TAOISM AND JUNG: SYNCHRONICITY AND THE SELF In my book Jung and Eastern Thought,1 explored the influence of Indian concepts such as karma, citta, buddhitattva, apas, and mandala on the development of Carl Jung's notions of "archetype," "psyche," the "col- lective unconscious," "active imagination," and "circumambulation." But the question of Eastern nfluence on Jung's most complex concept, "the Self," was given only very sketchy treatment. Following the lead of one of Jung's senior NorthAmerican students, Joseph Henderson of Stanford University, suggested hat the notion of Atman, as found in the Hindu Upanisads, was the major Eastern ormative nfluence in Jung's concept of "the Self."2 Additional research, however, has led me to conclude that Chinese Taoism, rather han Hinduism, provided he fun- damental formative nfluence in Jung's developing notion of "the Self." This Taoist influence, I will argue, came to Jung's "Self" concept not directly, but by way of another of Jung's ideas, namely synchronicity. "Synchronicity," t will be shown, depends directly on the Taoist Chinese text the I Ching, with which Jung experimented or a whole summer in 1920.3 His experiments demonstrated o Jung that there are meaningful connections between the inner psychic realm and the external physical world. In his autobiography ungsays, "Time and time again I encoun- tered amazing coincidences which seemed to suggest the idea of an acausal parallelism a synchronicity, as I later called it)."4 It is this notion of correlative parallels between the inner and the outer realms of experience that is fundamental or understanding ung's complex notion of the "Self." Failure o recognize the Taoist background to Jung's hinking has, I will argue, resulted n the mistaken charge that Jung is simply a gnostic in modern psychological dress. This mistake is made when the external half of the correlation of the outer world with the inner psyche in Jung's individuated Self is ignored. By highlighting the Taoist context of Jung's hinking, his error, ommon among Jungians, is avoided. In addition, he analysis offered will show that in the case of Eastern influence on his notion of the Self, Jung rejects some aspects of the Hindu atman, but fully accepts Taoist hinking. This article is divided into three sections: (1) The Taoist Background f Jung's Thinking, 2) Synchronicity and Individuation f Archetypes, and (3) Tao and the Self. In this essay I am explicitly concerned with Jung's own reading, not the Chinesetexts themselves. The Taoist Background f Jung's Thinking Jung was led to Taoist and Indian thought n the period 1915-1920, while he was doing the research or his book Psychological Types.5 Of this book Jung says: Professor f History and Director of the Centre for Studies n Religion and Society, University of Victoria Philosophy East & West Volume 46, Number 4 October 1996 477-495 ? 1996 by University f Hawai'iPress 477 Harold Coward
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But the questionof Easternnfluenceon Jung'smostcomplex concept,"the Self,"was given only very sketchytreatment.Followingthe lead
of one of Jung'ssenior North Americanstudents,JosephHendersonof
StanfordUniversity, suggested hat the notion of Atman,as found in the
Hindu Upanisads,was the majorEastern ormative nfluence in Jung's
concept of "the Self."2Additionalresearch, however, has led me to
conclude that ChineseTaoism,rather han Hinduism,provided he fun-
damentalformative nfluence in Jung'sdeveloping notionof "the Self."
This Taoist influence, I will argue, came to Jung's"Self" concept not
directly,but by way of anotherof Jung'sideas, namely synchronicity.
"Synchronicity,"t will be shown,dependsdirectlyon the TaoistChinese
text the I Ching,with which Jungexperimented or a whole summerin
1920.3 Hisexperimentsdemonstrated o Jungthat there are meaningfulconnections between the innerpsychic realm and the externalphysicalworld. In his autobiography ung says, "Timeand time again I encoun-
tered amazing coincidences which seemed to suggest the idea of an
acausalparallelism a synchronicity,as I latercalled it)."4It is this notion of correlativeparallelsbetween the inner and the
outer realmsof experiencethat is fundamental or understanding ung's
complex notionof the "Self."Failureo recognizethe Taoistbackgroundto Jung's hinkinghas, I will argue,resulted n the mistakenchargethat
Jungis simplya gnostic in modernpsychologicaldress. This mistake is
made when the external halfof the correlationof the outer world with
the innerpsyche in Jung'sindividuatedSelf is ignored.By highlightingthe TaoistcontextofJung's hinking, hiserror, ommonamongJungians,is avoided.
