were constructed to assist in orientation of mental exercises, and they need
to be understood in terms of their own structure in order to work according
to their own design.
In this sense, the need for adaptation does not mean that essential
patterns can be distorted. Orientation is as important as the exercise itself,
for disoriented meditation does more harm than good.
Seen in this light, traditional Buddhist and Taoist materials on this
subject are not propaganda to inculcate religious belief but blueprints of
mental functions drawn to provide direction in the understanding and
application of psychoactive exercises.
For application of the golden flower mind-awakening method, one of the
most useful instructional devices in Chan Buddhist teaching explains the
"two minds" in terms of "four relations between host and guest." To focus
them in the mind all at once, these four relations are expressed in mnemonic
phrases: the guest within the guest; the host within the guest; the guest
within the host; the host within the host.
The guest within the guest is the state of the ordinary mind going from
one mood, state, or subpersonality to another, alienated from conscious
contact with the host behind the scenes.
The host within the guest is the first stage of turning the light around,
when contact with the original mind is established even as the individual is
