Hadda: Greco-Buddhist Archeological Site (2nd C. BC)

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Haḍḍa is a Greco-Buddhist archeological site located in the ancient region of Gandhara, near the Khyber Pass, ten kilometers south of the city of Jalalabad in today's eastern Afghanistan.....

"Some 23,000 Greco-Buddhist sculptures, both clay and plaster, were excavated in Haḍḍa during the 1930s and the 1970s. The findings combine elements of Buddhism and Hellenism in an almost perfect Hellenistic style.......the style of the artifacts is typical of the late Hellenistic 2nd or 1st century BCE, the Haḍḍa sculptures are usually dated (although with some uncertainty), to the 1st century CE or later (i.e. one or two centuries afterward)..... it has been suggested that Greek communities were directly involved in these realizations, and that "the area might be the cradle of incipient Buddhist sculpture in Indo-Greek style"......The style of many of the works at Haḍḍa is highly Hellenistic, and can be compared to sculptures found at the Temple of Apollo in Bassae, Greece."

Hadda, Monastery of Tapa-e-shotor

"A sculptural group excavated at the Haḍḍa site of Tapa-i-Shotor represents Buddha surrounded by perfectly Hellenistic Herakles and Tyche holding a cornucopia. The only adaptation of the Greek iconography is that Herakles holds the thunderbolt of Vajrapani rather than his usual club.....Other attendants to the Buddha have been excavated which display manifest Hellenistic styles, such as the "Genie au Fleur", today in Paris at the Guimet Museum."

"Buddhist scriptures.........It is believed the oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts-indeed the oldest surviving Indian manuscripts of any kind-were recovered around Haḍḍa. Probably dating from around the 1st century CE, they were written on bark in Gandhari using the Kharoṣṭhī script, and were unearthed in a clay pot bearing an inscription in the same language and script. They are part of the long-lost canon of the Sarvastivadin Sect that dominated Gandhara and was instrumental in Buddhism's spread into central and east Asia via the Silk Road. The manuscripts are now in the possession of the British Library."

"Haḍḍa is said to have been almost entirely destroyed in the fighting during the Civil war in Afghanistan......A village named Hadda — 11 km from Jalalabad — was the place of about a thousand of stupas and even a whole monastery, Tapa-i-Shotor. The locals were very brief about it, “There is nothing there.” After the trip, I saw the following phrase in a Russian war memoirs book, “Near Jalalabad a village Ada has been the «target of the day». The mujaheds would periodically open fire from there at a military airport nearby. The helicopter pilots repaid in kind and have eventually razed the village to the ground.”

"Musée Guimet......The Buddhist monastery complex at Hadda in Eastern Afghanistan, not far from Kandahar, yielded a rich trove of sculpture and painting during the French excavations of the late 1930s...Monastery of Bagh-Gai. 3rd-4th c. CE. ......Barthoux Expedition 1927-1928..... Monastery of Chakhil-i-Ghoundi. 2nd-3rd. c. CE......base of stupa.....Hadda, Monastery of Tapa-i Kafariha. 2nd-3rd c. CE. .....Barthoux expedition 1928. ... Monastery of Tapa-Kalan. 4th-5th c. CE. .....

"The toponym Haḍḍa has its origins in Sanskrit haḍḍa n. m., "a bone", or, an unrecorded *haḍḍaka, adj., "(place) of bones". The former - if not a fossilized form - would have given rise to a Haḍḍ in the subsequent vernaculars of northern India (and in the Old Indic loans in modern Pashto). The latter would have given rise to the form Haḍḍa naturally and would well reflect the belief that Haḍḍa housed a bone-relic of Buddha. The term haḍḍa is found as a loan in Pashto haḍḍ, n., id. and may reflect the linguistic influence of the original pre-Islamic Indian population of the area."

