Sunday, March 31, 2013

Tibetan Astrology: Byung rTsis & the Eight Parkha

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"The Tibetan astrological sciences can be classified into three categories: astronomy (skar-rtsis) and elemental astrology ('byung-rtsis) and divination and prediction purpose (gyang char). Both skar-rtsis and 'byung-rtsi are blends of Indian, Persian, Greece and Buddhist traditions. Tibetan 'byung-rtsis is the ancient art of calculation and elucidation of celestial phenomena. The Tibetan system of astronomy, skar-rtsis, is the study of cosmology. This system draws from the Kalachakra Tantra. Therefore, it is the very important for yogis to master dkar-rtsis for the practice Kalachakra Tantra."......The Central University of Tibetan Studies (CUTS) at Sarnath...http://www.cuts.ac.in

"Elemental Astrology - Byung rTsis.....The oldest type of Tibetan astrology, Byung-rTsis is also called Nagtsi, which means black calculation. Byung-rTsis has its origin in ancient Tibetan Bön culture and has Chinese influence, with its name coming from the black clothes that were common to the ancient Chinese people. Byung-rTsis is pronounced Jung-Tsi, and in some English texts called Jungtsi. This system has no mathematical calculations or planetary observation. Byung-rTsis is based upon the relationships of the five elements, twelve animal signs, nine magic Mewa square numbers and the eight Parkha trigrams. Each year has its own element and animal sign, and also each month, day and hour has its own element.".....http://www.tactus.dk/tacom/elemental1.htm

"The eight Parkha trigrams....Eight trigrams of the Chinese I Ching are also used in Byung-rtsis, but never as 64 hexagrams......Parkhas symbolise the eight elements, which in this system are: four seasons and four cardinals......The name "Parkha" comes from the Chinese and means number eight....an astrologer examines five aspects of life: Srog - Life force element, Lus - Health element, Wangthang - Empowering element (Finance), Lungtha - Success element (Fortune) and La - Essence of life."

Tibetan astrology thangka

"Surviving Zoroastrian texts indicate that astrology was used by ancient Zoroastrians and their priests, the magi, primarily as a method of measuring historical and calendrical time. They developed an astrology of the world and used astrology as a means to date events in Aryan history. The magi also used astrology to predict cyclical events such as seasons and significant climatic changes that would cause community-wide changes.....the concept of the khvarenah. The khvarenah is a particular talent or set of talents and with which everyone is born and which a person can develop through free will and then employ for good or evil to the extent of her or his ability. When employed for good, a person manifests one’s meaning in life. The khvarenah is also the archetype of what a person can grow to if allowed to grow to the limit of her or his capacity in grace; it is a person's higher calling – that person’s potential meaning in life. A person needs to recognize her or his own khvarenah. Sometimes people find their khvarenah, sometimes easily and sometimes after some searching. Once found, it can be however be lost - a person can 'loose' herself or himself if a person's spirit and commitment are not strong enough and if she or he is easily distracted especially by base ambitions......The priests of Zoroastrianism, the magha or maga, were known to the Greeks as the magi (singular: magus). Plato (429–347 BCE)...".....http://zoroastrianastrology.blogspot.com/

"The Lo Shu square on the back of a small turtle (in the center), surrounded by the signs of the Chinese zodiac and the Eight trigrams, all carried by a large turtle (which, presumably, stands for the Dragon horse that had earlier revealed the trigrams to Fu Xi). This example drawn by an anonymous Tibetan artist.".....Yoshio Mikami, The Development of Mathematics in China and Japan, 1913.....Click on the image to enlarge.

"Traditionally, the I Ching and its hexagrams were thought to pre-date recorded history, and based on traditional Chinese accounts, its origins trace back to the 3rd to the 2nd millennium BC..... the I Ching originated with the mythical Fu Xi (伏羲 Fú Xī). In this respect he is seen as an early culture hero, one of the earliest legendary rulers of China (traditional dates 2800 BC-2737 BC), reputed to have had the 8 trigrams (八卦 bā guà) revealed to him supernaturally......

"The earliest Chinese characters for yin and yang are found in inscriptions made on 'oracle bones' (skeletal remains of various animals used in ancient Chinese divination practices at least as early as the 14th century BCE). In these inscriptions, yin and yang simply are descriptions of natural phenomena such as weather conditions, especially the movement of the sun. There is sunlight during the day (yang) and a lack of sunlight at night (yin)....In Zoroastrianism, the metaphor of the duality of light and no-light is all pervasive. It is even used to develop an understanding of the divine for divine spiritual light is one that casts no shadow - the spiritual light is a-dui, not-dual.....The Yin-Yang concept was incorporated into Confucianism and Daoism (Taoism) around the 6th century BCE. Confucian* and Daoist texts make reference to a pre-existing book, the 'Zhouyi', which is another name for the Ye-Jing (sometimes Yijing) or I-Ching, the Book of Changes. Ye (I) means easy or simple as an adjective and change as a verb. Jing (Ching) means "canon", "great book", or "classic"......

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….March 2013

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Garuda, Simurgh, Khyung & Shang-shang

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KHYUNG: "Similar to the Indian Garuda since both were of a solar nature. But more complex, shared with the Siberian shamaist people...introduced into Tibet from Zhang-Zhung and shows Iranian influences." (Hoffman 75) ......In Zurvanism and Manicheism, both of which were important in ancient Persia before their suppression by Zoroastrianism during the late Sarsanian dynasty. "Soars in outer space...sees no fear and no imperfection...experience greater world and attain greater mind." (Trungpa:1984...p 168)

"The Khyung, the mythical horned eagle of Tibet. These fabulous birds come in many forms, painted and sculptural. Horned raptors are also found in the rock art of Upper Tibet, forming a subset of birds of prey with outstretched wings (depicted flying). Carnivorous birds (khyung, eagles, hawks, vultures, falcons, and owls) are important elements in many Tibetan religious traditions, myths and customs....While the Hindu garuda is the mount of the god Vishnu, the khyung is a vehicle for a good number of Buddhist and Bon protective deities. No mere workhorse, the khyung has come to symbolize a broad range of Buddhist concepts and doctrines as well. It was elevated to the status of a tantric tutelary god in both Buddhism and Bon. Associated with the fire element and space, the khyung is commonly propitiated to counteract diseases attributed to water spirits (klu). It is also the prime zoomorphic emblem of the profound philosophical and mystic tradition known as the Great Perfection (Rdzogs-chen).".....http://www.tibetarchaeology.com/january-2012/

...."The shang-shang is a special type of garuda, a musician, who plays a pair of cymbals as he flies." (Trungpa: 1975..pg 108)....

