Secret of the Golden Flower

[Sloppy Zhang]

[Spirit Ape]

Is this a Taoist or Buddhist cultivation method or used by both?

 

cause i found this: The second part refers to the building of the foundation on this. The great world is like ice, a glassy world of jewels. The brilliancy of the Light is gradually crystallized. That is why a great terrace arises and upon it, in the course of time, Buddha appears. When the Golden Being appears who should it be but Buddha? For Buddha is the Golden Saint of the Great Enlightenment. This is a great confirmatory experience.

 

anyone?

 

Ape

[Mantra68]

In Maoshan the first practice they learn is the three-ones meditation which is also called the opening of the three flowers or three dan tiens. This uses hand mudras, sound and a color visualization for each of the centers. When all three open up they call it the three flowers coming to the top, or crown.

 

This a lower version of the Golden Flower.

 

Later reverse breathing is added with a specific hand mudra and this futher refines the three dan tiens.

 

When doing the actual practice of Golden Flower, the three dan tiens will be seen as reflections of dormant parts opening within the brain. The three dan tiens are reflections of the pathways and structures within the brain called the crystal palace and that the body itself is seen as a reflection of the mind.

 

With prolonged practice of the Golden Flower the practitioner's body mind and spirit are refined at the deepest states.

 

It is part of the methods of the Instructors Hand.

 

Each Maoshan teacher may have a variation of this. This was not a commonly given practice and that is why whole armies died for it's specifics.

 

We have included the practice as given by the Grand Master of Maoshan, Lum Dai Yung, in our book Kunlun, if anyone is interested in trying it.

 

Maybe I'll post the details of the practice later.

[Long Yun]

In Maoshan the first practice they learn is the three-ones meditation which is also called the opening of the three flowers or three dan tiens. This uses hand mudras, sound and a color visualization for each of the centers. When all three open up they call it the three flowers coming to the top, or crown.

 

This a lower version of the Golden Flower.

 

Later reverse breathing is added with a specific hand mudra and this futher refines the three dan tiens.

 

When doing the actual practice of Golden Flower, the three dan tiens will be seen as reflections of dormant parts opening within the brain. The three dan tiens are reflections of the pathways and structures within the brain called the crystal palace and that the body itself is seen as a reflection of the mind.

 

With prolonged practice of the Golden Flower the practitioner's body mind and spirit are refined at the deepest states.

 

It is part of the methods of the Instructors Hand.

 

Each Maoshan teacher may have a variation of this. This was not a commonly given practice and that is why whole armies died for it's specifics.

 

We have included the practice as given by the Grand Master of Maoshan, Lum Dai Yung, in our book Kunlun, if anyone is interested in trying it.

 

Maybe I'll post the details of the practice later.

Please by all means. I'll be interested to hear it.

[Kronos]

My master told me on my first retreat to study that book as homework. I'm reading two german translations and have some background information (like Ken) what this text is talking about. Withoud the right methods you will never understand the book nor get any far in cultivation with only the informations out of this book.

And yes, chapter 4 is about the "Channel-Small Heavenly Orbit".

Edited December 10, 2008 by Kronos

[Riyue]

... which is supposed to be "The Secret of the Golden Flower" ??? Peace.

chinese text at:

http://www.fushantang.com/1012/1012e/j5002.html

Edited December 12, 2008 by Riyue

[kathyli]

太乙金華宗旨 wikipedia Chinese:

http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...p;variant=zh-cn

 

太乙金華宗旨 Baidu Chinese:

http://baike.baidu.com/view/745587.htm

 

"The Secret of the Golden Flower" wikipedia English

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_the_Golden_Flower

[Long Yun]

I went to the website of JJ Semple and downloaded his podcasts. He claims that breathing with the diaphragm and keeping a quiet, focused mind are all you need to begin this practice. He says that after 100 days of correct meditation (the quietness and the breathing) the process sort of takes over and that you are mostly just along for the ride. He then says that the seminal fluid (or cervical fluid in women) is diverted up the spine and used by the brain to nourish the entire body by passing through the nervous system. Now I haven't read his book, so I don't know what background he has. But it seems odd to me that Darin and Semple have both had revolutionary results using the Wilhelm translation, and there are still people saying that you need some special practice to get anything from the text. Ken and Kronos, please PM me or something to help me understand what you're saying. Thanks as always.

[Baguakid]

It worked for you ?? So you are now an immortal ? you can manipulate the original spirit to work for you ? You can let your orginal spirit subdivide into thousands of individuals ?

 

I am afraid your experience is just the kind of self-deluded fantasy i am talking about.