"..... the great stucco bas-reliefs of central Buddhas flanked by disciples at Tapa-i-Shotor, Hadda, Afghanistan, now destroyed and visible only in photographs – see fig. 50 in Jonathan Tucker, The Silk Road: Art and History, London: Philip Wilson Publishers, 2003.......The British Museum has a related stucco head of a monk, also reputedly from Hadda – see no. 620 in W. Zwalf, A Catalogue of the Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum. London: British Museum Press, 1996. The Musée Guimet has a similar monk head, also from Hadda –see cat. no. 75 in Afghanistan: Une histoire millénaire. Exposition organisée par la Réunion des Musées nationaux, le Musée National des Arts Asiatiques- Guimet et la Fundacion la Caixa, Barcelone, Paris, 2002."

"Hadda; Nangrahār (DAFA, Foucher, 1923-28; Hackin, 1928; J. Barthoux, 1930, 1933). 2nd-7th century A.D.: Over 1,000 stupas were identified. Stucco statuary in great quantity, limestone and schist bas-reliefs, and wall paintings were found. Large collections now reside in the Musée Guimet, Paris, and the National Museum, Kabul (MDAFA 1/2, 1947; 4, 1933; 6, 1930; 19, 1964 ).".....http://www.iranicaonline.org

"Tapa-ye Šotor, Hadda (AIA, Mustamindy, 1965-73; Tarzi, 1973-79). Chapels and decorative votive stupas were excavated, including the “fish porch” and “Heracles-Vajrapāni chapel” (Plate XXII/1) with statuary set against walls decorated in high relief. Various clay statues, bas-reliefs, and wall painting were found, as well as a small bronze Buddha’s head and a clay Buddha with a manuscript embedded in its back. The site was sacked and burned in the 7th century (Afghanistan 21/1, 2, 1968; 22/2, 3-4, 1969; 24/2-3, 1971; 26/4, 1974; Arts Asiatiques 19, 1969; Tarzi, Comptes rendues de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, 1976)."........http://www.iranicaonline.org

"Lalma, etc., near Hadda (Kyoto University, Mizuno, 1962-65). 2nd-5th century: At Lalma a large complex was investigated, including stupas and two-roomed and barrel-vaulted caves. The main stupa was decorated with relief sculpture. Numerous later stupas (4th-5th century) and votive Buddhas were found. Fīl-ḵāna contained a stupa and cave complex; its unique Indian style vihāra dates to ca. 200 A.D. At Bāsawal are several groups of schist caves, some pillared, extending to a distance of 3.5 km. Buddha figurines date to the 4th-5th century (Hazar Sum and Fil-Khana, Kyoto, 1967; Durman Tepe and Lalma, Kyoto, 1968; Basawal and Jalalabad-Kabul, Kyoto, 1971).".........http://www.iranicaonline.org

" In 1834-37 C. Masson was officially employed by the East India Company to collect antiquities in Afghanistan. His maps and descriptions, particularly of the areas of Jalālābād and Hadda and of Bagrām, were pioneering contributions, although his “excavations” were unscientific (see his Narrative of Various Journeys in Belochistan, Afghanistan, and the Punjab; including a Residence in those Countries from 1826 to 1836, 3 vols., London, 1842; and W. W. Wilson, Ariana Antiqua: A Descriptive Account of the Antiquities and Coins of Afghanistan with a Memoir on the Buildings called Topes by C. Masson, Esq., Calcutta, 1841).".............http://www.iranicaonline.org