"The Bon religion has retained numerous accounts of the khyung set in the period before Buddhism swept over Tibet. Often these narratives have a Buddhist ring to them such as those describing the transformation of adepts into khyungs, a sign of their ultimate liberation. Moreover, tantric forms of the khyung in Bon (Me-ri and Ge-khod cycles) are replete with Buddhist-inspired imagery. The pentad of khyung that reside at Mount Tise (Kailash) in the Bon Mother Tantra (Ma-rgyud) ....."...http://www.tibetarchaeology.com/january-2012/

"The most celebrated ancestral khyung is said to have appeared in Zhang Zhung as the divine progenitor of the Khyungpo tribe.....The best known defender khyungs are in the form of divine mountains (lha-ri) and warrior spirits (dgra-lha). This type of khyung is thought to have been the ally of ancient adepts and kings. To this day, Tibetan spirit-mediums are said to have khyungs that watch over and aid them during trance ceremonies. The ubiquitous reach of the khyung as an ancestral totem and spirit comrade deeply influenced the material culture of ancient Tibet. The horns of the khyung are recorded as being the paramount symbol of sovereignty for the kings of Zhang Zhung. Ancient Bon priests are reputed to have worn robes and hats of khyung feathers and to have had magical instruments and armaments made from the body parts of these great birds. The khyung also lent its name to numerous toponyms in the Tibetan world. Perhaps the most famous of these is Khyunglung Ngulkhar, Zhang Zhung’s capital. So vital was the khyung that one Bon tradition claims it gave its old name (zhung [-zhag]) to Zhang Zhung. Finally, in this brief survey, mention must be made of the khyung’s archaic funerary function as a pyschopomp..."...http://www.tibetarchaeology.com/january-2012/

"Sound is like a Garuda dragon, like a thunderstorm." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 194)

..."the Garuda generates it own energy while in the egg, after its mother has made a nest in space." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 197)

..."depicted with two horns emanating flames with a 'wish fulfilling jewel between them." (Nebesky: 1975..pg 256)...

"When the white drala Khyung bird flew in the sky, white feathers fell like snow flakes and became 100,000 white soldiers, they were the werma defenders of the east." (Norbu: 1995..pg 59)...

"Chandragupta II was the first Gupta king to issue silver coins.....These coins were intended to replace the silver coinage of the Western Kshatrapas after Chandragupta II defeated them, and were modeled on the Kshatrapa coinage. The main difference was to replace the dynastic symbol of the Kshatrapas (the three-arched hill) by the dynastic symbol of the Guptas (the mythic eagle Garuda). ".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_II

"In the North, a Khyung with a jewel on its head." (Nebesky: 1956..pg 333)...

"In the Mahabharata, the Garuda assumes a fiery shape with a body as golden and bright as the rays of the sun. The Garuda drinks the Soma which is protected by fire." (Mackenzie: pg 346)...

"The Tibetans worshipped the khyung, mythological eagles, before they heard of the Indian Garuda." (Lopez: 1997..pg 257)...

Garuda...Indic king of birds

Khyung...Mythic Tibetan like the phoenix

"The Mithraic raven has a parallel in the Karsipta bird." (Campbell: 1968..pg 122)...

"The eagle was the bird of soverneignty (Zeus) whereas the raven was the bird of intelligence.(Apollo)"...(Campbell: 1968..pg 122)...

"In Ancient Persia, the Varegan longs for the termination of the night and flies up with joy at the break of dawn. The 'fore-seeing' bird (parodars)...the Kahrkatas (the golden necked vulture). The raven precedes the rising sun with a commanding message to Mithra...a special bearer of hvareno...the form in which the potency of the sky revealed itself.".(Campbell: 1968..pg 25)....vdd.18....15. Ahura Mazda answered: It is the Bird named Parodarsh which ill speaking people call Kahrkatas O holy Zarathushtra! the Bird that lifts up his voice against the mighty Ushah......

"The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Greek: γρύφων, grýphōn, or γρύπων, grýpōn, early form γρύψ, grýps; Latin: gryphus) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet......the Griffin was an attribute of the Sun God Oetosyrus." (Rudenko: 1970..pg 287)...there is evidence of representations of griffins in Ancient Persian and Ancient Egyptian art as far back as 3,300 BC....

"On the cloak of Mithras is a raven, a messenger of the sun and the 1st level of initiation in the Mystery Religion of ancient Rome." (Meyer: 1987..pg 200)...

"Several solar symbols, such as the lion, the winged horse, and the griffin have been interpreted as symbols of Mithra." (Ackerman: 1938)...

Simurgh, the fabulous bird which nursed and protected Zal, the father of Rustam, lived on Mt Demavand......"Saena (Persian: Simurgh). the legendary bird. a great falcon." (Curtis: 1993)..Simurgh (pronounced /ˌsɪˈməːrg/) (Persian: سیمرغ‎), also spelled simorgh, simurg, simoorg or simourv, also known as Angha (Persian: عنقا‎), is the modern Persian name for a benevolent, mythical flying creature. The figure can be found in all periods of Greater Iranian art and literature..... The mythical bird is also found in the mythology of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia and is called Kerkés, Semrug, Semurg, Samran and Samruk..... In one legend, the simurgh was said to live 1,700 years before plunging itself into flames (much like the phoenix)..... The creature represented the union between the earth and the sky, serving as mediator and messenger between the two. The simurgh roosted in Gaokerena, the Hōm (Avestan: Haoma) Tree of Life, which stands in the middle of the world sea Vourukhasa. The Hōm is in addition the vehicle of farr(ah) (MP: khwarrah, Avestan: khvarenah, kavaēm kharēno) "[divine] glory" or "fortune".....The Simurgh made its most famous appearance in the Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh (Book of Kings)....

Simurgh (pronounced /ˌsɪˈməːrg/) (Persian: سیمرغ‎), also spelled simorgh, simurg, simoorg or simourv, also known as Angha (Persian: عنقا‎), is the modern Persian name for a benevolent, mythical flying creature. The figure can be found in all periods of Greater Iranian art and literature, and is evident also in the iconography of medieval Armenia, the Byzantine empire, and other regions that were within the sphere of Persian cultural influence.[clarification needed] The mythical bird is also found in the mythology of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia and is called Kerkés, Semrug, Semurg, Samran and Samruk.....The name simurgh derives from Middle Persian Pahlavi sēnmurw (and earlier sēnmuruγ), also attested in Middle Persian Pāzand as sīna-mrū. The Middle Persian term derives in turn from Avestan mərəγō Saēnō "the bird Saēna", originally a raptor, likely an eagle, falcon or sparrowhawk, as can be deduced from the etymological cognate Sanskrit śyenaḥ "raptor, eagle, bird of prey" that also appears as a divine figure. Saēna is also a personal name which is root of the name. The most prestigious award given by Fajr International Film Festival, Iran's major annual film festival is called the Crystal Simorgh, after the mythical creature.