Inaddition, he analysisofferedwill show thatin the case of Eastern
influenceon his notionof the Self,Jungrejectssome aspectsof the Hindu
atman,butfully accepts Taoist hinking.Thisarticleis divided into three
sections:(1)TheTaoistBackground f Jung'sThinking, 2)Synchronicityand Individuation f Archetypes,and (3) Tao and the Self. Inthis essayIam explicitlyconcerned withJung'sown reading,not the Chinese texts
themselves.
The TaoistBackground f Jung'sThinking
Jungwas led to Taoistand Indianthought n the period1915-1920,while he was doing the research or his book Psychological Types.5Of
this bookJungsays:
Professor f HistoryandDirectorof the Centrefor Studies n Religion
This work sprangoriginally rommy need to define the ways in which myoutlook differed rom Freud'sandAdler's.Inattemptingo answerthis ques-tion, I came across the problemof types;for it is one's psychologicaltypewhich from he outset determinesand limitsa person's udgement.Mybook,therefore,was an effort o deal withthe relationship f the individual o the
world,to people andthings.6
Alreadywe see here Jung's nterest n correlating he innerpsychewith the externalworld. The identification f opposite personality ypes
(e.g., introversion ersusextroversion) ave Jungthe insightthat every
judgmentmadeby an individual s conditionedby how his orherperson-
alitytyperelates o the surroundingworld.Extrementroverts rextroverts
suffered roma verylimitedexperienceof theirworld orthemselves.This
insightraised orJung hequestionof how one couldfind a unity nwhich
theseopposite personality ypeswould be balancedand theirnarrowness
transcended.The search foran answer,saidJung, ed himdirectly o the
Chineseconceptof Tao,7he idea of a middleway
between theopposites.8JohnHendersonhas recentlydemonstrated hatTaoism,along with
most othertraditional orms of Chinese thinking,is rooted in "correla-
tive thinking,"a sort of perennial philosophyof Chinese civilization.9
Correlativehinkingdrawssystematiccorrespondencesbetween various
ordersof realitysuch as the human,the world of nature,and the divine.
"Itassumes that these related orders as a whole are homologous, that
they correspondwith one anotherin some basic respect,even in some
cases thattheiridentitiesare contained one within the other."10Under-
lying "correlative hinking"is the notion of cosmological resonance
(kan-ying).Correlations,t is held, can interactat a distanceby virtueof
a mutualsympathy,an idea based on music theoryor harmonics."1nChinesethought, his notionof resonance is appliedeven in social rela-
tions, as, forexample, inthe Confucianconcept of filialpiety. Inits most
generalformthe theoryof resonance is stated as "the principlesof the
cosmos are the same as the principlesof my mind."12
Muchof the groundworkor this theoryof resonanceor correlative
thinkingwas establishedby the classical Taoists,especially LaoTzu in
his proposalthat humanspattern hemselves after heaven and earth.13
While Lao Tzu's idea did not lead directlyto the pairingof the human
with the cosmic, it did much to create a context in which correlative
thoughtcould develop. Whatcaught Jung'sattention n his Psychologi-cal Typeswas Lao Tzu's discussionof Taoas the middleway between
opposites such as man-and-nature nd heaven-and-earth,as well as
being the source of all arisingsand the receiverof all subsiding.Jung
quotesfromthe Tao TeChing:
One maythinkof itas the motherof all thingsunderheaven.
