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The Secret of the Golden Flower (Paperback)

by Thomas Cleary (Author) "1 From the point of view of the universe, people are like mayflies; but from the point of view of the Way, even the universe..." (more)
Key Phrases: golden flower teaching, mundane conditioning, living midnight, Chan Buddhism, Chan Buddhist, Liu I-ming (more...)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Customers buy this book with The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life by Richard Wilhelm

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The first volume of the Starseed Trilogy: Intuitive knowledge featuring a startling new view of human evolution.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: HarperOne (March 12, 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0062501933
  • ISBN-13: 978-0062501936
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #222,233 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #14 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Cleary, Thomas

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Book needs more than one reading, October 29, 1999
By A Customer
Cleary writes an excellent translation of a foundational text. This is not a book that can be understood unless one has a general familiarity with Taoism and Buddhism. As a person follows either one of these disciplines, he or she may use the book as a sort of a gauge as to the depth of understanding one has gained. Each time I reread the book, I find that the content becomes clearer. In this sense it is excellent. It compliments other books in an eastern philosophy student's library.
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Clearly not for the beginner, December 24, 2003
By V. K. Lin (Eugene, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
I had difficulty with this book. As I've stated before, finding
English translations on any text is difficult, because Chinese
ideograms are themselves sometimes associated with different
meanings based on context, and because, especially with regards
to religious symbolism and internal alchemy, the symbolism can
be quite esoteric.

This book is divided into sections. The first is Cleary's
direct translation. The second is his commentary for each verse.
The last is an afterward regarding the "technques" espoused in
this book relevant to modern life.

Personally, I would have found the commentary more useful
integrated directly after each verse. The translation is still
highly symbolic, and the commentary adds a little to
understanding what is trying to be said. As it is, I found
myself re-reading the translation verse by verse, at the end of
each verse thumbing to the appropriate commentary. I did not
find the direct translation so poetic that the interruptions
would have destroyed any aesthetic sense from reading it. At
the very least, commentary at the end of each chapter would
have been better.

To a layperson like me, this book provided illumination in
glimpses only. It was hardly direct, clear, or straightforward.
A very strong working knowledge in Chan Buddhism or the
Completely Real School of Taoism would have served me well, but
alas, I don 't have that. The symbolic content was frankly
overwhelming, and it wasn't until I re-read along with the
commentary that I had a sideways understanding of what the goal
of "turning the light around" actually meant.

In fact, much of this book is written like a dissertation.
Cleary spends much of his commentary efforts explaining why
his translation is superior to Wilhelm's, and why Jung's
theories are therefore misguided and/or incomplete since Jung
relied on the Wilhelm translation. I found this decidedly
distracting, but scholars may not.

For someone well-versed in this type of meditation technique,
this analogy-filled work may provide insights in stages. One
verse may be striking now, another verse revelationary only
years later. To me, trying to get a handle on the basic
principles and goals, this was like trying to see Michelangelo's
David through a stained glass-window. The color, the frilly
designs, the artistry of the window obscured my vision of
the very clearly masterful sculpture beyond.

Cleary would have been better-served writing an introduction
emphasizing required reading prior to reading this. For
someone who claims to actually practice this technique, he
never talks about the symbolic in more real terms-- even in
speculation. "Midnight refers to stillness, and water to
hidden knowledge, and fire to creativity..." and commentary
like that led me to respond not "Of course! Brilliant!"
but rather "Thanks a lot, that really helped... not."

I will likely re-read this book in a few years, and hope my
second time around proves more rewarding. Again, I did gain
some small insights... I think.

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Practitioners will find they owe Thomas Cleary a serious debt, October 18, 2006
I have been a practitioner in the Tibetan Vajrayana for over thirty years. This short book, which I have put into daily practice has corrected mistakes in my practice to such an extent that I feel I have wasted thirty years. This, of course, is not entirely true. Because of the extensive study during those years I could appreciate the depth of Cleary's translation and commentary as one who has successfully practiced this meditation.