"Krishna's son Samba was afflicted with leprosy, which was cured after he worshiped Surya, Hinduism's god of the Sun. In response, he built a temple to Surya on the banks of the Chandrabhaga river, but no competent Brahmin could be found to take up the role of priest in the temple. So Samba sought help of Gauramukha, the adviser of the yadu chief, Ugrasena. Gauramukha responded with a suggestion that Samba go to Shakdvipa and invite their priests to worship Surya. Further, asked Samba, "tell me, oh Brahmin, what are the antecedents of these worshipers of the Sun?" To which Gauramukha replied... "The first of the Brahmins amidst the Shakhas was called 'Sujihva.' He had a daughter of the name Nikshubha, who so enamored Surya that she was impregnated by him. Thus she gave birth to Jarashabda who was the founding father of all the Maga-Acharya. They are distinguished by the sacred girdle called the Avyanga that they wear around their waist." And so Samba called on Krishna to send him Garuda, on whose back he then flew to Shakadwipa. He collected the Maga-Acharya, brought them back to India and installed them as priests of his Surya temple."........http://www.kavehfarrokh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/zen_buddhism_and_persian_culture_v1.pdf

Garuda, the Vahana of Lord Vishnu.....Abode: the Ocean of milk (kṣīroda, kṣīradhi or Kshira Sagar) is the fifth from the center of the seven oceans that surround loka or directional space and separate it from aloka or non-directional space. It surrounds the continent known as Krauncha. In Hinduism, the devas, (gods) and asuras, (demons) worked together for a millennium to churn the ocean and release Amrita the nectar of immortal life. It is spoken of in the Samudra manthan chapter of the Puranas, a body of ancient Sanskrit legends.

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….March 2013

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Chandragupta Maurya: 340-298 BC & Vahilka

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"Chandragupta Maurya (340 BC – 298 BC) was the founder of the Mauryan Empire and the first emperor to unify India into one state. He ruled from 322 BC until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favour of his son Bindusara in 298 BC......His empire extended from Bengal and Assam in the east, to Afghanistan and Balochistan, eastern and south-east Iran in the west, to Kashmir in the north, and to the Deccan Plateau in the south...... He established a strong central administration patterned after that of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty....There was a growth in culture which derived its inspiration from the Achaemenids and the Hellenistic world.Chandragupta's reign was a time of great social and religious reform in India. The religious reform movements of Buddhism and Jainism became increasingly prominent......In foreign Greek and Latin accounts, Chandragupta is known as Sandrokottos and Androcottus.....Taditionally, Chandragupta, who was a Hindu, was influenced to accept Jainism by the sage Bhadrabahu; his grandson, Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya is one of the most celebrated rulers in the history of India.".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_Maurya

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"The Buddhist text the Mahavamsa calls Chandragupt a member of a division of the Khattiya (Kshatriya) clan called the Moriya (Maurya). Divyāvadāna calls Bindusara, son of Chandragupt, an anointed Kshatriya, Kshatriya Murdhabhishikata, and in the same work King Ashoka, son of Bindusara, is also styled a Kshatriya. The Mahaparinibbana Sutta states that the Moriyas (Mauryas) belonged to the Kshatriya community of Pippalivana. These traditions indicate that Chandragupt came from a Kshatriya lineage. The Mahavamshatika connects him with the Shakya clan of the Buddha"......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_Maurya

Dawa Zangpo was the first of the seven "SHAKYA" kings of Shambhala.(Bryant:Wheel of Time Sand Mandala)...Sucandra died two years after receiving the Kalachakra teachings. The six religious Kings of Shambhala were descended from the Shakya clan......"The father of Sucandra was Shakya Shambha" (Bernbaum:1980..pg 285)......"King Dawa Zangpo (Sucandra) (Zla-ba bZang po) (Lord of Humanity)..(Kongtrul: 1995..pg 276)

"EASTERN BENGAL AND BALKH......It is almost certain that Chandragupta had other successful military operations to this credit the basis of refernces mentioned in Virasena's Udaygiri cave inscription that the king set out 'to conquer the whole world', and in Sanchi inscription in which one of Chandragupta's military officer is said to have obtained great glory by winning many battles. But we have no definite and detailed information regarding the nature and result of these campaigns......The military exploits of a king called Chandra are mentioned in Mahrauli iron Pillar inscription. It is stated in the inscription that the king defeated a confederacy of hostile chiefs in Vanga and having crossed in warfare the seven months of the river Sindhu, conquered the Vahilkas......Vanga denotes Eastern Bengal, verynearly the same country as Samatata which is included in the tributary frontier states of Samudragupta. It is possible that some of the rulers refused to accept Chandragupta's authority and consequently the latter had to fight against them. The compaign resulted in the inconporation of the province in the Gutpta empire......Vahilka, according to Dr.Ramesh Chandra Majumdar (1888 – 1980), is almost certainly to be identified with Balkh (Bactria) beyond the Hindukush mountains. 'Here too,' the motive of the compaign was probably similar tothat against eastern Bengal, i.e. either the Kushans who referred to sas Daivaputra-Shahi - Shahanushani in Allahabad Pillar Inscription had acknowledged the supremacy of Samudragupta rebelled, or Chandragupta II wanted to establish his authorirty on a firmer basis'.....Samudragupta had begun the work of conquest. But it was his son who completed the task and kingdoms on the border but also the territories ruled by foreign hordes like the Sakas and Kushanas. Chadragupta too the title of Vikramaditya (Sun of power) and for this tilte he had a better claim than any other sovereign of northern India. That he was the real architect of the Gupta empire, there can be no two opinions......Chadragupta II ruled for nearly 35 years. And he was succeeded by Kumar Gupta -O in 415 A.D. He, too, ruled the empire for about 40 years. Details of his reign art not known."....http://www.civilserviceindia.com/

"A medieval inscription represents the Maurya clan as belonging to the solar race of Kshatriyas. It is stated that the Maurya line sprang from Suryavamsi Mandhatri, son of prince Yuvanashva of the solar race...In Hinduism, Ādityas (Sanskrit: आदित्य, pronounced [ɑːd̪it̪jɐ]), meaning "of Aditi", refers to the offspring of Aditi. In later Hinduism, Aditya is used in the singular to mean the sun...In the Rigveda, the Ādityas are the seven celestial deities, sons of Āditi, headed by Varuna, followed by Mitra (Vedic personification of Surya)...Aditya are the beneficent Gods who act as protectors of all beings, who are provident and guard the world of spirits and protect the world. In the form of Mitra-Varuna, the Adityas are true to the eternal Law..."....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ādityas

"Fa-hein (337 – c. 422 CE) was the first of three great Chinese pilgrims who visited India from the fifth to the seventh centuries CE, in search of knowledge, manuscripts and relics. Faxian arrived during the reign of Chandragupta II and gave a general description of North India at that time. Among the other things, he reported about the absence of capital punishment, the lack of a poll-tax and land tax. Most citizens did not consume onions, garlic, meat, and wine......"....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_II

"the dynastic symbol of the Guptas (the mythic eagle Garuda)..."Chandragupta Vikramaditya, King of Kings, and a devotee of Vishnu", around Garuda, the mythic eagle and dynastic symbol of the Guptas..".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_II

"The military exploits of a king called Chandra are mentioned in Mahrauli iron Pillar inscription. It is stated in the inscription that the king defeated a confederacy of hostile chiefs in Vanga and having crossed in warfare the seven months of the river Sindhu, conquered the Vahilkas.....Vanga denotes Eastern Bengal, verynearly the same country as Samatata which is included in the tributary frontier states of Samudragupta. It is possible that some of the rulers refused to accept Chandragupta's authority and consequently the latter had to fight against them. The compaign resulted in the inconporation of the province in the Gutpta empire......Vahilka, according to Dr. R.C. Majumdar, is almost certainly to be identified with Balkh (Bactria) beyond the Hindukush mountains. ".....http://www.civilserviceindia.com/subject/History/prelims/gupta-age4.html