Its rue name we do not know;
PhilosophyEast&West "Way" s the name thatwe give it.14
Therewas also the centralTaoistteachingthatthe Taomanifests n crea-
tion as a fundamentalpairof opposites,yang and yin. Jungsummarizes
as follows:
Yang ignifieswarmth, ight,maleness;yin is cold, darkness,emaleness.Yangis also heaven,yinearth.From he yangforce arisesshen,the celestialportion
of the humansoul, and from yin force comes kuei, the earthlypart.As amicrocosm,man is a reconcilerof the opposites.'5
The aim of the Taoistsage is to live in harmonywith the Tao and
therebyavoid fallinginto one extremeor the other,neither ntrovert or
extrovert, o use Jung'sterms,but strikinga balance between the two.
Specificguidancetoward hat end is providedby the IChing,whichJungtried out on himself with convincing results.16A few years later,JungreadRichardWilhelm's ranslation f the IChingand invitedWilhelm to
translations:irst The Secret of the Golden Flower,and laterthe I Chingitself.
In his Foreword o the I Ching,Jungnotes that the coincidence or
correlationbetweenthe opposites is the chief concern of the work.17To
enter into the "Chinese mind" of the text requires hat modernWest-
ernersdropforthe momenttheirfixationon rationaland causalthoughtas the only validthinking.This is why Jungrefers o the meaningfulcor-
relationsof the I Chingnot as chance but "acausal"18 nd why W. A.
Callahan, n a recentarticle,refers o Taoistthoughtnot as irrational ut
"arational."19Both agree that the acausal, arational,relationalexperi-ence described in Taoist texts like the I Ching is a direct reflection ofnaturalreality.All of this confirmedJung's ntuitionof a connection that
is potentiallypresent n each of us between our innerpsychic realmand
the external cosmos. Jungcoined the term "synchronicity"o describe
this correlationbetween inside andoutsideevents.20The I Chingoffered
a traditionalChinesetechniquefor reflectingon these correlations.Jungfelt that his method of active imaginationwould achieve the same goaland was moreappropriateorthe modernWesterner.ButJungwas con-
vinced that the goal of the I Ching, namelya reestablishing f balance
between the yangand yin in the Tao,and the goal of his psychotherapy,
namely a balancingof the psychic opposites in the experience of theSelf, were parallelprocesses. Let us now examine in depth the way in
which Taoism and the I Ching influencedJung'snotions of "synchro-
nicity"and its crucial role in the realizationof the "Self."
Synchronicity
Althoughone of his earliestnotions,"synchronicity"was a conceptthatJung struggled o express adequatelythroughouthis life. When in HaroldCoward
Thescienceof the I Chings not basedon thecausality rinciple, uton a
principlehithertonnamed ecausenotmetwithamongus)whichI have
tentativelyalledthe synchronisticrinciple.My occupationwith the psy-chologyof unconscious rocesses ong ago necessitatedmy looking oranother rinciplef explanation....Thus found hat herearepsychicpar-allelismswhich cannotbe related o each othercausally....24
Jung's sense of the existence of psychic parallelismor correlations
between inner and outer events was stronglynourished as a result of
readingWilhelm's ranslations f the I Chingand a book on TaoistYoga,The Secret of the Golden Flower, or which he wrote a psychological
commentary.To understand he importanceof this notion of synchronicity or
Jung'spsychology,it is usefulto remindourselvesof the main constructs
Philosophy ast&West of histheory.It sJung'sview thateach of us shares nthreedifferent evels
of consciousness:the conscious level of the ego; the dreams,memories,and repressionshatcomprisethe personalunconscious;and the predis-
positions o universalhumanreactions, he archetypes, hatcompose the
collective unconscious. Itis, of course,the notion of the archetypesand
the collective unconsciousthat is the trademark f Jung's hought. It is
in the raisingof the archetypes o the conscious level and in the shiftingof the center of gravityof the personality romthe ego to the Self that
synchronicityplays a vital role. Without synchronicityboth of these
processescould not take place, forJung'spsychologywould be encap-sulatedwithin the innerpsyche and out of touch with the externalworld.
