Talk:The Secret of the Golden Flower
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[edit] Yin and Yang aspects
I find the passage about the difference between the Yin-quality of Wilhelm's translation and the Yang of Cleary's very interesting. However the article doesn't say what this means. Could someone enlarge? What are the 'significant differences' between the two versions? ThePeg 20:37, 15 October 2006 (UTC)
Trying to describe the difference between yin and yang qualities may provoke controversy, as opinions vary, but the yin nature of Wilhelm's work is suggested by the fact that he communicated what he received from Chinese teachers, while the yang nature of Cleary's work is suggested by the fact that he created his own translation, from his knowledge of Chinese language and philosophy. The major differences probably relate to those facts. In some instances, for example, Cleary says Wilhelm's work presents passages that are not found in the Secret of the Golden Flower. Another approach may be to say that Wilhelm's work interprets the book while Cleary translates it. Kulalaw, November 24, 2006.
Cleary has translated several books from what is called The Complete Reality School of Tao, of which The Secret of the Golden Flower is a central text. Cleary goes into some detail in his commentaries, describing this school as having two branches, a northern (mind) and a southern (energetics/body), and while The Secret of the Golden Flower is an important text for both branches, it is interpreted differently by each branch; the southern branch, which he ascribes Wilhelm's translation to adhere, is concerned more with the physical yogic aspect of interpretation, while the northern branch focuses primarily on the mental abstraction of unified beingness and clarification of intent. Cleary leans toward the northern school, yet also stresses that both aspects are necessary for true comprehension.
Yin and Yang express the concept of all aspects of duality and Tao represents all forms of unity. The interpretation, application and transformation of these terms is dynamical, depending on context, yet maintains a coherent structure across the whole cosmology it describes and defines. For example, Yang and Yin may be expressed as body and mind, sense (perception) and essence (consciousness), fire and water, metal and wood, self and other, male and female, etc., etc., etc. Fractile, 69.3.236.186 18:26, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
