The Golden Flower, was: A story of Ramana Maharshi

[Guest guest]

Antoine!

>I am enjoying reading back the "The Secret of the Golden Flower". It is

>never the same as i read it, wonder if someone went into the past to

>change it's content

 

The other night an occurrence on another list caused me to want a certain

book very much. Most of my books are still in boxes, waiting for me to

build shelves... but I opened one box that I could reach and dug into it.

I didn't find what I was looking for, but I found some other books that I

have really needed... Govinda, Evans-Wentz, and... guess what?... _The

Secret of the Golden Flower_!! )

 

I began with Evans-Wentz' translation of _The Epitome of the Six Doctrines

[Yogas]_ and went fairly quickly to Govinda to find what he said on the

same subjects. The last time I read these books was before my K. was

activated, and I must tell you, the whole world has changed!! No wonder

these books have changed! I am reading with profound wonder at how much I

didn't see here in the past!

 

I did go to your web site and discovered that you and I have different

translations of _The Secret of the Golden Flower_. I think yours is a

translation into French from an English translation from the Chinese. Mine

is an English translation of the German translation by Richard Wilhelm from

the Chinese. I don't know whether you read German, but you might want

to buy this book in either English or German. It includes:

 

_ A translator's foreward,

_ A foreward to the 2d German edition by C.G. Jung, commenting on his

changed and deeper understanding, especially of the alchemical nature of

the text,

_ A discussion of the text and interspersed notes by Richard Wilhelm,

_ A partial translation of the _Hui Ming Ching_ (_The Book of Consciousness

and Life_),

_ A foreword to the 5th German edition by Salome Wilhelm, including a brief

introduction to the _Hui Ming Ching_ written by Richard Wilhelm,

_ A long "Commentary" by Jung, which originally appeared before _The Secret

of the Golden Flower_... in fact, this English edition lists Jung as a

co-author,

_ A memorial address by Jung "In Memory of Richard Wilhelm," who also

translated the _I Ching_.

 

I am finding considerable differences between our translations... for that

reason alone, you might wish to have this one too.

>On light or the shining it says: "<<Light burst out in the empty

>chamber.>> This light is not luminous but, they explain, it is a proof

>of efficiency in the beginning, before we have seen the light.If you see

>it in form of a light and that you fix your attention on it, you will

>fall in the consciousness of concepts who is not the Light of the

>Essence." From Chapter X, the light of the Essence and the light of the

>consciousness.

 

Even the chapter divisions are different. Wilhelm's translation has no

tenth chapter! I have found the text that you are discussing above, but I

cannot be sure which line your translation gives as "Light burst out in the

empty chamber." It may be this: "When the rotating light shines towards

what is within,..."

>And i just love these words from the preceding chapter: The secret of

>Liberty

>

>"Fix the spirit in the den of the energy

>And you will suddenly see

>The white snow fly away in full summer,

>The sun shine in the water at midnight.

>Advancing harmoniously,

>You travel the skies

>And will sink in to absorb

>The virtues of the receptive principle."

 

Here is Wilhelm's translation (at one remove) of lines containing the same

text:

>Master Lu-tsu said, Yu Ch'ing has left behind him a magic

>spell for the far journey:

>

> Four words crystallize the spirit in the space of energy.

> In the sixth month white snow is suddenly seen to fly.

> At the third watch the sun's disk sends out blinding

> rays.

> In the water blows the wind of the Gentle.

> Wandering in heaven, one eats the spirit-energy of

> the Receptive.

> And the still deeper secret of the secret:

> The land that is nowhere, that is the true home...

 

I wonder if anyone on the list has and can read the text in the original

Chinese.

>I made small page to explain those symbols in few words, in my

>experience of them, until someone goes to change the past again, and may

>have to come to have a different meaning.

 

Thank you! I also see other things on your web site that I want to go back

to.

 

Love,

Dharma