Then the charge againstJungof gnosticismor mere idealism could be
made to stick.
AlthoughJung'ssynchronicityconcept saved him fromfalling into
the gnostictrap,Jungneverdevelopeda theoretical rameworkhatwould
enable him to discuss this concept systematically.About this failingof
Jung,Ira
Progoff ays:"Hisvision was so rich and
essentiallyvalid, yethe could not reduce it to a form that he could communicate...."25 It
remains or us, then, to rereadJung'snotionof "synchronicity"hroughhis references o the Chinese texts so that the meaningintendedby Jungwill be understood.
To be clear about the archetype and its creative individuation
through he use of materials f the externalworld,one needs to knowtheChinese doctrine T'ien-jenchih chi ("the interrelation f heaven and
man").In Englishwe mightuse the term "correlativeanthropocosmol-ogy."26This is what underliesJung'snotion that an archetypeincludesnot only psychic equivalences but psychophysical equivalences too.27
Like he Chinese doctrine of the interrelation f the individualwith the
cosmos, Jungconceived of the archetypeas interrelatinghe meaningcontent of the innerpsyche with the meaning content of the external
cosmos. When the two connected, an experienceof synchronicity ook
place. Thedeepermeaningwithinone's psychewas experiencedin rela-tion to a correspondingmeaning in the externalreality.Jungsaid, the
"archetypehas a tendencyto behave as though it were not localized in
one personbutwere active in the whole environment."28Or,as he put itin a letterdatedAugust1951, the archetype s an "arranger"f psychicformsinside and outside the psyche into meaningfulpatterns.29When
thisoccursone is takenout of one's smallego consciousnessby experi-encing contact with the largermeaning-wholeof oneself withinthe cos-mos. As is the case in Chinesethought,this notionof Jung's s not alle-
goricalor prelogical,but is based on the idea of an ordereduniverse ntowhich everything itsharmoniously.
Ina letterto PastorBernet,Jungindicates that the archetypemedi-
atingthe phenomenaof synchronicitys embedded inthe brainstructureand is physiologicallyverifiable hroughelectrical stimulationof certain HaroldCoward
areas of the brainstem that produce mandala visions.30But in a letter
to WalterSchmid,Jungwarns that even thoughthe archetypeand syn-
chronicityare rootedin the psychic realm,we should not take them to
be only psychic. "In so far ... as synchronistic vents include not only
psychic butalso physicalformsof manifestation,he conclusion is justi-
fied that both modalitiestranscend he realm of the psychic and some-how belong to the physical realm."31The inherentpatterningactivity
by the archetype s notonly presentat the level of the collective uncon-
scious but, under Chinese influence, came to be regardedby Jungas
a psychophysicalcontinuumpresentthroughout he cosmos. Thus the
deepest levels of the collective unconscious were seen to participate n
the underlyingpatterns f the externalworld of nature.When the two are
brought ogethera significantmomentof synchronicity s experienced,and the archetypalmeaning is revealed. In Eastern eligionthis is the
revelationof the divine.
