility. 49. A verse in the alchemical classic Underst:andi'!!J R£4/ity says, 117 "The sun, in the position of fire) turns into a woman; water, in the moon palace; turns out to be a man." IX. Setting Up the Foundation in a Hundred Days This and the foUowing three sections, comprising the rest of the text as it is found inthe canonical version on which the present translation is ba5ed, are entirely omitted by Wilhelm in his rendition, because he considers them of"inferior quality." He does not explain, however, the basis of this evaluation. While it istrue that these last four chapters go back to basics again and again, this is in fact a general characteristic of the whole· text, which repeatedly reviews fundamental theory and praxis as it develops the details of their experiential i m p l i c a ~ tions. It may be that the difficulty ofthese sections, which contain relatively high concentrations of Buddhist andTaoist technical terms, discouraged Wilhelm from attempting to translate them. 1. There are a number of scriptures with the generic Mind Seal title in the Taoist canon. The practice of one hundred days setting up the foundation to stabilize consciousness is com- mon in Taoist alchemy. Here when the text says "you are stiU working with the light of the eyes:' this means that at the outset a practitioner is using ordinary consciousness, not the refined consciousness referred to by the terms "spirit:' "essence;' and "wisdom." 2. "Intercourse" and "formation ofthe embryo" are standard alchemical images. Chang Po-tuan's classic Rmr Hundred Wonlr on the Gold Elixir says, "When husband and wife mate, clouds and rain funn in the secret room. In a year 118 they give birth to a child, and each rides on a crane." Liu 1-ming explains, "Our real knowledge is yang within yin; this is the 'husband.' Our conscious knowledge is yin within yang; this is the 'wife.' After the primal yang in peo- ple culminates, acquired conditioning takes over affitirs, and the real gets lost outside, as though it lived in another house and did not belong to oneself. Though one may have conscious knowledge, the wife does not see the husband; yin being without the balance of yang, this con- sciousness has fulsehood in it. If the husband, real knowl- edge, is recognized and called back home to meet the wife, conscious knowledge, and taken into the privacy of the secret room, the husband loves the wife and the wife loves the husband; husband and wife mate, sense and essence combine, so the primal energy comes forth from within nothingness and congeals into the spiritual embryo" (The Inner Teachings of Taoism), When the text says that "if you entertain any concep- tual view at all, this is immediately a misleading path;' this means that conceptual views are products of the temporally conditioned consciousness and thus deviate attention from the primal essence of consciousness. Chan Buddhism is well known for insistence on detachment from conceptual views in order to "perceive essence and at:tain Buddhahood." 3. Generally speaking, references to points or periods of time in alchemical literature refer not to clock or calendar time but to psychological time. Intense condensation of experi- ential time is also characteristic of mental concentration in the alchemical process. In his classic Understanding &ality, Chang Po-tuan writes, "Changing hours for days is the pat- tern of the spiritual work." Liu 1-ming explains, "Devel- oped people, emulating the image of the sun and moon meeting, place thirty days within one day, and also place one day within one hour: in one hour activating strong energy, they use the human mind to produce the mind of Tao, use the mind of Tao to govern the human mind, pro- duce real knowledge by conscious knowledge, and purge conscious knowledge by real knowledge; they gather the undifferentiated primal energy for the mother of the elixir, and follow the spiritual mechanism of the transformations of yin and yang as the firing process." 4. Empowerment refers to the stabilization of the higher con- sciousness so that one can turn the light around at will in any and ali circumstances. This may require a period of spe- cial effort, represented by the hundred days setting up the foundation. 5. In both Chan Buddhism and the Northern School of Completely Real Taoism, "seeing essence:' directly experi- encing the essence of consciousness in itself, is temporarily set up as an aim for those who are bound up in the prod- ucts of consciousness and thereby alienated from its essence. After "seeing essence" is attained, it then becomes a means rather than an end: a means offreeing mental energyfor further development. Because "seeing essence" can give a fulse sense of confidence before the union of conscious knowledge and real knowledge is matured, enlightened guidance is needed. The classical statement of this principle in Chan Buddhism says, "First awaken on your own, then sec someone else." Here the text says ''everything that emerges naturally from essence is rested" in the sense that it is necessary to examine the subsequent activity of con- sciousness for remaining taints of compulsive mental habit ruled by mundane conditioning. This is one of the most important functions of a guide. 120 X. The Light of Essence and the Light of Consciousness The distinction between "the light of essence" and "the light of consciousness" is critical to success in the practice of Taoist alchemy or Chan Buddhism. Paragraph 1 in Section II makes this clear when it says, "Only the true essence of the original spirit transcends the primal organization and is above it." It is unfortunate that Wilhelm did not translate this tenth section, because if properly unden;tood it would have been of inestimable value to Jung, who was evidently unable to make the critical distinction in his own experience. Indeed, Jung docs not seem to have even had a clear theoretical grasp of this i s s u e ~ what he assigns to the "unconscious" would in 'Th.oism still be considered part of the consciousness of the human mentality, not the essence that "transcends the primal organization." An ofren-quoted classic verse on this subject by the great ninth-century Chan master Changsha clearly defines the central importance of the distinction between the "light of conscious- ness" and the "light of essence" in these tenns: "When people who study the Way do not know reality, it is just because they have been giving their recognition to the conscious spirit all along: this is the root ofbeginningless eons of birth and death, yet fools call it the original being." From the point of view of the traditions of Chan Buddhism and Completely Real Taoism, Jung's confusion on this point is evident throughout his com- mentary on the Golden Fluwer and otber rexrs from Asian spiritual teachings. 1. In modern t i m e s ~ followers of sectarian Zen and Taoism have come to lay great stress on sitting meditation, but clas- sical masters have pointed out that addiction to stillness can have serious mental and physical drawbacks. If the practice of "turning the light around" is carried on only in specific 121 settings or postures, it may be impossible to integrate it fully with everyday life, leading to a kind of split in the personality. 2. This passage makes it dear that the "light,. of nothing to do with visionary experiences. &shan Canchan ]ingu, a well-kno\vn Chan meditation manual dating from about a century before the Golden Flower text, says, "If you see lights, flowers, or other extraordinary fOrms, and take this for sanctity, using these tinusual·phenomena to dazzle people, thinking you have attained great you do not realize that you are thoroughly ill. This is not Chan." 3. The mirror being "occupied" by an image represents the attention being occupied by the contents of consciousness and thus losing sight of the essence of consciousness. This is also a good description of what happened to Jung when he tried to meditate and became mired in images arising from his subconscious. 4. The Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) is one of the major figUres of antiquity associated both with Taoism and with the founding of proto-Chinese cultUre. The "echoes" here sym- bolize the thoughts or contents of consciousness; to say they are "not sound, means that thoughts are not them- selves the essence of conSciousness, even though they arise from the movement of consciousness. 5. The March Scriptvn is a Buddhist text that became particularly popular among Chan Bud- dhist contemplatives from the Sung dynasty (960-1278) onward. The following passages of the Golden Flower text, paragraphs 5 to 10, briefly outline a meditation exercise from that scripture, known as the "eight attributions," 122 which is designed to facilitate "perception of essence"' through a sort of process of elimination. The eight tions are usually defined as follows: 1. Light is attributable to the sun. 2. Dark is attributable to the dark moon. 3. 'fiansmission is attributable to doors and windows. 4. Obstruction is attributable to walls. 5. Objects are attributable to discrimination. 6. Blank openness is attributable to space. '7. Congestion is attributable to sense data. 8. Clear light is attributable to clarity. By gradually "peeling away" the contents of consciousness, the practitioner ultimately reaches the experience of the essence of consciousness. 10. The eighth amscioume!s is a Buddhist term: it is also called the conscWumes.r. One aspect of the storehouse consciousness is its function as the repository of sions. This is close to what Jung calls the "unconscious;' but Jung differs from Buddhism in considering the scious a basic reality. Another aspect of the storehouse con- sciousness, which comes out after it has been clarified, is its function of"mirrorlike awareness." This is a basic experi- ence of Buddhist transformation of consciousness, but it is not final. In dealing with both a.spccrs of the eighth con- sciousness, Buddhist practice aims at "smashing through" it and removing fixation even on these levels of experience. Chan and Zen Buddhist literature suggest that Jung was most definitely not alone in getting bogged down in the eighth consciousness. Unlike the Chan and Zen Buddhists, however, Jung was not fortunate enough to have authentic technical literature sufficient to diagnose the problem. 123 11. Sometimes the exercise of turning the light around is described as looking to see where thought comes from, but this is not the same as the psychoanalytic exercise oflook- ing to see the unconscious roots of conscious manifesta- tions. In Chan practice, psychoanalysis comes after "seeing essence;' because it is only from the central standpoint of essence that the contents of consciousness can be witnessed objectively. 12. "Flow and revolve" is a Buddhist expression for routine ·. mental habit. The final passages of this section return to the critical distinction between the "flowing and revolving" consciousness and the transcendental essence. This para- graph makes it clear that even "emptiness;' when experi- enced as an item of the conscious inventory, is still just an object, not the open essence of mind. Mistaking a feeling or state of"emptiness" for emptiness itself is a psychological phenomenon often mentioned in Zen classics. XI. The Intercourse of Warer and Fire 1. Here fire stands for conscious knowledge and Wa.ter stands for real knowledge. The intercourse of water and fire repre- sents the union of the real knowledge of the mind of Tao and the conscious knowledge of the human mind. 2. The yin inside fin stands for receptivity, and also for mun- dane conditioning. The yang inside water stands for the firmness of the true sense of real knowledge. 3. In his explanation of Chang Po-tuan's Four Hundred Wtnds on the Gold Elixir, Liu I-ming says, "If you understand that the foundation of water and fire of real knowledge and con- scious knowledge originally belong to one energy, and if 124 you cultivate them backward, inverting water and fire, using real knowledge to control conscious knowledge, using conscious knowledge to nurture real knowledge, water and fire balance each other, movement and stillness are as one; then mind is Tao, Tao is mind" (The Inner Teachings of 'llroism) . XII. The Cycle l. The Southern School of Taoism tends to value the water- wheel exercise, wherein a mass of energy is developed and circulated throughout the body. When the Golden Fluwer text says"energy is not the main thing," this is an indication of its roots in the Northern School under Chan Buddhist influence. 2. The Book of &lance and Harmony says, "The North Star, never shifting, governs motion." lt also says, "The North Star is the heart of heaven and earth;' and "When the human mind is calm and quiet, like the North Star not shifting, the spirit is most open and aware. For one who sees this, the celestial Tao is within oneself." 3. "Culling" is just a metaphor; The Book of&lance and Harmony says, "The medicinal ingredients are just culled in nonbeing." 4. "Indulgence" is a Buddhist term for what Taoists call "leak- ing," or the expenditure of conscious energy in pursuit of objects. 5. Dragon and tiger, water and fire, are metaphors for yin and yang. The meaning of this passage is not entirely clear, but it seems to refer to dilettantism. 125 6. There are times of interaction and noninteraction of real knowledge and conscious knowledge as long as their union has not been stabilized. 7. A poem entitled "Combining Yin and Yang" in The Book of Balanu andHarmony says, "To reach the Tao is basically not hard; the work lies in concentration. When yin arid yang, above and below, always rise and descend, the ubiquitous flow of vital sense naturally returns of itself. At the peak of awareness, reality becomes accessible· to consciousness; in recondite abstraction, nondoing joins with doillg. When the clouds rei:ede and the rain disperses, the spiritual .· embryo is complete; the creative principle comes into play, producing a newbirth." 8. Definitions of process and cycle are matters of method; at this point the means are transcended and there is no con- scious fixation on expedient distinctions. According to Buddhist metaphor, this is like ''leaving the raft behind on reaching the other shore." 9. This passage reiterates the fundamental continuity of the individual artd the univene, the identity of mind and the world it experiences. The third patriarch of Chan Bud- dhism wrote in his f.unous R¥m on 'Irusting Mind, "There is nowhere it is not; the ten directions are right before the eyes. Most minute, it is the same as the great; you forget all about objects. Most great, it is the same as the minute; you do not see any outside." A proverb common in both Chan and Taoist literature says, "It· is so great that there is noth- ing outside it, so small it enters where there is no space." Chang Po-tuan's alchemical classic Undemanding Rodity also says, "The essence of the self enters the essence of the 126 enlightened; the essence of enlightenment is everywhere thus. From on high the cold light shines in the cold springs; one moon appears in a thousand ponds. Its small- ness is smaller than a hair, its greatness fills the universe?' 10. Spontaneity is the real meaning of the Taoist technical term wmvei, often mistranslated by Wilhelm and others as "non- action" or "inaction." The Taoist classic Huaimnzi (The masters ofHuainan), explains spontaneity in these terms: "Real people know without learning, see without looking, achieve without striving, understand without trying. They sense and respond, act when necessary, go when there is no choice, like the shining of light, like the emanation of rays." 11. "Clouds forming and rain falling" is a standard metaphor deriving from the ancient classic I Chi11g. It represents the harmonious combination of yin and yang producing living energy. 12. "Living midnight" is explained in the notes to paragraph 14 of Section VIII. The term "true midnight" is relatively rare in alchemical literature, as compared to "living midnight." It is sometimes taken literally to mean the middle of the night, as a time of external quiet suitable for fostering inter- nal stillness. Metaphorically, it stands for extreme tranquil- lity; it is distinguished from "living midnight" in that the latter expression emphasizes the subtle presence of poten- tial and the imminent awakening of positive energy. 13. Untlentanding Rmlity says, "Real enlightenment has no like- ness; a single round light engulfs myriad forms. The bodiless body is the real body; the formless form is the real form." 14. Here it would seem that "midnight" is used as an equiva- lent to the Buddhist term "emptiness;' which is experi- enced right in the midst of forms. 127 15. Following the Buddhist pattern, to "head for the true" means to cultivate perception of emptiness in the condi- tional; "the living" then corresponds to the conditional in emptiness. XIII. Songto Inspire the World.·. 0. "Cinnabar hean''hasa dual meaning. The word ror cinna- bar is also used for the color of cinnabar. The color of cinnabar is in the fumilyof red, which is the color of com- passion in Buddhism. This is the external meaning, which would probably be obvious in context even without knowl- edge of this traditional association. In chemical terms, cin- nabar contains mercury. In alchemical terms, mercury symboli:les the mercurial nature of consciousness, so cinna- bar symbolizes the matrixof consCiousness. Many of the expressions and ideas used in the verses of the following song have already appeared in the text, some of them more than once. There are a few, however, that are new or callfor funher commentin this context: I. By poise in the center it is possible to bear change as it per- vades all conditioned things. 2. The "mysterious pass" is defined by The Book o/BalRnce and Harmony in these terms: "Sages just used the word 'center' to point out the opening of the mysterious pass. This 'cen- ter' is it. Let me give you a convenient simile. When a pup- pet moves its hands and feet and gesticulates in a hundred ways; it is not that the puppet can move. It is moved by pulling strings. And though it is a string device, it is the person controlling the puppet who pulls the strings. Do you know this person who controls the puppet? The pup- pet is like the body, the strings are like the mysterious pass; 128 the person controlling the puppet is like the innermost self. The movements of the body are not done by the body; it is the mysterious pass that makes it move. But though it is the action of the mysterious pass, still it is the innermost self that activates the mysterious pass. If you can recognize this activating mechanism, without a doubt you can become a wizard." 3. Midnight stands for the moment of transition from rest to activity; noon stands for the moment of transition from activity to rest. The whole line means "all the time," but special attention is called to the transitions represented by midnight and noon, which occur notonly from day to day but also from hour to hour in action and rest and from moment to moment in thought. 4. The "primal opening" is described by Chang Po-ruan in his Four Hundmi Wordr on the Gold Elixir in these terms: "This opening is not an ordinary aperture: made by. heaven and earth together, it is called the lair of spirit and energy" (The Imzer TmchingsofTaoism). 5. The "river source that produces the medicine" is an image from Chang Po-tuan's Understanding fuality, which says, "If you want to know the location of the river source which produces the herb, it is just in the southwest, its original homeland." Liu I-ming explains, "The southwest is the direction of earth, the realm where the new moon returns, where yin at its extreme gives birth to yang. In people, this is the time of beginning movement when stillness has reached its extreme. This movement from the extreme of stillness is precisely when the great medicine appears. How- ever, this movement is not the stirring of emotions at exter- nal influences, and it is not the stirring of thoughts in the 129 mind. It is the movement of the innate knowledge of the natur.U mind, the movement of the real knowledge of the mind ofTao.'' 8.-9. In psychophysiological Taoist energetics, water is associated with the genitals, fin: is associated With the heart: the inter- course ofwaterand fire is then defined as placing the atten- tion (associated with the heart) in thelower abdomen (associated with the genitals). According to The Book of Ba/anceand H a ~ this practice is in the lower grade of gradual methods. The actinide toward this practice expressed here by The Doctrine of the Golden Flower is another typical indication of its purism. 16. The "water-clarifying pearl" is a Buddhist metaphor for enlightenment, or for the pure mind. 18. The "jade capital" is a Taoist symbol for the supreme spiri- tual state. Nine is the number for yang, symbolizing positive energy in full bloom; dragons represent the inconceivable fluidity of spirit. . 20. In the terminology of I Ching symbOlism as it is used in Taoist alchemy, wind stands for accord and penetration; lightning is a.SS<lciated with fin:, which stands for awareness and underscinding. Together they form the sign called The CAuldron, which· represents "producing illumination through following an initiatory process;' according to Liu I-ming's explanation in The 1lwirt I Chi7fff. The symbol of thunder is movement, specifically theinitial activation of positive energy in the sense of real knowledge. 21. Here again it is made clear that the opening of the enhanced consciousness knOwn as the golden flower is not a matter of routine performance of yogic exercises. 130 The image of"retreating to hide in secrecy" is explained in The Book of Balance and Hamwny in these terms: "It is written, 'The sages used the Changes [the I Chi7!!f] to clean their hearts, and withdrew into recondite secrecy.' What does this mean? It is the consummation of sincerity and truthfulness. The principles of the Changes extend throughout the macrocosm and the microcosm; sages pon- der the principles of the Changes to clean their hearts and thoughts, and store them in ultimate sincerity." 22. The two poems used by Lu Yan when initiating Zhang Zhennu, who was to become a famous Immortal Sister, a female Taoist adept, are quoted with an energetics-oriented interpretation in Spiritual A/chemyJi>r Women. The original vernes read, After midnight and before noon, Settle the breathing and sit. As the energy goes through The double pass at midspine And on through the brain, Gaining the power of energy Contemplate the self. You must find the ancestor of yourown house. Thunder in the earth rumbles, Setting in motion rain on the mountain. Wait until washing, And the yellow sprouts emerge from earth. Grab the golden essence of vitality And lock it up rightly. Fire metal and wood To produce the dragon and tiger. (Immm-ml Sisters) Translator} Afterword: Modern Applications of the Golden Flower Method For me the experience symbolized by the golden flower has always been a prac- tical concern. This new translation of The Secretofthe Golden Flower arose from a confluence of several· courses of events. One of them was my own introduction to the golden flower practice of"turning the light around;' long before I knew of the existence of this particular book. Finding that method of mindfulness extremely powerful and versatile, I subsequently spent many years studying its use in experience and looking for tested information pertaining to its objective application. Eventually this pursuit led to studies of classical sourcebooks in Chinese, Sanskrit, and Japanese. I began translating relevant texts from Buddhist and Taoist tradi- tions, because I felt that their psychological insights could be useful in some way to people today, wherever they were. Although I had not read his views on the subject, I agreed with J ung that such information should not be cloistered. Whoever we may be and whatever we may do, mind is at the heart of our lives; so the clarification and awakening of mind is of potential interest to everyone, in whatever walk of life. 131 132 For many years I focused on the study of Chan Buddhism, the Chinese precursor of Zen. Classical Chan appealed to me because it cut directly through to the essence of mind without being burdened by dogmatism or cultural accretions. One of the most interesting ways this is done in Chan classics is by concentrating the teachings of the scriptures and schools of Buddhism into symbolic stories representing the underlying state of mind. Many of these stories are specifically for turning the light around, and because of my early experiences I was particularly interested in them. The more difficult and complex Chan stories dealing with creative integration of the golden flower mind with the ordinary world required mental work in everyday life and took much longer to begin to penetrate. Eventually I learned to practice turning the light around according to the methods of all the major schools .. of Buddhism. At first I was most dramatically affected by the Chan and Pure Land ways of awakening this con- sciousness, but I subsequently found that the techniques of each school had t.heir own advantages; so I continued to apply whatever worked best whenever I had a special quest and wanted renewed inspiration. At the same time, I studied the various support sys- tems devised by the schools to enable people to experi- ence the golden flower consciousness in meaningful ways. I found that this helped to clarify both practical and theo- retical issues: what I was experiencing in everyday life and what I was finding in my researches in ancient Eastern literature on mind studies. 133 It was in connection with this course of events that I came into con tact with Taoism; ·In the years following my first exposure to Buddhist teachings;.! looked into other Asian classical traditions such as Hinduism, Confucian- ism, Taoism, and Sufism. I also read from the Bible, the Koran, and the mystic traditions ofJudaism and Chris- tianity. During these studies I found that turning the light around revealed unsuspected dimensions in the liter- ature of other religions. A transcultural, transdogmatic appreciation of the mental dynamic of religion became manifest in a very direct manner by means of this technique. My studies of world religions took place in several phases. The first phase of study was partly comparative, observing what was common to different religions and what was peculiar to each. This helped to disting1lish local historical and cultural elements of religious presenta- tions from perennial underlying concerns. I returned to these studies later, in connection with programs from the classical Pure Land, Zen, and FlowerOrnament schools ofBuddhism, each ofwhich include investigation of other religions and philosophies as part of Buddhist study. It was through the last phase of intertraditional study, as part of the practice of the comprehensive Flower Orna- ment school of Buddhism, that I returned to the study of Taoism. This new phase of research into Taoism focused heavily on inner alchemy,· the processes of refining the mind and body as a unit joined by will. This eventually led me to The Secret of the Golden Flmve1; which combines Taoist alchemy with basic mind work according to the designs of several schools of Buddhism. · 134 Over the years I had attempted to read the Wilhelm/ Baynes translation of this important text several times, but found it inaccessible. Jung's commentary, moreover, seemed contradictory and confused. Giving up in frus- tration, I finally began to look for the original Chinese work. It proved possible to find a good text in a condensed collection of essential works from the Taoist canon, along with an authentic commentary on the practical applica- tion of the teaching. By this time I had also read and translated other Buddhist and Taoist classics in the ances- tral traditions of The Secret of the Golden Flower and there- fore had become familiar with the technical terminology of the text. The main difficulty of the original work is that it uses Taoist alchemical language mixed with several types of Buddhist Chinese. This undoubtedly caused Wilhelm confusion, because there were no facilities for teaching these languages and symbol systems to Westerners at that time. On comparison with the canonical version of the original Chinese text, it became clear that Wilhelm had misconstrued the text on many points, and his translation was unreliable. There are enough flaws in Wilhelm's readings of gram- mar, terminology, and conceptual structures to render his translation practically dysfunctional. Perhaps sensing this, but attributing it to cultural differences, Jung went further afield in transmogrifYing the central concepts of the text. J ung warned his readers away from trying to practice the secret of the golden flower, professing psychoanalysis to be its Western equivalent. His reasoning was that 135 Europeans lacked the cultural basis for practicing Eastern disciplines and had to work with their own traditions. There is obviously some truth to this part of the argu- ment, and Buddhistshave long said that teachings must be adapted to local psychological and social climates. I do not agree, however, t ~ a t Jung's approach.to the uncon- scious outlined in his introduction to The Secret of the .. ·· Golden Flower is actually equivalent to the golden flower practice. What Jung seems to have been against in reality was blind imitation of techniques, undertaken with the wrong motivations and attitudes. This is a useful warning, and he himself was aware that Buddhist proverb says the same thing. It is not necessary to believe, however, that all Westerners will inevitably behave in this manner toward Eastern teachings; Furthermore, the behavior will not necessarily change simply because its object is changed. The problem is in the behavior, not in the object. Jung's case against Westerners trying to practice the golden flower method would have been stronger if he had been able to clarify what was culture specific and could not be imitated usefully, and if he had adequately defined cultic behaviors that in hi bit the efficiency of mind-purifying practices. But even so, he made a useful contribution to the study of this issue by raising doubts that needed expression and questions that called for examination. Many Westerners today have had more opportunity.· for exposure to Eastern teachings and to· psychological studies of cultism than had Jung and his contemporaries. Cult behavior continues to exist, nevertheless, so it is important to distinguish it from authentic spiritual 136 practice. In order to do this, it is necessary to observe the cult mentality from the point of view of the golden flower and avoid confusing this process with observing the golden flower practice from the point of view of the cult mentality. Jung's goal of understanding religion in terms of psy- chology was an approach that made religious teachings of all kinds more accessible to Westerners. Its full realization may have been thwarted by a combination of factors, including lack of sufficient data, due to which Jung was unable to understand Eastern teachings clearly and.there- fore could not come to definitive conclusions. Unaware that Taoists and Buddhists had themselves been interpret- ing religion psychologically for centuries, Jung vns unable to avail himself of their methods. The psychological approach to the study of religion is not itself invalidated, however, by the shortcomings in Jung's own practical work on Eastern teachings; on the contrary, it increases its validity with fuller and more accurate information and analysis. Jung's caveats about practice, therefore, should be understood in reference to cultism, which involves fixation and therefore cannot in any case foster authentic realization of golden flower mind blossoming. In his time J ung did not have access to materials that would have allowed him to make distinctions between normal and cultic practices of Eastern teachings, and he could not objectively judge the relative merits of the different exercises found in the corrupted version of The ~ t of the Golden Flower rendered by Wilhelm. Furthermore,. from sources such as J ung's introduc- tion to the second German edition of The Secret of the Golden Flowe1; ··and• works.such as Siddhartha and M ~ · Ludi by Jung's contemporary Hermann Hesse, it is evi- dent that fragmentary imitation Eastern mystical cults were thriving in Europe•between the.first·and second world wars. Jung's reservations about golden flower prac- tice were as much held in reaction to events in his own cultural milieu as they were based on his impressions of . the text itself. This fuct seemed particularly significant to me, partic- ularly insofar as one of the factors involved in my own long-standing interest in Chan and Zen Buddhism was the practice of transcending religious and cultural forms to get at the· heart of reality in itself by direct experience and direct perception. While it istrue that there are ritu:.. alized Zen cults with highly cloistered and involutedatti- tudes, these are generally examples of imitations described longago in the classics of Chan and Zen, and as such they do not impugn the validity of the originalteachings themselves. Cultism, scholasticism, and cultural traditionalism aside, I believe that the essence of Chan is one of the most potentially useful elements of the golden flower teaching; and of Buddhism in general, in the context of> the modem West. In addition to its psychoactive tech- niques, the psychologiciU and intellectual structures of Chan lore can be superlative analytic toolS that enable the mind to distinguish the inner patterns of things. Of course, their ultimate value in practice depends upon how 138 effectively they are employed, as in their application to The Secnt of the Golden Fluwer. The theory and practice of the golden flower method do exist in Greek and Christian tradition, but if they are to be usefully analyzed in secular psychological terms, without an abundance of philosophical or religious con- cepts, I believe this can be most easily accomplished by means of Chan devices that require no background in Chinese culture to understand or employ. The Semt of the Golden Flower represents a way of approaching completeness of energy through complete- ness of mind. This teaching calls itself a "special transmis- sion outside of doctrine,'' free from attachment to dogma and form, based on direct perception of the essence of mind and recovery of its inherent potential. This is the hallmark of Chan, which is sometimes called the school of the enlightened mind. For practical purposes, a distinction is made in the golden flower teaching between the "original spirit" and the "conscious spirit.'' The original spirit is the formless essence of awareness; it is unconditioned and transcends culture and history. The conscious spirit is the mind-set of feelings, thoughts, and attitudes, conditioned by personal and cultural history, bound by habit to specific forms. These terms are employed in both Chan and Taoist traditions. Intuition belongs to the original spirit; intellect belongs to the conscious spirit. The essence ofTaoism is to refine the conscious spirit to reunite it with the origi- nal spirit. In Chan Buddhism, the primal original spirit is also known as the host, while the conditioned conscious 139 spirit is known as the guest; the original spirit is the mas- ter, and the conscious spirit is the servant; In these terms, self-delusion occurs when the servant has taken over from the master; self-enlightenment takes place when the master is restoredto autonomy in the center. The idea of two. minds or two aspects of mind is found early on ii1 the ancient Taoist classic TtuJ Te Ching: "Using the shining radiance, you return again to the l i g h t ~ not leaving anything to harm yourself. This is called entering the eternal.'' Here is an image of an ideal rela- tionship between the original spirit as the source of power and the conscious spirit as a subordinate functionary. When clarified, the conscious spirit functions according to the situation without usurpingthe authority of the original spirit. The original spirit remains available as the reserve of total awareness, to which the conscious spirit returns without leaving any harmful fixation on itself or its objects. In this way the intellect functions efficiently in the world without that conscious activity inhibiting access to deeper spontaneous knowledge through the direct intuition of a more subtle faculty. The operation of switching from the limited mind of conditioned consciousness .to the liberated mind of primal spirit is known as the methodof"reversal," or turning around the light. In The Secret,ofthe Golden Flmver these terms refer to restoration of direct contact with the essence and source of awareness. This direct contact empowers the individual to know spontaneously and be free from bondage to created thoughts and conditioned feelings, even while operating 140 in their very presence. In the words of the Tao Te Chittg, one can thus be "creative without possessiveness." In both Taoism and Buddhism, the term turning the light around means turning the primary attention from involvement in mental objects to focus on the essence or source of mind. This exercise is practiced as a means of clearing consciousness and freeing awareness. Many of the Taoists who had the strongest affinities with Chan Buddhism relied heavily on the exercise of turning the light around. Although this exercise is found in all Buddhist schools, it was particularly emphasized in Chan Buddhism. The See1-et of the Golden Flmver represents one of the most radical ofthese spirit-based methods. Virtually the whole text is devoted to the subtleties of this simple practice of reversal or turning the light around. There are numerous Chan, Zen, and Taoist sources con raining descriptions of tips and techniques for induc- ing, exercising, and integrating the experience of the golden flower blossoming. The fundamental premise and practice are suggested in the plainest terms in the teach- ings ofDahui (Ta-hui), a famous Chan Buddhist master of the twelfth century: "Good and bad come from your own mind. But what do you call your own mind, apart from your actions and thoughts? Where does your own mind come from? If you really know where your own mind comes from, boundless obstacles caused by your own actions will be cleared all at once. After that, all sorts of extraordinary possibilities will come to you without your seeking them." 141 There are also many Chan stories for initiating the golden flower exercise. Some of them are very simple, but they can be used over and over again. A srudent asked a teacher, ''What is Buddha?"