"Bakhdhi: [Bakhtri in old Persian and Bactaria Greek]. It is same as Iranian Balkh and Indian Vahilka. This is the region lying between the river Oxus and the Hindukush comprises Pauranic Ketumala Varsa. The town of Bactra (Balkh), for Iranians--the mother of cities, was situated on the river Oxus.".....http://www.jatland.com/home/General_History

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….March 2013

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Ancient Chinese Accounts of Historical Shambhala

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"FAXIAN (Fa-hsien)....(399-414 AD)......Fa-Hsien/ Fa Xian, a leading Chinese Buddhist monk who left Changan in 399 A.D. to gather rare books...... He visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II.....After traveling for 14 years he returned to Nankin in 414 A.D. He translated numerous Indian books into Chinese and wrote his travelogue, Records of Buddhistic Kingdoms. He died at the age of 86. Faxian reached the banks of the Indus river from Kashgar traveling through the province of Gandahara, Peshawar, Banu and saw the temples of present day Jalalabad. He saw Suhuto (Swat), Gandahara, Chuhashilo (Taxila), Folusha (Peshawar), Hilo (Hada), Naki (Nangarhar), Lo-i (Ruh) and Pona (Banu). He describes the famous monasteries and Buddhist centers of these places and from Banu travels to the banks of the Indus river. The descriptions Faxian provides about famous monasteries, kings, people, their traditions and customs of these areas are most interesting, especially the temples made by Kanishka in Peshawar, Buddha’s goblet and the hilo of Zarnigar temple of Hadda which was built for the skull of Buddha.The king of the area had assigned eight persons from famous families of the land to protect the temple. He also provides descriptions on the tower which preserved Buddha’s tooth in the center of Nangarhar and the pearl of Buddhas staff preserved in this province. Such descriptions are of great importance in providing information on the area before the advent of Islam. From the writings of Faxian it is clear there were rulers in the province and its people were followers of the Buddhist faith. Buddhist temples and guides were present all over the area and the people revered them with great respect. These monasteries were well preserved and maintained."......http://www.alamahabibi.com/English%20Articles/E-Chinese_Travelers.htm

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"....the king requests the presence of the sramans from all quarters (of his kingdom). They come (as if) in clouds; and when they are all assembled, their place of session is grandly decorated. Silken streamers and canopies are hung out in it, and waterlilies in gold and silver are made and fixed up behind the places where (the chief of them) are to sit......After the king has held the assembly, he further exhorts the ministers to make other and special offerings. The doing of this extends over one, two, three, five, or even seven days; and when all is finished, he takes his own riding-horse, saddles, bridles, and waits on him himself, while he makes the noblest and most important minister of the kingdom mount him. Then, taking fine white woollen cloth, all sorts of precious things, and articles which the sramans require, he distributes them among them, uttering vows at the same time along with all his ministers....The rules observed by the sramans are remarkable, and too numerous to be mentioned in detail. The country is in the midst of the Onion range. As you go forward from these mountains, the plants, trees, and fruits are all different from those of the land of Han, excepting only the bamboo, pomegranate, and sugar-cane. From this (the travellers) went westwards towards North India, and after being on the way for a month, they succeeded in getting across and through the range of the Onion mountains."...(Located in Central Asia, the Pamir Mountains are formed by the junction or "knot" of the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the world’s highest mountains. They are also known by the Chinese name of Congling 葱嶺 or 'Onion Mountains.')

"After crossing the river, (the travellers) immediately came to the kingdom of Woo-chang [Udyana, north of the Punjab--i.e., Swat in northern Pakistan], which is indeed (a part) of North India. The people all use the language of Central India, 'Central India' being what we should call the 'Middle Kingdom.' The food and clothes of the common people are the same as in that Central Kingdom. The Law of Buddha is very (flourishing in Woo-chang). They call the places where the monks stay (for a time) or reside permanently sangharamas; and of these there are in all 500, the monks being all students of the Hinayana.".....http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/faxian.html

James Legge, tr. and ed., A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms Being an Account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hien of His Travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in Search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline (Oxford, 1886), pp. 9-36.

"Fa-hein (337 – c. 422 CE) was the first of three great Chinese pilgrims who visited India from the fifth to the seventh centuries CE, in search of knowledge, manuscripts and relics. Faxian arrived during the reign of Chandragupta II and gave a general description of North India at that time. Among the other things, he reported about the absence of capital punishment, the lack of a poll-tax and land tax. Most citizens did not consume onions, garlic, meat, and wine......"....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_II

"the dynastic symbol of the Guptas (the mythic eagle Garuda)..."Chandragupta Vikramaditya, King of Kings, and a devotee of Vishnu", around Garuda, the mythic eagle and dynastic symbol of the Guptas..".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_II

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SONG YUN & HUISHENG......(518-521 AD)

"Song Yun of Dunhuang went with a monk Huisheng on a mission sent by the Empress Dowager to obtain Buddhist scriptures in India in 518 A.D. He traveled through the Taklamakan desert via the southern route passing Shanshan, Charkhlik, Khutan, then further west into the Hindu Kush, Kabul, and Peshawar. The most interesting account is his visit is to the Hepthalites (the White Hun) kingdom, which centered in eastern Afghanistan and controlled much of Central Asia during the 5th and 6th centuries. As a result of this journey Song Yun managed to collect 170 books dealing with the Greater Vehicle (Mahayana) and took them to China."......http://www.alamahabibi.com/English%20Articles/E-Chinese_Travelers.htm

Song Yun followed the route taken by Faxien from Khutan to the eastern parts of Afghanistan. At this time the Hepthalites kings ruled over the land. Gulas, the Hepthalite king, (most likely Mehrakula), ruled harshly over the land with a force of 1000 warring elephants and cavalry. These people wore felt clothing and they did not know how to read and write and did not have any knowledge of the motions of heavenly bodies. Their empire extended from Tirhat in India to Lalya[v] and from Khutan to Iran. It was composed of 40 provinces and permanent soldiers were assigned to maintain security over the land.

Song Yun provides accurate accounts of the people, their clothing, the empresses and court procedures and traditions of the people and he states the Hepthalites did not recognize the Buddhist religion and they preached pseudo gods, and killed animals for their meat.

He talks about the political power structure of the land and from that we can conclude that the powerful administration of eastern Afghanistan, from the banks of the Oxus river to the Arghandab river, was in the hands of the Hepthalite administrators and they had appointed a satrap to rule over Gandahara, whose name was Lai-Lih or he was a person who belonged to this lineage. When the Hepthalites conquered Gandahara they appointed Lai-Lih as its king. During the time of the visit of Song Yun (520 A.D.) the second king of this family was ruling over the region. This monarch did not adhere to Buddhism and believed in demons. He was a tyrant and cruel king. He battled emperor Copihen for three years. He was in possession of 700 warring elephants each of which carried 10 soldiers armed with spears and swords. His army was composed of three divisions.