Insummary, hen,Jung's"synchronicity"
s the idea that aperson
is
a participant n and meaningfullyrelatedto the acausal patterningof
events in nature.32The weakness in Jung'stheory is that he does not
consistentlydemonstratehow the synchronisticevent and its meaningare clearlyrelatedto the depth psychologyof the individual.33What is
clear is thatJungbecame quitesure thatthe multiplicity f the empiricalworld rests on an underlyingunity. It is this underlyingunitythatgives
oppositessuch as inner versusouter,psychicversusphysical,and spiri-tualversusworldly he potential o become linked n meaningfulacausal
synchronistic xperiences. It is the Chineseworldviewthat startedJungin this direction,and it is Jung'sreadingof Chinese thoughtthat can
renderhis thoughtmoresystematic n relation o synchronicity.In his discussionof the forerunners f the idea of synchronicity ung
pointsstrongly o Chinesethought.34Therenatureconstitutesa dynamic,
organicwhole. The individualparticipates n the whole in accordance
with itscomprehensivepattern theTao).Whenwe thinkof the unfoldingof events in this interactionbetween humansand nature,Western deas
of cause and effect are replacedin Chinesethoughtby notionsof inter-
dependence. This interdependence s based on the idea of a simulta-
neous resonance between otherwise independententities.35As men-
tionedearlier t is morelikea musictheoryof resonance hanNewtonian
physics. Accordingto Joseph Needham, the key word in the Chineseworldviewis "pattern": Thesymboliccorrelationsor correspondencesall formedpartof one colossal pattern."36 hingsbehave as they do not
because of cause-effectrelationshipswith other things but because of
their intrinsic nterdependent elationshipwith the existentialpatternof
all life.Jungquotes ChuangTzu sayingthe Tao thewhole) is obscured
when one fixes one's eye on littlesegmentsof existence only.37Limita-
tionsare notgrounded nthe patternof the whole of life.Thusthe vision
of the successfulartist s of one who "can follow Nature'sspontaneityand be awareof the subtletyof things,and his mind will be absorbedbythem. His brushwill secretlybe in harmonywith movement and quies-cence and all formswill issue forth."38One who is not in tune with the
harmonicsof reality"becomes a slave of passionand his naturewill be
distortedby externalities."From he viewer's perspective,when a Chinese artist s successful,
the painting s said to reveal the potentialitiesof the "spiritual ourt,"a
term firstused by ChuangTzu to mean what Jungcalls the depth of
the unconscious.So, when FuTsai saw ChangTsao'spaintingsof pinesand rocks,he said: "When I sense the vigorof ChangTsao'spainting,I no longer see a painting,I see Tao.... [T]hingsbroughtout are not
fromconsciousnessof the eye and ear, but from the SpiritualCourt."39
InJung'sview this is also what happens in the makingof the best man-
dalas.40The potentialitieswithinand without come togetheraccording
to the divine pattern,and synchronicityis complete. The Tao is re-vealed.4' In otherplaces Jungdescribes this as the mysteryof the con-
iunctio,in which the extremeoppositesunite,nightis wedded withday,outsidewith inside,and male with female. There-isa universalvalidity,he observes,fromthe Taoof Lao-Tzu o the coincidentiaoppositorum f
Cusanus.42
The Taoistapproachis the synchronisticway. As in the I Ching,it
involves the studyand classificationof events whereinmeaningful nter-
dependence transcendsspace, time, and causalityas the determiningfactor.Thearchetypecontains the meaningfulpattern hat waitsto reso-
nate sympatheticallywith events sharing he same pattern n the exter-nal world. News of the externalworld is first aken intothe psyche by the
sensingfunctionand then takendeep within the psyche by the intuitingfunction.There,under the influenceof the archetype,contact is made
between the inner and outer forms of the pattern.The work of indi-
viduationor symbolformation nvolvesthe creativeworking ogetherofthe archetypalormswiththe interiorized ontentsof the psychicalworlduntil a "synchronous it" is achieved and the interdependentmeaningrevealed (usually in a series of dreamsending finally in a conscious
experience).While in Chinese culturethe throwingof the yarrowstalks
inaccordance with the IChinghelpsthe processof seeingthe Taoalong,in the WestJungfelt that his practiceof "ActiveImagination" layed a
parallelrole in a way more suited to the modernWestern mind. Inbothcases the end resultwas an experience of the inner psyche and theexternalworldcoming togethersynchronisticallyn a meaningfulwhole.