· The teacher said, ''This mind is Buddha." A srudent asked a teacher, "What should one do when arising and vanishing (of thoughts) goes on unceasingly?" The teacher said, "Tsk! Whose arising and vanishing is it?" Once a teacher asked a student, "Where are you from?" The srudem said he was from such and such a place. · The teacher asked; "Do you think of that place?" The srudent said that· he often thought of it. The teacher said, "The thinker is the mind, what is thought ofis the environment. In the environment are moun- tains, rivers, land, buildings, people, animals, and so on, Now turn your thought around to think of the thinking mind; are there so many things there?" These Chan structures illustrate some of the ways that . attention can be arranged to induce the golden flower experience. It may bepossible to apply this use ofmind to psychotherapeutic theory and practice by means of its transcendental understanding of the self, its method of experiencing the self beyond the quirks ofpersonality, and its concentration on the elemental source of autonomy and self-mastery. To the therapist, the golden flower teaching offers techniques of developing deeper insight and greater awareness of human potential, as well as a means of con" tacting patients at a level of mind that is not affected 142 by psychic afflictions. To the patient, it offers an indepen- dent means of self-knowledge beyond the domain of conditioned personality, judgment, and opinion. Properly used, in the context of contemporary life and not as an exotic, half-understood cult, the practice of golden flower meditation certainly has the power to dispel the influence of neurotic compulsion. Rightly under- stood and correctly practiced, it does not have the dan- gers Jung attributed to it because it does not submit to the fascination of what he referred to as unconscious contents of mind. The exercise of turning the light around is in fact so penetrating an avenue to insight and transcendence that it is tempting to consider applying its theory and practice to the search for direction in treatment of some of the more serious disorders currently being addressed by the psy- chiatric community, crippling conditions such as those now known as acute manic depression, schizophrenia, psychosis, and multiple personality disorder. It must be kept in mind, however, that it would be completely foreign to the teaching and spirit of Buddhism and Taoism to suggest that any idea or practice can be regarded as a cure for aU iUs, or that any spiritual exer- cise can automaticaUy bring about the desired regenera- tion regardless of the mentality and attitude of the practitioner. In the traditional psychology of ancient Buddhist and Taoist schools, psychoactive exercises like the golden flower were part of comprehensive programs, not magic wands all-powerful in themselves. 143 To say that greenery needs light, earth, air, and water does not diminish the importance of any of these elements; but it may be necessary to emphasize the importance of one or another when it is missing or insufficient. For ancient methods of mental development to be naturalized in the West, they themselves will have to be in working order to be able to respond and adapt to local needs; and there will have to be ways of expressing and addressing those needs effectively in the context of the new cultures. This is why clinical and descriptive psychol- ogy have become avenues for the exploration of formerly esoteric knowledge relating to the nature of experience. To consider the question of how the golden flower method could shed light on clues to the understanding and treatment ofmood and personality disorders, it is useful to work with the Chan concept of host and guest, a simple concept corresponding to the Taoist distinction between the original spirit and the conscious spirit. From the point of view of the host, or original spirit, everything concerned with mood and personality is in the domain of the guest. But through the process of social conditioning, the average individual comes to be centered in the guest and therefore regards it as the self. As a result the true host is concealed, and it cannot bring out its more objective and encompassing perspective on matters of mood and personality. When the guest has taken over center stage and the host is no longer in sight, the "switching" that takes place within an individual in response to psychological and environmental factors is taking place from one mood or 144 personality to another; it does not return all the way to the source. The individual can then no longer command the capacity to switch deliberately from a subjective mood or subpersonality to an objective and impersonal state of observant mind. Thus alienated tram the primal source or ((host" of the original spirit, the t:go seeks integration by attempting to establish order among ((guests," the conditioned fucades of psyche and personality. Under these conditions, if there develop great disparities among moods or subper- sonalities in the absence of ability to ((return to the light'' of the original mind, then dysfunction and breakdown may result when the strain of attempting to maintain rela- tive order overstresses the natural resilience of the fuculty of mind playing the part of the receptionist or answering service for the host. Although the host must be there, it is now hidden and does not respond directly. Considered in this light, the ability to experience the pure self of the original mind and the capacity to return to it at will can be of fundamental significance in the psy- chic life of the individual. Even as the conditioned mind goes from state to state in the course of changing circum- stances, the golden flower technique provides a means of searching out the host behind the scenes to gain direct input from its creative energy and inspiration. This host, or original spirit, can occasionally be glimpsed in the space between temporal shifts of mood or personality, but it generally takes practice to stabilize it and use it deliberately. The result of this ((crystallization" is a boundless source of potential. If applied with knowl- edge and without o ~ s e s s i o n , the method of the golden 145 flower can be of use not only to the psychotherapist, but to the ordinary individual as well; because mind is the pivot of all acts and events, its iUuminating effects. touch on every facet of life. There is a great deal of knowledge relating to the use of golden flower consciousness in the teachings of Bud- dhists and Taoists. These teachings were constructed to assist in orientation of mental exercises, and they need to be understood in terms of their own structure in order to work according to their own design. In this sense,. the need for adaptation does n:ot mean that essential patterns can be distorted. Orientation is as important as the exercise itself, for disoriented meditation does more harm than good. Seen inthis··light, traditional Buddhist and Taoist materials on this subject are not propaganda to inculcate religious belief but blueprints of mental functions drawn to provide direction in the understanding and application of psychoactive exercises; For application of the golden flower mind-awakening method, one of the most useful instructional devices in Chan Buddhist teaching explains the "two minds" in terms of"four relations between host and guese' To focus them in the mind all at once, these four relations are expressed in mnemonic phrases: the guest within the guest; the host within the guest; the guest withiri the host; the host within the host. The guest within the guest is the state of the ordinary mind going from one mood; state, or subpersonality to . another, alienated from conscious contact with the host behind the scenes. 146 The host within the guest is the first stage of turning the light around, when contact with the original mind is established even as the individual is passing through shifting moods and personalities. The guest within the host is a more mature level of attainment, at which the individual can enjoy free access to thought and its products, including ideas, moods, and personalities, without being deceived by them or bound to them. The host within the host is the original spirit itself, the primal source of consciousness in which is found the hidden "turning point" on which psychic liberty hinges. In one sense, conscious experience of the host within the host follows realization of the host within the guest; yet in a deeper sense the host within the host is not only at the pinnacle but even at the basis of the total experience of golden flower practice. There are also certain stories from Chan and 1aoist tradition that are used to orient and sensitize the mind to this "turning point" in such a way that the capacity to "switch minds" is brought within reach of the ordinary consciousness. A few have already been mentioned. One of the more dramatic examples of such stories is based on a folk tale about a young woman who was betrothed to a man she didn't love. She ran away to live with her true lover, but eventually died. When her man returned to their hometown after her death, he found that in the experience of the people there she had been at home all the while, having taken to her sickbed shortly after her betrothal. 147 In modern terms, the paraUe.l with emotional division between outer and inner life is obvious; but can we ask, without assumptions, which one was the phantom? A Chan master said, "The girl had split souls; which was the real one?" Ifwe say she was really at home, yet she lived with her lover; if we say she was with.her lover, yet she was lying abed at home. The Chan answer is that both conditions, both "selves," were guests of a. formless host. Another master said, "If you can awaken to the real one herein, youwill know that leaving one state of being and entering another is like staying at an inn." In psy- chological terms, this would suggest that the individual··· who realizes the true host can enter and exit thoughts, feelings, moods, and personalities at will, being cen- tered in the primal spirit and thus not subject to control by the contents of conditioned states of consciousness. One of the great advantages of using such stories to jog the mind is that the very act of remembering the pos- sibility of "switching" already places psychological distance between host and guest, thus dispelling to some degree the mesmeric influence of thoughts, feelings, moods, and personalities. A parallel story from Taoist tradition is the famous butterfly dream of the sage Chuang-tzu. In this classic tale, the philosopher relates that he dreamed he was a butterfly, having a wonderful time fluttering about from flower to flower on the zephyrs of spring. 148 On awakening from this pleasant reverie, however, he found that he was no longer sure whether he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly, or whether he was a butterfly now dreaming he was a man. The issue of this story is not its superficial question of which psychic contents to identify as the selfbut is in the act of recalling attention to the "turning point" revealed in between states, the formless "opening" or "aperture'' through which the real self of the formless host can be seen and experienced in its own purity and freedom. By this means it is possible to detach from condi- tioned states and identities without thereby becoming dissociated from the realm of ordinary experience. Thus the individual can always resort to renewal from the very source of creativity. This is what Taoists call· returning to the "root of heaven and earth," from which extradimensionalvantage point it is possible to experience higher enlightenment right in the midst of the mundane world. If this can be accomplished in reality, there is no rea- son why psychic events such as extreme mood swings or personality changes should assume control of individuals to the extent of becoming crippling handicaps. Even if this practice is understood in theory alone, it can still offer a perspective on human psychology that will allow for an objective and nonjudgmental approach to the understanding and treatment of mood and personality extremism. Jung's reasons for warning people away from golden flower practice were ostensibly based on what he per- ceived as cultural incompatibility. It was his belief that 149 Europeans of his time lacked the proper psychological basis for the yogic practices of Chinese, Indian, and · Tibetan religions. Therefore Jung thought it only reason- able that Westerners should not imitate Eastern methods; and he underscored his point with a proverbial Buddhist warning about incorrect use of practices. •·... .••.. · Jung quarrelled not with the method of the golden flower, but with the Western attitude toward technology of any k ~ n d . His remarks on the Western mentality sug- gest avenues of study, but he does not examine the cultic behaviors that make imitation methods ineffective. Had he done so, Jung could have found that neither the reality nor the imitations of spiritual practices are limited to East orWest; - Furthermore, Jung does not show how his method is actually equivalent to the golden flower practice. Apart from the fact that hewas faced with a garbled translation of a corrupt text with the last few chapters missing, Jung was admittedly preoccupied with expounding his own theories. Jung's concern with the problems of cultural differ- ences led him to· believe that the.golden.flower practice developed from Chinese tradition, in spite ofthe fact that he had evidence of its existence in Western tradition. Jung apparently misunderstood descriptions of the exercise partly because ofWilhelm's mistranslation and his own lack of experience. To deal fully with J ung's treatment of the golden flower teaching would lead us afield from the point of this work, which is to exposethe original teaching itself. The purpose of mentioning Jung here is to reopen adoor of inquiry by questioning the limits of the limitations he presumed. 148 On awakening from this pleasant reverie, however, he found that he was no longer sure whether he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly, or whether he was a butterfly now dreaming he was a man. The issue of this story is not its superficial question of which psychic contents to identify as the self but is in the act of recalling attention to the "turning point" revealed in between states, the formless "opening" or "aperture" through which the real self of the formless host can be seen and experienced in its own purity and freedom. By this means it is possible to detach from condi- tioned states and identities without thereby becoming dissociated from the realm of ordinary experience. Thus the individual can always resort to renewal from the very source of creativity. This is what Taoists call returning to the "root of heaven and earth," from which extradimensional vantage point it is possible to experience higher enlightenment right in the midst of the mundane world. If this can be accomplished in reality, there is no rea- son why psychic events such as extreme mood swings or personality changes should assume control of individuals to the extent of becoming crippling handicaps. Even if this practice is understood in theory alone, it can still offer a perspective on human psychology that will allow for an objective and nonjudgmental approach to the understanding and treatment of mood and personality extremism. Jung's reasons for warning people away from golden flower practice were ostensibly based on what he per- ceived as cultural incompatibility. It was his belief that 149 Europeans.of his time Jacked the proper psychological basis for the yogic practices ofChinese,Indian, and Tibetan religions. Therefore Jung thought it only reason- able that Westerners should not imitate Eastern methods; and he underscored his point with a proverbial Buddhist warning about incorrect use of practices. Jung quarrelled not with the method of the golden flower, but with the Western attitude toward technology of any k ~ n d . His remarks on the Western mentality sug- gest avenues of study, but he does not examine the culric behaviors thatma:keimitation methods.ineffective. Had he done so, Jung could have found that neither the reality nor the imitations of spiritual practices are limited to East or West. - Furthermore, Jung does not show how his method is actually equivalent to the golden flower practice. Apart from the fact that he was faced with a garbled translation of a corrupt text with the last few chapters missing, Jung was admittedly pi:eoccupiedwith expounding his own theories. Jung's concern with the problcmsof cultural differ- ences led him to believe that the golden flower practice developed from Chinese tradition, in spite of the fact that he had evidence of its existence in Western tradition. Jung apparently misunderstood descriptions of the exercise partly because of Wilhelm's mistranslation and his own lack of experience. · ..•. ··.. · · ·· . To deal fully withJ ung's treatment of the golden flower teaching would lead us afield from the point of this work, which is to expose the original teaching itself. The purpose of mentioning J ung here is to reopen a door of inquiry by questioning the limits of the limitations he presumed. ISO Jung's ideas on the golden flower, and their sig- nificance in relation to Western thinking about Eastern thought, are more fruitfully treated in the context of his total work on Eastern subjects. Nevertheless, they provide a useful counterpoint to the original tradition when high- lighting psychological practicalities of the golden flower exercise. One reason for this is that Western versions of Eastern mental exercises active during the sixty years that have elapsed since the original publication of The Secret of the Goltkn F/Qwer have been informed in· part by Jungian interpretations of Eastern. practices. Among the problems that Westerners have tradition- ally faced in working with Eastern meditation practices is the fear that mind-stilling exercises will prevent them from thinking thoughts that they need to think. This is also a concern in the East, where there are many warnings in meditation lore to avoid excessive·stilling. There are two main objects to stopping thought in Buddhist tradition. One is to open up space to clarify rhought by distinguishing compulsive habitual thought from deliberate logical thought. The other is to clear room for the conscious operation of non conceptual insight. Practitioners are carefully warned to avoid becom- ing intoxicated by the peaceful tranquillity of thought ces- sation; as the Chan proverb goes, "stagnant water cannot contain the coils of a dragon." The golden flower practice can stop thought tem- porarily, but it does not warp reason. It enables one to think deliberately rather than compulsively. This use of mind opens a wider space for thought, with the ability to 151 think and observe thought with detached clarity, so that one can put down useless thoughts and take up useful thoughts by means of independent discernment and will. The speed of its direct perception can also see at a glance where a train of thought will lead, conserving untold mental energy. With any eXercise that stills the mind, at first there is a tendency for random thoughts and images to occur with seemingly frequency and strength. Jung became aware of this phenomenon and attempted to exploit what he thought was its potential asameans for exploring the unconscious. He was also aware of dan- ger in this; and hestresses this danger in his works on both Eastern and Western alchemy. In golden flower practice this problem is avoided by relinquishing all obsession with thoughts and images that come to mind in the course of the exercise. It is only after the actual awakening or blossoming of the golden flower has taken place that examination ofmen- tal phenomena with detached objectivity is considered possible. Before this breakthrough, too much introspec- tion of psychic contents is viewed as a distraction from the primary purpose of arriving at the source of awareness itself. Golden flower exercise is not focused on forms of images or ideas, and in that sense it is not and cannot be culture bound. For this reason h is not peculiarly Chinese, nor is it known and practiced by Chinese people in general through the influence of their cultural heritage.· To adapt a practice to a new cultural setting is one thing; to turn it into something fundamentally different 152 is another. In order to benefit from whatever is useful in Eastern teachings, they need to be reduced to their essence and allowed to develop in their new environment. What is necessary is the primal psychological seed, not the temporal cultural husk. Taoist and Buddhist teachings explain that their struc- tures and terminologies are not sacred in themselves, but are means of arranging attention to elicit extra potential in vision, being, and action. Independent perception and autonomous conduct are not general ideals in the Confu- cian and Hindu societies within which Taoism and Bud- dhism existed; they are part of a transcendent interior culture that has no national boundaries. ·The opening statement of The Secret of the Golden Flower includes the provision that people should establish a firm foothold in the ordinary world before they try to cultivate the blossoming of the golden flower. This means that they should be able to function adequately in their own culture and society, whatever that may be. The golden flower practice is not primarily a therapeutic method for severely unbalanced people; it is a way of higher development for ordinary people. Yet it is also true that some forms of neurosis are built into civilized society itself, and many ordinary people suffering slightly from mild neuroses are well integrated with their everyday world. The reason why the golden flower method is not particularly recommended for severely neurotic people, or for people with schizoid or psychotic tendencies, is that the enhanced receptivity and sensitivity fostered by the practice might exacerbate feelings of illness and fear. 153 The thoughts and images that compel the neurotic and psychotic could become more overpowering in the early stages of golden flower practice, when the "demons, of thought assail the mind as it relaxes its conscious set in anticipation of the attempted switch-over to nonconcep- tual awareness. Getting past this stage to experience penetrating insight into the essence and source of aware- ness itself, not associated with any content at all, would be key to any help the golden flower method could offer the severely unbalanced in finding a way out of their hells. If people with uncontrollable mental problems do turn to the golden flower method for help, they could be better off with the guidance of therapists who have them- selves experienced the original mind of humanity and can calmly view the various realms of thought and perception as so many planets in a vast ;md endless space. For their part, therapists to the mentally bedeviled need the unat- tached buoyancy and independent objectivity of pene- trating insight, so the golden flower exercise could be useful to them in a very direct way in the investigation of processes of mental illness and liberation. Works Cited Chang Understanding Reality: A TIWist Alchemical sic. Translated by Thomas Cleary. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, ·1987. Liu 1-ming. The Inner Teachings ofTIWism. Thnslated by Thomas Cleary. Boston: Shambhala, 1986. Liu The TtWist I Ching. Translated by Thomas Cleary. Boston: Shambhala, 1986. Liu I Chi1fff Mandalas. Translated by Thomas Cleary. Boston: Shambhala, 1988. Liu 1-ming. to the TIW. Translated by Thomas Cleary. Boston: Shambhala, 1988. . .· Immortal Sisters. Thnslated and edited by Thomas Cleary. ton: Shambhala, 1989. Li Daoqun. The Book of Balance and Ha'!"11Wny. Thnslated by Thomas Cleary. San Francisco: North Point Press, 1989. Zen Essence. Thnslated and edited by Thomas Cleary. Boston: Shambhala, 1989. The Secret of the Golden Flcwer: A Chinese Book of Lift. Thnslated and explained by Richard Wilhelm, with a commentary by C. G. Jung. 'franslated from the German by Cary F. Baynes. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1961. Jung, Carl G. and the East. Translated by R. F. C. Hull. Princeton, NJ: University Press, 1978. 154 OTHER HARPER SAN FRANCISCO BOOKS BY THOMAS CLEARY The Essential Tao: An Initiation into the Heart ofTaoism through the Authentic 1Ao Te Ching and the Inner Teachings of Chuang Tzu The Essmtial Confucius: The Heart of Confucius' Teachings in Authentic I Ching Order The Secret of the Golden Flower The Classic Chinese Book ofLifo Translated, with.Introduction, Notes, and Commentary by Thomas Cleary 'I) HarperOne . A Di'!!i.!ion ofHarperCollinsPubliJhers BL1923.corn HarperCollins®. business. Thomas F. Cleary. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief qumations embodied in critical articles and reviews. b. Printed in the United Scates of America.lsr ed. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lii. Spiritual life (Taoism) 2. ern. Title. 10 East 53rd Sueet. notes. by Thomas Cleary. Copyright© 1991 by Thomas Cleary. NY 10022. Spiritual life (Buddhism) I. Translation of: T'ai i chin hua tsung chih.L78 1991 299'. 798 [T'ai i chin hua rsung chih. ISBN: 978-0-06-250193-6 1. or sales promotional use. with introduction. HarperCollins books may be purchased for educarional.5144-dc20 90-55796 08 09 10 11 MART 20 19 .Ho. New York. For informarion address HarperCollins Publishers. NY 10022. All rights reserved. 1949II. p. and HarperOne"' are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers. 10 East 53rd Street.. For information please write: Special Markers Department. =®. HarperCollins Publishers.rp•rOne ~ THE SECRET 01' THE GOLDEN FLOWER: The ClaJsic Chinese Book 4 Lift. HarperCollins Web site: hrcp://www. and commentary. English] The secret of the golden flower I translated. New York.harpercollins. . Tung-pin. nslator's Afterword: Modern Applications of the Golden Flower Method 131 Works Cited 154 .Contents Introduction 1 The Secret of the Go/dm Flower 7 Translation Notes 73 Th. . it isjust the essence) just the primal spirit. as it is in its spontaneous natural state.Introduction Naturalness is called the Way. In Taoist terms. The Way has no nameorfonn. the light of the mind itself.given spirit and become a. or the real self. This original spirit is also called the celestial mind. or opening up. or the natural mind. of the light of the mind. self-realized human being. The golden flower symbolizes the quintessence of the paths of Buddhism andTaoism. · Fb!wer is a lay manual of Buddhist and Taoist methods for clarifYing the mind. the flower representS the blossoming. ··he Secret of the Golden . independent of environmental conditioning. a realized human being is someone conscious of the original mind. it describes a natural way to mental freedom practiced in China for many centuries. A distillation of the inner psychoactive elements in ancient spiritual classics. the first goal of the Way is to restore the original Godo. A mode of awareness subtler and more direct than thought or imagination. it is central to the l . Thus the expression is emblematic of the basic awakening of the real self and its hidden potential. In Buddhist terms. Gold stands forlight. fixation on its own contents. This manual contains a number of helpful meditation techniques 1 but its central method is deeper than a form of meditation. no special paraphernalia or ritual. The aim of this exercise is to free the mind from arbitrary and unnecessary limitations imposed upon it by habitual. Once this power of mental awakening has been developed. a sky of awareness vaster than images 1 thoughts. The experience of the blossoming of the golden flower is likened to light in the sky. the conscious individual becomes a "partner of creation11 rather than a prisoner of creation.2 blossoming of the mind. yet it involves no imagery or thought. The Secret of the Golden Flower is remarkable for the sharpness of its focus on a very direct method for selfrealization accessible to ordinary lay people. it is a process of gerting right to the root source of awareness itself. and feelings. It is near at hand. it can be renewed and deepened without limit. being in the mind itself. Thus it opens up an avenue to an endless source of intuition 1 creativity1 and inspiration. Taoists say. The Secret ofthe Golden r'/mver is devoted to the recovery and refinement of the original spirit. Using neither idea nor image. The essential practice of the golden flower requires no apparatus 1 no philosophical or religious dogma. It is practiced in the course of daily life. an unimpeded space containing everything without being filled. With this liberation. It is remote only in the sense that it is a use of attention generally unfamiliar to the mind habituated to imagination and thinking. When it was written down in a crisis more than two hundred years . and yet the book made a powerful impression.and it has been periodically revived in crises since) due to the rapidity with which the method can awaken awareness ofhidden resources in the mind. even went so far as to hail it as "the secret of the power of growth latent in the psyche. A German version by Richard Wilhelm was first published in 1929) and an English •translation of this German rendi•tion was published shortly thereafter. G. it was a concentrated revival of an ancient teaching." Psychological and experiential approaches to religion have enriched modern psychological thought and . Cary F. Both German and English editions included an extensive commentary by the distinguished psychologist C. ·. The Secret of the Golden Flmver is the first book of its kind to have been translated into a Western language. Baynes. WhatJung did not know was that the text he was reading was in fact a garbled translation of a truncated version of a corrupted recension of the original work. It became one ofthe main sources ofWestern knowledge of Eastern spirituality and also one of the seminal influences in Jungian thought on the psychology of religion. studies of mythology and religion) and New Age culture in general. Although J ung credited The Secret of the Golden Flower with having clarified his own work on the unconscious. a critical communication gap occurred in the process of transmission. Jung) whose work became a majorinflllence in Western psychology. he maintained serious reservations about the practice taught in the book.3 ·•·. who rendered Wilhelm's German into English. Unawares. . ago. it makes no more diffi:rence whether one calls the golden flower awakening a relationship to God or to the Way. he notes that Taoist organizations following this teaching in his time included not only Confucians and Buddhists but also Jews. Considered in terms of its essential aim rather than the forms it can take. which have in turn enriched the understanding and experience of religion. "Names can be designated. In Wilhdm's own introduction to his translation of The Secret of the Golden Flown. and Muslims. one of the advantages of a· psychological approach is the facility with which emotional boundaries of church and sect can thereby be transcended. From the point ofview of that central experience. or with no religion at all. The TtUJ Te Ching says. that is why people of other religions. In terms of religion as culture. have been able to avail themselves of the psychoactive technologies of Taoism and Buddhism without destroying their own cultural identities. the golden flower method can be used to transcend the barriers of personal and cultural . not to inculcate doctrines.4 research. Christians. all without requiring them to break away from their own religious congregations. or whether one calls it the holyspirit or the Buddha nature or the real self. So fundamental is the golden flower awakening that it brings out inner dimensions in all religions. The pragmatic purpose of Taoist and Buddhist·teachings is to elicit experience.'' The image of the opening up of the golden flower of the light in the mind is used as but one of many ways of alluding to an effi:ct that is really ineffable. but they are not fixed terms. for it could otherwise have gone unnoticed for decades. a primary consideration of the new translation was to make the contents of The Secret of the Golden Fluwer explicitly accessible to both lay and specialist audiences. even centuries.