Vol.

2 – The Awareness of Awareness

The Secret of the Golden Flower
By Sharon Bauer, MSN Sun, Aug 28, 2011
In the Taoist classic ‘The Secret of the Golden Flower’ the word golden describes
the light of the mind and the flower represents the blossoming or opening of the
light of the mind. The ‘Secret of the Golden Flower’ is a well known Taoist and
Buddhist manual which describes a natural way to freedom, practiced in China
for many centuries.

In the preface of the manual, it is recommended that before using this manual
every individual needs to first establish themselves in daily activities… be active
in the world. Only then can reality, or the light, be cultivated. The method used
to cultivate the essence or the primordial awareness is “to turn the light
around.” When the light is turned around then the true essence or spirit of the
individual is revealed. The manual describes two souls.

1. The lower soul which is located in the body and is identified with the
impressions of consciousness. It is described as dense and opaque. It is
described as the yin energy.

2. The higher soul is said to reside in the eyes during the day and at night in
dreams. The higher soul is yang energy, energy which is clear and
light. This same soul energy was derived from the cosmic space and has
the same form as the original primordial beginning.

When the yin and yang congeal, this is what is called the “pure energy” or “pure
thought.” The method of “turning the light around” is to focus everyday for one
hundred days, in the heart where the spirit concentrates. It is said that when you
sit quietly for awhile in the heart , a thousand ages and lifetimes are
penetrated. Confucians call it “open center.” Buddhists call it “the pedestal of
awareness.” Taoists call it “the mysterious pass, the primal opening, the
mysterious female.”

The light is easily stirred but hard to stabilize. According to the text, beginners
suffer from two problems: distraction and oblivion. Distraction means the spirit is
racing. Oblivion means the spirit is unclear. Oblivion is more difficult, as the
lower soul is completely in charge… there is no awareness… darkness and
negativity prevails. In distraction one simply needs to quiet the racing mind.

One needs to gain control of the mind and enter a thought free state. To gain
control of the mind, one can focus on the energy of the mind. First one tunes the
breath. Let the breath be quiet and less audible. Listen to the soundlessness of
the breath. When the breath is subtle, the mind is subtle. When the breath and
mind are unified the subtle energy becomes apparent.

Quieting the mind is accomplished by taking hold of the energy of the

mind. Once the mind is quiet and the energy is harnessed, it is now necessary to
find the potential of the mind. So, one sits with energy and waits for the light to
open:

That is why it is necessary to devote 100 days to turn the light around. As the
light is turned around, all the energies in the body begin to rise. As this happens,
the light is said to be crystallized as the natural spirit body. The natural spirit
body is now given access to the original spirit, the Tao, or infinite light which
penetrates through the nine heavens (or multi-dimensions).

The light is described as “neither inside nor outside.” Mountains, rivers, sun,
moon and the whole earth are all this light, not only human beings. “The light of
heaven and earth fill the universe; the light of one individual extends through the
heavens and covers the earth.”

Actual practice goes from shallow to deep, from crude to fine. The turning
around of the light is “stopping.” “The light is seeing.”

In the first stage:

1. One may experience an uninterrupted continuity in quiet; the spirit and

feelings are joyful and happy. Golden effulgence is suddenly blooming.

2. All the pipes coming into the body are quiet. One feels the earth is a
realm of light. There is an opening into luminosity which is the substance
of mind… the blossoming of the golden flower.

3. One feels as if they are able to meet things that make other people feel
desolate… their vital spirit shines through. Sometimes symbols like the
sun will be seen in meditation. Sometimes “a great body of water” or trees
in a row, representing the light of seven openings of heart will be seen.

In the second stage:

1. Spirit enters a state of Openness,., The experience of the golden elixir

of light becomes permanent…. one always has access to the innate
awareness, the awareness of awareness. One becomes open to the
openness of the field. The work of practice is to cultivate this opening to
openness.

In everyday life , one absorbs themselves in whatever they are doing and
then relaxes into the activity . As one relaxes one is better able to
experience and harmonize the light into the world. One cultivates the
 opening into the innate awareness in what ever they’re doing. One intends
to perceive Reality from the awareness field and not simply from the
senses. Emotions are calmed and regulated.

2. The body is permeated with light and the energy begins to soar
upward. The whole body feels wonderfully light and buoyant. It is
described as “clouds filling a thousand mountains. Heaven enters the
earth. All wonders return to the root.” The individual enters a thought-free
field, a field of complete freedom.

3. One begins to contemplate the “light of essence.” Perception becomes

spontaneous without discrimination, for the moment we discriminate the
light becomes obscured. Direct perception is now possible. It is like a
mirror reflecting without intending to do so.

a. One is now able to see the origin of all objects as arising out of
the primordial field of space, energy and light.

b. One takes a constructive attitude toward all events.

c. One gives up on destroying objects or clinging to objects

In elaborating the process of direct perception, Dr. Yan Xin, the

great Qigong master describes five different eye openings that the
practioner may move through as the light is refined.

1. Opening of the Naked Eye: one’s vision improves and one can see clearly both
near and far-away.

2. One may begin to see images in meditation, as if in a dream state… eg.

faraway places one has never seen or seeing the essence of objects or being
able to see inside the human body; or experiencing the archetypal field.

3. Opening of the Wisdom Eye:

The opening in the wisdom eye allows one to understand what one has
seen in meditation, it now begins to make sense.

The opening of the Wisdom Eye encompasses four skills:

1. Actually being able to see an object from various angles at the same
time.

2.The ability to understand intuitively the essence and function of objects

never seen before.

3. The ability to recall the past-example someone may have a symptom of

 illness- one would know the origins of the illness.

4. The ability to predict the future.

4. Opening of the Dharma Eye

One possess high energy and one has the ability to make corrections in a
problem.

5. The fifth opening is the Opening of the Buddha Eye.

One becomes one with the power of the energy, the power of the Tao..

This power allows one the ability to help many, many people automatically. One
who has the opening of the Buddha eye is able to bring others to enlightenment.

In both Buddhism and Taoism, its suggested that one seek out the company of
the enlightened teacher because of the subltle powers these teachers bring to
the process. Through transmission of the light, they can greatly accelerate our
progression into the light.

Our part is to hold sincerity of intent, for it is this firm intention which allows us to
enter the mysterious pass, the opening into the light. After the first 100 days of
work, the fire of spirit begins to manifest and the light appears. The alchemical
text says that A point of true positive energy produces a pearl. The pearl should
be attended to calmly and quietly with the attitude of the hen who sits on an
egg. “The hen embraces the egg, always mentally listening.” The way the hen
can give life to the egg is through warm energy. Warm energy cannot penetrate
the inside so she gently conducts the energy inward… that listening is single-
minded concentration. When the mind enters, the energy enters and with the
warm energy, birth takes place. Therefore, even though the mother hen goes
away from time to time, she is always listening. She is always attuned, since
concentration of spirit in never interrupted day or night. The spirit comes alive.

One needs to gain control of the mind and enter a thought free state. To gain
control of the mind, one can focus on the energy of the mind. First one tunes the
breath:

Let the breath be quiet and less audible. Listen to the soundlessness of the
breath. When the breath is subtle, the mind is subtle. When the breath and mind
are unified the energy becomes apparent. The energy is then unified throughout
the body and mind and the light is revealed.