The text itself is somewhat like a series of explanations of practical
meanings in esoteric terminology for the use of lay people.
To this have been added selections translated from a canonical Chinese
Taoist commentary that further refines the principles into pragmatic
observations divested of the outward forms of religious and alchemical
symbolism. The translation notes explain the expressions, ideas, and
practices to which the text refers. The afterword joins the beginning and the
end, from the background of the translations to the psychological
implications of the praxis.
The Secret of the Golden Flower