· The Semt of the Golden Flower is indeed a powerful treatise on awakening the hidden potential of a universal human being..]ung. and it is in reality an even better and more useful book than Wilhelm.. that I have undertaken to follow up on their work with a new and complete rendition of The Secret of the Go/Mn F/Qwer. and to further inquiries into development of the researches initiated by Wilhelm and Jung in their presentation of this book in particular. However immature his rendition may have been. The text itself is somewhat like a series of explanations of practical meanings in esoteric terminology for the use . It can therefore be said that it is because of Wilhelm's efforts that this new English version of The Smtt of the Golden Flower has come into being. It is to further inquiries into ways of approaching universal psychology and mental wholeness in general. I am deeply indebted to Richard Wilhelm for introducing this extraordinary text to the West. amidst the hundreds upon hundreds of Taoist and Buddhisttreatises awaiting translation. This is partly a matter of translation and partly a matter of presentation. or Baynes thought it to be.. Because the still-current Wilhelm/Jung!Baynes edition of this manual contains dangerous and misleading contaminations.5 differences without losing the richness of diversity and distinction . ideas. . from the background of th~ translations to the psychological implications of the praxis.6 of lay people. To this have been added selections translated from a canonical Chinese Taoist commentary that further refines the principles into pragmatic observations divested of the outward forms of religious and alchemical symbolism. The afterword joins the beginning and the end. The translation notes explain the expressions. and practices to which the text refers. The Original Spirit ::md the Conscious Spirit III. The Intercourse of Water and Fire XII. Authenticating Experiences of Turning the Light Around VII. Errors in Turning the Light Around VI. Turning the Light Around and Tuning the Breathing v. Setting Up the Foundation in a Hundred Days X. 13 17 23 31 33 37 39 49 51 55 57 61 Questions and Answers Opening up the Mysteries of the Doctrine of the Golden Flower 65 7 . The Secret ofFreedom IX. The Living Method of Turning the Light Around VIII. Song to Inspire the World 9. The Light of Essence and the Light of Consciousness XI. The Celestial Mind II. The Cycle XIII.The Secret of the Golden Flower I. Turning the Light Around and Keeping to the Center IV. . That movement flourished in the sense that there were a great many who followed it. Essence and life are invisible. and the Way was handed on. just the prirriaispirit. Since ancient times. so they are associated with the two eyes. when it is extremely confused and extremely degenerate. through a succession to Yan. then to the southern and northern schools of Complete Reality. which can be considered its full flourishing. yet it declined in the sense that its mental communication deteriorated.·· Thishang appeared magically to Donghua. 3 4 5 9 . those who realiied spiritual immortality all communicated their teaching verbally. so they are associated with sky and light. transmitting it from individual to individual. it is just the essence.I The Celestial Mind 1 2 Naturalness is called the Way. The Way has no name or form. This has continued up to the present day. Sky and light are invisible. they are not teachings of total transcendence and direct penetration. The doctrine I transmit directly brings up working with essence and does not fall into a secondary method. First establish a firm foothold in daily activities within society. In obedience to a directive. The absolute unity refers to what cannot be surpassed. especially setting up the teaching of the special transmission outside of doctrine. this is what is meant by the saying. which [in Chinese characters] also conceals [the words] one light within. This is the absolutely unified real energy of celestial immortals.: essence. 7 8 9 10 The golden flower is light. That is the best thing about it. What color is light? It is symbolized by the golden flower. I am acting as a guide to liberation. those who accepted it formed a religious association in their time." . there is a reversion.10 6 When an extreme is reached. "The lead in the homeland of water is just one flavor. There are very many alchemical teachings. Everyone should respectfully understand the heart of master Siu. Now I am bringing to light the source message of the golden flower of absolute unity. Therefore there was a certain master Siu who extended his kindness to liberate all. it was a rare opportunity. After that I will explain in detail. but all of them make temporary use of effort to arrive at effortlessness. Only then can you cultivate reality and understaf1. For those who heard. the yellow court. When you have turned it around for a long time. This is the natural spiritual body. This is what is referred to in the Mind Seal Scripture as "silently paying court'' and ''soaring upward. Buddhists call it the pedestal of awareness. this is the unexcelled sublime truth. The beauties ofthe highest heavens and the marvels of the sublimest realms are all within the heart: this is where the perfectly open and aware spirit concentrates. the energies throughout the body all rise. and it steadies the spirit above the nine skies." The golden flower is the same thing as the gold pill.11 The whole work of turning the light around uses the method of reversal. Taoists call it the ancestral earth. The transmutations of spiritual illumination are all guided by mind. Just turn the light around. the light is the master of the house. rhe primal opening. Confucians call inhe open center. the mysterious pass. Therefore once you turn the light around. the light crystallizes. The light is easily stirred and hard to stabilize. The celestial mind is like a house. . . If learners can just preserve the original spirit. people are like mayflies. even the universe is asanevanescent reflection.II The Original Spirit and the Conscious Spirit From the point of view of the universe. This is what is called the original face. but the original spirit is stillthere. 13 . gradually becoming consciously effective. they live transcendentally outside ofyinarid yang. and is on the verge of moving into action. The production of the universe all derives from this. They are not within the three realms. Only the true essence of the original spirit transcends the primal organization and is above it. but from the point of view of the Way. What is mC>st wondrous is when tlttdight has crystallized in a spiritual body. this is the infinite. This is the secret that has not been transmitted in a thousand ages. Vitality and energy degenerate alorig with the universe. This is possible only by seeing essence. until the sword is turned around. the earth of attention is the substance. the fire of spirit. The fire of spirit is the function. the strong and violent naturally become tame. 6 7 8 9 10 People create the body by attention. the celestial mind. If consciousness is not interrupted. the water of vitality is the foundation. and the earth of attention. The water of vitality is the energy of the primal real unity.14 5 The conscious mind is like a violent general of a strong fiefdom controlling things from a distance. transformation and transmutation of the lower soul go on endlessly from lifetime to lifetime. The highest secrets of alchemy are the water of vitality. generation to generation. turning the light around to look back. Now steadily keep to the chamber of the origin. The earth of attention is the chamber of the center. because there is a lower soul therein. and consciousness develops based on the lower soul. The body is not just the physical body. and this is like having a heroic leader on top with great ministers helping. The lower soul is dim. Once the inner government is orderly. The lower sou! functions in association with consciousness. . The fire of spirit is illumination. it is the substance of consciousness. is just a matter of dissolving the lower soul and making the higher soul whole. 14 The ancients' method of transcending the world. The light itself is the creative. it sees. which is a means of preserving the spirit. There is no exercise to restore the creative. 16 Just persist in this method. and naturally the water of vitality will be full. . which means clinging to the lower soul. which is a means of controlling the lower soul.11 Then there is the higher soul. and thus the embryo of sagehood can be solidified. 12 Dreams are the roaming of the spirit. when it lodges in the liver. which is a means of interrupting consciousness. only the secret of turning the light around. that is a sign of clinging to the body. When it resides in the eyes. the fire of spirit will ignite. to turn it around is to restore it. 15 Turning the light around is the secret of dissolving darkness and controlling the lower soul. The higher soul resides in the eyes during the day and lodges in the liver at night. refining away the dregs of darkness to restore pure light. it dreams. the earth of attention will stabilize. If you are dull and depressed on awakening. It traverses the nine heavens and nine earths in an instant. 13 So turning the light around is a means of refining the higher soul. which is where the spirit is concealed. If life can come even from a dung ball. this is yang. . 20 If learners refine the dark lower soul completely. by the pure effort of concentration of spirit. All lust affecting the temperament is the doing of the lower soul. in life it suffers greatly. then it will be pure light.16 17 A dung beetle rolls a pill of dung. This sticks to the ordinary mind that has form. This is what consciousness is. After death it feeds on blood. The higher soul is in the celestial mind. by a coming together of kind. energy that is light and dear.· The lower soul is yin. This is obtained from cosmic space and has the same form as· the original beginning.. the lower soul looks toward death. energy thatis dense and opaque. This is darkness returning to darkness. 19 The higher soul likes life. from which life emerges. how could it not be possible to produce a body by concentrating the spirit on where the celestial mind rests when the embryo leaves the shell? 18 Once the true nature of unified awareness has fallen into the chamber of the cnative) it divides into higher and lower souls. After a hundred days. when the work is accomplished.'' When you first put this technique into practice. only then is it the fire of spirit. the energies of heaven and earth. Then you should attend it calmly and quietly. just as an embryo forms ftoJ1l the intercourse of a man and a woman.'' "pure energy:' or "pure thought. yin and yang. Eventually. Only after a hundred days of concentrated worki~ the light real. The turning around of the light is the "firing process. When the light is turned around. there i~ seemingly being within nonbeing.'' 2 3 17 . all congeal.III Turning the Light Around and Keeping to the· Center 1 Where did the term turni~ the light around begin? It began with the adept Wenshi. the light is spontaneous: a point of true positive energy suddenly produces a pearl. t~ere is seemingly nonbeing within being. This is whatiscalled "refined thought. and there is a body beyond your body. in human beings it is the eyes. never once looking back. but turning around the very energy of Creation. this is conformity. it is truly emptying routine compulsion for all time. 5 6 7 .ys. and when your breath grows quiet you then become accurately aware. When their positive energy fades and disappears. Therefore the Heroic March Scripture says. which is the ruling director. Therefore each· breath corresponds to one year of human time. this is the netherworld. and each· breath corresponds to a century in the various pathways of the long night of Ignorance. so theway of the golden flower is accomplished completely through the method of reversal. Turning the light around is not turning around the light of one body." When students have little thought and much emotion. Just observe clearly. pure emotion is fall.18 4 In the original creation there is positive light. "Pure thought is flight. It is not stopping random imagination only temporarily. In the material world it is the sun. Nothing is worse than to have a running leakage ofspirit and consciousness. Usually people wind up pursuing objects and come to age in conformity with life. they sink into low W<!. This is application of the method of reversal. The light of heaven and earth fills the universe. 11 The light rays are concentrated upward into the eyes. all time. the light of one individual also naturallyextends through the heavens and covers the earth. stopping who knows where. so it is· riot only in the self. 9 10 The light is neither inside nor outside the self. "The mechanism is in the eyes:' and the Plain QuestUms of the Yellow Emperor when it says. so it is not outside the self. and wisdom are also this light. moon. everything in the world is turned around. . Therefore once you turn the light around. If you do not sit quietly each day. "The light rays ofthe human body all flow upward into the aperture of space. All the operations of intelligence.ten thousand ages. and the whole earth are all this light. All phenomena revert to stillness. Truly inconceivable is this sublime truth. You should reflect on this.8 This is what is meant in the Yin Convergence Classic when it says. If you can sit quietly for a while. sun. a thousand lifetimes-is penetrated from this. this is the great key of the human body. long life is herein. knowledge. This is a practice that pervades the three teachings." If you get this. rivers. Mountains. and so is transcendence of life. this light flows and whirls. . the whole universe is within it. 15 The words focw on the center are most sublime. To focus means to focus on this as a hint." Buddhists call it "observing mind. from crude to fine. the actual practice goes from shallow to deep." for only this can be considered attainment. Nevertheless. and all things are just as they are. The practice is one from beginning to end. earth is broad. The meaning of the wordfocw has life to it. matters of entering and exiting stillness. not to become rigidly fixated." Taoists call it "inner observation. The center is omnipresent. the prelude and the aftermath. Throughout. it is necessary to wind up at the point where "heaven is open. as for the rest. it is very subtle. but its quality during the process can be known only by oneself." 14 The essential teaching is summarized above. you focus on this to enter the gate. that is all. 13 What has been communicated through successive sages is not beyond reversed gazing. one should use the book SmaJJ Stopping and Seeing for a touchstone. This indicates the mechanismofCreation.20 12 Nevertheless. Confucians call it "reaching toward knowledge. it is best to be consistent. then you will see where the thought arises.'" This is correct seeing. practice seeing and continue it by stopping. "'Having looked for my mind. you don't need to sit still as before.' 'I have pacified your mind for you. This is turning the light around.21 The terms stopping and seeing basically cannot be separated. . Once you reach this ungraspability. seeing without stopping is called having light without turning it around. Remember this. The turning around is stopping. but you should investigate this thought: where is it? Where does it come from? Where does it disappearr Push this inquiry on and on over and over until you realize it cannot be grasped. I realize it cannot be grasped. then as before you continuously practice stopping and continue it by seeing. Hereafter. Stopping without seeing· is called turning around without light. whatever is contrary to this is false seeing. the light is seeing. This is twin cultivation of stopping and seeing. whenever thoughts arise. You don't need to seek out the point of arising any more. They mean concentration and insight. . The breath is one's own mind. In a single day one breathes countless times. one is like a withered tree or dead ashes. Once mind stirs.IV Turning the Light Around and Tuning the Breathing 1 The doctrine just requires single-minded practice. When the luminosity of spirit has leaked out completely. There is a device to get rid of them. Our thoughts are very rapid. which is simply to rest the mind on the breath. whereupon an exhalation and inhalation respond to it. ·Energy is basically an emanation of mind. On the whole. so has countless rand~m thoughts. ·• ·2 3 ·· 4 23 . one's own mind does the breathing. but experiential proof comes of itself. One does not seek experiential proof. a single random thought takes place in a moment. beginners suffer from two kinds of problems: oblivion and distraction. the~ there is energy. Therefore inward breathing and outward breathing accompany each other like sound and echo. 5 So should one have no thoughts? It is impossible to have no thoughts. Nothing compares to making the affliction itself into medicine. you are buoyed by the coarse and do not enter the fine. Then be patient and lighten up a little. 6 7 8 . "they have the same source but different names. One is the light of the ears. and the greater the subtlety. the light of the ears means the internal sun and moon. lower your eyelids and then establish a point of reference. However. just listen to its soundlessness." Therefore clarity of hearing and seeing are both one and the same spiritual light. The light of the eyes means the external sun and moon. which means to have mind and breath rest on each other. When you sit. The more you let go. one is the light of the eyes. Orice there is sound. combining their lights. the greater the subtlety. But if you let go absolutely. You should not allow your breathing to actually be audible. This method makes use of two lights. the deeper the quietude. Now iet go. combining their vitalities. you may not be able to simultaneously keep your mind on listening to your breathing. Should one not breathe? It is impossible not to breathe. Therefore tuning the breath should be included in turning the light around. vitality is congealed and stabilized light. This is what is called the preservation of pure energy. how could you not be able to cause stillness by pure quietude? 12 The great sages saw the interrelation of mind and energy and skillfully set up an expedient for the benefit of people of later times. after a long time.. An alchemicaJ text says. When the mind enters. it moves energy. Stabilization of mind must be preceded by development of energy because the mind has no place to set to work on. mind is subtle.25 9 Eventually. the energy enters. all of a sudden even the subtle will be interrupted and the true breathing will appear. Since you can cause movement by vigorous action. the birth takes place. The way a hen can give life to an egg is through. warm energy. always mentally listening. 11 You don't. so she mentally conducts the energy inward . 10 This is because when mind is s~btle. the meaning of the word 111Q'Pe. When breath is subtle. "The hen embraces the egg. so focus on energy is used as a starting point. with warm energy. .." These are the finest instructions.- mmt. whereupon the substance of mind will become perceptible. understand. centration. when mind is unified. breath issubtle. when energy is unified. the word movement is another word for control. it moves mind. warm energy can only warm the shell and cannot penetrate the iriside. Movement is pulling the strings. That "listening'' is single-minded con. it means undivided concentration. the two afflictions of oblivion and distraction just require quieting practice to continue unbroken day after day until complete cessation and rest occur spontaneously. but once you are aware of it. Buddha said. Unawares oblivion is real oblivion. then the warm energy is also uninterrupted day and night. Killing the mind does not mean quietism." 15 If the mind tends to run off. there is an inconceivable distance between them. and everything can be done. she is always listening. so the spirit comes alive. 14 The life of the spirit comes from the prior death of the mind. and the concentration of her spirit is never interrupted. distraction itself becomes a mechanism for getting rid of distraction. Clear light is in this.26 13 Therefore even though the mother hen goes out from time to time. Since the concentration of the spirit is never interrupted. "Place the mind on one point. how can the mind fail to stabilize? 16 Generally speaking. If people can kill the mind. then unify it by means of the breath. 17 As for unawares oblivion and oblivion ofwhich you become aware. then use the mind to make it fine. if the breath tends to become rough. oblivion that you notice is not completely oblivious. When you are not sitting quietly. . you may be distracted without knowing it. If you do this. the original comes alive. do not let the ears hear. 19 A distracted mind can be concentrated. 21 When you are sitting quietly. oblivion means the spirit is unclear. How is the mind quieted? The mechanism is in the breathing.lingering presence in distraction. 22 Whenever you sit. Oblivion is ruled by pure darkness and negativjty. whereas the lower soul is a . this is oblivion. the mind is clear. the breathing is fine. Even so. but oblivion is a symptom of paralysis. if you become drowsy. you should quiet your mind and unity your energy. The "breath" inthiscase is respiration. Oblivion means the lower soul is in complete control. which means the mind is cloudy. Distraction is easy to cure. If you can hear it. and when breathing is fine. the mind should be kept on the breathing. where there is no feeling.not the "true breathing. oblivion is hard to heaL Using the metaphorofillness." Nevertheless the true breathing is present within it. Cloudiness means oblivion. but oblivion is unformed darkness. so it is natural to feel sleepy. in contrast to distraction. one that involves pain or itch can be treated with medicine. When you don't hear it. which still has some direction. but the mind alone knows you are breathing out and in. and a confused mind can be set in order. the breathing is rough." Repelling oblivion is simply a matter of tuning the breath. .27 18 Distraction means the spirit is racing. looking means looking at the formless. it is not that there really is such a thing as looking inward. 26 Listening means listening to the soundless. Not listening outward yet being alert is inward listening. it is not that there really is such a thing as listening inward. Just maintain a subtle looking and listening. Only by inward looking and listening can you prevent this inner racing as well as oblivion in between. 24 What is "looking"? It is the light of the eyes spon- 25 What is "listening"? It is the light ofthe ears spon- taneously listening. the ears only listening in\vard and not outward. 27 When the eyes do not look outside and the ears do not listen outside. Not looking outward yet being alert is inward looking. This is the meaning of sun and moon combining their vitalities and lights. . they are closed in and have a tendency to race around inside. the eyes only looking inward and not outward.28 23 It is also essential to understand that this device is not mechanical or forced. taneously shining. it is only essential to set aside all involvements and sit quiedy for a while. It's best to sit for~ while in the early morning when you have free time. . When your spirit has cleared. After noontime. there's no need to fix the length of time of meditation. when there are many things to do. get up and take a walk. Eventually you will attain absorption and not become oblivious or sleepy. Also.29 When you sink into oblivion and become drowsy. sit again. it's easy to fall into oblivion. . it is then essential to find potential and find its opening. first see to it somehow that you don't have much on your mind.v Errors in Turning the Light Around Even though your practice gradually matures. then enter into quietude. 31 . don't sit inside nothingness or indifference (so-called "neutral voidness").lls in front of the cliff of withered trees. When you are going to practice this doctrine. "there are many pitfu." This makes it necessaryto elucidate the experiences involved in detail. so that you can be alive and free. Only when you have personally gotten thisfa. . Make your mood gentle and your mind comfortable. Our school is not the same as Chan study in that we have step-by-step evidences of efficacy. then about evidences of efficacy. Let us first talk about points of distinction.r doyouknow how I can talkofit now. When you are quiet. But don't get enthusiastic about attaining the experience. This is called the master becoming the servant. Your mood is cold. you will degenerate into a blockhead or a rockhead.32 5 6 Even as you let go of all objects. 7 8 9 10 Once you know this. you are relaxed and natural. and you have a number of other chilling and withering experiences. and you even feel comfortable going along with them. but that the rhythm of reality is on the brink of existence and nonexistence. (This easily happens whenever reality is taken too seriously. you are alert and self-possessed.) Even in the midst of alert awareness. . That means not that you shouldn't recognize reality. And yet it will not do to go along with all conditions. If this goes on long. Once you have gone into quietude and all sorts of loose ends come to you for no apparent reason. your breath sinking. You can get it by intent that is not willful. If you continue this way for a long time. you find you cannot tum them away if you want to. this means you have fallen into a shadow world. But don't fall into the elements of body and mind. you fall into the various roads of the realms of form and desire. If you tend to fall into a deadness whenever you go into meditation and are relatively lacking in growth and creative energy. you can seek experiential proofs. where material and psychological illusions take charge. or in a bath. the proper release of the golden flower.VI Authenticating Experiences of Turning the Light Around 1 There are many authenticating experiences that cannot be undergone· responsibly by people with small faculties and small capacities. as if one were intoxicated. This is called positive harmony pervading the body. you cannot handle attainment with a careless or arrogant attitude.' you feel the whole earth as a realm of light. You must will the liberation of all beings. 2 3 33 .' and "the bright moon is in mid sky. Once "myriad pipes are all silent. This is the opening up of the luminosity that is the substance of mind. When there is uninterrupted continuity in quiet. its golden efflorescence suddenly blooming. the spirit and feelings are joyful and happy. the light gradually solidifies." flawlessly pure. what is it if not Buddha? Buddha is the "gold immortal" of great awareness. The master is the ruler that produces movement. at this point the whole earth· becomes a jewel ground of ice crystals. the terrace is white jade. When you meet things that make people feel desolate in facing them. this is the ultimate. once the golden essence has become manifest. The first stage corresponds to the Visualizatron Scripturls technical symbols of the setting sun~ the great body of water. your vital spirit shines even brighter. The setting of the sun stands for setting up the foundation-in the undifferentiated. the rotten things of the world you bring to life with . the physical body is all gold and jewels. This is just the authenticating experience of the major stage. Red blood becomes milk. The rows are in sevens. The house is built of yellow gold. and since movement is symbolized by wood. "Higher good is like water. 5 6 .34 4 Once the whole body is filled completely. As for the Buddha on the terrace of enlightenment. which stand for the light of the seven openings Of the "heart.1 puff of true energy. you do not fear wind or frost. This is the great stabilization of the golden flower. it is represented by trees in rows. this is the infinite. and the trees in rows. Therefore a great terrace follows." The second stage begins from the foundation. " Inside and outside are permeated with light.35 7 There are three authenticating experiences that can be considered now. This is like what Stopping and Seeing calls the emerging manifestations of roots of good. Another experience is when in the midst of quiet the light of the eyes blazes up. while sitting. . the energy will soar buoyantly upward. This is the spirit in a state of openness. This is "the empty room producing light. There is noway to look for ones body. filling one's presence with . according to their faculties and capacities. it cari be experienced by oneself at any time. It is like opening the eyes in a cloud. but everything is clearly understood even though all sounds coming in are like echoes in a Valley. if you don't stop it. Yet another experience is when in the midst of quiet the energy of the physical body becomes like silk or jade.. you have never heard anything yourself. People experience higher things individually. This is the spirit returning to the highest heaven. but it is still not possible to explain them thoroughly. Eventually. 8 9 10 These three experiences can be verified now. after a long time. One is when you are sitting and the spirit enters into a state of openness. it is thereby possible to ascend.· light. and then when you hear people talking it is as though from far away. auspicious signs hover in stillness. All are heard. Only then is the true primal unified energy present. ing experience. and then another grain. This is a grain of reality. "A grain. which is measureless. This requires individ- ual fortitude above all. from vagueness to clarity. 12 If you find the unified energy yourself in authenticat- 13 Each grain has a grain's power. the eliXir immediately crystallizes." This refers to the "primal grain" that builds up through time. . there is also the total primal grain.36 11 These things are like when people drink water and know for themselves whether it is cool or warm: it is necessary for you to attain faith on your own. then this is "turning the light around wherever you are. whatever you are ?oing. just use this "looking back" technique. An ancient said. so it will do to repeat this formless turning around of the light time . "When matters come up. when things come up. not sticking to any image of person or self at all. 37 . If you practice in this way ror two or three months. In the early morning. then the light is not overcome by things. and there will be no interruption." If you manage affil.VII The Living Method of Turning the Light Around As you go along practicing turning the light around.and again. that is best. you need not give up your normal occupation." This is the finest practice.irs with accurate mindfulness. if you can clear all objects from your mind and sit quietly for one or two hours. one should respond. the realized ones in Heaven will surely come to attest to your experience. one should discern. If you can look back again and again into the source of mind. Whenever you are engaged in work or dealing with people. . or images. one does not cling to local conventions. Going along harmoniously. White snow flying in midsummer. but ·because of not striving yet acting purposefully.. one does not fall into indifferent emptiness. And you'll suddenly see ·. ' 2 ." The depths of the mystery are all contained in a single measured verse.VIII The Secret ofFreedom 1 Jadelike purity has left a secret of freedom In the lower world: Congeal the spirit in the lair of energy.. 3 The essence of the great Way is to act purposefully without striving. You roam in the heavens Then return to absorb The virtues of the receptive. . The sun blazing in the water at midnight. dead voidness. There is anoth~r line. a mystery within a mystery: "The homeland of nothing whatsoever isthe true abode. Because of nonstriving.. 39 . forms. the efflorescence of the light increases in magnitude.40 4 The function is all in the center. Heaven does not begrudge the Way but directly divulges the unsurpassed doctrine. The two eyes are the handle of the stars) whichmanages Creation and operates yin and yang. The preceding talk of turning the light around points out a method for beginners to control the inside from outside. and the method of turning around becomes subtler. Now as the Way gradually becomes clear and mastery of the device gradually matures. Previously one controlled the inside from the outside.e. thus helping them to attain independence. The major medicinal ingredient beginning to end is only the "metal in the middle of primary water" (i. Befure. but the mechanism is all in the two eyes. Keep it confidential. the assistant administered for the master.. 