The Secret of the Golden Flower; 太乙金華宗旨, a Chinese Taoist book about meditation, was first translated by Richard Wilhelm, a friend of Carl Jung, was German, and his translations from Chinese to German were later translated to English by Cary F. Baynes. According to Wilhelm, Lü Dongbin was the main originator of the material presented in the book (a section below, Reception from Chinese Taoists, suggests that the material is from Quanzhen School founder Wang Chongyang, a student of Lü Dongbin.)
My Work Is Like That of Lu Dongbin in the Parable
“My work is like the work of Lu Dongbin. Dongbin wished to select a suitable person to whom he could convey the alchemy of longevity. Pretending to be a peddler selling a comb, he roamed the streets, shouting, ‘If you use this comb, your gray hair will turn dark, your lost teeth will grow back, your hunched back will straighten, your faded vitality will be reinvigorated, and your aged face will regain its youth—you will attain ageless longevity! The price of this comb is one thousand nyang.’ He cried this out for a long time, but people dismissed him as a lunatic and would not believe his words. “Eventually, Dongbin tested the comb on an old woman among the passing crowd, and indeed, her gray hair turned dark and the teeth she had lost grew back. Only then did people rush to buy the comb, but at that moment, Dongbin ascended to heaven riding upon a cloud of many hues.” [JSD Dojeon 7:63]
Let All the World's People Gain Youth
Taemonim next summoned the spirit of Lu Dongbin, and a short time later, She commanded the disciples, “Raise your eyes to the sky.” When they all raised their eyes, they beheld a cloud that had taken the shape of a sublime immortal. She asked the disciples, “Can you see it?” “Yes, we can!” all replied.
“Let all the world’s people gain youth,” Taemonim commanded of the immortal-shaped cloud. The immortal-shaped cloud bowed its head in obedience to Her command and withdrew toward the east. Taemonim proclaimed, “I shall prevent hair from turning white and backs from becoming hunched in the coming world.” [JSD Dojeon 11:206]
1. 天心: Heavenly Consciousness
That which exists through itself is called the Way(Tao道). Tao has neither name nor shape. It is the one nature, the One Primal Spirit[元神]. Nature[性] and life[命] cannot be seen. They are contained in the light of heaven[天光]. The light of heaven cannot be seen. It is contained in the two eyes.
The Great One[太乙] is the term given to that which has nothing above it. The secret of the magic of life consists in using action in order to attain non-action. The Golden Flower is the light[光]. What color is the light? One uses the Golden Flower as a symbol. It is the true energy of the transcendent Great One. The phrase "The lead of the water-region has but one taste" refers to it.
The work on the circulation of the light depends entirely on the backward-flowing movement[逆法] so that the thoughts (the place of heavenly consciousness) are gathered together. The heavenly heart lies between sun and moon[印堂]. The heavenly heart is like the dwelling place, the light is the master. Therefore when the light circulates, the energies of the whole body appear before its throne.
The light is easy to move, but difficult to fix. If it is made to circulate long enough, then it crystallizes itself. That is the natural spirit-body[法身]. This crystallized spirit is formed beyond the nine heavens. In carrying out this fundamental principle, you need to seek for no other methods, but must only concentrate your thoughts on it.
The Golden Flower is the Elixir of Life[金丹](literally, golden ball), All changes of spiritual consciousness depend upon your mind. There is a secret charm which, although it works very accurately, is yet so fluid that it needs extreme intelligence and clarity, and the most complete absorption and tranquillity.
2. 元神 識神: The primal spirit and the conscious spirit
In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly. But compared to the great Way, heaven, and earth, too are like a bubble and a shadow. Only the primal spirit[元神] and the true nature[眞性] overcome time and space.
When men are set free from the womb, the primal spirit[元神] dwells in the square inch (between the eyes), but the conscious spirit[識神] dwells below in the heart. If a man does not eat for one day even, it feels extremely uncomfortable. If it hears something terrifying it throbs, if it hears something enraging it stops; if it is faced with death it becomes sad; if it sees something beautiful it is dazzled. But the heavenly heart in the head, when would it have moved in the least?
The lower heart[識神] moves like a strong, powerful commander who despises the heavenly ruler because of his weakness and has usurped the leadership in affairs of state. But when the primal castle[元宮] can be fortified and defended, then it is as if a strong and wise ruler sat upon the throne. The eyes start the light circulating like two ministers at the right and left who support the ruler with all their might.
