The Secret of the Golden Flower

About this book

A golden flower opens when awareness turns towards its own source. This Chinese meditation text describes the circulation of light, the quieting of thought and the delicate work of cultivating inner life through attention and breath.

Richard Wilhelm presents the text with explanations of its Taoist concepts, while C. G. Jung's commentary examines the images through the psychology of the unconscious. Cary F. Baynes translated their work into English. Their encounter gave Western readers an influential, sometimes contested interpretation of Chinese inner alchemy. The diagrams and competing perspectives make the volume especially interesting as a meeting between spiritual traditions.