7Urni~ the light around is only the general term: with each level of progress in practice. now one abides in the center and controls the outside. the "lead in the region ofwater"). This is fur middling and lesser people cultivating the lower two passes in order to penetrate the upper pass. and work it out. now one promulgates policy in service of the master. There has manifestly been a great reversaL 5 6 7 . [the mind] is not aroused by things. with one yin inside ruling it. so that they are free and peaceful. Let go of all objects. wondrously light and buoyant. lower your eyelids and gaze inward at the chamber ofWatet: Where the light reaches. so that nothing whatsoever hangs on your mind. 12 Correlates inevicibly associate. and the whole body feels . 11 Now when you turn the light around to shine inward. first tune and concentrate body and mind. the living movement of creative energy now coming. so it is in substance the creative. so the positivity in wam-leaps up.41 8 When you want to enter quietude. Once the two things meet. arousing mind according to things. true positive energy comes forth in response.but just the positivity in the creative itself responding to the positivity in the creative. negative energy then stops. In the basic chamber in oneself there is an ungraspable sense of vast space. and the celestial mind takes its rightful place in this center. which is pure positive energy. whereupon it is notthe positivity in wam. After that." . now sinking.. going along out into habitual routines. now going. nowfloating. This is what is called "clouds filling the thousand mountains. they join inextricably. and the flower of light radiates a concentrated glow. 9 10 Ft:n is yang outside and yin inside. beyond measure. This activity and rest are all subjects. 17 If the celestial mind keeps still and you miss the right timing in action. then usqmre attention to raise it up to the chamber of the creative) with the light of spirit focused on the crown of the head to guide it. This is what is called "the moon steeped in myriad waters. they get stirred up. The channels are stilled. this is the return of initial positive energy. you move with it. 15 Ordinarily. btlt the sovereign ruler becomes their slave. When it moves.'' 16 Now if in all activity and rest you abide in heaven while in the midst of humanity. the floating and sinking are indiscernible. the movement is the root ofheaven. thesovereignis then the real human being. you rest with it."So what transpires at this point should be explained in detail.42 13 Next. If you act in response to it after the celestial mind has acted. This is "always living with ghosts. energy stops: this is true intercourse. this is an error of staleness. the coming and going is traceless. then that is an error of weakness. When it is at rest. 18 Once the celestialmind stirs. once people let their eyes and ears pursue things. . This is acting in time. This is "living midnight. only to stop whenthings are gone.'' 14 When the celestial mind first stirs in the midst of that utter darkness of the unknown. the rest is the moon cavern. all wonders returning to the root. suddenly one forgets the gazing. not a single thought is born. · 21 When you first practice turning the light around and your mind gets scattered or distracted. this is called "hibernating in the lair of energy..'' 23 When even shadows and echoes have all disappeared.is is called "nurturing the root source. so you want to concentrate it. this is called "settling the spirit in the original openness. Then you don't even know where the furnace and cauldron in your spiritual rooin are. immediately use pure attention to conduct it into the yellow court. 20 Once about to enter utter quiescence. adding fuel to continue life. then suddenly verges on utter quiescence. when gazing inward.'' 22 Once concentration is attained. you can't even find your own body. you are naturally buoyant and do not expend any strength. This is solidifying the spirit in the lair of energy.th. as the light of the eyes is focused on the spiritual room in the center." . gathering the primal together. and all objects disappear without a trace. your six senses are not used.43 19 When the celestial mind has risen to the peak of the cn:ativeJit floats upward of its own accord. and one is highly stabilized in profound tranquillity. This is the time when "heaven enters earth" and all wonders return to the root. At that time body and mind are in a state of great freedom. Action caused by momentum is random action. so there are nine stages in one stage. gathering is also nurturing. this is the fOrmless opening. There is a line missing [sic]. 27 As long as the mind has not reached supreme quiet. action with an ulterior motive. nurturing is also hibernating. an interval of a world cycle of the original organization. it cannot act. At the end. not essential action. where all places are one place. After this ru explain the word desit-e. 28 This does not contrast the action of Heaven to the nature ofHeaven. The stage in between can be figured out by analogy. 26 You do not change places. but times are clistinguishedtherein. I will expound upon that later. this is time without a period. while action uninfluenced by things is the action of Heaven. 25 During the nurturing and initial quieting. Therefore it is said that action influenced by things is human desire. and hibernating is also nurturing.44 24 These three stages are in each stage. This is thought that is out of place. . for now I will speak of three stages in one. or being possessive toward things. 29 Desire is in considering things to exist. but places are distinguished therein. You do not change times. is this not spontaneous attention? This is what is meant by acting without striving." .fire. Herein lies [the operation of spiritual alchemy known as] "taking from wa~ to fill in . "Roaming and returning to absorb the virtues of the rtceptiPe" means nurturingthe fire. as the breeze of wind) shine into the chamber of wa~ and beckon the vitality of dominant yang. 34 The lasttwo lines point out the secret within these- cret.45 30 When not a single thought arises." 32 The next two lines explain the function of the ctipper handle. then true mindfulness is born. This is what is called cleaning the mind. which is "bathing. 31 The first two lines of the verse at the beginning of this chapter wrap up the function of the golden flower. The "white snow'' is the true yin within fire about to retum. When the celestial potential is suddenly activated in the midst of silent trance. The secret within the secret cannot be ctispensed with from start to finish. The next two lines refer to the interchange of sun and moon. That is what these lines mean. "midsummer" stands fur the "fire" of [the trigrammatic Book ofCh~ symbol]. washing the thoughts. Does not "in the water" refer to watnf The eyes. the whole mechanism of rising and descending. "Midflight" is the water ofwatn: The "sun'> is the single yang in the center of wa~ on the verge ofblazing·and returning to heaven.to earth. 33 "In the heavens'' refers to the chamber of the &native. this is pure attention.fi~. the conditional. 38 If you do not understand how three stages are included in one. this is the contemplation ofthe center." It is enough to understand this. "effecting openness" is the whole work of completing essence and life. all . Next is the conditional. activating the mind without dwelling on anything is considered the essential message of the whole canon. and the center. which is a spiritual pill that gets one out of death and preserves life. It begins in the infinite and winds up in the infinite. In Taoism. you do not destroy the totality of things but take a constructive attitude toward events in the midst of emptiness." Thus the whole practice described in this book does not go beyond the words "emptiness of mind. though you know things are empty.46 35 The learning of sages begins with knowing when to stop and ends with stopping at ultimate good. you see all things as empty. In sum) the three teachings are not beyond one saying. The greatest secret in Taoism is "bathing. 37 What is the spiritual pill? It just means to be unminding in all situations. This single statement can save decades of seeking. for an analogy let me use the Buddhist teaching of contemplating emptiness. 36 In Buddhism. 39 First is emptiness. Once you neither destroy things nor cling to things. Since empowerment after all means really seeing emptiness. if you still know that the totality of things cannot be destroyed. you still meditate on emptiness. emptiness is empty. you use this to manage Creation.When you are practicing the contemplation of emptiness. t~e conditional is also empty. you call it the center. there is no need to say. so while the conditional is of course conditional. The mechanism means the function. and yet do not cling to them. When you come to the center. Although !·sometimes speak only o(fire. with one saying I open my mouth: the essential mechanism is all in the two eyes. you call it the center. but you don't call it emptiness. when you cultivate contemplation of emptiness. but you don't call it the conditional. all the faculties of sense and mind are mines of light. This docs not mean that is all there is to Creation. so how could we presume to take only the two eyes and not deal with the rest? . You also meditate on the conditional. this includes all three contemplations. sometimes I also speak of warer. Ultimately they have never moved. emptiness is also conditional and the center is conditional too. In practicing contemplation of the conditional. When on the way of the center. much of the empowerment is attained in action. and the center is empty too. That is why it is called the "moon cavern." Otherwise it would be enough just to say "heaven. you just cling to the separation. the "moon cavern" is not on the moon but on the sun. If a man and a woman are separated they are still individuals." 48 The white of the moon is the light of the true sun. they are but half. only when they come together do they form a whole. so the separation has taken over your eyes. 47 The darkness in the sun is the vitality of the true moon. The sunlight being on the moon is what is called the "root of heaven. This is like the case of a single man or a single woman. only when there are husband and wife do they amount to a family. This shows that the "sun and moon" are originally one thing." for otherwise it would be enough just to say the ''moon. 50 But it is hard to represent the Way concretely. but if the sun and moon are separated they do not form a complete whole. so I do not see duality. you use the light offin to illumine and absorb it. What I am saying just brings out the point of communion. .48 46 To use the yang of water. who cannot form a family living alone." 49 When the sun and moon are separated. IX Setting Up the Foundation in a Hundred Days 1 One of the Mind Seal scripturessays, "the returning wind mixes together, the hundred days' work is effective.'' On the whole, to set up the foundation requires a hundred daysbefore you have real light. As you are, you are still working with the light of the eyes, not the fire of spirit; not the fire of essence, not the torch · ofwisdom. Turn it around for a hundred days, and the vital energy will naturally be sufficient for true yang to rise spontaneously, so that there is true fire naturally existing in water. If you carry on the practice this way, you Will naturally achieVe intercourse and formation of the embryo. You are then in the heaven of unknoWing, and the child thus develops. If you entertain any conceptual view at all, this is immediately a misleading path. 2 49 so 3 A hundred days setting up the foundation is not a hundred days; one day setting up the foundation is not one day. One breath setting up the foundation does not refer to respiration. Breath is one's own mind; one's own mind is the breath's original spirit, original energy, and original vitality: rising and descending, parting and joining, all arise from mind; being and nonbeing, emptiness and fullness, are all in the thoughts. One breath is held for a lifetime, not only a hundred days; so a hundred days is also a single breath. The hundred days is just a matter of empowerment: gain power in the daytime, and you use it a.t night; gain power at night, and you use it in the daytime. The hundred days setting up the foundation is a precious teaching. The sayings of the, advanced realized ones all relate to the humanbody; the sayings oftrue teachers all relate to students, This is the mystery of mysteries, which is inscrutable. When you see essence, you then know why students must seek the direction of a true teacher. Everything that emerges naturally from essence is tested. 4 5 X The Light of Essence and the Light of Consciousness 1 The method of turning the light around basically is to be carried on whether walking, standing, sitting, or reclining. It is only essential that you yourself find the opening of potentiaL Previously I quoted the saying, "Light arises in the empty room." This light is not luminous, but there is an explanation of this as an evidence of efficacy in the beginning before one has seen the light. If you see it as light and fix your attention on it, then you full into ideational consciousness, which is not the light of essence. Now when the mind forms a thought, this thought is the present mind. This mind is light; it is medicine. Whenever people look at things, when they perceive them spontaneously all at once without discriminating, this is the light of essence. It is like a mirror reflecting without intending to do so. In a moment it becomes the light of consciousness, through discrimination. When there is an image in a mirror, there is no more mirroring; when there is consciousness in · the light, then what light is there any more? 2 3 51 When consciousness arises. the light is obscured and cannot be found. there is nothing to attribute it to. then it is consciousness. but that the light has become consciousness. What does this mean~ Objects are external things. Sometimes there is no sun or moon in the sky. 5 6 Things must have an attribution. Borrowing them for myself.52 4 At first. but there is never an absence of the essence of seeing that sees the sun and moon." When you see the light of the sun and moon.' only picking out the organ. light is attributable to the sun and moon. or the socalled material world. If you pursue objects. when the light of essence turns into thought. 7 .' then who attributes if not you? "Light is attribUtable to the sun and moon. "neither in objects nor in consciousness." When it comes to where "it is not you. "When sound moves. it produces echoes. after all I find "it is not mine. Transmission of light is attributable to doors and windows. This has no actual connection with us. you are mistaking things for yourself. It is not that there is no light." The introduction to logical examination in the Heroic Ma"'h Scriptun says. it does not produce sound. This is what is meant by the saying of the Yellow Emperor. then where is discrimination? Therefore there is still attribution. · . which is truly unattributable.53 8 If so." 9 10 When first practicingthe eight attrib1ltions for discerning perception. : . it is not really unattributable. this is an internal object. Only when this last point is broken through is this the real seeing essence. But if when seeing seeing. . temporarily leaving the seeing essence as a crutch for the practitioner. But ultimately as long as the seeing essence still carries with it the eighth consciousness. y6uproperly turn around the primary l!nattributable llght.. the first seven show how each is attributable to something. "Using your flowing revolving consciousness is called error. then the seeing essence also has an attribution. . 8eeirig is not seeing. alluded to in Buddhist scripture where it says. 11 When turning the light around.·. ·. then can that which discriminates sun and moon be considered one's own possession? Don't you know that discrimination is based on light and dark? When both light and dark are forgotten. which refers back to the seeing essence of the revolving flow of consciousness. so not a single conscious thought is applied. Only the seeing essence cannot be attributed to anything. when mind is empty1 that is meclicine.54 12 What causes you to flow and revolve is just the six sense organs. A hairsbreadth's clitference is as that of a thousand miles. the elixir does not crystallize. 15 If consciousness is not stopped. When it doesn't stickto anything at all 1 it is said that the mind is clean. But the fact that sense objects and sense consciousnesses are not used at all does not mean using the sense organs 1 just using the essence in the sense organs. but what enables you to attain enlightenment is also just the six sense organs. then you use the nature of consciousness in the sense organs. if mind is not emptied. 16 When mind is clean. Wren empty and mindless of emptiness1 this is called true emptiness. If you turn the light around fallen into consciousness. 14 Deliberate meditation is the light of consciousness. Ifemptinessis seeri as empty1 emptilless is still not empty. when it doesn't keep anything in it 1 it is said that the mind is empty. Herein lies the hairsbreadth's distinction. that is elixir. and it is then the light of essence. 13 Now if you turn the light around without falling into consciousness 1 you are using the original essence in the sense organs. let go. spirit does not come alive. . so discernment is necessary. The one yin [inside the. When the senses run outward. when the senses turn around inward. that is water. body and mind are spirit and energy. essence and life are body and mind. as of course when you sit in profound silence. Whenever you gather back spirit's consciousness and quiet it down to steep in the center.fire. while the one yang [inside the warer trigramJ concentrates on reversing and withdrawing the senses themselves. Water and fire are yin and yang. that is all water. being stirred and interacting with beings.fire. that is all . yin and yang are essence and life. Once you withdraw to rest your vital spirit and are not influenced by objects. then this is true intercourse.XI The Intercourse of Wtl-ter and Fire 1 Whenever you leak vital spirit. that is .fire trigram] concentrates on pursuing sense experience. 2 3 55 . . it is necessary to attain great concentration before you see it. it is the light of essence. .. which is none other thari the primal true energy. There is no method of culling.XII The Cycle . Look up at the sky. 2 3 57 . mind is the pole. through 365 ·days. The energy in our limbs and throughout our whole body is basically a network. energy is not the main thing. and then after that medicine will develop. This medicine is not a material thing. mental attainmenfis the sublime secret. If you wonder what it ultimately is. so do not exert your strength to the full on it. Even so. remove arbitrary views. it is maintained without minding.•Refine the conscious spirit. energy is the myriadstars revolving around it. it changes from hour to hour. those who speak of culling are quite mistaken. Our mind is also like this. 1 For the complete cycle. the cycle helps growth. .· yet the polar star never moves. carried out without deliberate·intention. Yet the revolving of Heaven never stops for a moment. the whole earth is positive and harmonious." As long as you are unable to stop the mind directly. in the right place in your central chamber. When you reach the point where meditation is spontaneous. Our interaction is the "revolving of Heaven. and all indulgence is ended. 5 6 7 8 . you are liberated from the ocean of misery. If you are actually able to join yin and yang in tranquillity. eventually the light ofthe basis of the mind becomes spontaneous. there is a cycle in each hour. what heaven and earth are. where water and fin: interact. but ultimately there is no way to distinguish great and small. What is it if not the great cycle? . who does the interacting.58 4 When you have seen it for a long time. as a consequence there are times of interaction and times of non interaction. If it is "dragon and tiger" today. The processes of the cycle do indeed have differences of scale. "water and fire" tomorrow. all things simultaneously expand to fulfillment. who makes it one cycle or two cycles. This is the method of "bathing" spoken of in alchemical classics. this is a cycle. you do not know what fin: and water are. When the mind is empty. or where to find any distinction between great and small. in the end they turn into illusions. There is a cycle in each day. If you insist on defining it as true midnight. by what means can the living midnight be known? . the plants and trees refreshed. that would seem to be sticking to forms. but if you do not focus on forms and do not point out true midnight. it is also small. Even if there is something offensive. myriad things will go back to myriad things: no matter how hard you try to join them. then naturally all at once clouds will form and rain will fall. If it is not spontaneous. you cannot. 12 Students ask about "living midnight. though it appears to be most great. Each time it takes a turn." This is very subtle. but ultimately you see a lot that is unnatural. then heaven and earth will revert on their own to heaven and earth. 10 The alchemical process should ultimately become spontaneous. it still melts away all at once when you notice it. 11 If you can operate yin and yang. This is the great cycle. when yin and yang do not join. Then it is like a season of drought. Thus it is in the heart.turn with it. the universe and all things take a. Heaven and earth do not fail to go through their cycles every day.59 9 It is all the operation of one body. the mountain rivers flowing freely. so it is also most great. turning them suitably. when you see it at all times.60 13 Once you know living midnight. finally you reach true midnight. . Once you see the real. If your seeing is not real. Are they one or two. what is living. everything is alive. what is true? 14 As fur living midnight. there is definitely also true midnight. your mood is clear and light. everything is true. and the true will appear. not true or not alive? It all requires you to see the real. people do not yet clearly know the living. while the living will be sublime. just test it out when you head for the true. 15 At present. and living midnight gradually blooms into ever-greater awareness. and this is truly worthwhile. The very being of true poise Is the mysterious pass.· So all psychic functions are calm. Midnight. Lao-tzu also lamented the existence of the egotistic self and transmitted the teaching of the open spirit. 1 2 3 4 5 61 . The light returns to the primal opening. The pervasive principle of the center Bears universal change. noon. Now I give·a general explanation of finding the road oftruth: ·. . If you can stabilize breathing. and in between. but people did not discern. There emerges the unified energy Of the river source that produces the medicine.XIII Song to Inspire the World 0 Because ofthe warrnth of my cinnabarheartto liberate the world. I do not refrain from coddling and talking a lot. Buddha also pointed directly to life and death for a great cause. Mysterious and unfathomable: 17 The screen of beginningless afflictions Is voided all at once. This is the true infinity of the primal. 13 Cosmic space is silent. The way is naturaUy meet. 14 At the pass of essence and life. You forget conceptual consciousness. . so nothing comes to mind. You see basic reality. 12 Put down all objects. 7 8 9 10 How can the human way Meet the celestial mind? 11 If in accord with the celestial. with golden light. 15 After conceptual consciousness is forgotten. 16 The water-clarifying pearl appears.62 6 It passes through the screen And transmutes. The single disk of the red sun Shines with constant brilliance. Conveying them from heart and genitals. Thus producing separation. Pepple of the world misconstrue The vitalities wattr and fire. Signs are gone. The "yellow sprouts emerging from the ground" refer to the growth· of the medicine. You make the thunder rumble. in them the highway of practical cultivation is clear. . "Settling the breath" means a state of certteredness in which you go back to the root with each breath. it is the great road directly through to the jade capital. 19 Walking in the sky. setting in motion rain on the mountain" means the arising of true energy. "After midnight and before noon'' are not times. These are not confusing words. "Thunder in the earth rumbles. After a long time at this you will naturally commune with the spirit and attain transmutation.' there is something ineffable in this. 22 The two poems lused when I initiated Zhang Zhennu long ago both contain the great Way. but 1vatl:r and fire. "Sitting" means that the mind is unmoved. 21 Freezingthe spirit and steadying breath are for beginners.63 18 The jade capital sends down A team of nine dragons. The "midspine where the ribs join" does not refer to vertebrae. You climb to the gateway of heaven: 20 Controlling wind and lightning. Retreating to hide in secrecy is eternal calm. As for the "double pass. These two little verses are exhaustive. Turning the light around is a matter of singleminded practice: just use the true breathing for stable awareness in the central chamber. You should each practice diligently. then you are a realized immortal for a breath. If you do not practice for a day. then you arc a ghost for a day. it would be too bad if you wasted time. Work on this. breath. . Clarifying the mind and seeing its essence is understanding the Way. and mind is the formation of the elixir. The unification of mind and energy is incubation. this is a sign of effectiveness.This is all based on quieting of mind and stabilization of energy. if you do practice for a single breath. When the mind is forgotten and the energy congeals. The emptiness of energy. The mind is basically nondual.. Once it is unbroken. When you attain nothing in quietude or lose anything through activity. When energy is full. it is continuous. just one vital reality. only then can you manage affaixs . only then do you have autonomy.. in either case you have not yet reached the Way. When the light shines bright. presence of mind is easily fnterrupted. When you keep presence of mind.Questions and Answers Opening up the Mysteries of the Doctrine of the Golden Flower You suppose that attainment is possible in quietude but lost in activity. there is no other. you do not realize that the reason for loss through activity is because nothing is attained through stiUness. When you have autonomy.. though. With continuity. energy is full. throughout the past and future. However. and it will naturally become unbroken. ·observing mind means observing the purity of mind. then oblivion and distraction disappear without effort. Practice it for a long time. you climb transcendent to the stage of enlightenment. the light shines bright. Without leaving the objects of sense. 65 . Turning the light around is done not by the eyes but by the mind. the matter of life and death is important: once you turn the light around and recollect the vital spirit to shine stably. After long persistence. the spirit congeals. With what observation do you observe mind? When observation is deep and illusion is cleared. When its vitality stabilizes. You have been affected by pollution for so long that it is impossible to become clear all at once. when the mind-eye comes into being.66 But observation of mind can be deep or shallow. not the light of the tiger-eye or dragon-vitality. thereby you produce its vitality. there is forced observation and there is spontaneous observation." The light you see before your eyes is rat-light. if you look to see it with the physical eyes. As for the inner work. there is panoramic observation. When you observe mind and become aware of openness. there is observation that is neither internal nor external. it becomes manifest. There is observation outside of sense objects. that alone is the true "elixir field. the mind is the eyes. The light of mind does not belong to inside or outside. Gazing at the lower abdomen is external work. In truth. then your own mind is the lamp of enlightenment. that is bedevilment. there is observation within sense objects. and then you see the opening of the mysterious pass. . then this is true emptiness. only then do you see the mind-eyes become clear. As alchemical literature has clearly explained. your vital spirit diffuses. Radiant light is the function of mind. If there is empty silence without· radiant light. If you have no autonomy. Cognition is a function of mind. but if you therefore suppose that the great Way requires work on the physical body. this vitality is not sexual. this is a tangential teaching. the emptiness is not true emptiness-it is just a ghost cave. then temperament is in control.Jf you fix the mind on anything conditioned. then this is immortality. empty silence is the substance of mind. Refining energy into spirit means keeping the clear and removing the polluted.67 Everyone already has the lamp of mind. empty silence is the substance of mind. Few are those who are calm and serious. rare are those who are sincere and unified. the body so as to extend the life span. External work has no connection to the great Way. Forms are all conditioned. so you cannot govern if completely or comprehend it thoroughly. the silence is not true silence. The true practice of the great Way first requires that vitality be transformed into energy. Don't let yourselves forget the mind and allow the spirit to be obscured. but it is necessary to light it so that it shines. The minor technique of circulating energy can enhance . . your mind is not the three realms. and eventually there will be spontaneous clarity even without attempting to achieve clarity. that is tempoi:al. . I do not dwell on the elements of body or mind.68 The breathing that passes through the nose is external breathing. The real lifeline is to be sought from within the real. The three realms are none other than your mind. Of course. as long as clarification has not taken place. these are still connected with the physical body. or listening to the breathing. The venerable Prajnatara [considered the twenty-seventh Indian ancestor of Chan Buddhism] said. Temporal feelings and consciousness are marvelous functions of the primal. Whenever there is dependence. Clear up the pollution. which is a phenomenon of the physical body. These are used to concentrate the mindand are not the real lifeline. Looking and listening are one thing. where there is no dependence. Where is the primal to be sought? It must be sought by way of the temporal. which means calmness and openness." Is this the nose? When it comes to watching the breathing. "Breathing out. I do not follow myriad objects. that is primal. breathing in. Only when mind and breathing rest on each other is this the true breath. It must be sought through the work of practical balance in harmonious accord. all is polluted. Only then will the "gold pill" come out of the furnace. yet it contains the three realms. and it is hard to escape their limitations. then conditioning flares up. When people are deluded by emotions and do not know there is essence.69 When there is no self in the mind. TherefOre our teaching is actively living and does not settle into one corner. when the spirit is pure and the energy dear. that is just consciousness. and has neither enemy nor f. combines eternity with the present. What cannot be spoken and cannot be named is the generative energy. it is even and dear. When the substance is established.ifyou discriminate. but instead applies to heaven and earth. this is senseless vacuity. If there is discrimination between primal and temporal. only then will you find the roots are insubstantial and thus have a sense of freedom from pher10mena while having the ability to enter their range. equalizes others and self. and primal energy becomes conditioned. The primal and temporal are originally not two: what makes the distinction is only temporal. When you see the mind. and this is the source of the profuse confusion of thoughts. temporal energy is also primal. . It is only because the iron pillars of thoughts are deeply rooted. the function operates. this is Buddhahood and immortality.uniliar. and there is no distinction between primal and temporal.su b9tance of the Way. that it is necessary to observe one's own mind.· which is the. they are ordinary ignoramuses. When you discriminate. then action and stillness are not united. If they know there is essence but do not know there are emotions. When they are united. How can you find purity in the mind? It is just a matter of seeking out purity in the midst of impurity. The great Way is not in quiet living. Ultimately this is not the fault of essence. . The only distinction is between purity and impurity. galloping mind. and you become an ordinary mortal. this is routine. In ordinary people it is called consciousness. The true 'mind has no form: what has forin is ultimately illusory. continuing to the present. the consciousness in noncognizing is wisdom." Consciousness is knowledge. it is just that habits develop unnoticed. so that their defiling influence cannot be shed. The noncognizing in the consciousness is the eternal. you have now found purity. Then when you discover signs of impurity in the midst of puiity. There is no difference in feeling either. If you arouse a discriminatory. that has the countereffect of increasing the· flames of fire in the heart. in immortals and Buddhas it is called knowledge. It is necessary to beworking on the· Way whatever you are doing in order to be able to "sit on the summit of a thousand mountains without leaving the crossroads. evolving in a stream.70 It is said that we are the same in essence but different in feeling. If you stay quietly in a room. flickering erratically. What we call the true mind is the enlightened clear mind. this is called subtle existence. this is called true emptiness. when mind is there but not reified. then the celestial design is apparent. they miss what is right in frorit of their eyes and do not know where the Way is~ The Way is the immediate presence: if you are unaware of the immediate presence.71 Is the true mind to be sought from the source of mind? If the source is clean. People like the unusual and enjoy the new. All of this is due to shallowness of spiritual power. When mind is empty yet not vacant. If the source is not clean. then your mind races. and you then enter the middle way. The Way is present before our eyes. yet what is before our eyes is hard to understand. and shallowness of spiritual power is due to racing in the min~. . Then you have a basis for gaining access to virtue. then even ifyou have some vision it is like a lamp in the wind. your intellect runs. Don't tarry on one side. and daily activities never obstruct the supreme Way. Therefore it can pervade the heavens and permeate the earth. and you go on thinking compulsively. without the slightest artificiality. . The identification of the Way with essence and primal spirit follows the traditions of the Chan school of Buddhism and the northern branch of the Completely Real school ofThoism. 