Song Yun went to visit the emperor to present his credentials and unlike other kings he was not shown any kindness. He addressed the monarch harshly and left his court. Song Yun names the neighboring country Pusi, which is Persia.....During this travels he also saw Chang (Odiana) which is the northern part of present day Mardan adjacent to Pulai (Balur) where people used iron chains to build bridges. The king of the region was a vegetarian. He warmly greeted Song Yun and he believed in Buddhism. He accepted the letter from the empress with respect....http://www.alamahabibi.com/English%20Articles/E-Chinese_Travelers.htm

"Mardan district is a part of the Peshawar valley, which first appears in history as part of the Gandhara kingdom. The armies of Alexander The Great reached the Indus Valley by two separate routes, one through the Khyber Pass and the other personally led by Alexander through Kunar, Bajaur, Swat, and Buner in 326 BC. After Alexander's departure, the valley came under the rule of Chandragupta, who ruled the valley from 321 to 297 BC. During the reign of the Buddhist emperor Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, Buddhism was the religion of the Peshawar Valley. The valley saw the revival of Brahmanism after the Greeks took over in the time of King Mehanda. The Scythians followed and retained control of the valley till the 7th century AD".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardan#History

518-521 AD..... Song Yun (Sung Yun)/Huisheng. Sung Yun of Dunhuang went with a monk Huisheng on a mission sent by the Empress Dowager to obtain the Buddhist scriptures in India in 518. Travled through the Taklamakan desert via the southern route passing Shanshan, Charkhlik, Khotan, then further west into the Hindu Kush, Kabul, Peshawar. The most interesting account is their visit to the Ephthalites (the White Hun) kingdom, who centered in eastern Afghanistan and controlled much of the Central Asia during the 5th and 6th centuries. Both wrote a travel account but none remained.

"Hui Zheng [and the others] were sent in the 11th day of the second month of the second Zhengui year (518); he and his companions arrived in Karghalik on the 29th day of the 7th month of the 2nd Zhengui year (519); in the second ten days of the ninth month, they met the king of the Hephthalites; at the beginning of the 11th month, they arrived in Bosi or Boji (southwest of Wakhan); in the second ten days of this same month, they entered Chitral and at the beginning of the 12th month they entered Udyana. Then, during the second ten days of the fourth month of the first Chengkuang year (520), they arrived in Gandhara. They stayed two years in Udyana and Gandhara until returning at the beginning of the third Chengkuang year (522).....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Yun

During this travels he also saw Chang (Odiana) which is the northern part of present day Mardan adjacent to Pulai (Balur) where people used iron chains to build bridges. The king of the region was a vegetarian. He warmly greeted Song Yun and he believed in Buddhism. He accepted the letter from the empress with respect.

During this trip Song Yun visited Peshawar and Nangarhar also and he provides interesting accounts of the monasteries of the land. After this he continued in the direction of San-tu (Indus river) and returned to China in 521 A.D.

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HSUAN-TSANG (629-645 AD)....... Xuan Zang (Hsuan-tsang). Chinese Buddhist monk and translator traveling across the Tarim basin via the northern route, Turfan, Kucha, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bactria, then over the Kindu Kush to India. Returned via the southern route. He spent his remaining life translating sutras into Chinese. .His travel and story became fantastic legends which were used in plays and novels, such as Wu Ch'eng-en's famous novel in the 16th century, Journey to the West. ...Hsuan Tsang....the third Chinese traveler who has written his observations about Afghanistan. In terms of providing detailed information about what he saw and heard he furnishes the most detailed notes. He was born in 603 A.D. in Chin Liu of Hunan province and was a Buddhist monk of the time. At the age of 26 he left for the western lands in search of Buddhist religious notes. He embarked on his journey in 629 A.D. and returned to China in 645 A.D. after finding 124 books on the Greater Vehicle which had to be carried on 22 horses. He documented his travels in his book Si-yu-ki (Notes of the Western World).......Regarding the state of affairs during the 7th century A.D. there are only a few documents and coins left in Afghanistan. Had this traveler from Hunan not embarked on his journey it would have been extremely difficult for us to find information on that period. Hasuan Tsang provides important information on the geographical situation, religion, and political happenings of the time in Afghanistan in his travelogue. According to the chart prepared by Gangaham the dates of his arrival to different parts of Afghanistan as as follows:.....Samarkand 5th March, 630 A.D. while on his way to India........Khulm (Ho-lin) 20 March, 630 A.D........Balkh (Po-Ho) 20 April, 630 A.D.......Bamian (Fan-Yen-Na) 30 April, 630 A.D."......http://www.alamahabibi.com/English%20Articles/E-Chinese_Travelers.htm

"While Hsuan Tsang was traveling though Afghanistan the effects of Islamic conquests had not reached Afghanistan and Buddhism prevailed over all of the northern and eastern provinces of the country. Monasteries existed in all the major centers and thousands of monks were engaged in the learning of this religion. In the temple of Nawasingara (Nawbahar) of Balkh, there was a vase, tooth, broom and statue of Buddha which were all adorned with jewels. This temple contained precious ornaments and the son of Shahu Khan (Hepthalite) attacked Balkh to loot the precious bounty."

"From the provinces south of the Oxus Hsuan Tsang arrived at Fan-yen-na (Bamian) where a separate king ruled. His kingdom from east to west extended 2000 li (600 miles) and from north to south it was 100 miles wide. He describes the two great statues of Buddha and a sleeping Buddha and other sacred relics. In ten monasteries about 1000 monks lived. They were all senior monks and were followers of the Lesser Vehicle (Theravada). From Bamian he went to Kia-pi-shi (Kapisa) which was 1300 miles in size and its people wore woolen clothes. Its king was from the Kashttriya people and he was considered a wise and brave man who conquered the adjacent lands and ruled over 10 other provinces too. He was a faithful follower of Bhuddism and every year erected a 17 feet tall silver statue of Buddha and held the religious conference of Moksha-maha-prishad. In his country there were about 100 temples with 6000 disciples who were followers of the Lesser Vehicle. Beside this followers of other faiths also had 1000 temples in the land."......http://www.alamahabibi.com/English%20Articles/E-Chinese_Travelers.htm

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"After Hsuan Tsang two other Chinese travelers came to our country and managed to go to India by way of Bactria and Kapisa. The first is Wang-hiuon-tso who was on his way to India as an emissary of the Chinese court and the second Huan-Tchao on his way to India for the second time. The first traveled in 620 A.D. and the second in 664 A.D. They passed through Bactria, Kabulistan and Gandahara on their way to India. This was the time when the attacks of Arab armies increased in the area and they were not afforded the opportunity to return back to this land on their return journey. The first returned to China by way of Nepal and the second stayed in India until his death.

There is another document regarding these travelers. In 751 A.D. a Chinese official by the name of Wou-Kong was assigned the task to instruct the royal ambassador to return to his country. He undertook the journey on the most difficult route which directly connects Khutan with Gandahara.There he observed that all the subjects of the emperor, empress, the prince and ministers were engaged in the rebuilding of monasteries that had been destroyed by the Hepthalites. "....http://www.alamahabibi.com/English%20Articles/E-Chinese_Travelers.htm

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….March 2013

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Kushan Emperor Kanishka: Fourth Buddhist Council (c. 78 AD)

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"Kanishka (Kanishka the Great), (Sanskrit: कनिष्क, Bactrian language: Κανηϸκι, Middle Chinese: 迦腻色伽 (Ka-ni-sak-ka > New Chinese: Jianisejia)) was a Turushka (or Turko-Tatar) emperor of the Kushan dynasty (127–151) who ruled an empire extending from Turfan in the Tarim Basin to Pataliputra on the Gangetic plain and famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. His main capital was at Purushpura (Peshawar in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) with regional capitals at the location of present-day Bagram in Afghanistan and Mathura in India.