In his Introduction o the Causeway Editionof The Secret of the
Golden Flower,CharlesSan states that the aim is "an enrichmentof
consciousnesswhich will unite the inner and outer worldsof reality."49Thetranslator,RichardWilhelm,addsthatthe book teachesa correlation
of the innerspiritualprinciplewith the psychogenicforces of the cosmos
so as to preparefor the possibilityof life after death in a transfiguredbodily form.50In the text, MasterLuteaches that the one primordialwhole is the Tao.The Taophenomenalizes into a multiplicityof indi-
viduals in the formof hunand p'o. Hun dwells in the eyes and is brightand active. It is identified with yang and associated with the lighter,
higher spirit,which after death rises in the air and flows back into the
reservoir f life. P'odwells in the abdomen and is darkand earthbound.
It is identified with yin and associated with the body and its sexual
energy.Atdeath itdecays and returnso the earthwhence itcontinually
begets.51Thegoal of the yoga as taught nthe text is to arousethe sexual
energyof the
yinor
p'oand convert it intothe
lighter piritual nergyof
yangor hun until a balance is achieved.52
WhatstruckJungabout this Taoistmodel forthe developmentof the
self was that it neverattempted o force the pairsof oppositesso farapartthat all connection between them is lost. Yetthe TaoistYogaof the text
soughtout a pointof balance orfreedom hatwould take one beyondthe
clash of oppositeswithoutbecoming one-sided or overbalanced.53The
self, said Jung, is the midpointof the opposites. It is equivalentto theTao.54Problemscaused by being overbalancedon one side orthe othercan never be solved but only outgrown.To remainoverbalancedand
caught up in a conflict between the opposites is pathological.Growth
into the self, however, is normal.Jungcomments:
When examinedhewayofdevelopmentfthosepersonswho,quietly, ndas if unconsciously,grew beyond themselves, I saw that their fates had
something n common.Whetherarising romwithoutorwithin,the new thingcame to all those personsfrom a darkfield of possibilities; hey accepted it
and developedfurtherby means of it. Itseemed to me typicalthat, in some
cases, the new thingwas found outsidethemselves,and in otherswithin;or
rather, hat it grew into some personsfrom without, and into others fromwithin.But t was neversomething hatcame exclusivelyeither romwithinorfromwithout.... [l]nno case was it conjured ntoexistence
throughpurposeandconsciouswilling,but rather eemed to flow out of the streamof time.55
Thisnew thing, the developingself, Junggoes on to say, seldom corre-
sponds to conscious expectation,does not permitmechanicalduplica-tion, contradictsdeeply rootedinstincts,and yet is "a singularlyappro-priateexpressionof the total personality,an expressionthat one couldnot imagine in a more complete form."56All this was accomplishedby doing nothing, or, as Master Lu Tzu said, by wu wei (actionless HaroldCoward
action). This art of lettingthings happen-action in nonaction, lettinggo of oneself-became for Jung the key to opening the door to the
development of the self. Later he was technically to designate the
process as "active imagination."In fact, at this point in his Com-
mentary, Jung provides one of his clearest descriptions of "active
imagination"as inspired by his reading of the Taoist notion of wuwei.57
As the Taoist ext makesclear,saidJung,some have to enlargetheir
personalityinto a self by taking from without, others by expandingwithin. Itdepends on theirstartingpersonality ype-introvert or extro-
vert. Eitherway, an enlargement nto a self occurs by making present
partsof one's inneror outerworldthat one had previouslyblocked out.
