"In China, as in other regions, an elaborate symbolical structure was gradually unfolded. The lives of the Sages were involved in allegories and legends which clearly indicate to the informed the presence of a secret teaching faithfully transmitted from generation to generation... The mystical arts attracted only a certain class or type, and the principal exponents of Chinese esotericism were regarded as beings set apart from ordinary mortals. One of the most convincing proofs of the Adept tradition in China is the early rise of secret religions and philosophical societies resembling the Eleusinian rites of Greece and the Osirian rituals of Egypt. These Chinese fraternities absorbed into themselves the principal symbolism of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, and fashioned therefrom a rich tapestry of ceremonial procedures. Candidates were initiated, taking their obligations and receiving their instructions in the approved manner of the Mystery Schools of classic antiquity."Illustrated First Printing.Soft cover. 1957. Published by The Philosophical Research Society, Inc. Condition: Good; some wear on the back cover and page edges.