Gold coin of Kanishka. British Museum.
Coronation Chinese records of Yueh-chi show coronation as 78 AD
Titles King of Kings, the Great Saviour, the Son of God, the Shah, the Kushan

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'The Fourth Buddhist Council (Sarvastivada tradition) is said to have been convened by the Kushan emperor Kanishka (r. 127-151 CE), perhaps in 78 CE in Kashmir (Od-i-ana). The Fourth Council of Kashmir is not recognized as authoritative in Theravada; reports of this council can be found in scriptures which were kept in the Mahayana tradition. The Mahayana tradition based some of its scriptures on (refutations of) the Sarvastivadin Abhidharma texts, which were systematized at this council....King Kanishka gathered 500 monks headed by Vasumitra, (Sarvāstivāda school of Buddhism who flourished in the 2nd century ce. A native of Gandhāra.he presided over the Council of Kaniṣka )........partly, it seems, to compile extensive commentaries on the (Sarvastivadin) Abhidharma."......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Buddhist_council

"Kanishka's reputation in Buddhist tradition is based mainly that he convened the 4th Buddhist Council in Kashmir. Images of the Buddha based on 32 physical signs were made during his time......He provided encouragement to both the Gandhara school of Greco-Buddhist Art and the Mathura school of Hindu art (An inescapable religious syncretism pervades Kushana rule). Kanishka personally seems to have embraced both Buddhism and the Persian cult of Mithra.".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanishka

Panel with the god Zeus/Serapis/Ohrmazd and Worshiper Kushan Empire Bactria 3rd century CE Terracotta gouache

"..... it was also around this time that a significant change was made in the language of the Sarvāstivādin canon, by converting an earlier Prakrit version into Sanskrit. Although this change was probably effected without significant loss of integrity to the canon, this event was of particular significance since Sanskrit was the official holy language of Brahmanism in India, and was also being used by other thinkers (regardless of their specific religious or philosophical allegiance), thus enabling a far wider audience to gain access to Buddhist ideas and practices. For this reason, all major (Sarvastivad and Mahayana) Buddhist scholars in India thereafter wrote their commentaries and treatises in Sanskrit."......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Buddhist_council

"....By the time of the Fourth Buddhist councils, Buddhism had long since splintered into different schools. The Theravada had a Fourth Buddhist Council in the first century BCE in Tambapanni, i.e. Sri Lanka...... the Mahavihara Priests who were Theravadians were once attacked at the Mahavihara Premises killing many and driving away the others. The temple was destroyed and in its place a Mahayana Temple was built....."

"Some scholars also speculate that the Prajnaparamita Sutras were written in response to Abhidharma's ultrarealism.".......Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. 2004. p.94

"Kanishka's greatest contribution to Buddhist architecture was the Kanishka stupa at Peshawar, Pakistan. Archaeologists who rediscovered the base of it in 1908–1909 ascertained that this stupa had a diameter of 286 feet (87 metres). Reports of Chinese pilgrims such as Xuan Zang indicate that its height was 600 to 700 (Chinese) "feet" (= roughly 180–210 metres or 591–689 ft.) and was covered with jewels. Certainly this immense multi-storied building ranks among the wonders of the ancient world."....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanishka

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….March 2013

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Shambhala Vision: Secular, Sectarian & Rime

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Dzogchen Explorations

Okar Research

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"The Shambhala teachings, originally conceived by Chögyam Trungpa as Secular practices for achieving enlightened society.....Shambhala, as originally proclaimed by Chögyam Trungpa, which state that "there is a natural source of radiance and brilliance in the world, which is the innate wakefulness of human beings. This is the basis, in myth and inspiration, of the Kingdom of Shambhala, an enlightened society of fearlessness, dignity and compassion." Furthermore, Shambhala vision applies to people of any faith, not just people who believe in Buddhism... the Shambhala vision does not distinguish a Buddhist from a Catholic, a Protestant, a Jew, a Moslem, a Hindu. That's why we call it the Shambhala kingdom. A kingdom should have lots of spiritual disciplines in it.".....Trungpa, Chogyam (1999). "Great Eastern Sun - The Wisdom of Shambhala". ISBN 1-57062-293-0

"After the year 2000, with the merging of the secular teachings of Shambhala and the Buddhist teachings of Vajradhatu into Shambhala Buddhism, completion of Shambhala Vajrayana Seminary (which itself requires taking Buddhist refuge and bodhisattva vows, as well as Buddhist vajrayana samaya vows) became a condition for receiving the highest Shambhala teachings, such as those of Werma and the Scorpion Seal Retreat. Taking Refuge requires that one is not actively involved in any other religion than Buddhism."...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shambhala_Buddhism

"The word secular simply means "not related specifically to religion or to a particular religious group." ......One way of categorizing kinds of schools is by whether they are secular (sometimes called non-sectarian) or sectarian. .....Secularity is best understood, not as being "anti-religious", but as being "religiously neutral"......Secular and secularity derive from the Latin word saecularis meaning of a generation, belonging to an age.".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularity

"Sectarian tends to be defined as a particular sect, often religious......Sectarianism includes the idea that the particular sect to which one belongs is the right and proper one, and that others belonging to other sects, even if they’re still of the same overhead religious group have it completely wrong.....Members of a religious or political group may believe that the success of their particular objectives, requires aggressively seeking converts from other groups."......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectarian

"Rime Movement, the Non-sectarian movement......"Rime (pronounced Ree-may), in its spirit, is non-sectarian. Rime is a movement within Tibetan Buddhism where a person studies not just one lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, but studies and learns from many. The point is to preserve many of the teachings and traditions and also to remove sectarian views.....All the great Rime practitioners, they learned from the other traditions, but they kept their tradition or lineage as the centerpiece of their practice......

"Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé (Tib. འཇམ་མགོན་ཀོང་སྤྲུལ་བློ་གྲོས་མཐའ་ཡས་, Wyl. ‘jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas) (1813-1899) - widely known for synthesizing the knowledge and experience of the many lineages of Buddhism in Tibet. This synthesis is recorded in 'The Five Great Treasures'. He was recognized by all schools of Buddhism in Tibet as one of the greatest masters of the Rimé (ecumenical) movement.