Theprocessinvolves an enlargementof consciousnessthrougha unitingor correlating f what was separated.InChineseterms,says Jung, his is
the bringingabout of Tao.InWestern terms this makingthe opposites
consciouslyin
harmonywith the
largerpatternof life is "conversion"-
conversionfromthe ego as the center of the personality o the self as
center.58
This expansion of the personalityand the union of the opposites
through he processof lettinggo of the ego expressesitselfin symbols.Such symbols are mandalas.The term impliesa circular nature.Man-
dalas pictoriallyrepresent he harmonious nclusion of both the inner
and outerrealmswithin the self. InJung'sview, findingone's own man-
dala symbol is crucial for the developmentof the self. Earlier 1918-
1920), says Jung,"I had a dream about the centerand the self which I
representedn a mandalapaintingcalled 'Windowon Eternity'." yearlaterJung painteda second picture,likewisea mandala,thatwas veryChineseincharacter,with a goldencastle atthe center.Someyearslater,in 1927, when Jung read TheSecret of the Golden Flower,he found
confirmationof his ideas about the self, the man.dala, nd the circum-
ambulation the circlingaround)of the center.59In the Taoisttext, the
Golden Flowerof HeavenlyLight s the mandala.As was the case with
Jung,the mandalaof the text, the Golden Flower,symbolizesthe self
in which the unconscious has become conscious in a harmoniousunion
with all of life. The union of these two, life and consciousness, is the
Tao.60In a later article, Jung comments that Atman, Tao, and Christ are
different ultural ymbolsfor wholenessthat correlate he innerself withthe animating principle of the cosmos.61
Behind the opposites and in the opposites is true reality,which sees and
comprehends he whole.... We use the word "self" for this contrasting t
with the littleego.... [T]his elf is notjusta rathermoreconscious or inten-
sifiedego, as the words"self-conscious,""self-satisfied,"tc. might ead one
to suppose.What is meantby the self is notonly in me but in all beings,like
PhilosophyEast& West the Atman, ike Tao.Itis psychictotality.62
For this circularmovement to take place, a symbol such as the sun, a
castle, or, as in this text, a golden flower is necessary.The symbol is a
visual image of the divine pattern,which gathers up and integratesmaterialsrom he unconsciouswiththose of the externalworldreceived
through he senses. As such the symbol is a manifestation f the God or
self archetype.As it refocuses one's psychic energyfromthe ego to the
self, there is felt a heighteningand clearnessof consciousness,a freeingof oneself fromemotional or sensory entanglements,and a deepeningsense of unityof being.65
Jungobserves that the Taoist text is aware of certaindangersthat
arise when such an expansionof consciousness is takingplace. Newlyactivated unconscious contents are frequentlyprojected upon the out-
side world. The textoffersvisualrepresentationsf such projectionsanddescribesthemas "thought-fragments"hat areemptycolors and shapes
possessing no being in and of themselves. Jung comments that such
psychic partial systems are common in mental illnesses (like schizo-
phrenia),mediumisticphenomena,and religious phenomena(in which
the thought-fragmentsmay be personifiedas spiritsor gods).The begin-
ningformation f a self givesone a centerfromwhich to recognizethese
partialpsychic systemsfor what they are and, in turn,makes possibletheirdepotentializationand assimilationby the center.66Againthe cir-
cular movementdominates he process.This is not an easy or quick processbut, as the TibetanBookof the
Dead (theBardoTh6dol)makesclear,one thatmayengageone even be-
yond one's death.67Theassimilation f such psychic projections hrough HaroldCoward
impossibleresponsibil-ity that are the inevitable results of dogmatismand the participation
mystique.Instead, here is a feeling of reconciliationwith oneself and
with what is happening n the world. One is releasedto live in wu-wei,
spontaneousaction centered not in the ego but in the self, the Tao.77
Jungconcludes his Commentaryon The Secret of the Golden Flower
with the followingwords: "It is ... the atmosphereof suffering, eeking,andstriving ommon to all civilizedpeoples; it is the tremendousexperi-ment of becoming conscious, which nature has imposedon mankind,
uniting he mostdiverse cultures n a commontask."78 n his readingof
Taoism,Jung ound notonly an adequateexpressionof synchronicitybut
also a trustworthy uide to the experience of the self as the spiritualcenter.
