Theravada and Jung

[morebento]

Than-Geoff's view doesn't deal with Jung specifically talking about Buddhism (Theravada), but rather he finds that Jung's influence on current Western "Buddhism" is part of a subversion of original dhamma into a sort of false dhamma.

Thank you for your comments, and the pointer to the book on Buddhist Romanticism, I found it very informative, sufficient to answer my questions.

[cjmacie]

Chinese is my first language and I have seen discussion in the Chinese circle online. Cross reference it with the nikaya, the only meaning for hua will be luminosity, it has nothing to do with flower. Also, see kasina as in light, extending the light, bright and clean light, wrapping up in a white cloth, extending the light in the nikaya.

Even if Chinese is your mother tongue, are you aware of the fact that in earlier forms of Chinese, the character 華 was used to mean flower ( 花) ? See here for example: https://zh.wiktionary.org/zh-hant/%E8%8F%AF
This might explain why you find the translation strange.

If the flower meaning is taken seriously, it will lead to Mandela interpretation.

Not necessarily. Cleary uses language repeatedly that focuses more on the image of opening, of blossoming, which also can relate to the light and splendor image you have cited. The whole matter is one of simile, of metaphorical use of language to describe a non-verbal experience, so trying to precisely nail-down exclusive meanings may lead astray of the practice itself.