The way to the Elixir of Life is known as supreme magic, essence-water[精水], spirit-fire[神火], and thought-earth[意土]; these three. What is essence-water? It is the true, one energy of former heaven (eros). Spirit-fire is the light(logos). Thought-earth is the heavenly heart of the middle dwelling (intuition). Spirit-fire is used for function[用], thought-earth for substance[體], and essence-water for the foundation.
The anima, earthly soul[魄] adheres to consciousness, in order to affect it. Consciousness[識] depends for its origin on the anima. The anima is feminine(yin), it is the substance of consciousness. As long as this consciousness is not interrupted, it continues to beget from generation to generation, and the changes of form of the anima and the transformation of substance are unceasing.
There is the animus, heavenly soul[魂] in which the spirit[神] shelters. The animus lives in the daytime in the eyes; at night it houses in the liver. When living in the eyes; at night it houses in the liver. When living in the eyes, it sees; then housed in the liver, it dreams. Dreams are the wandering of the spirit through all nine heavens and all nine earths.
The concentration of the animus, heavenly soul[魂] is brought about by the circulation of the light[回光], and in this way, the spirit[神] is maintained, the anima subjugated, and consciousness[識神] cut off. It is just the light that is the creative. If this method is followed, plenty of essence-water[精水] will be present of itself; the spirit-fire[神火] will be ignited, and the thought-earth[意土] will solidify and crystallize. And thus the holy fruit matures.
All sensuous desires and impulses of anger are effects of the anima, earthly soul[魄]; it is the conscious spirit[識神] that after death is nourished on blood, but which, during life, is in greatest distress. the pupil understands how to distill the dark anima, earthly soul[魄] completely so that it transforms itself into pure light(yang)
3. 回光守中: Circulation of the light and protection of the center
When the light is made to move in a circle[回光], all the energies of heaven and earth, of the light and the dark, are crystallized. Only after concentrated work of a hundred days will the light[光] be genuine, then only will it become spirit-fire[神火]. In the midst of primal transformation, the radiance of the light(yang-kuang,陽光) is the determining thing. In the physical world, it is the sun; in man, the eye.
By concentrating the pure thoughts, one can fly; by concentrating the human desires, one falls. When a pupil takes little care of his pure thoughts and must care of his desires, he gets into the path of submersion. "The essence-blossoms[精華] of the human body must be concentrated upward in the empty space[上丹田]." This refers to it. Immortality is contained in this sentence and also the overcoming of the world is contained in it. This is the common goal of all religions.
All holy men have bequeathed this to one another; nothing is possible without contemplation (fan-chao返照, reflection). When Confucius says; 'Perceiving brings one to the goal[致知]'; or when the Buddha calls it; 'The vision of the heart[觀心]'; or Lao-tse says; 'Inner vision[內觀].' it is all the same. Fan[返] means returning to the beginning empty state of origin from the mind of consciousness.
"Look at the tip of your nose." Wherever the eye looks, the heart is directed also (with your thoughts). How can it be directed at the same time upward and downward or alternatively, so that it is now up, now down? when the eyes are opened too wide, one makes the mistake of letting them[神光] turn inward, whereby one easily sinks into a dreamy reverie[昏沈]. Only when the eyelids are lowered properly halfway is the tip of the nose seen in just the right way (close outer eye, open inner eye).
Fixations contemplation[止觀] is indispensable; it ensures the making fast of the enlightenment. Only one must not stay sitting rigidly if worldly thoughts come up, but one must examine[觀] where the thought is, where it began, and where it fades out. Nothing is gained by pushing reflection further in the end where the thoughts arose. One must be content to see where the thought arose, and not seek beyond the point of origin; for to find the heart that can not be done.
4. 回光調息: Circulation of The Light and Making The Breathing Rhythmical
Breathing[息] comes from the self-heart(自+心). What comes out of the self-heart is breath. As soon as the heart stirs, there develops breath-energy. Breath-energy[氣] is originally transformed activity of the heart[心]. When our ideas go very fast they imperceptibly pass into fantasies which are always accompanied by the drawing of a breath. Daily we draw innumerable breaths and have an equal number of fantasies. And thus the clarity of the spirit ebbs away as wood dries out and ashes die.
Since it has tone, the breathing is rough and superficial and does not penetrate into the open. Then the heart must be made to make it quite light and insignificant. The more it is released, the less it becomes; the less it is, the quieter. All at once the breathing becomes so quiet that it stops. Then the true breathing[眞息] is manifested and the real form[本性] of the heart[心] comes to consciousness.
