The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life

Great book. Short and Sweet. Not really much more to say. It contains the best of both worlds, a nice peak into Chinese philosophy, and a nice introduction into Jungian Psychology.

Delivered this evening and I’m already halfway through. Thankfully I’ve studied multiple other traditions as it relates to the integration of personality within the greater context of consciousness otherwise I’d be lost. However, given my foundational understanding already in place, I have had numerous “light bulb” moments on almost every page. If you’re familiar with the fundamentals of other ancient teachings, you will experience a familiarity with the body of work contained in these pages. For me, it fills in some gaps that I have not yet found in other traditions but I find it fascinating how each of those traditions has held their piece of a much greater (and older) body of wisdom. This little gem is a keeper that I will be consulting for years to come. Many thanks to all who helped bring this work together and for Carl Jung for writing so glowingly about how it helped him bring important insights together for his life’s work at the exact moment he needed it. I can see now what he meant!

A very interesting and meaningful book to say the least. And like Jung, gratitude must be given Richard Wilhelm for his insight in the East and translation of the text.A manual written symbolically for the practice of meditation, where thoughts are reduced to the square inch between the eyes, the eye lids half closed, eyes centered near the tip of the nose, the heart rate next to nothing in quietude, controlled breath of a circular motion that becomes quiet. The "white light" so spoken in Buddhist terms and various states of consciousness are related. However, this is far more than a mere meditation manual, but symbols which convey non-intellectual ideas, that is, non-Western rationalism, and yet significant and advanced in both it's teaching and applications.Ultimately for myself, it is Jung's commentary that my Western mind needed to interpret the text itself and the subsequent interpretations. I am moved in profundity on Jung's analysis that man's consciousness advances non-rationally, but psychically. Where the advancement cannot be spoken or written of in intellectual terms but rather can be done so in symbols. In this, Jung expounds on the idea that symbols convey advanced images that relate to the psyche and can never be proved intellectually or rationally. This is where images, as in Mandalas, come in. Images and symbols speak what words cannot. They are of a higher conscious level awareness, a psychical advancement. None of this is rationally or mathematically equated, none, nor can it be languistically conveyed. Humans can only point, using symbols and images, they can not expound, explain and reason on such.Jung's acknowledges the law of opposites and how the Chinese contain a higher culture or mind than the West, one that can contain contradictions or opposites without one-sided fundamentalism. And this is no doubt far ahead of most Western thinking in terms of black and white thinking, or what Jung calls barbarism. This reminds me of Walt Whitman's self poem of containing all contradictions and Keats "negative capabilities" and Shakespeare's comments on having all thoughts together without becoming irritable over such, and that including the beat poet, Allen Ginsberg, who spoke of the same.In Jung's memorial words dedicated to Richard Wilhelm, he relates to his thoughts on Synchronistic principle, which confirm his validity on the practices of Chinese wisdom found in I-Ching and Astrology, both sciences based not on Newtonian, or causality principles but rather through a remarkable phenomena of the unconscious, psychic parallelisms based which cannot be related to each other causally. The Tao will never be created with words and concepts, a teaching that is absent from the history of philosophy since the time of the pre-socratic, Heraclitus, and only reappears as a faint echo in Lebinitz.

Once you fully grasp and understand the level of concentration that it takes ,you will never again need to read anything else about the subject.This takes takes a long time to accomplish and 💯 isolation is necessary or you will become a stranger in your own house ,don’t expect to achieve this and have a regular life.Do not approach this if you can’t fully commit to the practice ,or you will lose your mind.Respect it and don’t approach it with any outside influences or intentions ,move without moving.

ThIs is a book that will take multiple readings to assimilate. However, you will get something out each reading even if it is only on an intuitive level. As always, Carl Jung's commentary and insights are fascinating and will help the reader.

I'm big on western philosophy, but this book focuses on eastern philosophy of course. It was a difficult read the first time, but like any book the more you re-read it the better you understand the material.

still to read

Over 40 years ago I bought this book. It's an essential compliment to the I Ching. As I slowly integrated the Taoist approaches into my daily life, I kept giving away this small book to friends who were curious. This must be my 10th copy! In a study group we are reading three books simultaneously: C. G. Jung's Redbook; Jung's Alchemy volume in his Collected Works; and The Secret of the Golden Flower. Deep diving into transformation symbolism.

Good read

Poor print quality almost unreadable in places.

The item arrived on time, packaged meticulously, and exactly as described.

To understand this, one has to abandon usual way of seeing time as linear and consider it could be circular. He will then realize that what he suffered in his childhood can be the result of present or future actions. Knowing this theory about a different perspective of time and space is the reason why oriental philosophies underline acceptation and adaptation as important attitudes towards what happens in our lives. It doesn’t mean one has to submit to bad conditions, it means he shall find the source of the problems and work from there to clean it. It is then useless to blame others, it will only lead us far away from the solution that lies inside us. Dissipation is a dispersive process where our attention and energy is drained in a useless way, keeping us from the focal point where the source comes out in the dragons cave. The dragon is our sexual energy also called Kundalini or Ki by orientals, it sits in the genital area where it can be awakened and directed inside the body and up the chakras to enlighten he who evokes and master him.Stopping the flow to the outside and redirecting it inside is the method used by those who seek to reconnect with the Tao. Appearances will show stillness and quietness of the seeker to the eyes of outsiders. Lao Tseu stated; Who speaks doesn’t know, who know’s doesn’t speak, underlining the uselessness of the spoken word in the relation of this inside reality. As long one hasn’t experienced the awakened dragon, he wont hear the words talking about it, there is nothing in his mind to relate to it.There are many steps before finding the dragon and this is why meditation techniques are helpful. Getting the mental to calm down is the image of a wild horse you will have to master before being able to ride on it. This is the object of this book, mastering the dragon.

Great product quality and rapid reliable service! Great read too. Not been disappointed so far with this seller.