 

 

I think what ken is saying here is you need to follow a teacher, pay them 3000.00 for short seminars which are strung out over 15 or 20 years and kiss a bunch of _ _ _. Then, maybe if your worthy, you'll get to some level above the book. Just my opinion though

[Long Yun]

In any case, I think that I should wait until I'm done having kids before I do this. JJ Semple says that it's still possible to have children after but that it's very taxing on the brain/nervous system. Everyone, thanks for your help in this matter. I guess I'll stick with learning new qigong methods.

[Kronos]

sorry for my bad english but I try to show you why I think you need a teacher:

 

chapter 1: you should circulate the "light" until it crystalises.

This does not mean directly the microcosmig orbit, this means to move the energy from organ to organ corrensponding the 5-elements. In my Jung's translation there is WRITTEN, that you need to know the right method. What would you do if you don't know the method? How would you try to cather the chi, refine it to xiantian chi, how to fix the leaks and so on. If someone has an idea please stand up ;-)

you could just focus on on your upper dantian for 100 days and maybe get the illusion that you can see the light. But seeing the light is low-level and not so important... so it's written in the book :-)

 

Oh, that's just my interpretation of the text. It's the "reverse-interpretation" from knowing the methods and not fully understanding the text. So don't take it as a written fact.

[Seth Ananda]

I have Several questions on this subject that I have been wondering about.

 

One is Light (internal not from the sun) and Chi, whats the story? Is one a level of the other or...

 

I have done a lot of Chikung over the years and A lot of meditations that visualise and move light and they feel similar but different, any Ideas?

 

The Middle Pillar exersise starts with visualizing light and then moving it in a continuos circulation up the back of the body and down the front of the body and so on untill a Crystalization occours. I cant say much more about what the crystalization does as it is its own mysterious substance and is best to just be experienced.

Some of the people who practice this meditation love the 'golden flower' teaching becaus it seem to describe so well some of the results. It takes at least days of circulation of the light for this Crystalization to start.

Any theorys?

 

What about Shen and Light?

 

I look forward to hearing peoples Ideas...

 

Seth

[Stigweard]

Nice line of inquiry ... have done the same in the En*light*enment thread

 

I have Several questions on this subject that I have been wondering about.

 

One is Light (internal not from the sun) and Chi, whats the story? Is one a level of the other or...

 

I have done a lot of Chikung over the years and A lot of meditations that visualise and move light and they feel similar but different, any Ideas?

 

The Middle Pillar exersise starts with visualizing light and then moving it in a continuos circulation up the back of the body and down the front of the body and so on untill a Crystalization occours. I cant say much more about what the crystalization does as it is its own mysterious substance and is best to just be experienced.

Some of the people who practice this meditation love the 'golden flower' teaching becaus it seem to describe so well some of the results. It takes at least days of circulation of the light for this Crystalization to start.

Any theorys?

 

What about Shen and Light?

 

I look forward to hearing peoples Ideas...

 

Seth

[Aetherous]

I have Several questions on this subject that I have been wondering about.

 

One is Light (internal not from the sun) and Chi, whats the story? Is one a level of the other or...

 

For me, a light appears in the niwan as a result of meditation. For that reason, I don't think it's visualization, but I think it's the pineal doing its thing as a result of the qi flow.

[Starjumper]

Then I seemed to come out of my forehead. It was like I was like in a little body a couple of inches tall. I could only get out of my forehead up to my waist.

 

Interesting description. I've felt something like this but I would never think of describing it that way in a thousand years, but it is a good description. It's like you are observing from a point in your forehead but there is a weird shift of some kind that makes you feel like 'you' are a little person located in your forehead. So it's kind of a feeling of separation.

 

So what does it mean if you feel that? I never did anything like the practice you describe either. I'm NOT celibate and don't do the kind of circulation you describe.

[Taiji Bum]

Interesting description. I've felt something like this but I would never think of describing it that way in a thousand years, but it is a good description. It's like you are observing from a point in your forehead but there is a weird shift of some kind that makes you feel like 'you' are a little person located in your forehead. So it's kind of a feeling of separation.

 

So what does it mean if you feel that? I never did anything like the practice you describe either. I'm NOT celibate and don't do the kind of circulation you describe.

I had hundreds of out-of-body experiences over several years and this seemed just like another one except instead of a full sized body leaving my physical body from all-points all at once like a ghost, I just partially came out of my forehead in a tiny OBE body. I even saw through its tiny eyes. It wasn't a psychological disassociation but a partial OBE. It was in fact my last OBE.

