The
discussion on the Secret of Golden Flower was meaningful as it is considered to
be one of the Taoist classics. Very glad
to obtain a copy of Thomas Cleary’s translation. Not to be surprised it is difficult to read
as most ancient classics were written in twilight languages which is codify
with much deeper meaning per character.
Also, I pointed out that Chinese is lexicographic that each character
may contain various level of meanings which can make it so rich and profound
and often impossible to understand without either the oral traditions and/or
from a master of the subject.
From
my limited exposure, a good friend who is a well accomplished internal Taoist. He published a book on meditation based on his understanding. His linage was from a master who escaped
from Communist China to Taiwan about 70 years ago who held ancient Taoist
lineage traced back to 1000 years in China. Luckily that master did not get
prosecuted during the Chinese Culture Revolution. His students/heirs are established in Taiwan.
My friend’s basic instructional commentary
describes some of Taoist meditation in a modern and easy to understand
language. Through the reading, I was
able to have a glimpse into the deep profound poetic Taoist expressions which elusively
describing the minute states of meditative absorption. So some without background training and even can read Chinese, these expressions may still appears as illusive as reflections of constellations on the surface of a lake at night. Ultimately, the consummate states of absorption are
utterly ineffable. Thus, to have that
translated in English truly be a daunting task!
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeletethat is really fortunate that you have a friend who can share these stories with you. I can't imagine how horrible the CCR was for people. To carry on their traditions in secrecy was one of the most daring, brave, and honorable things to offer future students. Without it, we would not get to study CM with access to the classical texts or oral traditions. Thank goodness!