"Rojak" is a mishmash.....Malaysia is somewhat akin to "rojak". It is a mishmash of culture, religion, customs, people and language all rolled in one......Malaysia indeed is one of the few countries in the world where the major cultures and religions meet in one huge melting pot...On the island of Penang, the "rojak" of different Buddhist traditions become even more interesting, as traditional Straits Chinese lace their temples side by side with Burmese stupas, Thai wats, Sinhalese viharas and Tibetan centres. It is here, in Penang, that Malaysian Buddhism pays its true homage to the vibrant diversity of the various schools that dot ."....http://www.centrebouddhique.net/content/view/124/31/

"Ecumenical......Of worldwide scope or applicability; universal......Concerned with establishing or promoting unity among churches or religions.....[From Late Latin oecmenicus, from Greek oikoumenikos, from (h) oikoumen (g), (the) inhabited (world), feminine present passive participle of oikein, to inhabit, from oikos, house; see weik-1 in Indo-European roots.]."......http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ecumenical

"The Kalachakra refers to many different traditions, for example the Hindu; Saivite, Samkya, Vaishnava, the Vedas, Upanisads and Puranas traditions, but also Jainism. For example, the Kalachakra mandala includes deities which are equally accepted by Hindus, Jainas and Buddhists.".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalachakra

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….March 2013

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Etymology: Sham & Bhala (Elevated Sun)

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Balkh was known by the Persian 'Sham-i-Bala', loosely translated as "Elevated Candle"....Elevated/raised/divine is Persian 'Bala' and 'Sham' is Persian candle/light.....

SHAM.....'Sham' is Persian candle/light.......

Shams is the Arabic word for "sun" (شمس). The word has roots that go back to at least the time of the writing of the Epic of Gilgamesh, which references the Akkadian deity called Shamash

CANDLE (Pers.-Ar. šamʿ). The Arabic word (Ar. also šamaʿ) literally means “beeswax”

Sufis refer to the candle symbolically as the “divine light” and the “light of the divine guidance,” whereas the Koran is sometimes called “the divine candle” or “the candle/light of God”

Putting out a candle or a lamp by blowing on it is often associated with misfortune

CANDLE in Hindi.... शमा (pronounced: \\shama\\ )

Dome of a Fire Temple in Esfahan, Iran......Atashgahs that housed sacred fires.

Arabic Names....sun ; shams I knew few guys and girls with this name Shomus for girls only

the sun = "al shams" (the "l" is silent here) الشمس

SAMI.....elevated , sublime , supreme in Arabic . : سامي

śambhalagrāmamāhātmya n. (or śambhala-m-) "glory of śambhala-", Name of part of the....... http://sanskritdictionary.com/?q=bhala

"In sufi literature one of the most loved metaphor is moth and flame. The moth's annihilation into the flame has been drawn again and again as an analogy for the seeker in the sufi path who seeks annihilation into Divine Essence. The sufistic term for the annihilation or passing away into Divine is Fana.....In the poem quote at the beginning of this post, from The Drowned Book, Maarif, the genius of Bahauddin Valad (father of Rumi) uses moth in a surprisingly beautiful metaphor. Here the analogy emphasizes the brightness of one's inner light that makes the sun look like a moth, apparently a small insect.".....http://www.mysticsaint.info/2008/07/moth-and-flame-sufi-metaphor.html

Seyed-Gohrab (Persian literature and culture, Leiden U., the Netherlands) contributes an essay on the varied metaphors of the candle in the poetry of Hafiz and other writers...Metaphor and imagery in Persian poetry......Ed. by Ali Ashgar Seyed-Gohrab.

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"Etymology is the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time......The word etymology is derived from the Greek word ἐτυμολογία, etymologia, itself from ἔτυμον, etymon, meaning "true sense" and the suffix -logia, denoting "the study of"."

BALA........Elevated/raised/divine is Persian 'Bala' ...........

Sanskrit word for forehead......भाल ....bhAla.... n. forehead

“The Celtic bal meant “a white mark,” and the Sanskrit bhala, “forehead,” from the Indo-European bhel, “white, shining."

Proto-Indo-European Roots....Root/Stem: *bhel-.......Meanings: white, clear; to shine....The stem must have denoted a verb in Proto-Indo-European meaning "to be white", but soon it turned into an adjective in many languages.

Greek phalios (white) - from *bhal-jo- (sometimes is believed to be borrowed from Pelasgian *balios, related to Thracian)

Common Celtic *belo- (white, shining), .... Gaulish Belenos (Apollo), Belisama - two gods' names from this stem; Old Irish beltene - May, May-day (from *belo-tine - white fire), Irish bealtaine, Scottish bealtuinn; Old Irish oíbell (flame); Welsh bal (white-faced)

Old Norse bál (fire); Gothic bala (paleness), Old Swedish blikan (to shine), Old English bli'can; Old High German bilisa (henbane);

Sanskrit bhála- (a shine)

Thracian balios (white), ....Albanian balle" (a forehead)

bhala.....m. (only dative case bhalāya-) .....a term used in addressing the Sun (see bhalla-). ...http://sanskritdictionary.com/?q=bhala

śambhalagrāmamāhātmya n. (or śambhala-m-) "glory of śambhala-", Name of part of the....... http://sanskritdictionary.com/?q=bhala

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….August 2014

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Blue Pancake, Blue Sky Mind & Dzogchen Realization

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Dzogchen Explorations

Okar Research

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"There is a dimension of surprise that we never thought of, we never expected. We never expected the sky to drop on our head."......The Blue Pancake........A teaching on maha ati by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche......http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/vctr/bluepancake.html

"It is as though we were building a city or a zoo, and suddenly the whole sky turned into a gigantic pancake and dropped on us. There is a new dimension of surprise that we never thought of, we never expected. We never expected the sky to drop on our head....The sky turns into a blue pancake and drops on our head-nobody believes that. But in maha ati experience, it actually does happen. There is a new dimension of shock. a new dimension of logic.......Our perspective becomes completely different...You have nowhere to go. It is a cosmic pancake that falls everywhere on the face of the earth. You cannot escape-that is the basic point. ...in ati we are talking about the sky collapsing onto us.".....Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche......The Naropa Institute in 1974 and appears in Journey Without Goal, from Shambhala Publications.

"Buddhism has a number of schools, primarily divided into the hinayana, mahayana and vajrayana traditions, and squabbling goes on among all of them. They all speak the language of totality, and every one of them claims to have the answer. The hinayanists may say that they have the answer because they know reality. The mahayanists may say that the bodhisattva is the best person that we could ever find in the world. Tantric practitioners may say that the most fantastic person is the powerful and crazy yogi who is unconquerable and who has achieved siddhis and magical powers of all kinds. Let them believe what they want......" ....Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche......http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/vctr/bluepancake.html

"Practice means that everything you do, you act from Blue Sky Mind. You don't run off with your delusions when they arise. Seeing them as clouds, you begin to understand that which stays and that which goes. This Blue Sky Mind observes all of these passing conditions and sees them all clearly, but it isn't any one of those states itself....Blue Sky Mind, this unstainable consciousness, Buddha nature. Through practice you develop the strength to not identify with the things that come up and begin to prefer the spaciousness of your unstainable consciousness. The more time you spend as Blue Sky, the less you will want to spend time as clouds. To the extent that you spend time in this birthless mind, in the mind that hasn't taken the hard form of opinion, likes, and dislikes, to that extent you can have a flexible, expansive, and open mind.....You keep returning to Blue Sky Mind and as you spend more and more time there, eventually that becomes your place of residence. At this point it feels like a true turn-around has occurred, one with entirely different quality of being..".....http://www.dailyzen.com/zen/zen_reading35.asp

