elixir hangs in the center of vast space, lighting up the universe to view,
unobstructed in all directions. When people ingest a grain of this elixir, they
immediately become immortals."
VII. The Living Method of Turning the Light Around
A "living method" is one that is efficiently adapted to individual needs and
integrated into everyday life. A "dead method" is one that is performed
mechanically as an automatic routine. Chan Buddhist proverb says, "Study
the living word, not the dead word."
1. "You need not give up your normal occupation " According to his own
writing, Jung was of the opinion that yoga practice needs an ecclesiastical
setting. Some professional Japanese Zennists also share this belief, and
many Western Zennists following latter-day Japanese schools have
therefore come to believe that Zen has traditionally been a primarily
monastic movement. The fact that ecclesiastical operations generally call
more attention to themselves than individual practitioners, who "hide their
light" according to classical recommendations, has given Westerners the
false impression that monasticism represented the mainstream of Eastern
spiritual practice.
2. As the formless practice of turning the light around is repeated in the
midst of everyday affairs, the mind becomes increasingly fluid and buoyant,
able to engage in ordinary activities without getting stuck on things.