"Scientific exploration in Afghanistan began after September, 1922, when A. Foucher signed, on behalf of the French government, a diplomatic treaty with Afghanistan. In it was recognized the establishment of the Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA). Since 1928 this mission has recorded its investigations in a major publication series, the Mémoires (MDAFA). French research concentrated on pinpointing evidence for the spread of Hellenism, tracing the silk route, and studying the relationship of Gandharan art to the Buddhist art of the Afghan area. Balḵ was probed (1924) for evidence of Hellenism but without results; and work shifted to the major ancient sites of Bāmīān, Bagrām, and Hadda. DAFA returned to Balḵ in 1947 under D. Schlumberger but failed to find any pre-Kushan evidence. In 1949 Schlumberger transferred operations to Laškarī Bāzār in the south, thus beginning DAFA’s first large-scale study of Islamic ruins. J. M. Casal directed its first Bronze Age excavations at Mondīgak in 1951. In 1952 Schlumberger was diverted to Sorḵ Kōtal, north of the Hindu Kush, after roadbuilders had unearthed stone blocks inscribed with a form of Greek script. Excavations at this Kushan temple complex revealed the first concrete evidence for an indigenous Bactrian art and shed new light on the development of Gandharan art. A further notable find occurred in 1963, when a large Corinthian capital was brought to DAFA’s attention. It came from Āy Ḵānom on Afghanistan’s northern boundary, where the Kōkča and Panǰ rivers meet. Excavations there (Schlumberger to 1965, P. Bernard, 1965-80, J. C. Cardin) revealed the easternmost city of Greek culture yet known. It bears, however, many distinctly oriental traits and speaks clearly of strong local rulers with syncretic tastes in architecture, art, and religion."..............http://www.iranicaonline.org

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

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Mount Khwajeh, Lake Hamun & Ancient Sistan (2nd C. BC)

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"Mount Khwaja or Mount Khwajeh (locally: Kuh-e Khvājeh) is a flat-topped black basalt hill rising up as an island in the middle of Lake Hamun, in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan......The trapezoid-shaped basalt lava outcropping, located 30 km southwest of the town of Zabol, rises to 609 meters above sea level and has a diameter ranging from 2.0 to 2.5 kilometres. It is the only natural height in the Sistan area, and is named after an Islamic pilgrimage site on the hill: the tomb and shrine of Khwaja Ali Mahdi, a descendent of Ali ibn Abi Talib......Mount Khwaja is also an important archaeological site: On the southern promontory of the eastern slope, the ruins of a citadel complex - known as the Ghagha-Shahr - with its remains of a fire temple attest to the importance of the island in pre-Islamic Iran. According to Zoroastrian legend, Lake Hamun is the keeper of Zoroaster's seed. In Zoroastrian eschatology, when the final renovation of the world is near, maidens will enter the lake and then give birth to the saoshyans, the saviours of humankind.......The fire temple is on a terrace behind high walls and is protected by two forts, whose remains are respectively known as Kok-e Zal and Chehel Dokhtaran. Collectively, the ruins are called Qal'a-e Kafaran "Fort of Infidels" or Qal'a-e Sam "Fort of Sam," the grandfather of the mythical Rostam. Both names reflect pre-Islamic heritage. The walls of the temple were once extravagantly decorated with murals, some of which are now on display in museums in Tehran, Berlin, New Delhi and New York.......The citadel complex was first investigated by Marc Aurel Stein in 1915-1916. The site was later excavated by Ernst Herzfeld, and was again investigated in part by Giorgio Gullini in a short expedition of 1960. Initially, Herzfeld tentatively dated the palace complex to the 1st century CE, that is, to the Arsacid period (248 BCE-224 CE). Herzfeld later revised his estimate to a later date and today the Sassanid period (224-651 CE) is usually considered to be more likely. Three bas-reliefs on the outer walls that depict riders and horses are attributed to this later period. Beyond the citadel at the top of the plateau are several other unrelated buildings, of uncertain function and probably dating to the Islamic period.".....Ernst Herzfeld Papers, Series 5: Drawings and Maps, Records of Kuh-e Khwaja