4. The Celestial Mind I. who was the teacher ofLu Yan (Lu Yen). (Chung-li Ch'uan). Lu Yan is the ''Yan" mentioned in our text. like light. which was founded by his disciples and descendants in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. 73 .n flower. This passage introduces the idea of a succession of transmitters of the teaching of the goldc. The honorific name Taishang (f'ai-shang) refers to the metaphysical realit)' represented by Lao-tzu. it means that both spacelike awareness and specific perception are operative at the same time. life is a quantity of energy. Donghua. to link it with the Way of the ancients.Translation Notes I. he is regarded as the immediate ancestor of the Completely Real (Quanzhen /Ch'uan-chen) school of Taoism.. the baSic classic ofThoism. When the text talks about the two eyes guiding attention. Essence is open and spacious.legendary author of 1i4o Te Ching. 3. (I'ung-hua) was the teacher of Zhongli Quan. 2. like the sky. an esoteric component of the movement received during a period ofspecial concentration. Most of the texts attributed to Lu Yan were received by spiritual communications centuries after the founding of the Complete Reality school and were not written by Lu himself. This text is said to be a written form of a teaching that was originally wordless. Completely Real Taoism became so influential in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries that it attracted many opportunistic followers and imitators. 5. 7. but in Taoist tradition it is widely believed that he attained immortality and is still alive. The term special tmnsmis1ion outside ofiWctrine is a byword of Chan Buddhism. and someone with Wilhelm's knowledge . He is also believed to have said he would reappear in the world twelve centuries later. 6. to whom this text is attributed. At the time of the writing of our text. Later many practices originally abandoned by the school were amalgamated with elements of Completely Real Taoism to produce bastardized forms. "Master Siu" seems to refer to Xu Jingyang (Hsu Chingyang).74 The teaching of the golden flower itself is attributed to Lu Yan. The foregoing passages on the lineage of the text were omitted in Richard Wilhelm's translation. approximately 250 years ago. which would have been shortly before The Secret of the Golden Flower is supposed to have been received from Lu Yan. Completely Real Taoism was almost entirely a name without a reality. The practice of contemplative vigils likethe one in which the golden flower teaching was revealed is also a standard exercise of latter-day Chan Buddhism. a great Taoist of the third and fourth centuries who is said to have foretold the appearance ofLu Yan. These passages are rather laconic. There are numerous conflicting stories about the life and times ofLu Yan. 8. why Wilhelm also excised paragraph 7 on the importance of an orderly life as a prerequisite for the mystical practice of the golden flower.75 of Chinese language and Taoist history could hardly have been expected to be able to interpret them. Westerners have often professed to believe that mystics are generally isolated from society. and this opinion has affected many Western attempts to interpret and adopt mystical teachings. The speaker is supposed to be Lu Yan.. 9. It is not clear. . however. 10. not by any modification of consciousneSs. making it outto say the very opposite of what it actually does. The passage describes the distinctive nature of the text as representing a sudden enlightenment teaching. This identifies the Chan Buddhist influence behind the Taoist facade of the text. "The lead in the homeland of water is just one flavor" comes from Umlerstanding Reality. Water stands for a symbol from the ancient I Chi1¥J representing the true sense of the knowledge of reality enclosed within conscious knowledge . the great classic of the Completely Real school. whom later Taoist texts envision as having been entrusted with a mission for the cdestial government and d~ty­ bound to reappear in the human world from time to time. This is what makes it truly universal and unlimited by sectarian or cultural discriminations. in contrast to the gradual teachings of ordinary Taoist works on spiritual alchemy. Wilhelm completely mistranslates this passage. or Ancestor Lu. It may not have con-: formed sufficiently to his idea of mysticism. Lead symbolizes the true sense of real knowledge. This appears to be mostly due to simple misunderstanding of the language and unfamiliarity with the background of the text. To say that it is just one flavor means that it is attained by the essence of consciousness itself. 76 11." which is not very plausible linguistically but nevertheless could have been an honest mistake. Evidently he confused this ~ith the watetwheel exercise of Taoist energetics. in which a quantity of psychic heat would be consciously conducted along a certain route through the body. 12. to the Chan Buddhist exercise of mentally looking inward toward the source of consciousness. The celestial mind refers to unconditioned consciousness. When the light is "turned around" and directed toward its own source. Many cultists imitated this exercise on the level of fixated attention without the psychic heat and noticed the characteristic modifications of consciousness these postures produce. light is its function. The expression "turning the light around" refen. The' text speaks of the highest experiences being purely mental. Wilhelm translates this as "circulation of the light. "in the heart:' elevating the spiritual over the physical in the manner of Chan Buddhism and the northern branch of Completely Real Taoism. These postures were used only for temporarily anchoring the mind while performing the inner gazing toward the source of consciousness. The notes added to the Golden Flower text he used (which was printed some two hundred years after the movement had arisen) tend to dilute the Chan with materials that make it look like a runof-the mill mixture of alchemy and energetics. This is not the same as the energy circulation of 'Thoist practice. Wilhelm's medical training also seems to have predisposed him to make physiological interpretations There is evidence to suggest that it was possible to read certain special mind-body postures of attention into portions of the original text. It is quite possible that Wilhelm got this idea from a member of such a cult. environmental and psycho- . The expression "above the nine skies" means a state of mind beyond the influence of mundane conditioning. ('The pill is the original. There are several Mind Seal scriptures. even the· archetypes of the coJlective unconscious. Buddhist terminology it also has the special meaning of.. this means that the essence of the original spirit is beyond. Silently paying CbUrt (m God) and soari1f!}' upward are common Taoist ex pres~ sions for elevation of consciousness. 14. The distinction between the original spirit and the con~ scious spirit isone of the most important ideas in Taoist psychology. Jung himself does not seem to have attained this. when passed through fire to refine it. primal. real unified energy.and his work reflects \vhat . In . The conscious spirit is historically conditioned." II. In Jungian terms. This energy. or deeper than. while the original spirit is the essence of awareness. The conscious spirit is a complex of modifications of awareness. The Original Spirit and the Conscious Spirit 1. 13. To say that this essence transcends the' "primal organization" means that it is by nature more fundamental than even the most basic patterns of modification to which consciousness may be subject. indestructible. the original spirit is primal and universal. being above all cultivated meditation states. becomes permanently.77 logical factors influence the mind less. with the result that the energy in the body is also preserved and purified because it is not drawn into conflicts with inner or outer states. so it is called the gold pill. and it is not certain to which of these the text refers in this passage. Taoist maSter Liu I~miilg says of the gold pill. Wilhelm. and heU. representing the totaliry of conditioned experience. To ''live transcendentally outside of yin and yang" means to be aloof from the ups and downs of ordinary life in the midst of changes in the world. which tends to deemphasize the physiological practices of old alchemical immortalism. 2. energy. known in Taoist terms as the "three treasures" of the human body. Here the spirit is the only one regarded as transcendental. and spirit are the fundamental triadof being. Seei'!!J essence and original foce are· both· Chan Buddhist terms. Perhaps Wilhelm's Christian background influenced his interpretation of this term. are "Heaven. earth. and formlessness. form. here used to refer to the Taoist experience of the primal spirit. from the coarsest to the most subtle. . Th. J ung does not seem to have been able to distinguish these realms of experience clearly.in Taoist terms would be rermed confusion of the conscious spirit (which includes the Jungian "unconscious") with the original spirit. This is characteristic of Buddhistic ncoTaoist spiritual immortalism. writes in a note that the three realms. the realm of formless consciousness seems to have been unfamiliar to him. who seems to have known little about Buddhism. most of his work appears to hover on the border of the realms of (orm and desire. The realms are the domains of desire. or "three worlds:' as he translates them. 3. This passage refers to a certain stage that is often referred to 4. As it was.-ee nalms is a Buddhist term. Vitaliry." Jung's work on archerypes and dreams would have benefited immensely from an accurate understanding of the real Buddhist concept of three realms or worlds. It is evident that Wilhelm was not familiar with even the most rudimentary lore of Chan Buddhism. the conscious mind (which does the thinking) is supposed to be a servant of the original mind. Chan Buddhism traditionally describes the mechanism of delusion as mistaking the servant for the master. Like many Western interpreters of his time. Through this practice it becomes possible to control and order the conscious mind without force. In this way the mind is freed from compulsive concern with its own productions. or at transcendental unity without differentiation. by maintaining the central position of the original mind. the original mind retrieves command over the delinquent conscious mind. where the Chan Buddhist/northern Complete Reality influence is again manifest. Jung had the idea that yoga involves or produces abnormal psychic states and is aimed at total detachment from the external world.' it means that the experience can only be understood. 6. In the metaphor of this passage. When "the sword is turned around. .79 in Taoist yogic texts in much more physical terms than it is here. but the activity of the conscious mind tends to become so self-involved that it seems to have become an independent entity. 5. According toChan/ Taoist psychology.firsthand. When the text speaks of this as a secret that "has not been transmitted in a thousand ages. The "chamber of the origin" means the source of awareness~ keeping to the chamber of the origin is turning around the light ofconsciousness to be aware of its own source.' in the metaphor of our text. the general is supposed to be a servant but instead usurps authority. Wilhelm's translation of "instincts and movements" for "on the verge of moving into action" misconstrues both Chinese grammar and the nature of the experience to whiCh the passage refers. dreams. and emotion are not destroyed in the earthly immortal ofTaoism. Eros is inappropriate in that the meaning of vitality here does not . Even the connection with creative energy is actually remote in this text. pure primal spirit out of the profane. rather they are brought under the dominion of their source of power and made into channels of its expression. As for "spirit-fire" and Logos. however. he translates "the fire of spirit" as "spirit-fire" and equates it with Logos. because the real meaning here is the sense of true knowledge of the original mind. this seems even less appropriate. imagining. conditioned conscious spirit. Eros is closest to certain Taoist meanings of vitality. quietistic cult that Wilhelm. Wilhelm translates c'the water of vitality" as "seed-water" and equates it with Eros. and he translates "the earth of attention" as ((thought-earth" arid equates it with intuition.80 In the real Goidm Flower teaching there is no suggestion of obliterating the conscious mind (which in this context means the mind that thinks. Jung. This is the very reason for the alchemy: to refine the sacred. . Of these three. including what Jung called the unconscious). and othe1'5 of their time imagined from their fragmentary observations of Eastern lore. This can be known from the symbolism of water as explained in the following text. dreaming. and emotes. include erotic feeling. since the fire of spirit here just means awareness and does not at this point differentiate between the original spirit and the conscious spirit. in the sense of creative energy and erotic feeling. imagines. 7. and the spirit does not deserve the name of Logos yet. In this context. The taming of unruly consciousness is far from the introverted. The faculties of thinking. The sacred and the profane are mixed. intent. or will." The combination of water and fire in the medium of earth thus refers to experi~ en rial realization of the unity of being from a transcenden~ tal point ofview that is changeless itself yet accommodates all change. which stands for attention. Change is therein. not t~at of earth. expresses the idea of the primal unityin these terms: "All beings are basically one form and one energy. The Book ofBalame and Harmon:~J an ancient text of the Complete Reality school antedating the golden floWer ··dispensation by over four hundred years.81 The earth of attention is translated by Wilhelm as ''thought-earth" and identified with intuition. Here it is identified with the celestial mind. Form and energy are basically one spirit. concentration. The "energy of the primal real unity" stands for the living flux of the perpetual cycles of natural evolution. The 'Tho is basically ultimate non being. 9. :real knowledge and conscious knowledge. are brought together in the medium of earth. but thought and intuition properly belong to the realm symbolized by fire. which means that it is innoc~nt of temporal conditioning. it must be purified before it can absorb the pure essences of water and fire to combine them. then it may not be able to draw thiu consciousnessto an orderly reality of which it is as yet unconscious. Since earth is the medium. . Water and fire. Spirit is basically utter openness. primal unity and present awareness. 8. Logos. In other texts this is called pure attention or true intent. wherein all beings and all things live in the lives of one another. Wilhelm used the terms Eros. and intuition in an attempt to convey the Chinese ideas to a Western audience. If the focus of attention is itsel(already biased by the activity of an unruly consciousness. Wilhelm translates zhixu zhiling zhi shen. Jung then proceeds to exaggerate this distortion even further in his ." Based on this sort of translation.ofthe problem seems to be that as a Christian he understood the Chinese word "spirit" to be as~ociated with either the divine or the supernatural. Jung thought that the Chinese had no idea that they were discussing psychological phenomena.' as he wrote in his commentary to Wilhelm's version of The Secret of the Goldm Fkrwer. lt is wori:h noting in this connection that J ung also found late medieval baroque Christian alchemical books puzzling but did not openly accuse their authors Of having come upon their science through induction of aberrated mental states. He then tried to repsychologize the terminology. mind) that is completely open and completely effective.e. 10. ln his introduction he deemphasizes the gender associations of yin and yang. for example. that the Taoists had arrived at the entrance to the science of psychology "only through abnormal psychic states. which means a spirit (i. It is little wonder thatJung came to imagine. as "God of Utmost Emptiness and Life. Part.. but since he did not quite understand it to begin with he could not but wind up with a distortion in the end. Wilhelm uses the term anima for lower soul and animus fur higher soul. . The concepts of the higher and lower souls were among those that caught the special attention of Wilhelm and Jung in connection with their Christian backgrounds and interests. In the first section of this text. through his own attempts at meditation. but in connection with the concept of the souls Wilhelm calls the anima feminine and the animus masculine.82 but the assignments he made are largely subjective and arbitraryfrom the point of view of Chinese Taoist tradition. and thus interrupt the conditioned stream of consciousness. 14. The nine heavens and nii1e earths stand for the whole universe of experience. Therefore the text speaks of"interruptingconsciousness" in the sense of withdrawing attention from the feelirigof solidity in order to free it frOm the bonds of external influences. the srate of the lower soul (\\lhich includes visceral emotions) is subject to random environmental influences. "Dissolving the lower soul" means detachment frOm t:he feeling ofphysical existence. the liver is associated with courage and conscience. This passage illustrates the Taoist awareness of the connection between waking and dreaming experience . "liverand heart" means what is essentiaL In a human being. the "lower soul" simply means the feeling of being a solid body physically present in a solidworld. unbounded by temporal events.83 own disquisition on feminine and masculine psychologies. The idea that the body is created by attention is typically Buddhist. thus control the lower soul. making it less sticky and more fluid. thus preserve the spirit. frOm the most exalted to the most profound. In this text. In colloquial Chinese usage. but it is also found in the schools ofTaoism influenced by Buddhism. None of this gets to the heart of the discussion of our text. 13. As long as this feeling persists. As the text subsequently makes clear. This passage connects the last three: the process Ofthe exercise is to turn attention around to the source of awareness to refine the higher soul. II.• 12. The purpose ofinterruptingthe stream of consciousness is described in the following passage. there is no real lower soul that is in substance . and not the physiological energetics of Southern Taoism as influenced by Tantric Buddhism. counteracts the tendency to dwell on objects or modifications of consciousness. The Northern Taoist master Liu 1-ming also uses the metaphor of the dung beetle in his Awakeni'fq to the TtUJ." Taoists use a symbol from the I Ching known as heapen or the creative to represent what Chan Buddhists call the original face or the mind ground. 16. 15. or directing attention toward the source of awareness. it can be used to restore the original spirit to completeness. Nunuring the embryo. When the text says that other than turning the light around there is no special exercise for restoring this primal wholeness. it confirms that the practice being taught is that of Northern Taoism as influenced by Chan Buddhism. Turning the light around. 17. a term frequently found in Chan. The formation of the embryo represents the initial awakening of the mind.84 different from the higher soul. The term embryo ofsage hood or embryonic enlightenment is very common in classical Chan Buddhist texts of the Tang and Sung dynasties. but a parallel idea occurs in certain pre-Chan Taoist scriptures. where he uses it similarly to describe the creation of . "Concentrating the spirit on where the celestial mind rests when the embryo leaves the shell" is a typical Chan Buddhist formulation. artificially alienated by confusion. It seems to have passed into Complete Reality Taoism from Chan. They are both aspects of one spirit. refers to the process of development and maturation after awakening. Here this is called "dissolving darkness and controlling the lower soul. When energy is freed from obsessive clinging to the body or lower soul. here expressed in the terminology of Taoism. Since }ling's «collective unconscious" still has form.85 the transcendent being by concentration of spirit: «rn the midst of ecstatic trance there is a point ofliving potential. whereby the spiritual embryo tan be formed and the spiritual body be produced. According to Chan Buddhist psychology. as do his other writings on Eastern mysticism. His commentary on Wilhelm's translation bearswitness to this. and death means matter. car~ ried through the very portals ofphysicai·death." 18. When the text says that the light. Feeding on blood is emblematic of attachment to the body as self. his hope was to make this collsci()us in order to transcend it. what are mythologically . coming into being from non being. mixed up in the objects of its perception. .with the lower soul and ordinary mind. clear energy characteristic of the higher soul is <nbtained from cosmic space. Here life means spirit. from the point of view of the golden flower it must therefore be dassified. but Jung himself appears to have become so involved in the discovery and discussion of the unconscious that he became attached to it and as a consequence was never able to experience the higher soul and open the golden flower. This passage shows that the division ofso~called higher and lower souls is regarded as not a primal metaphysical reality but a temporal psychic phenomenon. 'Fhis contrasts with the limitation of awareness represented by the lower soul. This spacelike awareness contains everything while resting on nothing. it is the basic experience of the Chan master or Taoist wizard who lives in the midst of the things of the world yet is free from bondage to them." it refers to the equanimous spacelike aWa. 19.reness taught in Chan Buddhism and Com~ plete Reality Taoism. This refinement is the object of the practice of turning the light around taught in this Golden Flower text. The 'Thoist adept Wenshi (Wen-shih) was believed to be a student ofLao-tzu. The period of a hundred days is commonly mentioned in Taoist texts as the length of time required to set up the . A text known as The 11-ue Scriptttre ofWemhi says. Those in the light cannot see a single thing in the darkness. Turning the Light Around and ' Keeping to the Center l. 2. 20. The "body beyond your body" refers to the hidden reserve of vital energy uncovered by the opening of the mind." "Nonbeing within being" refers to a sense of openness and spaciousness in the midst of things. III. When this text speaks of a "coming together of kind. which is first produced by the exercise of turning the light around. 3. "Our Way is like being in darkness." it means that whatever attention is fixated on material things inevitably meets the fate of all material things. transmitter of the classic Tao Te Chitig. "Being within non being" refers to the presence of energy within the vastness of the mind merged with space. whereas those who are in darkness can see everything in the light.86 portrayed as experiences of hell after death are in facr manifestations of this attachment wrenching the heart as one is dying. which is to perish and decay. This final passage again drives home the point that the lower soul has no independent existence but is just a conditioned modification of the original "unified awareness" and can therefore be changed and refined to a point at which it is also pragmaticaJiy no different from the higher soul. together with the sentient beings of the whole universe. "Running leakage" means that energy is wasted through involvement with objects. symbolized by the firing or cooking of elixir to crysta!lize it into a pill. In all wor:ldsin the ten directions.The actualtime may naturally be different. is famous for saying. and future. so that it can be stabilized and mastered from within rather than controlled from without. !always tell people that the Buddhas of past. The term firing process is also taken from Taoist spiritual alchemy and means the course of meditation work. "Reversal" therefore means withdrawing energy from objects.S of consciousness symbolized by sky :md light: formless awareness andawareness of form.87 foundation by stabilizing the concentration of consciousness. there is no one who is not oneself. where do you placeit? Before the light radiates. The . self. Changsha. All worlds in the ten directions are in the light of the self. are the light of great wisdom. 5. and lands?" This exercise stops random imagination and empties routine compulsion by stopping them at the source. 4. "Positive light" means the creative energy in the original mind. the criterion is the production of the effect. rivers. a distinguished Chan master of the ninth century. The "eyes"ai:ethe two mainaspect. This is called "conformity" because it happens as a matter of course when the mind is conditioned by things. present. Before the light radiates. there is not even a trace of Buddhas or sentient beings-'where do you find the mountains.·~ worlds in theten directions are thdight of the. Turning the light around is turning around the energy of creation· in that the total experience of the world depends upon the orientation of the mind. 88 teaching of Pure Land Buddhism expresses a similar experience by saying that one single-minded recollecrion of rhe Buddha of Infinite Light erases eighty eons of sins. but srands for a condition of depletion in which there is no more creativity left and one lives through sheer force of habit. This represenrs a process of accelerated conscious evolution. 6. One of the founders of the Complete Reality school describes the intensification of time in the process of spiritual incubation in Taoist alchemy as the experience of the men tal equivalent of thirty-six thousand years within one year of concentration. 8. 7. TheHeroic March Scripture is a Buddhist text that came into vogue among Chan contemplatives in the tenth or eleventh century. groomed. Deprived of center-stage attention. highly valued in the absence of expert teachers. This legendary figure of high antiquity is one of the great cultural heroes of Taoism and Chinese culture in . The Yin Conmzence Classic (Yinfu ]ing) and the Plait: Q!astions of the Yelknv Emperor (HuangDi suwen jing) ·are Taoist texts. and renewed. The idea of a "netherworld" is not confined in this context to a state after death. breathing is thought of as going through four seasons with each breath. The former work is also attributed to the Yellow Emperor mentioned in the title of the larter. It has continued in popularity because of its detailed descriptions of meditation states. these habits lose their power over the mind. Here "conform1ty" is defined as pursuing objects. Eventually certain formulations of this scripture were also taken over by Taoisr yogis borrowing techniques from Buddhism. both considered very old. Being rhythmical. The idea is that habits of false thought exist only to the extent that they are continually tended. .. 10. that "the light is neither inside nor outside rhe self. however. thoughtwere chara~teristic attitudes of Eastern and Western mentaliries . Nevertheless. ·and Buddhists but also Muslims. 9. The "three teachings" areTaoism. Christians.' it can.s. but Confucians were averse to recognize any affinitywith Buddhism eVen as they absorbed Chan methodologyintotheir own studies. Jung used the concepts ofintraversioll and extroversion to describe what he. One type ofTaoism) called the Huang-Lao teaching after the names of the mythical founders known as Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) and Lao-tzu) was ostensibly concerned with immortalism. Note that here «longlife"and ''transcendence oflife" are presented as rooted in psychological experience. It is common among Complete Reality Taoists to understand immortality as higher consciousnes. the mental ease ~sul~ing ftom the experience of spiritual "immortality" is als() said to generally preserve and enhance physical health by freeing the individual from destructive streSs and tension. The . Taoists. Buddhism. hardly be supposed that turning the light around is the same thing as introversion in the Jungian sense. and Con~ fucianism. "This is the common goal of all religions.easured in terrestrial time. the Complete Reality school of Taoism has taught that these three philooophies share a common essence. and Jews.with Ilo necessary relation to the)ongevi ty ()f the phy~ical· body as rn.89 general.' andinhisintroductionhe notes thatTaoist organizations included not only Confucians. This was acceptedby Buddhists. From its very inception.he imagined that the· Chinese Taoists did the same thing. Since our textsays. He absorbed himself in his own fantasyworld. Wilhelm translates this passage. especially the Chan contemplatives.and. then people can be companions of heaven." 12. When the human mind is calm and stable. The state where "heaven isopen. docilely accepting all hardships. This is called being based on calm. and realize all as one. humble. illnesses. nor does it by any means involve concern with images or fantasies that may occur to the mind. The Book ofBalame and Harmony. Quiet sitting was commonly practiced by Buddhists. then people can be companions of earth. never bear grudges. assist those in peril and rescue thosein trouble. not angered by criticism. look upon others and self impartially.90 Chanfraoist meditative exercise of turning the light around does not make one oblivious of the external world. take picy on the old and the poor. and natural disasters. ignoring insult. Taoists. unaffected by things. with selfcontrol. and neo-Confucians." 13. earth is broad. With the nobility of heaven and the humility of earth. it is one of the standard expressions of the golden flower technique. a compendium of all three teachings as they were practiced in the Completely Real school of Taoism. "Reversed gazing" means turning attention to the source of awareness. without anxiety or resentment when faced with danger or adversity. &aching tmvard knmv/edge is a special . it is merged in the celestial design. one joins in with the attributes of heaven and earth and extends to eternity with them. "What the· three teachings esteem is calm stability. says. give of themselves without seeking reward. If people can be flexible and yielding. 11. and all things are just as they are" is described in graphic detail by the nineteenth-century Completely Real Taoist master Liu 1-ming in his Awakeni'{q tv the TiW. clear of volatility. be receptive to all. free of agitation. wherein he speaks of emulating heaven and earth: "If people can be open minded and magnanimous. " 'This is not what the Buddhist tc:rin originally means. The presence of numerous such fraglllentary yOgic interpolations out of character with the overall teaching of . composed by the.. pi'I!J and seei1f!J as "fixating contemplation." misreading the verb )'Iiiii'. fonnd~. This recommendation of a popular Buddhist meditation gUidebook as a "touchstone'' illustrates the close relationship between Buddhist and 'Th. "focus.oism. "fixing one's thinking on the point which lies exactly between the two eyes. There are many examples of special 'Th.r ofTiantai Buddhism in the sixth century A. "condition.D." The terms mean stopping random thought and seeing successive layers of truth.oist uses ofConfucian and Buddhist terms to be found in·the literature of syncretic schools such as that of the Golden Flower." There fOllows a passage (not in my Chinese text) interpreting "focus on the center" to mean. as Wilhelm translates. Wilhelm does not translate: this passage. 14.oist contemplative practices of the time. it is said to be very dangerous.91 Taoist usage of a Confucian term. Their content marks them as interpolations or footnotes. 15." as the noun yuan.the terms stoJr. and he llliscoristrues. "Focus on the center" is translated by Wilhelm as "the center in the midst of conditions. Here it is used to stand fOr the exercise of"tuming the light around" and reaching toward the source of knowing. and this consciousnessaltering technique in Wilhelm's version is the subject of strong warnings in modem literature of the Completely Real school of'Th. Originally it meant attaining knowledge by assessment of things. There fOllow in Wilhelm's translation six paragraphs that are not in the Chinese text available to me. Small StDJIPi"'f JUUl Seeing is a classic compendium of basic meditation techniques. you enter into empty silence. quite possibly disaffected Confucians. Those who keep to this center are sages. Neither of these is the central way?' In IChi"'J MtuUJAJas Liu specifica!Jy repudiates interpretations in terms of yogic exercises such as that described in . Liu says: "It has no location. if you keep it mindlessly. Those who awaken to this immediately ascend to the ranks of sages. yet so minute that it retreats into storage in secrecy." Liu says. It is so vast that there is nothing outside it. to which he denies any physical location as suggested by Wilhelm's version of the Go/Jen Flowertext. Try to grasp it and you cannot find it . those who loSe: this center are ordinary mortals. and the delicacy of the mental posrure of focus on the center. who were devoted or addicted to altered states of consciousness. All the sages... It cannot be consciously sought. listen for it and you cannot hear it. it cannot be mindlessly kept. no fixed pbsinon. The immortality of the spirit of openness is the center containing essence and life. and Buddhas of all times are bom from this center. and not easy for them to know it. while those who miss this are sunk fur eons. The meaning of the "center" in the context of Complete Reality Taoism is more accurately defined by Liu I-ming in my I Chi"'J Ma""""'-r: "The spirit of openness is the center." As to the center being the "mechanism of Creation." Liu also affirms the subclety of the center. Setting up the foundation on the mysterious female is essence and life constiruting the center. It is not easy for people to see this center.92 the text leads me to suspect that Wilhelm's text had been doctored by quasi-Taoist cultists. "The center is the great root of the world. Look for it and you cannot St:e it. If you seek it . consciously. The mysterious female is essence and life. you fall into forms.. immortals. " 16. they will even hasten death. ·where the text says "Push this inquiry on and. ori over and over until you realiZe it cannot be grasped.93 Wilhelm. The point of the exercise is to experience the ungraspability of mind in itself. some say it is in the middle of the space· between the kidneys and genitals. it would be impossible to attain the true effect of the practice following Wilhelm's version.s version.' which is completely off the mark.. some say it is the center of the forehead. where it arises and passes away.' 