of Chinese language and Taoist history could hardly have been expected
to be able to interpret them. It is not clear, however, why Wilhelm also
excised paragraph 7 on the importance of an orderly life as a prerequisite
for the mystical practice of the golden flower. It may not have
conformed sufficiently to his idea of mysticism. Westerners have often
professed to believe that mystics are generally isolated from society, and
this opinion has affected many Western attempts to interpret and adopt
mystical teachings.
8. The speaker is supposed to be Lu Yan, or Ancestor Lu, whom later Taoist
texts envision as having been entrusted with a mission for the celestial
government and duty-bound to reappear in the human world from time to
time.
9. Wilhelm completely mistranslates this passage, making it out to say the
very opposite of what it actually does. This appears to be mostly due to
simple misunderstanding of the language and unfamiliarity with the
background of the text. The passage describes the distinctive nature of the
text as representing a sudden enlightenment teaching, in contrast to the
gradual teachings of ordinary Taoist works on spiritual alchemy. This
identifies the Chan Buddhist influence behind the Taoist facade of the text.
10. "The lead in the homeland of water is just one flavor" comes from
Understanding Reality, the great classic of the Completely Real school.
Lead symbolizes the true sense of real knowledge Water stands for a