“The hen can hatch her eggs because her heart is always listening." This she does with her hearing. In this way, she concentrates her whole heart. When the heart[心] penetrates, the energy[氣] penetrates, and the chick receives the energy of the heat and begins to live. Because the concentration of the spirit suffers no interruption, neither does the energy of heat suffer interruption day or night, and the spirit[神] awakens to life.
“When you fix your heart[心] on one point, then nothing is impossible for you." The heart easily runs away, so it is necessary to concentrate it by means of breath-energy. Breath-energy easily becomes rough, therefore it has to be refined by the heart. When that is done, can it then happen that it is not fixed?
6. 回光徵驗: Confirmatory Experiences during The circulation of The Light
There are many kinds of confirmatory experiences from the circulation of the light. One must not content oneself with small demands but must rise to the thought that all living creatures have to be redeemed. One must not be trivial and irresponsible in the heart but must strive to make deeds prove one's words.
If when there is stillness continuously and uninterruptedly in quiet, the spirit has a sense of great joy as if intoxicated or freshly bathed, it is a sign that the light principle is harmonious in the whole body; then the Golden Flower begins to bud.
Furthermore, the whole body feels strong and firm so that it fears neither storm nor frost. Things by which other men are displeased, when I meet them, cannot becloud the brightness of the seed of the spirit. With one breath of the true energy will immediately live again.
7. 回光活法: The Living Manner of the Circulation of The Light
When in ordinary life one has the ability always to react to things by reflexes only, without any differentiation of thought between others and oneself, that is a circulation of the light arising out of circumstances. This is the first secret.
8. 逍遙訣: A magic spell for The Far Journey
The most important things in the great Tao are the words; action through non-action[無爲而爲]. Non-action prevents a man from becoming entangled in form and image. Action in nonaction prevents a man from sinking into numbing emptiness[空] and dead nothingness[虛]. The effect of great Tao depends entirely on the central One[中] between action[有爲] and non-action[無爲]; the releasing of the effect is in two eyes.
If one wants to penetrate the more subtle regions by this method, one must first control the body and heart, so one should feel quiet, free, and peaceful, letting go of all entanglements, untroubled by the slightest excitement.
Worldly desire comes from the outer world or being possessive toward things. This desire is thought that comes out of improper place and changes continuously according to the changes of phenomenon world. When not a single thought arises, then true mindfulness is born; this is pure attention[眞意].
All three religions (Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism) agree in the one proposition; the finding of the spiritual Elixir in order to pass from death to eternal life. In what does this spiritual Elixir consist? It means forever dwelling in purposelessness[無心].
10. 性光識光: The Light of Essence and the Light of Consciousness
Now when the mind forms a thought(今+心), this thought[念] 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[性光]. when there is consciousness in the light, then what light is there anymore?
At first, when the light of essence[性光, 元神] turns into thought, then it is consciousness[識神]. When consciousness arises, the light is obscured and cannot be found. It is not that there is no light, but that the light[性光] has become consciousness[識神].
When turning the light around[回光], you properly turn around the primary unattributable light[性光], so not a single conscious thought is applied. What causes you to flow and revolve is just the six sense organs, but what enables you to attain enlightenment is also just the six sense organs.
Now if you turn the light around without falling into consciousness[識神], you are using the original essence[本性] in the sense organs. If you turn the light around fallen into consciousness[識神], then you use the nature of consciousness[識性] in the sense organs. Herein lies the hairs-breadth's distinction. Deliberate meditation is the light of consciousness[識光]; let go, and it is then the light of essence[性光]. A hairs-breath's difference is as that of a thousand miles, so discernment is necessary.
If consciousness is not stopped, spirit does not come alive; if mind is not emptied, the elixir does not crystallize. When mind is clean, that is elixir; when mind is empty, that is medicine[藥(精.氣.神)]. When it doesn't stick to anything at all, it is said that the mind is clean; when it doesn't keep anything in it, it is said that the mind is empty. If emptiness is seen as empty, emptiness is still not empty. When empty or mindless of emptiness, this is called true emptiness[眞空].
12. 周天: The Cycle
For the complete cycle, energy[氣] is not the main thing; mental attainment[無心] is the sublime secret. If you wonder what it ultimately is, the cycle helps growth; it is maintained without minding[無心] and carried out without deliberate intention[無意].
13. 勸世歌: Song to Inspire the World
After conceptual consciousness is forgotten, You see basic reality. The water-clarifying pearl appears, Mysterious and unfathomable; Turning the light around[回光] is a matter of pure and single-minded practice; just use true breathing[眞息] 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 the 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[溫養]. Clarifying the mind and seeing its essence is understanding the Way[明心見性].