'I have pacified your mind for .t need to sit still as before. "Nothing is gairied by pushing rdlec. Some say it is the center of the body." When the text says. they cling to points in this ephellleral body and call that keeping to the center and embracing the one. What he renders as "nothing is gained" is a very common Buddhist expression meaning"ungraspable. is a method ofrurning the light around commonly practiced in later Chan Buddhism. Wilhelm translates "need not" as "must not.:. some say it is the center of the top of the head." These misconstructions thoroughly skew the meaning. tion funher.s text. "Hereafter. Here and following. Vainly hoping for eterriallife. When the text says. some say it is the region of the heart. you don. I realize it cannot be grasped. This passage is seriously misconstrued in Wilhelm. and ''cannot be grasped" as ''cannot be done." it is referring to the time after the hundred days' work of setting up the foundation. some say it is the throat." Wilhelm translates. "'Having looked for my mind. because they miss the effective thrust of the text. during which the power of introspective concentration is stabili:red. Investigating the locus of thought. Not only will they not live eternally. wheneverthoughts arise. emphasizing the dangers inherent in such practices: "Srudents everywhere are ignorant of just what this center is. The Chan founder said." The founder said. IV. without the warnings that accompany their mention in authentic Chinese Taoist books. It is worth reemphasizing this danger. These exercises are in fact unnecessary for the practice of turning the light around as taught in the real golden flower docrrine. I realize it cannot be grasped. Turning the Light Around and Tuning the Breathing 1. Wilhelm's includes a rather long discourse on yogic technique. for such practices are also found in other popular books on Taoism in English." but fixation is definitely proscribed in the instructions ofthis very same text. He also translates "stopping" as "fixating." This illustrates the climax of the exercise of turning the light around. "I have pacified your mind for you." The seeker said. which he treats as an addition separate from the main text. "Bring me your mind and I will pacifY it for you."' it alludes to one of the most famous of Chan Buddhist stories. "Having looked for my mind. "Once you reach this ungraspability" is translated by Wilhelm as "That leads to no goal. The content of the interpolated passages points to a fairly typical kind of cultism and mentions practices that are popular but dangerous. Chan Buddhism teaches that realization comes of itself and cannot be anticipated because it is not a product of subjec- .94 you. Wilhelm had apparently never read or heard this story." In many cases Wilhelm does not seem to have been able to decipher the text well enough even to discern where a sentence begins or ends. 18. A seeker asked the founder of Chan to pacifY his mind. 17. The canonical Chinese text ends the section here. 95 tive imagination. Hopes and expectations on the part of the practitioner inhibit the spontaneous working of the potential that makes realization possible. 2. Oblivion anddistraction are commonly treated in Buddhist meditation manuals as the two main"sicknesses" to which meditators arc prone. Focusing the mind on the breathing is an ancient Buddhist practice that is especially popular among modern.:.day Zennists. Spirihm.l Akhemyfor Women, ·a late-nineteenth-century Taoist work, says, "In general, what is most essential at the beginning of this study is selfrefinement. Self-refinement is a matter of mind and breathing resting on each other. This means that rhe mind rests on the breathing and the breathing rests on the mind" (from Immortal Sisters). . .. 3. Taoists and Buddhists both observe the intimate natural connection between breathing and mental state. When the mind is excited, the breathing accelerates; when the mind is calm, so is the breath; The practice of resting mind and breath on each other makes deliberate use of this relationship to calm the mind down and gradually bring it to a state of stillness. 4. "Inward breathing" is the rhythm of consciousness, "outward breathing" is the rhythm of respiration. Taoists and Buddhists both use the image of "leaking" to represent the loss of energy through random mental activity and its corresponding physical unrest. Buddhas and Taoist immortals are described as having "put an end to leakage." 5. Taoist and Buddhist texts describe many manifestations of human tendencies toward polarization and extremism. These include notices of people trying to Stop thinking completely, believing this to be the goal of meditation 96 practice. In Taoist literature there is also mention of people who even try to stop breathing. The idea of"making the affliction itself into medicine'' is characteristically Buddhist, also described in later Taoist literature as "temporarily using things of the world to cultivate principles of the Way." 6. Here the "light of the eyes" refers to awareness of the world at large, while the "light of the ears" refers to fOrmless inner awareness. Here again the text makes it dear that there is no real boundary or difference between inside and outside: "They have the same source, but different names'' (7Jw Te Ching). The practice of"turning back to the nature of hearing," which is one way of turning the light around, comes from the Heroic March &ripture, a Buddhist text popular among latter-day Chan Buddhist contemplatives and figuring prominently in the technical procedures outlined in the Golden Flower text. 7. To "let go" is to free the mind from entanglement in objects, but to "let go absolutely" is to fall into oblivion. Again the balance of"stopping" and "seeing" is critical to the success of the exercise. 8. Taoist texts distinguish severaJ levels of~finement according to sound, but soundless breathing is considered best of all. Six audible breaths are used for healing, while silent breathing is used for quiet meditation. Since mental silence is considered the best hygiene as well as the best curative, soundlessly subtle breathing is generally considered very important for both mental and physical aspects ofTaoist practice. 9. The term true breathing is variously defined in Taoist literature; sometimes it is represented as respiration that is so subtle that it is completely unnoticeable, sometimes it is 97 represented as the inner rhythm of awareness ordinarily obscured by the coarseness of thinking. 10. This passage' makes it clearthat practice of resting mind and breathing on each other is justa starting point. Such concentration exercises are only temporary expedients, but · cultists sometimes perform them routinely for years on end; A famous Chan poem says, "When the wine is always sweet, it lays out the guests;' meaning that overindulgence in concentration and.consequent addiction to cahnness can actually incapaCitate the individual for further · development. ll, The Book ofBalllnce tmd Harmony says, "By keeping energy complete you can nurtUre the mind. To keep energy complete first requires that the mind be dear and cahn. When clear and cahn, there are no thoughts, so energy is complete." 12.-13. The metaphor of the hen incubating an egg is commonly used in Chan Buddhism to represent continuous attention. 14. The Book ofBalance tmd Hamwny says, "Of old it has been said, always extinguish the stirring mind, don't extinguish the shining mind. The unstirring mind is the shining mind, the mind that does not stop is the wand~ring mind?' 16.-20. It is so much easier to notice distraction when sitting quietly than when engaged in activity that people often feel their minds to be more scattered than usual when they begin to sit quietly. Oblivion is a much more difficult problem, not only because of its nature as unawareness but also because contemplatives are ofu:n unconsciously attracted to it. Distraction, in contrast, is so annoying that it naturally provokes the desire to overcome it. Therefore Thoism traditionally emphasizes the importance ofusing The cliff of withered trees stands for a state of nonthinking quiescence. Not looking or listening does not not seeing or hearing.-27. 23. In partirular. 28. mean· V. Errors in Turning the Light Around 1.ill unawares into deviations. as Jung seemed to think. It is a matter of being spontaneous rather than contrived. turning what is supposed to be a liberative technique into an automatizing ritual." This may give the . Japanese Zennists and their Western imitators often seem to think of sitting meditation in quantitative terms. the establishment of fixed periods of sitting meditation was originally a matter of discipline. one of the early greats of Japanese Zen. paragraph 27 shows that thi'> practice is not a matter of attention to subconscious mental activity. According to National reacher Muso Soseki. from which standpoint it is easy to f. instituted during the Middle Ages to cope with large numbers of monastic inmates who had entered Zen orders for economic or sociological reasons. but in the golden flower teaching quality is the foremost consideration. Wilhelm translates "in front of the cliff of withered trees" as "before you reach the condition where you sit like a withered tree before a cliff.98 both stillness and movement in developmental exercises. to avoid &lli. The text again makes it clear that this is not introversion as understood by Jungian psychology. Fixing the length of time for meditation can have negative effi:cts.ills in front of the cliff of withered trees" is an adaptation of a Chan Buddhist saying. "There are many pitf.ng imo either extreme. 99 misleading impression that the "withered tree" condition is the goal.be concentrated on the right procedure. "Don't sit inside nothingneSs or indifierence" is a c01nmonChanBuddhist expression." It is not clear what he thought this meant. and it was generally not systematized to the same degree as Taoist alchemy. This passage combines Taoist arid Chan Buddhist w:imings against quietism. 4. Thm was also a traditional reluctance in Chan Buddhism to speak much about psychic states. The idea of"purposelessriess~ seems to have appealed to C. "letting go"' is not to be exaggerated irito oblivion. Jung insofar as he rebelled against the materialistic interpretation of pragmatism characteristic of his own culture. an: . since this agitates the mind and stimulates subjoctive1'rojections. 5. This is another caution against quietism or nihilism. ing of the words.." which is in a sense antithetical to the actual meaning of the expression. and a misleading idea. G. Wilhelm translates. The Buddhist term neutmJVoidnesr is insetted in a note in the original text. but the Taoist text means no such thing. thus retarding progress." This is a misread. "Nor must the thoughts . The parenthetical cominents in my translation also notes in the original text. "You can get it by intent that is not willful"' is translated by Wilhelm as "If one can attain purposelessness through purpose. 2. 6. Both Completely Real Taoism and Chan Buddhism commonly Warn against becoming enthusiastic or excited in anticipating ~pe~ences in meditation. Wilhelm misconstrues it as "One must not sit down (to meditate) in the midst of frivolous affitirs. Chan Buddhism tended to become increasingly simplistic as time went on. yet neither should one pursue objects." Although Jung admits that he never fOllowed the directions of the Golden Flower (which may be just as well considering the quality of the translation)." Again this was unfortunate for Jung. Wilhelm's rendition of this passage is also murky. This tended to skew his interpretations of fantasies and led him to imagine that golden flower meditation is culture-bound in spite of his beliefin universal archetypes. balance in the center is the keynote. This was unfortunate for Jung. As ever. but . 10. who showed a marked inability to distinguish between the realm of form and the realm of desire. nevertheless it is tempting to speculate on whatwould have happened had there been an accurate version of the text · available to him. one should not become senseless. who in his meditative fantasies quite evidently did "fall into the elements of body and mind. This passage is added to balance the foregoing warning about becoming deadened through malpractice. Jung. 8. 9. projected his imaginations on Taoism and thus believed that the teaching of the golden flower came from "abnormal psychic states.alse belief may be attributed partly to Wilhelm's inexpert translation of the text. himself a prime model of this. Wilhelm translates "the realms ofform and desire" (a Buddhist term) as "the warld ofilh.100 7.largely because ofthe use of a numberofBuddhist terms that he did not understand. "Loose ends" tend to come up "for no apparent reason" in quietude because of heightened awareness and lowered inhibitions.lsciry desires." This f. where material and psychological illusions take charge. People who enter into contemplative practices without this sort of theoretical preparation are easily deluded by unusual psychic experiences. wrote of similar experience in his Introdliction tiJ Akhemy: "The pores are like after a bath. Wilhelm asserts that "asfar as the Chinese psyche is concerned." for the careless arrogance of his essays on the Golden Flower hindered him.101 it also seems to be due in large measure to Jung's own arbitrary ideas and personalistic interpretations. VI. Authenticating Experiences ofTurning the Light Around 1. the vitality and spirit are like husband arid wife in blissful embrace.psychic experiences" is supposed to mean authentic realization of the golden flower awakening. A more accurate reading of the text would have clarified Wilhelm'sconfusion on this point. In his introduction to the text." The question of capacity is extremely important in the teaching and practice of Taoist alchemy." a . ]ling would also have done wellto observe the warning of the text that ''you cannot handle attainment with a careless or:ll"r<lgaht attitude." If the expression ''definite . fuunder of the Southern School of Completely Real Taoism. it is a matter not of"the Chinese psyche"in general. Zhang Boduan (Chang Po-tu an). 2. this statement would seem absurd in the context ofBuddhism and Thoism. from a more serious and sober investigation of Taoism as much as did lack of resources. the bones and circulatory system are like when &st asleep. but of the faculties and capacities of the individual. Wilhelm mistranslates "cannot be undergone responsibly by people with small faculties and small capacities" as "one must not conti:ntoheselfwith small demands. a completely assured method of attaining definite psychic experiences is available.·the earthly and heavenly souls are like child and mother remembering their love. The Vimalizati<m Scn'pture is a popular Pure Land Buddhist text. The Visualization Scriptttre itself says. as he said. This passage refers to the refinement of sensory experience realized through the golden flower practice. you are seeing your own mind. mind makes Buddha. "Higher good is like water" comes from the Tao Te Ching. . The Buddha on the terrace of enlightenment is the essence of one's own mind. There are many examples of Taoists borrowing and reinterpreting Buddhist symbolism. even without physical exercise. 6." Nothing could be further from the truth. "rhe bright moon is in mid sky" refers to clear awareness within stillness. for mind is Buddha.102 3. "When you see Buddha. The Ht~i MingChing) a small fragment of which is included in the Wilhelm/Baynes version of the Golden Flower. Both are common metaphors in Taoism and Chan Buddhism. 4. "Myriad pipes arc all silent" refers to a mental state of profound quietude. It was evidently on the basis of this sort of mistranslation that Jung came to the conclusion that the concepts of Chinese philosophy are. "Red blood becoming milk" is a common Taoist symbol of the sublimation of passion. 7. the Guan Wuliangshou jing (Scripture on visualization of infinite life). The "filling of the body" with stored energy is said to be sufficient in itself to preserve health and well-being. 5." Wilhelm translates ''the spirit enters into a state of open~ ness" as "the gods are in the valley:' giving the text a primitive polytheistic sound that is not there at all in the original. "never taken psychologically. provides numerous instances of Chan Buddhist sayings borrowed by Taoist yogis and given esoteric interpretations in terms of Taoist energy work. some of them more plausible than others. 103 As a result of his misconception about the nature ofTaoist practical philosophy. concluded her classic collection of poems with this verse on "flying": At the right time. The other is that the impression they nevertheless create on the mind can be so strong that "the spoils of war are lost through celebration. his attempts to interpret them psychologically were based on his own imaginations and noton the real meanings of the ideas as they are understood by Taoists themselves. And you coolly cross the ocean. but since he did not understand the original Taoist concepts to begin with. one of the great female adepts ofCompletely Real Taoism. The image of ascent is ofren used ill Taoist literature. One strums a brocade lute amidst the flowers. One plays jewel pipes under the moon. One is that such experiences are just signals of something and not goals in· themselves. This is one of the quotations from that classic commonly used by practitioners of the Complete Reality school ofTaoism. Chan Buddhists tend to downplay the feelings of such experiences as remoteness. and suffusion with light. "The empty room producing light" is an expression from the famous ancient Taoist Classic Chuang-tztt. found it a fitmetaphor for one oftheir experiences in quiet meditation. Sun Bu-er.Jung thought that he himself was a pioneer in psychological interpretation. (from Immortn. who . for two main reasons. clarity. just out of the valley You rise lightly into the spiritual firmament. One day immortal and mortal are separated." 9. 8. The jade girl rides a blue phoenix. The gold boy offers a scarlet peach.l Sisters) . It does not literally m~an there is the form of gfains" (The Inner Tmchi'!!]S of Taoism). unobstructed in all directions. "When yin and yang combine into one. a short work by the founder of the Southern School ofCoinpletely Real Taoism." Liu 1-ming explains. In his classic Undentanding &ality. Chang Po-tuan also writes. the celestial order is clearly revealed. Liu 1-ming explains." . "Truly it is said of a grain of the gold elixir that a snake that swallows it is immediately transfOrmed into a dragon and a chicken that eats it is then changed into a phoenix. A bead of gold elixir hangs in the center of vast space. 12. "When people drink water. the path develops and the positive energy gradually grows.104 10. and then another grain. lighting up the universe to view. they know for themselves whether it is cool or warm" is a common Chan Buddhist expression used to illustrate the fact that there is no way to communicate or understand realization of spiritual awakening except by one's own personal experience. '"Grain after grain' means that when the basis is established. clean and bare. from vagueness to clarity" is an often-quoted line from Four Hundnd Wonir on the Gold Elixir. the innate knowledge and capacity which had been about to fade away in people is round and bright. they immediately become immortals. 11. 13. The Buddhist meditation manual known as Small Stqpping and Seeing was mentioned earlier. flying into the pure realm of true yang. "A grain. Zhang Boduan (Chang Po-tuan). This passage refers to a more complete manual by the same author known as Great Stopping and Seeing. When people ingest a grain of this elixir. " According to his own reports. Chan Buddhist proverb say5. "You need not give up your normal occupation. Inasmuch as this sort of preoccupation is rigorously proscribed in Taoist meditation texts. As the formlesspractic~ oftumingthe light around is repeated in the midst of everyday aahlrs. Some professional Japanese Zennists also share this belief.105 VII. Jung was fascinated by the images that came to mind when he tried to meditate according to his owil method. The fact that ecclesiastical operations generally Call more attention to themselves than individual practitioners. A "dead methoo" is one that is performc:d mechaniCally as an automatic routine. The Living Method of Turning the Light Around A "living method. which he apparendy believed to· be similar to that of the golden Bower. Jungwasofthe opinion that yoga practice needs an ecclesiastical setting. it is no wonder at all . fore come to believe that Zen has traditionally been a primarily mona5tic movement. has given Westerners the false impression that monasticism represented the mainstrearll of Eastern spiritual practice. the mind becomes increasingly fiuid and buoyant." l. who "hide their light" according to classical recommendations.:. and many Western Zenriists following latter-day Japanese schools have there. The keynote of this passage is "not sticking to any image bf person or self at all. "Study the living word. is one that is efficiendy adapted to individual needs and in regrated in to everyday life. able to engage in ordinary activitieS without getting stuck oil things~ 3. 2." According to his own writing. not the dead word. 106 that Jung's work shows no indication that he really experienced anything like the golden flower awakening." He tends to read weird and superstitious ideas into the text. ." which is not only technically incorrect but potentially dangerous. whatever you are doing" is rendered by Wilhelm as "When in ordinary life one has the ability always to react to things by reflexes only." is the title of the opening chapter of Chutmg-tzu. Although the practice lacks power if it cannot be carried out in the midst of activity. The Secret of Freedom Wilhelm translates the title of this section as ''A Magic Spell for the Far Journey. It also comes to mean "secret" in the everyday how-to sense of what is essential for success in accomplishing something. The word translated as "magic spell" actually means a spoken teaching. one of the most popular Taoist classics. "Turning the light around wherever you are" is translated by Wilhelm as "circulation of the light arising out of circumstances. Then again. it was not unusual for people ofhis time to expect Eastern ideas to be exotic and mysterious." this expression. experientially proving the efficacy of the practice. "The realized ones in Heaven will surely come to attest to your experience" means that higher or more refined levels of awareness become accessible to consciousness. "If you can look back again and again into the source of mind. As fOr "the far journey. 4." This small misreading of the words is greatly misleading if it means that the practice depends on circumstances. it becomes easier if a quiet time is set aside early in the morning to refresh and orient the mind in turning the light around. or a secret teaching. which literally means "roaming" and really means "freedom of action. VIII. ill to the axe. "Freedom. cleared of all volatility." which are said to be realms of higher awareness to which Taoist adepts and immortals ascend. the philosopher Chuang-tzu says. humble. this is like the metaphor of 'white light arising in the empty room. Jadelike purity is one of the "three purities.'"That this white snow flies in "midsummer" means that it is manifested in the "fire" of consciousness. The recepti-Pe is the I Ching symbol for mother earth. then people can be companions of eanh" (Awakening to the 11w). Liu I-ming says. "The homeland of nothing whatsoever" is another expression from the Taoist classicChuang-tzu: It appears at the end of the first chapter." after which this section of the Golden F/Qwertext isnamed: in the ancient classic. with self-control. ''water" stands for real knowledge hidden within. and no one injures it. and "midnight" represents profound stillness. "White snow symbolizes the energy of the primordial unity. Therefore ''the sun blazing in the water at midnight" means the emergence of the positive energy of real knowledge from the depths of qui erode. illnesses. "If people can be flexible and yielding. "Now you have a huge tree and worry that it is useless. docilely accepting all hardships. So what's the trouble?" . Why don't you plant it in the vast plain of the homeland of Nothing Whatsoever. According to Liu 1-ming. Thus they are representative of sources of inspiration for latter-day Taoist texts received through mediums in trance. and natwal disasters. ignoring insult. entirely free of agitation. utterly without anxiety or resentment when faced with danger or adversity. not angered by criticism. 2.107 l. is that it cannot be used. The "sun blazing" symbolizes positive energy. roaming in effortlessness by its side and sleeping in freedom beneath it? The re~n it does not f. able to stop internal aberrations. acquaintance with Buddhist thought would have helped Wilhelm to understand the point of this passage.• not real emptiness as understood ~d experienced in Buddhism and Completely Real Taoism. what is called true lead here is not ordinary material lead. but is the formless. by which self-mastery and autonomy are attained. the "two eyes" are explained in the notes to paragraph 4 of Section III. 4. The "center" is explained in the notes to paragraph 15 of Section III. Because itconceals light within darkness." Only "numb emptiness" is «numbing." It is not certain what he meant by this. able to ward off eJiternal afiliedohs. Here again. Because its light illumines myriad existents. 6. 5.108 3.. "To act purposefully without striving" is translated by Wilhelm as "action through non-action.. lasts long without disintegrating.'' This expression should rather be rendered as «numb emptiness. it is also called the golden flower~ Because it is the pivot of creation. immaterial true sense of real knowledge in the human body. The "lower two passes" are the first two stages of a tradi- . hard and strong. This true sense is outwardly dark but inwardlybright.• which could be right except for the impression it conveys that "emptiness" is itself"numb· ing. Wilhelm renders "indifferent emptiness" as "numbing emptiness. strong and unbending. The alchemical symbol of metal or lead is explained by Liu 1-ming in his commentary on Chang Po-tuan's R>ur Hu7zdml Wonis on the Gold Elixir in these terms: "Lead is dense and heavy. It is symbolized by lead and so is called the true lead . The "handle of the stars" refers to the crux or key of awareness. it is also called the North Star. it is also c<lued metal within water" (The Inner Teachings of Taoism).. This section of the text. the "inside" is the "true sense of real knowledge" hidden below. I have italicized water because it stands for one of the main signs . 8." At this point "Heaven directly divulges the unsurpassed doctrine'. The "outside" is surface consciousness. In terms of energetics. 9. orin purely spiritual terms characteristic of Chan Buddhism and the Northern School ofCornplete R.109 tiona! formulation of Taoist spiritual alchemy: "refining vitality into energy. Here the meaning becomes ambiguous in the sense that it can be interpreted in· terms of the waterwheel exercise of Taoist energetics so popular in the SOuthern School of Complete Reality. The "master" is the true sense of real knowledge. is more thickly veiled than ever in the garb of Taoist alchemical language. the "assistant" is the conscious mind." and "refining energy into spirit?' The "upper pass" is the stage of"refining spirit into openness. the "chamber of waur" refers to the true sense of real knowledge hidden within temporal conditioning. To "control the inside from the outside" means to reach deliberately for this real knowledge and stabilize its connection with consciousness. means to be rooted in real knowledge and thereby spont~neously control the activity of the conscious mind. This refers to the mind as it is in its pristine State unaffected by temporal conditioning. where energy is built up for circulation.ealityTaoism. To "control the outside frOm the inside'. the "chamber of waur" means the lower abdomen. 7. in the sense that knowledge comes spontaneously through elevation of consciousness rather than by formal learning. The ~lestial mind is a Taoistterm for what Chan Buddhists call the original mind. In spiritual terms. particularly from this passage onward. In this case. Fire is in substance the creative in the sense that consciousness is itself enlightenment. the negative line represents temporal conditioning ruling consciousness. The movement of creative energy hecomes ''traceless" at1d "indiscernible" in the sense that the ecstasy accompanying the initial mating of consciousness and the true sense of real knowledge later subsides in favor of a more subtle experience. The "basic chamber" is the center. consists of two positive Jines surrounding a negative line. "Living midnight" is a Taoist term for a state of profound mental stillness and guierude that is nevertheless pregnant with primal energy. The I Ching sign for . consists of three positive lines. preceding the "dawn" of resurgent . 12. 14. this represents the primal hidden within the temporal.' which is not very meaningful and certainly does not convey the sense of the positivity.fire) which represents consciousness. or celestial nature of the "light" that the text emphasizes. 11.the exercise ofturning the light around vitiates the power of conditioned thought habits.110 of the I Chitzg) consisting of one solid (positivt:) line surrounded by two broken (negative) lines: in Taoist alchemy. 13. 10. The joining of the positive energy in water and the creative means the reuniting of conscious knowledge and real knowledge. which again may be interpreted psychophysiologicall)' or spiritually. creativity. Wilhelm renders "the positivity in water}) as "the polarized light-line of the Abysmal. The sign tor the creative) which represents the enlightened mind. but this is not realized because of the influence of mundane conditioning. "Negative energy stops" because. 18.light. 16. the energy of the initial stirring of the "celestial mind" of unconditioned awareness is fostered until it becomes complete awakening. The restless "human mind" is stilled so that the clear "celestial mind" may come to light.' which is an extremely common expression in this sort of Taoist literature. or if it is gathered too late. In Taoist terms. In Thoist energetics. The images of the master becoming a servant and taking the servant for the master are common in Chan Buddhism. Focusing on the crown of the head is a method of enhancing alertness (to prevent quiet stillness from slipping into oblivion) and is only for temporary use at appropriate times. In alchemical language. The root ofheaven and moon cavern are alchemical terms for · the movement of energy emerging from stillness and rerurning to stillness. They can also be expressed as the points of shift from passivity to activity and from activity to passivity." 15. as ''the time when the child comes to life. . «the chamber of the cnative''is the head: energy is drawn by attention upward from the lower torso (the chamber of water) through the spine and into the head. the positive creative energy of unconditioned primal awareness must be consciously "culled" or "gathered" when it emerges from the shrouds of unconsciousness. as symbolized by the creative. In purely spiritual Taoism. Wilhelm translates "living midnight. 17. If it is not gathered. the positive energy is ineffective and mundane conditioning reaSserts its power. this means that the mundane conditioning of the "humann1entality" comes to govern the whole mind and is consequently mistaken for the self. The "interval of a world cycle" means the interval between stirring of mind and return to quiescence. 20. the "yellow court" is the middle of the body. In Chan Buddhism this experience is described in terms of "melting" or "unlocking" to indicate a transition from bondage to freedom.nasterLinji. Wilhelm translates.112 19. 26. where the energy is conducted after passing through the head. smelling. paragraph 25 illustrates their interpenetration. who was regarded as the founder of virtuallyall the lines of Chan Buddhism extant at the time of the writing of The Secret of the Golden Flower. derives from the teaching of the ninth~century Chari i. each also containing three. 21. or a total of nine. caused by momentum is raridom action. This scheme of three stages. first quieting the mind so as to be able to act from a state of cool clarity rather than by impulse. hearing. The six senses are the faculties ofseeing. stages. "One moves the movement and forgets the movec~ction . this means that heightened awareness is centered to keep the mind from floating off into utter abstraction. In energetics. Not using the six senses is believed to be the most excellent form of hygiene. both mental and physical. Paragraphs 21 to 23 describe three levels of profundity in experience of the same exercise.. and thinking. tasting.-25. 