"Nimrouz: meaning mid-day, or noon?........Now the Date Line is arbitrarily set in Greenwich; but ancient Iranian wisdom set the centre of the world in Sistan, at 33.5N. The chosen location might have been based on the idea that beyond 67 degrees North there was no civilization – which sets the halfway point at 33.5N......There is specific reference to Nim Rouz in the eleventh century Tarikh-e Sistan (The History of Sistan), describing how the world’s scholars have divided the world. Its limits are the sunrise to the east on the shortest day, to sunset in the west on longest day; and “this science is proved by arithmetic”. Even earlier, the Avesta describes how: “He, whose very long arms catches the unfaithful, overthrows him, even if he is in the East of India, in the West, or in the middle of this earth, on the outfall of Arang River”. The Arang River is now called Syrdarya or Sayhoun River, the outfall of which in Aral (Kharazm)........Another account describes how, when it was noon (Nim Rouz) in Sistan, then all the countries of the Ancient Civilization had sunshine: in the Easternmost corner it would be sunset while in the Westernmost corner it would be dawn.......It’s difficult to know how it could have been calculated in ancient times, but Nimrouz is apparently exactly in the middle of the eastern part of the earth. Its distance to the Kuril trench Islands in the Pacific Ocean (in the far east) is 90 degrees – while its distance to the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean (in the far west) is 90 degrees.......Now, there are no known remnants of Zarathusthra’s observatory, although the land of Nimrouz does still include Hamun lake and Khajeh mountain. This lake and little mountain in the middle of it is like a sample of the world – with land of Khajeh surrounded by water of Hamun lake...."

Click on the map to enlarge

"Rostam or Rustam (Persian: رُستَم‎, ) is the epic hero of the story, Rostam and Sohrab, part of the Persian epic of Shahnameh
in Persian mythology, and son of Zal and Rudaba. In the story, he and his predecessors were natives of Zabul (southeast
Afghanistan)......He was immortalized by the 10th-century poet Ferdowsi of Tus in the Shahnameh or Epic of Kings, which
contain pre-Islamic folklore and history......In Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, Rostam is a native of the Zabol part of the
Zabulistan region which is in modern Southeast Afghanistan. Rostam is the champion of champions and is involved in numerous stories, constituting some of the most popular (and arguably some of most masterfully created) parts of the
Shahnameh. In Shahnameh, Rostam - like his grandfather Sam - works as both a faithful military general as well as king-maker for the Kayanian dynasty of Persia.....Sām (سام), also transliterated Saam is a mythical hero of ancient Persia, and
an important character in the Shahnameh epic. He was the son of Nariman, grandson of Garshasp and father to Zāl. He
was Iran's champion during the rule of Fereydun, Manuchehr and Nowzar. He was appointed by Manuchehr to rule Zabulistan (Sistan), and then Mazandaran. After Manuchehr, because of Nowzar's corrupted and failed rulership, Iranian
champions asked Sām to rule Iran. Sām didn't accept, he supported Nowzar and advised him to follow Fereydun and
Manuchehr. Sām returned to Mazandaran, and died soon after that. Afrasiab then attacked Zabulistan....
The name Sām is equivalent to the Avestan name 'Saama', which means dark and Sanskrit 'Shyaama'
which means the same."....

"The Shahnameh tells us that Sam and his family were kings of Sistan (Sagistan) and Zabulistan. At present in Iran, Sistan (also Seistan) is a province that shares its name with Baluchistan, with Zabol as a principal city in its north and Zaboli in the centre-east. Zabol is also a south-central Afghan province. Iranian Sistan is ethnically Iranian and Baluchi while Aghani Zabol is ethnically Pashtu. Zabol appears to be an older name while Sistan has been connected (tenuously) to a Saka invasion and migration into the region's western part in 128 BC. If correct, then Sistan could have become the eastern part of the original region while Zabulistan remained the western part. .....Sistan has other names as well, one being the Achaemenian name Zraka, then Zari, and the other Nimruz, meaning mid-day. Today, Nimruz is the Afghani province that borders Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan. The name Nimruz is thought to reflect a belief that the prime meridian of the known world stretching from Europe and Africa on the west to Japan in the east ran through Sistan. One tradition has Zarathushtra first locating the meridian and then building on observatory close to the present city of Zabol. A principal Sistan town in antiquity was At Shahr-i Sokhta and amongst its ruins an elaborate c 2500 BCE Bronze Age palace has been excavated.".....http://www.heritageinstitute.com