[Starjumper]

I had hundreds of out-of-body experiences over several years and this seemed just like another one except instead of a full sized body leaving my physical body from all-points all at once like a ghost, I just partially came out of my forehead in a tiny OBE body. I even saw through its tiny eyes. It wasn't a psychological disassociation but a partial OBE. It was in fact my last OBE.

 

Well I never had an out of body experience, and I don't know if that was one trying to happen or not. The remarkable thing about the experience is the sense of 'being' as if in your third eye, and yes, it seemed that since I was 'there', that it was like being a tiny person there.

 

So my question is about the feeling of the little person in the head and what that means, not OBE. What do you think about that?

[Taiji Bum]

Well I never had an out of body experience, and I don't know if that was one trying to happen or not. The remarkable thing about the experience is the sense of 'being' as if in your third eye, and yes, it seemed that since I was 'there', that it was like being a tiny person there.

 

So my question is about the feeling of the little person in the head and what that means, not OBE. What do you think about that?

I'm clueless these days about it all. I have read other accounts of it happening such as in the alchemy book by Ancestor Lu. But I honestly dont have a clue what it meant...... if it meant anything at all.

[Long Yun]

Decipering the Golden Flower:

http://books.google.com/books?id=cHBzcJmbi...tsec=frontcover

 

It was originally called "Diary of a Connecticuit Yogi", and that one has some of the parts not in the preview for for the new edition.

http://books.google.com/books?id=PgashIuoc...tsec=frontcover

 

Happy reading!

Anybody used this book with any success? I've listened to JJ Semple's podcasts and I think that after I'm done having kids, I'll definitely try this method. I guess I'm more of a lay person than others on this forum, but it feels really good to have a plan. Maybe in 20 years or so I'll be nourishing my brain with my seminal fluid. Ha ha.

[Wayfarer64]

Alrighty then...... your new here so I will type s-l-o-w-l-y... f-o-r..... y-o-u..... I did great until the last nine year period where I somehow failed since I am not immortal and didn't do the nine times nine selves part. I've stated that countless times on this forum. Did you read anything I posted in my Journal section Ken? If I were immortal I wouldn't be here on the computer..... I'd be chasing nymphs or something.....

I wouldn't recomend anything but a healthy diet.

 

 

I went thru a nymph chasing period about 35-40 years ago and it was as close to heaven as I've been in this life time ...

 

 

and once again garlic and green tea is a perfect begining to achieving long life if not immortality

 

love to all-Pat

[rain]

I'm most intrigued by this page distinguishing btw two different kinds of light?

One as a kind representation of presence of essence beyond concept and the other more like a reflection from objects a la goethes idea about colour as rejected wavelength..

 

mm...

 

there is an actual cooking receipt being offered?

 

http://hk.geocities.com/akrishi0/goflower/eng/gflower7.htm

nice link

 

ever so grateful

Edited January 22, 2009 by rain

[Spectrum]

http://hk.geocities.com/akrishi0/goflower/eng/gflower7.htm :

 

.... will surely come to validate.

 

Edited January 23, 2009 by Spectrum

[Taiji Bum]

GAWD! Why was I such a jerk in that above post? I did catch a nymph btw!

[adam mizner]

good text. good practice. Clearys in my opinion is the way to go.

 

metta

adam

 

Ok guys and gals,

I've been fascinated with this for a long time, but I'm only now considering doing it diligently.

I know this has been briefly talked about in other posts, but I'd like to go into a little greater detail. What experiences have you all had with this method, and which translation do you think is best? I have both Wilhelm and Cleary, but I think I heard there's an Eva Wong version too. Anyway, I'd love some input and please keep it civil and intelligent. None of this "well, you're stupid 'cause Cleary's stupid" stuff. Thanks.

 

But here's what I'd like to get deeper knowledge in:

 

Wilhelm's version claims to have a teacher behind it explaining it to him.

Also, it describes "circulating the light" which I am assuming is either the microcosmic orbit or a very similar practice. (we can get into what the light is later, as I've heard some dispute from time to time)

 

Cleary's version claims that Wilhelm was working with an incorrect translation or something, and that his scholarship and proficiency in Chinese allow him to do a better job.

Also, it describes "turning the light around" which I am assuming is something like inward gazing or Zen-like meditation.

 

Both are good practices, but which is supposed to be "The Secret of the Golden Flower" ??? Peace.

[bukejian]

I practice a form of taoist alchemy, called the "Gold Light Method" in which the light is formed in the lower dan tien and circulated thru the mirocosmic orbit. I know some othe schools of thought form the light in the navel area. Seems to me there could be inherant dangers in holding energy in the head for long periods of time.