27. not essential action?' This means that one should learn to act objectively. but all are obj ectively of the same source. feeling. In spiritual practice. The three and nine stages are spoken of in relation to the subjective experience of the practitioner. practiced by Taoists to restore and preserve spirit and energy. ''This does not contrast the action of Heaven to the nature of Heaven" in that it does not consider stillness superior to action.' and "acting without striving" as "action through non-action. Desire as thought that is out of place and based on ulterior motives is a typical neo-Confucian definition." which means calmness. Wilhelm translates "spontaneous attention'i as "a movement without purpose. Desire>as considering things to exist or desire as being possessive toward things are typically Buddhist definitions. this is not movement in itself. This formula comes from the alchemical classic Undmtmuling Radity.113 ment. In paragraph lOofthis section. 28.. and change: the yin in the innards of the palace offin. 30." It is not clear what he thought this might have meant.. but from the point of vieW ofcross<ultural studies it is significant to take note of them as reflections of standard misconceptions of Eastern mysticism. 29. the yin line inside the sym" bOl of.fin is understood as "falseyin.· From this transformation comes the sound body of htm~m (the ~)-to lie hidden or to fty and leap is all up to the mind. both action and stillness are part of the total enlightenment as long as they proceed from the primal unconditioned source of mind ratherthan from temporal habit ." Neither of these expre. which says." Liu 1-ming . Here it is understood as "true yin. The operation referred to as "taking from water to fill infirtl' consists of replacing the negative line (temporal col1ditioning) inside fin (wnsciousness) with the positive line (real knowledge) inside ·wtmr· (the depths of the unconscious). "Take the solid in the heart of the position of lMm.' which means mundane conditioning.Ssions hits the mark. 31. In a short time the yin (temporal) energy will dissolve and the yang (primal) energy will return. tranquil and unperturbed yet sensitive and effective. Take out the reality-knowing mind of 'Tho that has fallen into water and with it replace the consciously knowing mind in the palace of fire. The sixth patriarch of Chan Buddhism is said to ·~ctivating . 36. ''The infinite" is a Taoist and nco-Confucian term for the state of awareness prior to discur. The expression "stopping at ultimate good" comes from the ancient Confucian classic DRxue ('IR Hsueh. "Nurturing the fire" means developing consciousness by calm and flexible receptivity.dual method "bathing" means "being suffused with harmonious energy. the mind without dwelling on anything" is a famous line from the popular Buddhist Diamond Cuttzr Scripture.ive discrimination." &thi~ is 35.114 explains.ftn is the conscious knowledge of the human mind. and you will again see the original face of ht#Pen. The "breeze of wind" symbolizes gradual penetration through fOllowing an initiatory process. the yin in the innards of the palace of. 33. Here it means the use of focused consciousness to gain access to real knowledge hidden in the unconscious. also a key alchemical term. recovering your original nature of innate knowledge and innate capacity.. According to The Book in the higher type of grn. "The solid in the heart of the position of 1PIIIzr is the real knowledge in the mind ofTao. sensitive and effective yet tranquil and undisturbed. The Great Learning) and is commonly employed in later Taoist alchemical texts. 34.' while in the very highest type of alchemy it means "cleaning the mind. oflJ4Jim&e 11nd HRmwny." 32. Confucianism -all simply transmit one openness. and as fur learning the affairs of Confucian sages. nevertheless the meaning does come through there. Although Wilhelm translates that pan somewhat clumsily. Openness and sincerity are the essence of alchemy.115 have become enlightened on hearing this line of scripture being recited as he was passing through a marketplace. Throughout all time." It is likely that Jungderived some of his more bizarre ideas about Eastern philOsophy from just such mistranslat:ions as this one. the conditional. The tenn ~n(unminding) is a common Chan Buddhist expression. In the beginning of Section VI it says that in order to develop the capacity to undergo the experience of the golden £lower awakening responsibly it is necessary to will the liberation of aU beings. so the very idea of"purposelessness" is incompatible with this practice." In reality. Buddhism. apparently it slipped his mind when he came to this section. "Contemplating emptiness." The Boolt of&lima 111111 Hamumy says. 38." 37. those who have transcended have done the work from within openness. the conditional per se is not delusion. selBessness in openness clarities the celestial design.. and the center" is a fundamental meditative exercise ofTiantai (f'ient'ai) Buddhism. Again Wilhelm shows virtually comjJlete ignorance of Buddhism in any context but standard Westem cliche. "laoism. delusion means to mistake the conditional fur a fixed or independent reality in itself. translating "the conditional" as "delusion. as "furever dwelling in purposelessness. . Again Wilhelm proposes a misleading translation: "to be unminding in all situations" he render. learning Buddhism is meditation plunging into openness. As fur "effecting openness. The white of the moon is true yang within true yin. Paragraphs 39 to 43 present what may be the simplest and most concise statement of this Tiantai Buddhist practice to be found anywhere: the point is to achieve a state of centered mental poise wherein both the fluidity and factuality of phenomena are evident to the mind without either exerting an overwhelming influence toward bias. flexibility within firmness.. Here "the two eyes" is meant literally. firmness within flexibility. There is a strong tendency to place great emphasis on the data of sight in everyday life. By realization of the center.116 39." 44. Fire is spirit. The darkness in the sun is true yin within true yang. 47.-43. "The six senses aren't bad." 46. According to this way of meditation. so the text makes it clear that all the faculties of sense and perception are channels of enlightened awareness. Alchemists sometimes say that Buddhism starts with fire while Taoism starts with Jm. they are the same as true awakening. ~a.ter. The third patriarch of Chan Buddhism wrote. This means that the true sense of real knowledge.is vitality. . which in ordinary people falls into abeyance in the unconscious. 48. by realization of fluidity the mind transcends attachment to conditional things. A verse in the alchemical classic Underst:andi'!!J R£4/ity says. one attains a harmonious unity of freedom and responsibility. 49. must be "resurrected" by consciousness through the exercise of deliberate attention. 45. by realization of factuality the mind transcends attachment to emptiness. In Tiantai Buddhism: the accomplishment of this practice is called "three insights in one mind. this is in fact a general characteristic of the whole· text.' and "wisdom. Setting Up the Foundation in a Hundred Days This and the foUowing three sections. in the position offire) turns into a woman. clouds and rain funn in the secret room.117 "The sun. the basis of this evaluation. Chang Po-tuan's classic Rmr Hundred Wonlr on the Gold Elixir says. The practice of one hundred days setting up the foundation to stabilize consciousness is common in Taoist alchemy. comprising the rest of the text as it is found inthe canonical version on which the present translation is ba5ed. which contain relatively high concentrations of Buddhist andTaoist technical terms. "Intercourse" and "formation ofthe embryo" are standard alchemical images. In a year . which repeatedly reviews fundamental theory and praxis as it develops the details of their experiential implica~ tions." He does not explain." 2. turns out to be a man. Here when the text says "you are stiU working with the light of the eyes:' this means that at the outset a practitioner is using ordinary consciousness. water. are entirely omitted by Wilhelm in his rendition. "When husband and wife mate. in the moon palace. 1. discouraged Wilhelm from attempting to translate them. There are a number of scriptures with the generic Mind Seal title in the Taoist canon. however. While it istrue that these last four chapters go back to basics again and again. not the refined consciousness referred to by the terms "spirit:' "essence." IX. because he considers them of"inferior quality. It may be that the difficulty ofthese sections. When the text says that "if you entertain any conceptual view at all.' Our conscious knowledge is yin within yang. and the real gets lost outside. real knowledge. this consciousness has fulsehood in it." 3. references to points or periods of time in alchemical literature refer not to clock or calendar time but to psychological time. "Our real knowledge is yang within yin. "Changing hours for days is the pattern of the spiritual work. this is the 'wife. conscious knowledge. is recognized and called back home to meet the wife. as though it lived in another house and did not belong to oneself. so the primal energy comes forth from within nothingness and congeals into the spiritual embryo" (The Inner Teachings of Taoism).' this means that conceptual views are products of the temporally conditioned consciousness and thus deviate attention from the primal essence of consciousness. yin being without the balance of yang. Generally speaking. this is the 'husband. Though one may have conscious knowledge. Chan Buddhism is well known for insistence on detachment from conceptual views in order to "perceive essence and at:tain Buddhahood. Intense condensation of experiential time is also characteristic of mental concentration in the alchemical process. "Developed people. and taken into the privacy of the secret room.' After the primal yang in people culminates. In his classic Understanding &ality. the wife does not see the husband. Chang Po-tuan writes. and each rides on a crane. this is immediately a misleading path. If the husband. the husband loves the wife and the wife loves the husband." Liu 1-ming explains. husband and wife mate. acquired conditioning takes over affitirs. sense and essence combine.118 they give birth to a child." Liu 1-ming explains. emulating the image of the sun and moon . it then becomes a means rather than an end: a means offreeing mental energyfor further development. . After "seeing essence" is attained. 5. and purge conscious knowledge by real knowledge. This may require a period of special effort." 4. This is one of the most important functions of a guide. "seeing essence:' directly experiencing the essence of consciousness in itself." Here the text says ''everything that emerges naturally from essence is rested" in the sense that it is necessary to examine the subsequent activity of consciousness for remaining taints of compulsive mental habit ruled by mundane conditioning. place thirty days within one day. "First awaken on your own. produce real knowledge by conscious knowledge. they use the human mind to produce the mind of Tao. Because "seeing essence" can give a fulse sense of confidence before the union of conscious knowledge and real knowledge is matured.meeting. and follow the spiritual mechanism of the transformations of yin and yang as the firing process. and also place one day within one hour: in one hour activating strong energy. Empowerment refers to the stabilization of the higher consciousness so that one can turn the light around at will in any and ali circumstances. use the mind of Tao to govern the human mind. they gather the undifferentiated primal energy for the mother of the elixir. is temporarily set up as an aim for those who are bound up in the products of consciousness and thereby alienated from its essence. represented by the hundred days setting up the foundation. enlightened guidance is needed. In both Chan Buddhism and the Northern School of Completely Real Taoism. The classical statement of this principle in Chan Buddhism says. then sec someone else. not the essence that "transcends the primal organization.oism still be considered part of the consciousness of the human mentality. it is just because they have been giving their recognition to the conscious spirit all along: this is the root ofbeginningless eons of birth and death. Jung's confusion on this point is evident throughout his commentary on the Golden Fluwer and otber rexrs from Asian spiritual teachings. In modern times~ followers of sectarian Zen and Taoism have come to lay great stress on sitting meditation. The Light of Essence and the Light of Consciousness The distinction between "the light of essence" and "the light of consciousness" is critical to success in the practice of Taoist alchemy or Chan Buddhism. because if properly unden." An ofren-quoted classic verse on this subject by the great ninth-century Chan master Changsha clearly defines the central importance of the distinction between the "light of consciousness" and the "light of essence" in these tenns: "When people who study the Way do not know reality. "Only the true essence of the original spirit transcends the primal organization and is above it. yet fools call it the original being." From the point of view of the traditions of Chan Buddhism and Completely Real Taoism. 1. Jung docs not seem to have even had a clear theoretical grasp of this issue~ what he assigns to the "unconscious" would in 'Th. who was evidently unable to make the critical distinction in his own experience.120 X. but classical masters have pointed out that addiction to stillness can have serious mental and physical drawbacks. Indeed. Paragraph 1 in Section II makes this clear when it says." It is unfortunate that Wilhelm did not translate this tenth section. If the practice of "turning the light around" is carried on only in specific .tood it would have been of inestimable value to Jung. 4. This passage makes it dear that the "light. using these tinusual·phenomena to dazzle people. even though they arise from the movement of consciousness. you do not realize that you are thoroughly ill. of essenc~has nothing to do with visionary experiences. or other extraordinary fOrms. leading to a kind of split in the personality. to say they are "not sound. means that thoughts are not themselves the essence of conSciousness. 2. thinking you have attained great enlightenm~nt.. a well-kno\vn Chan meditation manual dating from about a century before the Golden Flower text." 3." . it may be impossible to integrate it fully with everyday life. known as the "eight attributions.121 settings or postures. briefly outline a meditation exercise from that scripture. The following passages of the Golden Flower text. The Hero~ March Scriptvn (Sumngam~~-S'I4tm) is a Buddhist text that became particularly popular among Chan Buddhist contemplatives from the Sung dynasty (960-1278) onward. The Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) is one of the major figUres of antiquity associated both with Taoism and with the founding of proto-Chinese cultUre. This is not Chan. paragraphs 5 to 10. The mirror being "occupied" by an image represents the attention being occupied by the contents of consciousness and thus losing sight of the essence of consciousness. "If you see lights. 5. The "echoes" here symbolize the thoughts or contents of consciousness. This is also a good description of what happened to Jung when he tried to meditate and became mired in images arising from his subconscious. flowers. says. &shan Canchan ]ingu. and take this for sanctity. ' but Jung differs from Buddhism in considering the uncon~ scious a basic reality. 8.spccrs of the eighth consciousness. Dark is attributable to the dark moon. In dealing with both a. 4. Unlike the Chan and Zen Buddhists. ." This is a basic experience of Buddhist transformation of consciousness. which comes out after it has been clarified. the practitioner ultimately reaches the experience of the essence of consciousness. One aspect of the storehouse consciousness is its function as the repository of impres~ sions. Objects are attributable to discrimination. but it is not final. Clear light is attributable to clarity. Jung was not fortunate enough to have authentic technical literature sufficient to diagnose the problem. '7. 6. The eight attribu~ tions are usually defined as follows: 1. Obstruction is attributable to walls. Congestion is attributable to sense data. Light is attributable to the sun. 'fiansmission is attributable to doors and windows. The eighth amscioume!s is a Buddhist term: it is also called the st:~mhouse conscWumes. Buddhist practice aims at "smashing through" it and removing fixation even on these levels of experience. This is close to what Jung calls the "unconscious.122 which is designed to facilitate "perception of essence"' through a sort of process of elimination. is its function of"mirrorlike awareness.r. 10. 2. Blank openness is attributable to space. Chan and Zen Buddhist literature suggest that Jung was most definitely not alone in getting bogged down in the eighth consciousness. however. 3. 5. By gradually "peeling away" the contents of consciousness. Another aspect of the storehouse consciousness. This paragraph makes it clear that even "emptiness. In his explanation of Chang Po-tuan's Four Hundred Wtnds on the Gold Elixir. The final passages of this section return to the critical distinction between the "flowing and revolving" consciousness and the transcendental essence. and if 3.' because it is only from the central standpoint of essence that the contents of consciousness can be witnessed objectively. not the open essence of mind.ter stands for real knowledge.123 11. In Chan practice. psychoanalysis comes after "seeing essence.' when experienced as an item of the conscious inventory. The Intercourse of Warer and Fire 1. is still just an object. Here fire stands for conscious knowledge and Wa. The intercourse of water and fire represents the union of the real knowledge of the mind of Tao and the conscious knowledge of the human mind. 2. The yang inside water stands for the firmness of the true sense of real knowledge. The yin inside fin stands for receptivity. mental habit. Liu I-ming says. 12. . "Flow and revolve" is a Buddhist expression for routine ·. "If you understand that the foundation of water and fire of real knowledge and conscious knowledge originally belong to one energy. Sometimes the exercise of turning the light around is described as looking to see where thought comes from. Mistaking a feeling or state of"emptiness" for emptiness itself is a psychological phenomenon often mentioned in Zen classics. and also for mundane conditioning. XI. but this is not the same as the psychoanalytic exercise oflooking to see the unconscious roots of conscious manifestations. "The North Star. never shifting. movement and stillness are as one." or the expenditure of conscious energy in pursuit of objects. the spirit is most open and aware. like the North Star not shifting. Dragon and tiger. "Culling" is just a metaphor. "Indulgence" is a Buddhist term for what Taoists call "leaking. The Southern School of Taoism tends to value the waterwheel exercise. wherein a mass of energy is developed and circulated throughout the body." 3." 4. then mind is Tao. the celestial Tao is within oneself. The Cycle l. water and fire balance each other. using conscious knowledge to nurture real knowledge. The Book of&lance and Harmony says. For one who sees this. "The medicinal ingredients are just culled in nonbeing. are metaphors for yin and yang. 5. using real knowledge to control conscious knowledge. The Book of&lance and Harmony says. 2. water and fire. but it seems to refer to dilettantism. inverting water and fire. ." this is an indication of its roots in the Northern School under Chan Buddhist influence. Tao is mind" (The Inner Teachings of 'llroism) . XII.124 you cultivate them backward. When the Golden Fluwer text says"energy is not the main thing.' and "When the human mind is calm and quiet." lt also says. "The North Star is the heart of heaven and earth. governs motion. The meaning of this passage is not entirely clear. the creative principle comes into play. There are times of interaction and noninteraction of real knowledge and conscious knowledge as long as their union has not been stabilized. the spiritual . you forget all about objects. it is the same as the minute.· embryo is complete." Chang Po-tuan's alchemical classic Undemanding Rodity also says. the ten directions are right before the eyes. nondoing joins with doillg. reality becomes accessible· to consciousness. "It· is so great that there is nothing outside it. "To reach the Tao is basically not hard.125 6. "The essence of the self enters the essence of the . at this point the means are transcended and there is no conscious fixation on expedient distinctions. When the clouds rei:ede and the rain disperses. 7. the ubiquitous flow of vital sense naturally returns of itself. the identity of mind and the world it experiences." 9. A poem entitled "Combining Yin and Yang" in The Book of Balanu andHarmony says. "There is nowhere it is not. the work lies in concentration. it is the same as the great. Most great. you do not see any outside. When yin arid yang. producing a newbirth. This passage reiterates the fundamental continuity of the individual artd the univene. Definitions of process and cycle are matters of method. At the peak of awareness. above and below." A proverb common in both Chan and Taoist literature says.unous R¥m on 'Irusting Mind. so small it enters where there is no space. always rise and descend. According to Buddhist metaphor. this is like ''leaving the raft behind on reaching the other shore. The third patriarch of Chan Buddhism wrote in his f." 8. in recondite abstraction. Most minute. a single round light engulfs myriad forms. Spontaneity is the real meaning of the Taoist technical term wmvei. Its smallness is smaller than a hair. understand without trying. achieve without striving. "Living midnight" is explained in the notes to paragraph 14 of Section VIII. The term "true midnight" is relatively rare in alchemical literature. act when necessary. 12. They sense and respond. It represents the harmonious combination of yin and yang producing living energy.126 enlightened. Here it would seem that "midnight" is used as an equivalent to the Buddhist term "emptiness.' which is experienced right in the midst of forms. Metaphorically. From on high the cold light shines in the cold springs. like the shining of light. Untlentanding Rmlity says. as a time of external quiet suitable for fostering internal stillness. 13. see without looking. it is distinguished from "living midnight" in that the latter expression emphasizes the subtle presence of potential and the imminent awakening of positive energy." It is sometimes taken literally to mean the middle of the night. "Clouds forming and rain falling" is a standard metaphor deriving from the ancient classic I Chi11g. . as compared to "living midnight." 14. one moon appears in a thousand ponds. its greatness fills the universe?' 10. "Real enlightenment has no likeness. it stands for extreme tranquillity. like the emanation of rays. The bodiless body is the real body. often mistranslated by Wilhelm and others as "nonaction" or "inaction." The Taoist classic Huaimnzi (The masters ofHuainan). explains spontaneity in these terms: "Real people know without learning. the formless form is the real form. go when there is no choice." 11. the essence of enlightenment is everywhere thus. It is moved by pulling strings. Let me give you a convenient simile. it is not that the puppet can move. The "mysterious pass" is defined by The Book o/BalRnce and Harmony in these terms: "Sages just used the word 'center' to point out the opening of the mysterious pass. however. Do you know this person who controls the puppet? The puppet is like the body. . to "head for the true" means to cultivate perception of emptiness in the conditional.·. "Cinnabar hean''hasa dual meaning. mercury symboli:les the mercurial nature of consciousness. Many of the expressions and ideas used in the verses of the following song have already appeared in the text. which would probably be obvious in context even without knowledge of this traditional association. When a puppet moves its hands and feet and gesticulates in a hundred ways. In alchemical terms.127 15. There are a few. so cinnabar symbolizes the matrixof consCiousness. it is the person controlling the puppet who pulls the strings. cinnabar contains mercury. 2. 0. some of them more than once. I. which is the color of compassion in Buddhism. the strings are like the mysterious pass. "the living" then corresponds to the conditional in emptiness. Songto Inspire the World. The color of cinnabar is in the fumilyof red. This is the external meaning. In chemical terms. XIII. This 'center' is it. The word ror cinnabar is also used for the color of cinnabar. And though it is a string device. that are new or callfor funher commentin this context: By poise in the center it is possible to bear change as it pervades all conditioned things. Following the Buddhist pattern. 128 the person controlling the puppet is like the innermost self. The movements of the body are not done by the body; it is the mysterious pass that makes it move. But though it is the action of the mysterious pass, still it is the innermost self that activates the mysterious pass. If you can recognize this activating mechanism, without a doubt you can become a wizard." 3. Midnight stands for the moment of transition from rest to activity; noon stands for the moment of transition from activity to rest. The whole line means "all the time," but special attention is called to the transitions represented by midnight and noon, which occur notonly from day to day but also from hour to hour in action and rest and from moment to moment in thought. 4. The "primal opening" is described by Chang Po-ruan in his Four Hundmi Wordr on the Gold Elixir in these terms: "This opening is not an ordinary aperture: made by. heaven and earth together, it is called the lair of spirit and energy" (The Imzer TmchingsofTaoism). 5. The "river source that produces the medicine" is an image from Chang Po-tuan's Understanding fuality, which says, "If you want to know the location of the river source which produces the herb, it is just in the southwest, its original homeland." Liu I-ming explains, "The southwest is the direction of earth, the realm where the new moon returns, where yin at its extreme gives birth to yang. In people, this is the time of beginning movement when stillness has reached its extreme. This movement from the extreme of stillness is precisely when the great medicine appears. However, this movement is not the stirring of emotions at external influences, and it is not the stirring of thoughts in the 129 mind. It is the movement of the innate knowledge of the natur.U mind, the movement of the real knowledge of the mind ofTao.'' 8.-9. In psychophysiological Taoist energetics, water is associated with the genitals, fin: is associated With the heart: the intercourse ofwaterand fire is then defined as placing the attention (associated with the heart) in thelower abdomen (associated with the genitals). According to The Book of Ba/anceand Ha~ this practice is in the lower grade of gradual methods. The actinide toward this practice expressed here by The Doctrine of the Golden Flower is another typical indication of its purism. 16. The "water-clarifying pearl" is a Buddhist metaphor for enlightenment, or for the pure mind. 18. The "jade capital" is a Taoist symbol for the supreme spiritual state. Nine is the number for yang, symbolizing positive energy in full bloom; dragons represent the inconceivable fluidity of spirit. . 20. In the terminology of I Ching symbOlism as it is used in Taoist alchemy, wind stands for accord and penetration; lightning is a.SS<lciated with fin:, which stands for awareness and underscinding. Together they form the sign called The CAuldron, which· represents "producing illumination through following an initiatory process;' according to Liu I-ming's explanation in The 1lwirt I Chi7fff. The symbol of thunder is movement, specifically theinitial activation of positive energy in the sense of real knowledge. 21. Here again it is made clear that the opening of the enhanced consciousness knOwn as the golden flower is not a matter of routine performance of yogic exercises. 130 The image of"retreating to hide in secrecy" is explained in The Book of Balance and Hamwny in these terms: "It is written, 'The sages used the Changes [the I Chi7!!f] to clean their hearts, and withdrew into recondite secrecy.' What does this mean? It is the consummation of sincerity and truthfulness. The principles of the Changes extend throughout the macrocosm and the microcosm; sages ponder the principles of the Changes to clean their hearts and thoughts, and store them in ultimate sincerity." 22. The two poems used by Lu Yan when initiating Zhang Zhennu, who was to become a famous Immortal Sister, a female Taoist adept, are quoted with an energetics-oriented interpretation in Spiritual A/chemyJi>r Women. The original vernes read, After midnight and before noon, Settle the breathing and sit. As the energy goes through The double pass at midspine And on through the brain, Gaining the power of energy Contemplate the self. You must find the ancestor of yourown house. Thunder in the earth rumbles, Setting in motion rain on the mountain. Wait until washing, And the yellow sprouts emerge from earth. Grab the golden essence of vitality And lock it up rightly. Fire metal and wood To produce the dragon and tiger. (Immm-ml Sisters) Finding that method of mindfulness extremely powerful and versatile. I began translating relevant texts from Buddhist and Taoist traditions. I agreed with Jung that such information should not be cloistered. in whatever walk of life. Eventually this pursuit led to studies of classical sourcebooks in Chinese. mind is at the heart of our lives. This new translation of The Secretofthe Golden Flower arose from a confluence of several· courses of events. I subsequently spent many years studying its use in experience and looking for tested information pertaining to its objective application. One of them was my own introduction to the golden flower practice of"turning the light around. because I felt that their psychological insights could be useful in some way to people today.' long before I knew of the existence of this particular book. so the clarification and awakening of mind is of potential interest to everyone. wherever they were. 131 . Although I had not read his views on the subject. Sanskrit. Whoever we may be and whatever we may do.Translator} Afterword: Modern Applications ofthe Golden Flower Method For me the experience symbolized by the golden flower has always been a practical concern. and Japanese. so I continued to apply whatever worked best whenever I had a special quest and wanted renewed inspiration. I studied the various support systems devised by the schools to enable people to experience the golden flower consciousness in meaningful ways. of Buddhism. Classical Chan appealed to me because it cut directly through to the essence of mind without being burdened by dogmatism or cultural accretions.heir own advantages. Eventually I learned to practice turning the light around according to the methods of all the major schools .132 For many years I focused on the study of Chan Buddhism. but I subsequently found that the techniques of each school had t. At first I was most dramatically affected by the Chan and Pure Land ways of awakening this consciousness. and because of my early experiences I was particularly interested in them. I found that this helped to clarify both practical and theoretical issues: what I was experiencing in everyday life and what I was finding in my researches in ancient Eastern literature on mind studies. One of the most interesting ways this is done in Chan classics is by concentrating the teachings of the scriptures and schools of Buddhism into symbolic stories representing the underlying state of mind. the Chinese precursor of Zen. .. The more difficult and complex Chan stories dealing with creative integration of the golden flower mind with the ordinary world required mental work in everyday life and took much longer to begin to penetrate. At the same time. Many of these stories are specifically for turning the light around. · . This eventually led me to The Secret of the Golden Flmve1.! looked into other Asian classical traditions such as Hinduism. This new phase of research into Taoism focused heavily on inner alchemy. and FlowerOrnament schools ofBuddhism. The first phase of study was partly comparative. A transcultural.133 It was in connection with this course of events that I came into con tact with Taoism. I also read from the Bible.· the processes of refining the mind and body as a unit joined by will. ·In the years following my first exposure to Buddhist teachings. which combines Taoist alchemy with basic mind work according to the designs of several schools of Buddhism. each ofwhich include investigation of other religions and philosophies as part of Buddhist study. that I returned to the study of Taoism. Confucianism. in connection with programs from the classical Pure Land. During these studies I found that turning the light around revealed unsuspected dimensions in the literature of other religions. This helped to disting1lish local historical and cultural elements of religious presentations from perennial underlying concerns. transdogmatic appreciation of the mental dynamic of religion became manifest in a very direct manner by means of this technique. I returned to these studies later.. and Sufism. observing what was common to different religions and what was peculiar to each. the Koran. Zen. My studies of world religions took place in several phases. as part of the practice of the comprehensive Flower Ornament school of Buddhism. and the mystic traditions ofJudaism and Christianity. It was through the last phase of intertraditional study. Taoism. Perhaps sensing this. along with an authentic commentary on the practical application of the teaching. His reasoning was that . moreover. Jung's commentary. it became clear that Wilhelm had misconstrued the text on many points. There are enough flaws in Wilhelm's readings of grammar. It proved possible to find a good text in a condensed collection of essential works from the Taoist canon. seemed contradictory and confused. By this time I had also read and translated other Buddhist and Taoist classics in the ancestral traditions of The Secret of the Golden Flower and therefore had become familiar with the technical terminology of the text. and conceptual structures to render his translation practically dysfunctional. I finally began to look for the original Chinese work. The main difficulty of the original work is that it uses Taoist alchemical language mixed with several types of Buddhist Chinese. J ung warned his readers away from trying to practice the secret of the golden flower. This undoubtedly caused Wilhelm confusion.134 Over the years I had attempted to read the Wilhelm/ Baynes translation of this important text several times. professing psychoanalysis to be its Western equivalent. terminology. because there were no facilities for teaching these languages and symbol systems to Westerners at that time. but found it inaccessible. and his translation was unreliable. On comparison with the canonical version of the original Chinese text. but attributing it to cultural differences. Giving up in frustration. Jung went further afield in transmogrifYing the central concepts of the text. he made a useful contribution to the study of this issue by raising doubts that needed expression and questions that called for examination. Jung's case against Westerners trying to practice the golden flower method would have been stronger if he had been able to clarify what was culture specific and could not be imitated usefully. I do not agree. however. Many Westerners today have had more opportunity. and he himself was aware that Buddhist proverb says the same thing.