"Shahr-e Sūkhté (Persian: شهر سوخته‎, meaning "[The] Burnt City"), also spelled as Shahr-e Sukhteh and Shahr-i Shōkhta,
is an archaeological site of a sizable Bronze Age urban settlement, associated with the Jiroft culture. It is located in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, the southeastern part of Iran, on the bank of the Helmand River, near the Zahedan-Zabol road. A proposal is submitted to include it in the World Heritage List of UNESCO......The reasons for the unexpected rise and fall of the Burnt City are still wrapped in mystery. Artifacts recovered from the city demonstrate a peculiar incongruity with nearby civilizations of the time and it has been speculated that Shahr-e-Sookhteh might ultimately provide concrete evidence of a civilization east of prehistoric Persia that was independent of ancient Mesopotamia.".....http://www.anobanini.com

Shams-e Bala....Shams-e Bala (Persian: شمس بالا‎, also Romanized as Shams-e Bālā; also known as Shams-e ‘Olyā) is a village in Khusf Rural District, Central District, Khusf County, South Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 63, in 20 families......Coordinates: 32°59′23″N 58°46′54″E....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shams-e_Bala

"Greater Khorasan has witnessed the rise and fall of many dynasties and governments in its territory throughout history. Various tribes of the Arabs, Turks, Kurds Mongols, Turkemen and Afghans brought changes to the region time and time again.....Ancient geographers of Iran divided Iran ("Iran-Shahr") into eight segments of which the most flourishing and largest was the territory of Greater Khorasan. Esfarayen, among other cities of the province, was one of the focal points for residence of the Aryan tribes after entering Iran.....The Parthian empire was based near Merv in Khorasan for many years. In Parthians times, Esfarayen was one of the important villages of Nishapur......During the Sassanid dynasty the province was governed by a Spahbod (Lieutenant General) called "Padgoosban" and four margraves, each commander of one of the four parts of the province......Khorasan was divided into four parts during the Muslim conquest of Persia, each section being named after the four largest cities, Nishapur, Merv, Herat, and Balkh.....In the year 651, the army of Islamic Arabs invaded Khorasan. The territory remained in the hands of the Abbasid clan until 820, followed by the rule of the Iranian Taherid clan in the year 896 and the Samanid dynasty in 900.".....

"Lāḵ-Mazār Inscriptions......the Parthian inscriptions from Lāḵ-Mazār ....six Parthians....their names were Mihrbān (Mtrybn “possessing the brilliance of Mithra”), Wišādewēnēn (Wyštywynyn, “with open gaze”), Ardaxšīr (ʾrtḥstr, “having the favor of the deities of Right­eousness and Power”), Girdāzād (Grtʾzʾt, 'having the free [celestial?] orb”), Paryōžnaw (Prgwznw “new victor”), and Warhrām (Wrhr”m, “created by the deity of Victory”).....date the Parthian inscriptions to the 5th C. AD...... This date is confirmed by the finds of the coins of King Kawād I (r. 488—531) in the gorges and by the presence of an engraved image representing a man’s head in a crown in which Ḵāniki (Ḵāniki and Baššāš, p. 31) sees the portrait of this king. "....http://www.iranicaonline.org

"LĀḴ-MAZĀR “Rocky sacred place (?),” name applied to gorges not far from the settlement of Kuč, 29 km southeast of Birjand in Khorasan Province (ostān). For the name, compare Pers. sanglāḵ “stony place, gorge of stones,” dīwlāḵ “dwelling of div” (q.v.), rūd lāḵ “river bed.” In April 1992 Iranian scholar-archeologists, students of local lore, and linguists working in the Department of Cultural Heritage of Khorasan Province in­vestigated rock inscriptions and petroglyphs there (the results were published in 1994; see Ḵāniki and Baššāš)...... the gorges of Lāḵ-Mazār runs the road from Khorasan to Kerman. ".......http://www.iranicaonline.org

Country: Iran
Province: South Khorasan
County: Khusf
Bakhsh: Central District
Rural District: Khusf
Coordinates: 32°59′23″N 58°46′54″E....