With practice, the book gets more and more profound and the practice more refined. It subsumes the whole of the Buddhist canon and that of Taoism and Confucianism and Christianity as well. In particular it brings one to the realization that scriptures, while valuable, have the danger of enmeshing one in words and concepts. On a more personal note, it has helped free me from trying to reproduce past experiences of enlightened mind, which are now just memories and therefore also concepts and ideas.

I have waded through Stopping and Seeing, also translated by Mr. Cleary in volume V of his collected translations, and would advise against it. It is very similar to Ashvagosha's Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, translated by D.T. Suzuki, which I studied at length many years ago. After your practice has reached a certain point, perhaps it might be of value to study such treatises.

Another thing that commends Mr. Cleary's translation is that he puts his commentary at the end so the translated text is presented without distractions. For this I am also grateful.

One thing that is not addressed in this or other meditation texts, nor by the meditation instructors I have had, is the basics of sitting meditation. I spent years "on the mat" working through bodily problems such as back aches, legs falling asleep and painful tensions that can be avoided by a few expediencies, to say nothing of the fact that posture is essential to integrating one's entire being in the practice.

First of all, it is important that the body be relaxed. One should not waste precious time trying to assume unfamiliar and strenuous asanas, e.g. the Lotus posture, but should sit on a cushion, e.g. a Zafu, that raises one's butt and use a mat, e.g a Zabuton, that protects one legs and ankles from hard surfaces.

Secondly, it is necessary to sit with the back straight and the spine unsupported. However, one needs to relax into this position, like stacking a pile of coins, once they are straight, you can let go. You do not want to let go entirely because from time to time tensions arise, for example you begin tensing your back, neck or legs. This subtle awareness will allow you to immediately relax such tensions and again let go. In this way you can eliminate years of trial and error on the mat.

I would add that this relaxing into the posture is the same approach you should take to the meditation itself.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant manual of combined Buddhist/Taoist theory and practice
This is a manual of combined Buddhist/Taoist theory and practice for lay practitioners which eschews ritual, paraphernalia, and monastic bias to get right to the essence of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by James Cartwright

5.0 out of 5 stars Awareness is the key ...
I have read with some dismay the more negative reviews of this wonderful translation by Thomas Cleary. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jean-Marc Manning

1.0 out of 5 stars Whatever the secret is, you won't find it in this translation
Thomas Cleary has probably done more harm to the cause of Western understanding of Asian philosophy than any other individual, even perhaps including H. P. Blavatsky. Read more
Published on October 15, 2006 by Fu Xi

4.0 out of 5 stars one interesting translation
This book has been very underestimated, even though it was Carl Jung and Richard Wilhelm who edited it some time ago. Read more
Published on July 9, 2006 by Lenny Lendon

3.0 out of 5 stars A Better Title.
It is a good reference for the study of "The Golden Flower" meditative technique.

However, some of the low points have already been alluded to in prior reviews... Read more
Published on August 8, 2005 by Books Worm

5.0 out of 5 stars A backward flip on a Mobius Strip.
FYI: You might want to read the Translation Notes at the end of this book before tackling "The Secret..." Some books are better read backward. Read more
Published on May 30, 2005 by Butch

4.0 out of 5 stars As simple or complex as you want.
You can make reading this book as simple or as complex as you want. I think it all depends on how ready you are not only spiritually, but also how much studying you have already... Read more
Published on March 26, 2005 by Scott Knudsen

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Word
Despite its billing as a layman's Taoist guide, this book will only make sense to those who are ready, and for those it is transcendental. Ready or not, buy it anyway.
Published on February 5, 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Not Excellent
This book is a good new English translation of the original Chinese text, and nothing more. The reader has to be familiar with Taoist text to unlock the full secret of the golden... Read more
Published on December 2, 2002 by O. Au

3.0 out of 5 stars typical Cleary
If there's one thing about Cleary's translations of various works from the East, it's that he manages to make the text look very exact and highly obscure at the same time. Read more
Published on March 16, 1999

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