Conclusion
Thisstudyhas shown that two of Jung'scentral and often misunder-stoodconcepts, "synchronicity" nd "theself,"were strongly nfluencedin their initial ormulationby his readingof Taoist hought.When placedagainst the backgroundof Chinese correlationalcosmology, synchro-nicity is seen as primarily oncerned with the inherent nterrelation fthe inner psyche with the externalworld, and only secondarilyas an
explanationof occult events. When examined in relation o the I Ching,synchronicitys understood o be a fundamentalprincipleunderlyinghe
archetypesand the way in which the opposites withinand without the
psyche interact.As such it becomes a basic buildingblock for Jung'sconcept of self. First ncountered in his dreamsand laterconfirmedand
explainedin TheSecretof the GoldenFlower, ungdeveloped his notionof the self in a detailedreflectionon the Tao.Of central mportancehereis the idea that the contents of the innerpsyche andthose of the external HaroldCoward
world must be assimilatedand balanced to approximate he Tao. Fol-
lowing the lead of TheSecret of the Golden Flower,Jungfinds thattheself evolves by a processof circumambulationround he centerin ever
expanding circles. When a sufficientnumberof projectionshas been
made conscious and archetypes ndividuatedhrough hisprocess,a self
symbol, usually in the formof a mandala,will be born. This is not aprocessof the conscious ego, however, but,again followinghis readingof Taoism,a lettinggo of ego in wu-wei or spontaneousaction. The
evolving self is not somethingthatcan be described,metaphysicallyor
otherwise,butsimplyexperienced.All of this is importantnot just for our understanding f how Jung
developed his basic ideas, but because it corrects some major mis-
understandings. he first s thatJung'spsychologyis so dominantly ntra-
psychic or inwardly ocused that for him everythingcomes out of the
collective unconscious. The Taoist backgroundhelps us to see that
throughouthere is a balancebetween innerand outerin
Jung's hinking,that the physicalworld is as important s the innerarchetypes,and that
both areexpressionsof the same fundamentalpatternor whole, the Tao.
The second misunderstanding elates to the same basic problem.Commentatorswho have not seen Jung throughhis readingof Taoism
and R.C. Zaehner80have brandedJungas "a moderngnostic."Gnosti-
cism places a one-sidedemphasison the subjective, he unconscious as
the source of knowledge,a fact thatJunghimselfrecognizes in Aion.81
Thepartof gnosticism hatJungacceptedwas that there was knowledgeto be found within the psyche. But this was immediatelybalanced byhis Taoistinsightthatany innerknowledge must be interrelatedwith a
correspondingknowledgeof the externalworld.This insightis basic to
Jung'sconceptsof synchronicity nd the self andeffectivelysafeguarded
Jung rombecominga gnostic.ForJung, he inner, houghreal,is alwaysintensionwith theouter,which isequallyreal.Jung'spsychologyrequiresthat we expand our personality ypes of introvert nd extrovert n ever
wideningcircles untilthe oppositeaspect is assimilatedand made con-
scious in the new whole of the self, the Tao.
The thirdmisunderstandingelatesto suspicions,usuallyvoiced byministersor theologians,thatJungis a skepticor agnostic, that he has
done awaywith Godby psychologizingGod intoan archetype.That his
chargebotheredJunga greatdeal is evident from he attention t receives
in hisCommentary n TheSecretof the GoldenFlower.82 asinghimself
on Lao Tzu'steaching, "TheName that can be spoken or described is
not the trueName,"Jungseeksto demonstratehat he is neithera skepticnor an agnostic but a direct experiencerof the divine. Followinghis
readingof Taoism,Jungrejectsmetaphysicsas havinganygripon reality.All dogma, all theology, is necessarilyone-sided because it engages in
48 - See KarlH. Potter,AdvaitaVedantaUp to Samkara nd His Pupils
(Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress,1981), pp. 76ff. It should,however,be noted thatHinduTantric ystemsshare withTaoism abalancedemphasison the inner and outerworlds. Itjust happensthatJung ound his help in this regard romChineseTaoist exts.
49 - CharlesSan, Introductiono TheSecret of the GoldenFlower,rans.RichardWilhelm (New York:CausewayBooks, 1975), p. xii. Thebook is said to go back in oral formto LuYen, an eighth-centuryTaoistadept. HaroldCoward