The Citadel of Furg, or Arg e Furg, is a citadel from the 12th century, located in South Khorasan, in Iran, near Birjand.

?....Divan, Lama (1365) Persian....Divan Lama. Sanobar.

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

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Blessing: Baraka, Adhiṣṭhāna & Chinlap

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"Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated "as a blessing, or the breath, or the essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds.".....

"... the Sanskrit "Adhishthana" and Tibetan "jinlab" thus:......The Sanskrit word literally means "standing over" and conveys ideas of taking possession, dwelling within, presence, protection, and sovereignty. The Tibetan literally means "an engulfing wave or flood of splendor and power." .....Fremantle, Francesca (2001). Luminous Emptiness: Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Boston: Shambala Publications

"Baraka means blessing in Hebrew, Arabic and Arabic-influenced languages.....
Baraka, also berakhah, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony
Baraka, also barakah, in Arabic Islam and Arabic-influenced languages such as Swahili, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, a blessing from God in the form of spiritual wisdom or divine presence. Also a spiritual power believed to be possessed by certain persons, objects, tombs.
Baraka, a rarely used French slang term for luck, derived from the Arabic word
Baraka Bashad, meaning "may the blessings be" or just "blessings be", originally a Sufi expression.

"Baraka is a prominent concept in Islamic mysticism, particularly Sufism. It pervades Sufi texts, beliefs, practices, and spirituality. Sufism emphasizes the importance of esoteric knowledge and the spiritual union with God through the heart. Baraka symbolizes this connection between the divine and the worldly through God's direct and intentional blessing of those that are most reflective of Him and his teachings......Baraka is not a state, it is a flow of blessings and grace. It flows from God to those that are closest to God, such as saints and prophets. Those that have received baraka are thought to have the abilities to perform miracles (karamat), such as thought-reading, healing the sick, flying, and reviving the dead....However, according to Abd al-Karīm ibn Hawāzin Qushayri, a prominent Sufi mystic, the use of these miracles and the actual possession of these abilities are not indicative of a saint's status, however, the performance of these miracles by prophets is important to establish credentials...."....... Ernst, Carl (1997). The Shambhala Guide to Sufism. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc.

"Blessing (Skt. adhiṣṭhāna; Tib. chinlap; Wyl. byin brlabs or byin gyis brlabs) — in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, the true meaning of blessing is defined as “a transformation in which your mind transcends into the state of the absolute.”

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama defines ‘blessing’ in his commentary on the second part of Kamalashila’s Stages of Meditation: The Tibetan word for blessing, chin lap, can be broken into two parts—chin means ’magnificent potential’ and lap means ‘to transform’. So chin lap means ‘transforming into magnificent potential.’ Therefore, blessing refers to the development of virtuous qualities that you did not previously have and the improvement of those good qualities that you have already developed. It also means decreasing the defilements of the mind that obstruct the generation of wholesome qualities. So actual blessing is received when the mind’s virtuous attributes gain strength and its defective characteristics weaken or deteriorate."

"Adhiṣṭhāna ....Adhiṣṭhāna (Romanised Sanskrit with diacritics; Devanagari: अधिष्ठान; Standard Tibetan: jin lab, contraction of jin gyi lab pa; Wylie: byin rlabs; Japanese: 加持 kaji; Thai: อธิษฐาน) are initiations or blessings in the Vajrayana Buddhist schools such as Tibetan Buddhism and Shingon.