Tengri (Old Turkic: ; Modern Turkish: Tanrı; Proto-Turkic *teŋri / *taŋrɨ; Tngri; Modern Mongolian: Тэнгэр, Tenger), is one of the names for the primary chief deity in the religion of the early Turkic (Xiongnu, Hunnic, Bulgar) and Mongolic (Xianbei) peoples. Worship of Tengri is sometimes referred to as Tengrism. The core beings in Tengrism are Sky-Father (Tengri/Tenger Etseg) and Mother Earth (Eje/Gazar Eej). It involved shamanism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship......The Mongolian Great Khans of the 13th century ideologically based their power on a mandate from Tengri himself, and began their declarations with the words "by the will of Eternal [Blue] Heaven......The Turko-Mongolic concept of a sky god has an analogy in the Daoist coinage of 靝 (with 青 "blue" and 氣 "qi", i.e., "blue heaven") and Confucian concept of Tian Li.".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengri

"The Turkic sky god Tengri is strikingly similar to the Indo-European sky god, Dyeus, and the structure of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion is closer to that of the early Turks than to the religion of any people of Near Eastern or Mediterranean antiquity."...Mircea Eliade, John C. Holt, Patterns in comparative religion, 1958, p. 94.

Khukh and Tengri literally mean "blue" and "sky" in Mongolian and modern Mongolians still pray to "Munkh Khukh Tengri" ("Eternal Blue Sky"). Therefore Mongolia is sometimes poetically referred to by Mongolians as the "Land of Eternal Blue Sky" ("Munkh Khukh Tengriin Oron" in Mongolian). In modern Turkey Tengriism is also known as the Göktanrı dini, "Sky God religion", Turkish "Gök" (sky) and "Tanrı" (God) corresponding to the Mongolian khukh (blue) and Tengri (sky), respectively.

"Dyēus Phytēr is the god of the day-lit sky and the chief god of the Indo-European pantheon. The name survives in Greek Zeus with a vocative form Zeu pater; Latin Jūpiter (from the archaic Latin Iovis pater; Diēspiter), Sanskrit Dyáus Pitā, and Illyrian Dei-pátrous."....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_religion

This teaching was adapted from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's lectures on tantra at The Naropa Institute in 1974 and appears in Journey Without Goal, from Shambhala Publications......From The Essential Chögyam Trungpa, edited by Carolyn Gimian......© 1999 by Diana J. Mukpo.......Excerpted in the Shambhala Sun, September 1998, Halifax, www.shambhalasun.com

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….March 2013

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Saturday, March 23, 2013

Shamash, Sams ('Sun"), Shambu & Shamis en Balkh

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"Shamash (Akkadian Šamaš "Sun"), was a native Mesopotamian deity and the sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian pantheons. Shamash was the god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu. Akkadian šamaš is cognate to Syriac šemša or šimšu Hebrew שֶׁמֶשׁ šemeš and Arabic شمس šams."....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash

"One unites Sin (moon), Shamash (sun), and Ishtar (goddess of fertility), and corresponds clearly to the Achaemenian triad, Auramazda, Mithra., and Anahita.".....Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 18

"Investiture of Ardashir II (r. 379-383) (center) by the supreme God Ahuramazda (right) with Mithra (left) standing upon a lotus (Ghirshman, 1962 & Herrmann, 1977). Trampled beneath the feet of Ahura-Mazda and Ardashir II is an unidentified defeated enemy. Of interest are the emannating “Sun Rays” from the head of Mithras. Note the object being held by Mithras. This may be some sort of diadem or even a ceremonail broadsword, as Mithras appears to be engaged in some sort of `knighting`of Ardahsir II as he receives the `Farr`(Divine Glory) diadem from Ahura-Mazda."....http://rafigh1367.blogfa.com/post-15.aspx

"...a reference to Shamash is the Babylonian epic Gilgamesh. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel to slay Humbaba, each morning they pray and make libation to shamash in the direction of the rising sun for safe travels. Gilgamesh receives dreams from Shamash, which Enkidu then interprets..."...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash

"The two chief centres of sun-worship in Babylonia were Sippar, represented by the mounds at Abu Habba, and Larsa, represented by the modern Senkerah. At both places the chief sanctuary bore the name E-barra (or E-babbara) "the shining house"—a direct allusion to the brilliancy of the sun-god. Of the two temples, that at Sippara was the more famous, but temples to Shamash were erected in all large centres – such as Babylon, Ur, Mari, Nippur, and Nineveh.".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash

"Both in early and in late inscriptions Shamash is designated as the "offspring of Nannar"; i.e. of the moon-god, and since, in an enumeration of the pantheon, Sin generally takes precedence of Shamash, it is in relationship, presumably, to the moon-god that the sun-god appears as the dependent power. Such a supposition would accord with the prominence acquired by the moon in the calendar and in astrological calculations, as well as with the fact that the moon-cult belongs to the nomadic and therefore earlier stage of civilization, whereas the sun-god rises to full importance only after the agricultural stage has been reached."....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash

"Ur-Engur of the Ur dynasty (c. 2600 BCE) declared that he rendered decisions "according to the just laws of Shamash."......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash

Three "Palmyrene deities: from left to right: the lunar god Aglibol, the supreme god Beelshaman, the sun god Malakbel, 2st century CE slab, fund near bir Wereb, wadi Miyah, Syria. Louvre Museum"

"Malakbêl was a sun deity of the city of Palmyra in pre-Islamic Syria. The meaning, in Aramaic, is “Messenger of Baal" or "Messenger, or Angel, of the Lord". The Greek identified Malakbel with Hermes, and the Romans with Sol. He was also similar to the Babylonian sun god Shamash. Malakbel is usually accompanied by the Moon god Aglibol, and sometimes the goddess Allat.".....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malakbel

Relief Ninsun..... Louvre AO2761 Public Domain

"Gilgamesh visits his mother, the goddess Ninsun, who seeks the support and protection of the sun-god Shamash for their adventure.......In Sumerian mythology, Ninsun or Ninsuna ("lady wild cow") is a goddess, best known as the mother of the legendary hero Gilgamesh, and as the tutelary goddess of Gudea of Lagash. Her parents are the deities Anu and Uras.....Ninsun is called "Rimat-Ninsun", the "August cow", the "Wild Cow of the Enclosure", and "The Great Queen"."

"Modern religions tend to dismiss the ancient 'Sun Gods' as semi-theistic anthropomorphic Nature Spirits which was somewhat true in the Quasi-popular level of worship.....The deeper levels of meaning saw the 'Sun God' as representative of direct or primordial light and the 'Moon God' as representative of reflected light or the mirror.....The Sumerians originally practiced a polytheistic religion, with anthropomorphic deities representing cosmic and terrestrial forces in their world. During the middle of the third millennium BCE, Sumerian deities became more anthropocentric and were "...nature gods transformed into city gods.".......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumerian_mythology

The shamash – the "attendant" candle that is used to kindle the other lights – sits a bit higher or lower than the other candles, on the ninth branch of the menorah.

shama = Tranqulity
shamaM = mental tranquillity
shamaH = cessation of all material activities
shamanaM = subsiding
shambhu = a name of Shiva

Shiva....Shambhu: Source of Everything

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

John Hopkins.....Northern New Mexico….March 2013

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