Jung and the Secret Source of Chinese Culture

     The founder of psychology and renowned psychologist Carl Jung once said, "The purpose of human existence is to light the candle of enlightenment in the darkness of pure being." "The Secret of the Golden Flower" is precisely a book that can ignite the "candle of enlightenment," a book worth reading and contemplating carefully. This book was co-authored by Jung and Richard Wilhelm. In the 1920s, the famous German sinologist Richard Wilhelm translated "The Secret of the Golden Flower" into German, and Jung was greatly impressed after reading it, believing that the book helped him solve academic dilemmas encountered in his research on "collective unconsciousness." The main content of this book is Wilhelm's translation and annotation of the ancient Chinese texts "The Secret of the Golden Flower" and "The Book of Life," as well as Jung's professional psychological commentary on this translation. It is a direct encounter between Jung and Chinese culture, a key to understanding Jung and China, and also a key to understanding Jungian psychology.

     In Jung's understanding, the "Golden Flower" refers to a mysterious light sensation that appears in the body during Daoist practice through meditation and contemplation, leading to a spiritual enlightenment and the sublimation of wisdom. The Golden Flower is also the "inner alchemy" of Daoism, a special psychological or spiritual phenomenon; and the secret of the Golden Flower is the secret of the human soul, the secret of the true inner life of a person.