"Tsultrim Allione points out that in Tibetan Buddhism adhistana blessings are an important part of the esoteric transmission received from the guru and lineage. Receiving these blessings is dependent on the student having proper motivation, aspiration and intentionality (refer: Bodhicitta) and sufficient 'devotion' (Sanskrit: bhakti). These blessings may be received from the student's guru during initiation, from the yidam during deity yoga or simply from being in the presence of holy objects such as stupa."....Allione, Tsultrim (1986). Women of Wisdom. London

Tibetan: jin lab, contraction of jin gyi lab pa....... Jin gyi lab paae in Tibetan...... "The transformation of our mind from a negative state to a positive state, from an unhappy state to a happy state, or from a state of weakness to a state of strength, through the inspiration of holy beings such as our Spiritual Guide, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas."....http://kadampa.org

"Baraka is a 1992 non-narrative documentary film directed by Ron Fricke. The film is often compared to Koyaanisqatsi, the first of the Qatsi films by Godfrey Reggio for which Fricke was cinematographer. Baraka was the first film in over twenty years to be photographed in the 70mm Todd-AO format, and the first film ever to be restored and scanned at 8K resolution.....The film is Ron Fricke’s follow-up to Godfrey Reggio’s similar non-verbal documentary film Koyaanisqatsi. Fricke was cinematographer and collaborator on Reggio’s film, and for Baraka he struck out on his own to polish and expand the photographic techniques used on Koyaanisqatsi....... Shot in 70mm, it includes a mixture of photographic styles including slow motion and time-lapse. To execute the film’s time-lapse sequences, Fricke had a special camera built that combined time-lapse photography with perfectly controlled movements. Locations featured include the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Ryoan temple in Kyoto, Lake Natron in Tanzania, burning oil fields in Kuwait, the smouldering precipice of an active volcano, a busy subway terminal, tribal celebrations of the Masai in Kenya, and chanting monks in the Dip Tse Chok Ling monastery......The film features a number of long tracking shots through various settings, including Auschwitz and Tuol Sleng, over photos of the people involved, past skulls stacked in a room, to a spread of bones. It suggests a universal cultural perspective: a shot of an elaborate tattoo on a bathing Japanese yakuza precedes a view of tribal paint....A sequel to Baraka, Samsara, made by the same filmmakers, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011 and released internationally in August 2012. Also shot in 70mm, Samsara explores an arguably darker, updated version of many of the same themes as Baraka.."

"Baraka Allahu fika

بارك الله فيك May Allah bestow his blessings on you."

"Abhisheka is the name given to a late Vedic rite of anointing government officials, particularly heads of state, at the time of their taking power or to mark a signal achievement. It is also the bathing ceremony and anointing performed on certain festival days for the temple deities......In the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition, an abhisheka can be a method for performing esoteric transmission, a way to offer blessings of a lineage to participants, or it can be an empowerment to begin a particular meditation practice.[......It originally was used as a consecration rite. Water from the four oceans was poured out of golden jars onto the head of the royalty. It was used during the monarch's accession ceremony and also his investiture ceremony....The Abhiseka Ritual (灌頂 ) in Shingon Buddhism is the initiation ritual used to confirm that a student of esoteric Buddhism has now graduated to a higher level of practice. The kanji used literally mean "pouring from the peak", which poetically describes the process of passing on the master's teachings to the student.."......

"In Islam, Barakah or Baraka (Arabic: بركة ‎ ) is the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres as prosperity, protection, and happiness. Baraka is the continuity of spiritual presence and revelation that begins with God and flows through that and those closest to God. Baraka can be found within physical objects, places, and people, as chosen by God. This force begins by flowing directly from God into creation that is worthy of baraka. These creations endowed with baraka can then transmit the flow of baraka to the other creations of God through physical proximity or through the adherence to the spiritual practices of the Prophet Muhammad. God is the sole source of baraka and has the power to grant and withhold baraka."....Colin, G.S. "Baraka.". Encyclopaedia of Islam.

"Sufism: the teacher-student relationship in the madrasah s or the master-apprentice relationship in the urban craft guilds (from whose ranks the ṭarīqah s drew much of their membership). A popular preacher or revivalist, a healer, a visionary mystic, an ascetic or other holy man might draw a number of devoted listeners to hear lectures or to experience the charisma and spiritual energy (barakah ) of his presence. This might develop into a lasting relationship between a spiritual guide (murshid ), or elder (Arabic, shaykh ; Persian, pīr ), directing his seeker (murīd ). Prior to the twelfth century the relationship of such disciples to one another was typically unstructured, though they might travel together when accompanying the master on a journey and either do odd jobs or beg to support themselves. Some groups, such as the Karrāmīyah (based on the teachings of the ascetic preacher Ibn Karrām, d. 869), apparently evolved into more systematic movements."....