· for exposure to Eastern teachings and to· psychological studies of cultism than had Jung and his contemporaries. so it is important to distinguish it from authentic spiritual .135 Europeans lacked the cultural basis for practicing Eastern disciplines and had to work with their own traditions. that all Westerners will inevitably behave in this manner toward Eastern teachings. however. What Jung seems to have been against in reality was blind imitation of techniques. This is a useful warning. The problem is in the behavior. There is obviously some truth to this part of the argument. Furthermore. nevertheless..to the unconscious outlined in his introduction to The Secret of the . But even so. not in the object. the behavior will not necessarily change simply because its object is changed. Cult behavior continues to exist. undertaken with the wrong motivations and attitudes. and if he had adequately defined cultic behaviors that in hi bit the efficiency of mind-purifying practices. t~at Jung's approach. and Buddhistshave long said that teachings must be adapted to local psychological and social climates. It is not necessary to believe.·· Golden Flower is actually equivalent to the golden flower practice. 136 practice. due to which Jung was unable to understand Eastern teachings clearly and. In his time J ung did not have access to materials that would have allowed him to make distinctions between normal and cultic practices of Eastern teachings. including lack of sufficient data. Jung's caveats about practice. it is necessary to observe the cult mentality from the point of view of the golden flower and avoid confusing this process with observing the golden flower practice from the point of view of the cult mentality. it increases its validity with fuller and more accurate information and analysis. on the contrary. and he could not objectively judge the relative merits of the different exercises found in the corrupted version of The ~t of the Golden Flower rendered by Wilhelm. The psychological approach to the study of religion is not itself invalidated. Jung vns unable to avail himself of their methods. therefore. . Its full realization may have been thwarted by a combination of factors.therefore could not come to definitive conclusions. however. Jung's goal of understanding religion in terms of psychology was an approach that made religious teachings of all kinds more accessible to Westerners. Unaware that Taoists and Buddhists had themselves been interpreting religion psychologically for centuries. by the shortcomings in Jung's own practical work on Eastern teachings. which involves fixation and therefore cannot in any case foster authentic realization of golden flower mind blossoming. In order to do this. should be understood in reference to cultism. Of course. While it istrue that there are ritu:. particularly insofar as one of the factors involved in my own long-standing interest in Chan and Zen Buddhism was the practice of transcending religious and cultural forms to get at the· heart of reality in itself by direct experience and direct perception. scholasticism. I believe that the essence of Chan is one of the most potentially useful elements of the golden flower teaching. it is evident that fragmentary imitation Eastern mystical cults were thriving in Europe•between the. This fuct seemed particularly significant to me. from sources such as J ung's introduction to the second German edition of The Secret of the Golden Flowe1. their ultimate value in practice depends upon how . and cultural traditionalism aside. alized Zen cults with highly cloistered and involutedattitudes.. the psychologiciU and intellectual structures of Chan lore can be superlative analytic toolS that enable the mind to distinguish the inner patterns of things. and as such they do not impugn the validity of the originalteachings themselves. these are generally examples of imitations described longago in the classics of Chan and Zen.first·and second world wars.. In addition to its psychoactive techniques. the text itself. Cultism.Furthermore. and of Buddhism in general. Jung's reservations about golden flower practice were as much held in reaction to events in his own cultural milieu as they were based on his impressions of . in the context of> the modem West.such as Siddhartha and M~ · Ludi by Jung's contemporary Hermann Hesse. ··and• works. The Semt of the Golden Flower represents a way of approaching completeness of energy through completeness of mind. The conscious spirit is the mind-set of feelings. it is unconditioned and transcends culture and history. the primal original spirit is also known as the host. I believe this can be most easily accomplished by means of Chan devices that require no background in Chinese culture to understand or employ. thoughts. intellect belongs to the conscious spirit. bound by habit to specific forms. based on direct perception of the essence of mind and recovery of its inherent potential. while the conditioned conscious . without an abundance of philosophical or religious concepts. conditioned by personal and cultural history. This teaching calls itself a "special transmission outside of doctrine. as in their application to The Secnt of the Golden Fluwer. In Chan Buddhism. This is the hallmark of Chan. which is sometimes called the school of the enlightened mind. a distinction is made in the golden flower teaching between the "original spirit" and the "conscious spirit. but if they are to be usefully analyzed in secular psychological terms. These terms are employed in both Chan and Taoist traditions.'' The original spirit is the formless essence of awareness. and attitudes.138 effectively they are employed. The essence ofTaoism is to refine the conscious spirit to reunite it with the original spirit. The theory and practice of the golden flower method do exist in Greek and Christian tradition. For practical purposes. Intuition belongs to the original spirit.'' free from attachment to dogma and form. 139 spirit is known as the guest.to the liberated mind of primal spirit is known as the methodof"reversal. and the conscious spirit is the servant. In these terms. even while operating . the conscious spirit functions according to the situation without usurpingthe authority of the original spirit. In The Secret. This is called entering the eternal. you return again to the light~ not leaving anything to harm yourself.'' Here is an image of an ideal relationship between the original spirit as the source of power and the conscious spirit as a subordinate functionary. self-enlightenment takes place when the master is restoredto autonomy in the center. minds or two aspects of mind is found early on ii1 the ancient Taoist classic TtuJ Te Ching: "Using the shining radiance." or turning around the light. The idea of two. The operation of switching from the limited mind of conditioned consciousness . This direct contact empowers the individual to know spontaneously and be free from bondage to created thoughts and conditioned feelings. When clarified. self-delusion occurs when the servant has taken over from the master. to which the conscious spirit returns without leaving any harmful fixation on itself or its objects. the original spirit is the master.ofthe Golden Flmver these terms refer to restoration of direct contact with the essence and source of awareness. In this way the intellect functions efficiently in the world without that conscious activity inhibiting access to deeper spontaneous knowledge through the direct intuition of a more subtle faculty. The original spirit remains available as the reserve of total awareness. 140 in their very presence. In the words of the Tao Te Chittg, one can thus be "creative without possessiveness." In both Taoism and Buddhism, the term turning the light around means turning the primary attention from involvement in mental objects to focus on the essence or source of mind. This exercise is practiced as a means of clearing consciousness and freeing awareness. Many of the Taoists who had the strongest affinities with Chan Buddhism relied heavily on the exercise of turning the light around. Although this exercise is found in all Buddhist schools, it was particularly emphasized in Chan Buddhism. The See1-et of the Golden Flmver represents one of the most radical ofthese spirit-based methods. Virtually the whole text is devoted to the subtleties of this simple practice of reversal or turning the light around. There are numerous Chan, Zen, and Taoist sources con raining descriptions of tips and techniques for inducing, exercising, and integrating the experience of the golden flower blossoming. The fundamental premise and practice are suggested in the plainest terms in the teachings ofDahui (Ta-hui), a famous Chan Buddhist master of the twelfth century: "Good and bad come from your own mind. But what do you call your own mind, apart from your actions and thoughts? Where does your own mind come from? If you really know where your own mind comes from, boundless obstacles caused by your own actions will be cleared all at once. After that, all sorts of extraordinary possibilities will come to you without your seeking them." 141 There are also many Chan stories for initiating the golden flower exercise. Some of them are very simple, but they can be used over and over again. A srudent asked a teacher, ''What is Buddha?"· The teacher said, ''This mind is Buddha." A srudent asked a teacher, "What should one do when arising and vanishing (of thoughts) goes on unceasingly?" The teacher said, "Tsk! Whose arising and vanishing is it?" Once a teacher asked a student, "Where are you from?" The srudem said he was from such and such a place. · The teacher asked; "Do you think of that place?" The srudent said that· he often thought of it. The teacher said, "The thinker is the mind, what is thought ofis the environment. In the environment are mountains, rivers, land, buildings, people, animals, and so on, Now turn your thought around to think of the thinking mind; are there so many things there?" These Chan structures illustrate some of the ways that . attention can be arranged to induce the golden flower experience. It may bepossible to apply this use ofmind to psychotherapeutic theory and practice by means of its transcendental understanding of the self, its method of experiencing the self beyond the quirks ofpersonality, and its concentration on the elemental source of autonomy and self-mastery. To the therapist, the golden flower teaching offers techniques of developing deeper insight and greater awareness of human potential, as well as a means of con" tacting patients at a level of mind that is not affected 142 by psychic afflictions. To the patient, it offers an independent means of self-knowledge beyond the domain of conditioned personality, judgment, and opinion. Properly used, in the context of contemporary life and not as an exotic, half-understood cult, the practice of golden flower meditation certainly has the power to dispel the influence of neurotic compulsion. Rightly understood and correctly practiced, it does not have the dangers Jung attributed to it because it does not submit to the fascination of what he referred to as unconscious contents of mind. The exercise of turning the light around is in fact so penetrating an avenue to insight and transcendence that it is tempting to consider applying its theory and practice to the search for direction in treatment of some of the more serious disorders currently being addressed by the psychiatric community, crippling conditions such as those now known as acute manic depression, schizophrenia, psychosis, and multiple personality disorder. It must be kept in mind, however, that it would be completely foreign to the teaching and spirit of Buddhism and Taoism to suggest that any idea or practice can be regarded as a cure for aU iUs, or that any spiritual exercise can automaticaUy bring about the desired regeneration regardless of the mentality and attitude of the practitioner. In the traditional psychology of ancient Buddhist and Taoist schools, psychoactive exercises like the golden flower were part of comprehensive programs, not magic wands all-powerful in themselves. it is useful to work with the Chan concept of host and guest. earth. As a result the true host is concealed. For ancient methods of mental development to be naturalized in the West. the average individual comes to be centered in the guest and therefore regards it as the self. everything concerned with mood and personality is in the domain of the guest. a simple concept corresponding to the Taoist distinction between the original spirit and the conscious spirit. air. This is why clinical and descriptive psychology have become avenues for the exploration of formerly esoteric knowledge relating to the nature of experience. When the guest has taken over center stage and the host is no longer in sight. or original spirit. and there will have to be ways of expressing and addressing those needs effectively in the context of the new cultures. the "switching" that takes place within an individual in response to psychological and environmental factors is taking place from one mood or . and water does not diminish the importance of any of these elements. but it may be necessary to emphasize the importance of one or another when it is missing or insufficient.143 To say that greenery needs light. But through the process of social conditioning. and it cannot bring out its more objective and encompassing perspective on matters of mood and personality. they themselves will have to be in working order to be able to respond and adapt to local needs. From the point of view of the host. To consider the question of how the golden flower method could shed light on clues to the understanding and treatment ofmood and personality disorders. if there develop great disparities among moods or subpersonalities in the absence of ability to ((return to the light'' of the original mind. or original spirit. If applied with knowledge and without o~session. Thus alienated tram the primal source or ((host" of the original spirit. can occasionally be glimpsed in the space between temporal shifts of mood or personality. the golden flower technique provides a means of searching out the host behind the scenes to gain direct input from its creative energy and inspiration. it is now hidden and does not respond directly. it does not return all the way to the source. This host. Considered in this light. the method of the golden . The result of this ((crystallization" is a boundless source of potential." the conditioned fucades of psyche and personality.144 personality to another. then dysfunction and breakdown may result when the strain of attempting to maintain relative order overstresses the natural resilience of the fuculty of mind playing the part of the receptionist or answering service for the host. but it generally takes practice to stabilize it and use it deliberately. the t:go seeks integration by attempting to establish order among ((guests. Even as the conditioned mind goes from state to state in the course of changing circumstances. Although the host must be there. The individual can then no longer command the capacity to switch deliberately from a subjective mood or subpersonality to an objective and impersonal state of observant mind. Under these conditions. the ability to experience the pure self of the original mind and the capacity to return to it at will can be of fundamental significance in the psychic life of the individual. these four relations are expressed in mnemonic phrases: the guest within the guest. In this sense. alienated from conscious contact with the host behind the scenes. traditional Buddhist and Taoist materials on this subject are not propaganda to inculcate religious belief but blueprints of mental functions drawn to provide direction in the understanding and application of psychoactive exercises. Orientation is as important as the exercise itself. and they need to be understood in terms of their own structure in order to work according to their own design. touch on every facet of life. . another. because mind is the pivot of all acts and events. state. For application of the golden flower mind-awakening method. for disoriented meditation does more harm than good. or subpersonality to . the guest withiri the host. one of the most useful instructional devices in Chan Buddhist teaching explains the "two minds" in terms of"four relations between host and guese' To focus them in the mind all at once. the host within the host.. but to the ordinary individual as well. the host within the guest. the need for adaptation does n:ot mean that essential patterns can be distorted.145 flower can be of use not only to the psychotherapist. its iUuminating effects. There is a great deal of knowledge relating to the use of golden flower consciousness in the teachings of Buddhists and Taoists. The guest within the guest is the state of the ordinary mind going from one mood. Seen inthis··light. These teachings were constructed to assist in orientation of mental exercises. without being deceived by them or bound to them. but eventually died. In one sense. A few have already been mentioned. when contact with the original mind is established even as the individual is passing through shifting moods and personalities. yet in a deeper sense the host within the host is not only at the pinnacle but even at the basis of the total experience of golden flower practice. There are also certain stories from Chan and 1aoist tradition that are used to orient and sensitize the mind to this "turning point" in such a way that the capacity to "switch minds" is brought within reach of the ordinary consciousness. She ran away to live with her true lover. The guest within the host is a more mature level of attainment. The host within the host is the original spirit itself. having taken to her sickbed shortly after her betrothal. moods. . When her man returned to their hometown after her death. including ideas. and personalities.146 The host within the guest is the first stage of turning the light around. One of the more dramatic examples of such stories is based on a folk tale about ayoung woman who was betrothed to a man she didn't love. the primal source of consciousness in which is found the hidden "turning point" on which psychic liberty hinges. conscious experience of the host within the host follows realization of the host within the guest. he found that in the experience of the people there she had been at home all the while. at which the individual can enjoy free access to thought and its products. the paraUe. being centered in the primal spirit and thus not subject to control by the contents of conditioned states of consciousness. yet she was lying abed at home. Another master said. In this classic tale." were guests of a. which was the real one?" Ifwe say she was really at home. without assumptions. the philosopher relates that he dreamed he was a butterfly. "The girl had split souls. A parallel story from Taoist tradition is the famous butterfly dream of the sage Chuang-tzu. formless host. both "selves. .l with emotional division between outer and inner life is obvious. moods. youwill know that leaving one state of being and entering another is like staying at an inn. and personalities. The Chan answer is that both conditions. One of the great advantages of using such stories to jog the mind is that the very act of remembering the possibility of "switching" already places psychological distance between host and guest. but can we ask. having a wonderful time fluttering about from flower to flower on the zephyrs of spring.her lover.147 In modern terms. this would suggest that the individual··· who realizes the true host can enter and exit thoughts." In psychological terms. which one was the phantom? A Chan master said. and personalities at will. moods. if we say she was with. feelings. yet she lived with her lover. thus dispelling to some degree the mesmeric influence of thoughts. "If you can awaken to the real one herein. feelings. This is what Taoists call· returning to the "root of heaven and earth. Jung's reasons for warning people away from golden flower practice were ostensibly based on what he perceived as cultural incompatibility. If this can be accomplished in reality. he found that he was no longer sure whether he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly. it can still offer a perspective on human psychology that will allow for an objective and nonjudgmental approach to the understanding and treatment of mood and personality extremism. there is no reason why psychic events such as extreme mood swings or personality changes should assume control of individuals to the extent of becoming crippling handicaps." from which extradimensionalvantage point it is possible to experience higher enlightenment right in the midst of the mundane world. however.148 On awakening from this pleasant reverie. It was his belief that . Even if this practice is understood in theory alone. or whether he was a butterfly now dreaming he was a man. By this means it is possible to detach from conditioned states and identities without thereby becoming dissociated from the realm of ordinary experience. Thus the individual can always resort to renewal from the very source of creativity. The issue of this story is not its superficial question of which psychic contents to identify as the selfbut is in the act of recalling attention to the "turning point" revealed in between states. the formless "opening" or "aperture'' through which the real self of the formless host can be seen and experienced in its own purity and freedom. Jung could have found that neither the reality nor the imitations of spiritual practices are limited to East orWest.golden. To deal fully with Jung's treatment of the golden flower teaching would lead us afield from the point of this work. Jung was admittedly preoccupied with expounding his own theories. Jung apparently misunderstood descriptions of the exercise partly because ofWilhelm's mistranslation and his own lack of experience.••. Jung's concern with the problems of cultural differences led him to· believe that the.. Jung does not show how his method is actually equivalent to the golden flower practice. and he underscored his point with a proverbial Buddhist . but with the Western attitude toward technology of any k~nd. which is to exposethe original teaching itself. Apart from the fact that hewas faced with a garbled translation of a corrupt text with the last few chapters missing. His remarks on the Western mentality suggest avenues of study. Furthermore. Jung quarrelled not with the method of the golden flower. Therefore Jung thought it only reasonable that Westerners should not imitate Eastern methods. . Had he done so. Indian. .149 Europeans of his time lacked the proper psychological basis for the yogic practices of Chinese. The purpose of mentioning Jung here is to reopen adoor of inquiry by questioning the limits of the limitations he presumed. · warning about incorrect use of practices. and · Tibetan religions. •·. but he does not examine the cultic behaviors that make imitation methods ineffective.flower practice developed from Chinese tradition. in spite ofthe fact that he had evidence of its existence in Western tradition. 148 On awakening from this pleasant reverie. The issue of this story is not its superficial question of which psychic contents to identify as the self but is in the act of recalling attention to the "turning point" revealed in between states. If this can be accomplished in reality. Thus the individual can always resort to renewal from the very source of creativity. there is no reason why psychic events such as extreme mood swings or personality changes should assume control of individuals to the extent of becoming crippling handicaps. By this means it is possible to detach from conditioned states and identities without thereby becoming dissociated from the realm of ordinary experience. the formless "opening" or "aperture" through which the real self of the formless host can be seen and experienced in its own purity and freedom. Even if this practice is understood in theory alone. or whether he was a butterfly now dreaming he was a man. however." from which extradimensional vantage point it is possible to experience higher enlightenment right in the midst of the mundane world. he found that he was no longer sure whether he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly. This is what Taoists call returning to the "root of heaven and earth. Jung's reasons for warning people away from golden flower practice were ostensibly based on what he perceived as cultural incompatibility. it can still offer a perspective on human psychology that will allow for an objective and nonjudgmental approach to the understanding and treatment of mood and personality extremism. It was his belief that . •. Jung's concern with the problcmsof cultural differences led him to believe that the golden flower practice developed from Chinese tradition. Furthermore.of his time Jacked the proper psychological basis for the yogic practices ofChinese. Jung was admittedly pi:eoccupiedwith expounding his own theories. Jung could have found that neither the reality nor the imitations of spiritual practices are limited to East or West. which is to expose the original teaching itself. Therefore Jung thought it only reasonable that Westerners should not imitate Eastern methods. but he does not examine the culric behaviors thatma:keimitation methods.Indian. The purpose of mentioning Jung here is to reopen a door of inquiry by questioning the limits of the limitations he presumed. Apart from the fact that he was faced with a garbled translation of a corrupt text with the last few chapters missing.ineffective. Jung quarrelled not with the method of the golden flower. and Tibetan religions. · . . Jung apparently misunderstood descriptions of the exercise partly because of Wilhelm's mistranslation and his own lack of experience. Jung does not show how his method is actually equivalent to the golden flower practice. To deal fully withJ ung's treatment of the golden flower teaching would lead us afield from the point of this work. · ·· . Had he done so.149 Europeans. in spite of the fact that he had evidence of its existence in Western tradition. ·. His remarks on the Western mentality suggest avenues of study. but with the Western attitude toward technology of any k~nd. and he underscored his point with a proverbial Buddhist warning about incorrect use of practices. practices. There are two main objects to stopping thought in Buddhist tradition. It enables one to think deliberately rather than compulsively. Among the problems that Westerners have traditionally faced in working with Eastern meditation practices is the fear that mind-stilling exercises will prevent them from thinking thoughts that they need to think. but it does not warp reason. The other is to clear room for the conscious operation of non conceptual insight. This use of mind opens a wider space for thought. they provide a useful counterpoint to the original tradition when highlighting psychological practicalities of the golden flower exercise. One reason for this is that Western versions of Eastern mental exercises active during the sixty years that have elapsed since the original publication of The Secret of the Goltkn F/Qwer have been informed in· part by Jungian interpretations of Eastern. as the Chan proverb goes. where there are many warnings in meditation lore to avoid excessive·stilling. and their significance in relation to Western thinking about Eastern thought. This is also a concern in the East. One is to open up space to clarify rhought by distinguishing compulsive habitual thought from deliberate logical thought." The golden flower practice can stop thought temporarily. "stagnant water cannot contain the coils of a dragon. Practitioners are carefully warned to avoid becoming intoxicated by the peaceful tranquillity of thought cessation. are more fruitfully treated in the context of his total work on Eastern subjects.ISO Jung's ideas on the golden flower. Nevertheless. with the ability to . Golden flower exercise is not focused on forms of images or ideas. at first there is a tendency for random thoughts and images to occur with seemingly greater~than~ordinary frequency and strength.· To adapt a practice to a new cultural setting is one thing. Jung became aware of this phenomenon and attempted to exploit what he thought was its potential asameans for exploring the unconscious. conserving untold mental energy. It is only after the actual awakening or blossoming of the golden flower has taken place that examination ofmental phenomena with detached objectivity is considered possible. and in that sense it is not and cannot be culture bound. to turn it into something fundamentally different .151 think and observe thought with detached clarity. He was also aware of danger in this. nor is it known and practiced by Chinese people in general through the influence of their cultural heritage. The speed of its direct perception can also see at a glance where a train of thought will lead. With any eXercise that stills the mind. so that one can put down useless thoughts and take up useful thoughts by means of independent discernment and will. and hestresses this danger in his works on both Eastern and Western alchemy. Before this breakthrough. For this reason h is not peculiarly Chinese. In golden flower practice this problem is avoided by relinquishing all obsession with thoughts and images that come to mind in the course of the exercise. too much introspection of psychic contents is viewed as a distraction from the primary purpose of arriving at the source of awareness itself. What is necessary is the primal psychological seed. being. but are means of arranging attention to elicit extra potential in vision. they are part of a transcendent interior culture that has no national boundaries. Yet it is also true that some forms of neurosis are built into civilized society itself. Independent perception and autonomous conduct are not general ideals in the Confucian and Hindu societies within which Taoism and Buddhism existed. . they need to be reduced to their essence and allowed to develop in their new environment. is that the enhanced receptivity and sensitivity fostered by the practice might exacerbate feelings of illness and fear. and action. In order to benefit from whatever is useful in Eastern teachings. whatever that may be. The reason why the golden flower method is not particularly recommended for severely neurotic people. not the temporal cultural husk. This means that they should be able to function adequately in their own culture and society.152 is another. Taoist and Buddhist teachings explain that their structures and terminologies are not sacred in themselves. The golden flower practice is not primarily a therapeutic method for severely unbalanced people. and many ordinary people suffering slightly from mild neuroses are well integrated with their everyday world. or for people with schizoid or psychotic tendencies. it is a way of higher development for ordinary people. ·The opening statement of The Secret of the Golden Flower includes the provision that people should establish a firm foothold in the ordinary world before they try to cultivate the blossoming of the golden flower. md endless space. would be key to any help the golden flower method could offer the severely unbalanced in finding a way out of their hells. For their part. so the golden flower exercise could be useful to them in a very direct way in the investigation of processes of mental illness and liberation. of thought assail the mind as it relaxes its conscious set in anticipation of the attempted switch-over to nonconceptual awareness. they could be better off with the guidance of therapists who have themselves experienced the original mind of humanity and can calmly view the various realms of thought and perception as so many planets in a vast . therapists to the mentally bedeviled need the unattached buoyancy and independent objectivity of penetrating insight. If people with uncontrollable mental problems do turn to the golden flower method for help. when the "demons.153 The thoughts and images that compel the neurotic and psychotic could become more overpowering in the early stages of golden flower practice. Getting past this stage to experience penetrating insight into the essence and source of awareness itself. not associated with any content at all. . 1986. Translated by R. Psycho~ and the East. Princeton. Li Daoqun. 1988. Thnslated by Thomas Cleary. Thnslated by Thomas Cleary. 1988. Boston: Shambhala. Liu 1~ming. Carl G. Baynes. Bos~ ton: Shambhala. Boston: Shambhala. 'franslated from the German by Cary F. Translated by Thomas Cleary. Translated by Thomas Cleary. C. Jung. San Francisco: North Point Press. . Boston: Shambhala. Hull. F. I Chi1fff Mandalas. Liu 1-ming. 1989. with a commentary by C. Thnslated and edited by Thomas Cleary. G. The Book ofBalance and Ha'!"11Wny. . Boston: Shambhala. Jung. 1978. The TtWist I Ching. The Secret ofthe Golden Flcwer: A Chinese Book of Lift. ·1987. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1989. 1986. Boston: Shambhala. 154 . Liu l~ming. 1961. The Inner Teachings ofTIWism.Works Cited Chang Po~tuan. Translated by Thomas Cleary.· Immortal Sisters. 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