"ṬARĪQAH . The Arabic word ṭarīqah, meaning a road or path, also signifies a "mode" or "method" of action as well as a "way" or code of belief. In the context of Sufism, ṭarīqah refers to both the path of spirituality itself—"the way"—and the manner of traveling (sulūk ) along this path as the wayfarer passes through various stages (manāzil ) and stations (maqāmāt )...The Tariqah Al Qadiri al Budshishi is considered considered as a (Baraka) blessing from the Arif Bi’llah, (The knower of Allah), the teacher by the Idhn (permission) of the Messenger of Allah (S), our great grandfather, Maulana Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani, may Allah bless him and let us benefit from his Baraka.".....http://www.deenislam.co.uk

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

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Chinese Explorer Zhang Qian in Bactria (126 BC)

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"Zhang Qian spent a year in Yuezhi and the adjacent Bactrian territory with its remnants of Greco-Bactrian rule, documenting their cultures, lifestyles and economy, before beginning his return trip to China in 125 BC."

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"The Chinese explorer Zhang Qian, who visited the neighbouring countries of Bactria and Sogdiana in 126 BC, made the first known Chinese report on Parthia. In his accounts Parthia is named "Ānxī" (Chinese: 安息), a transliteration of "Arsacid", the name of the Parthian dynasty. Zhang Qian clearly identifies Parthia as an advanced urban civilization, which he equates to those of Dayuan (in Ferghana) and Daxia (in Bactria)."......The Records of the Grand Historian (Taishi gong shu 太史公書, now usually known as the Shiji 史記 –

"Zhang Qian (Chang Chien; pinyin : Zhāng Qiān; simplified Chinese: 张骞; traditional Chinese: 張騫) was an imperial envoy to the world outside of China in the 2nd century BCE, during the time of the Han Dynasty. He was the first official diplomat to bring back reliable information about Central Asia to the Chinese imperial court, then under Emperor Wu of Han, and played an important pioneering role in the Chinese colonization and conquest of the region now known as Xinjiang.......Zhang Qian's travels are associated with the major route of transcontinental trade, the Silk Road. In essence, his missions opened up to China the many kingdoms and products of a part of the world then unknown to the Chinese. Zhang Qian's accounts of his explorations of Central Asia are detailed in the Early Han historical chronicles, Records of the Grand Historian or Shiji, compiled by Sima Qian in the 1st century BCE . The Central Asian sections of the Silk Road routes were expanded around 114 BC largely through the missions and explorations of Zhang Qian.Today Zhang Qian is considered a national hero."....Boulnois, Luce (2005). Silk Road: Monks, Warriors & Merchants. Hong Kong: Odyssey Books.

"Anxi is situated several thousand li west of the region of the Great Yuezhi (in Transoxonia). The people are settled on the land, cultivating the fields and growing rice and wheat. They also make wine out of grapes. They have walled cities like the people of Dayuan (Ferghana), the region contains several hundred cities of various sizes. The coins of the country are made of silver and bear the face of the king. When the king dies, the currency is immediately changed and new coins issued with the face of his successor. The people keep records by writing on horizontal strips of leather. To the west lies Tiaozi (Mesopotamia) and to the north Yancai and Lixuan (Hyrcania)." ......The Chinese explorer Zhang Qian, who visited the neighbouring countries of Bactria and Sogdiana in 126 BCE..... Zhang Qian quote, trans. Burton Watson

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"The Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD), also known as the Arsacid Empire, was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran, also known as ancient Persia. Its latter name comes from Arsaces I of Parthia who, as leader of the Parni tribe, founded it in the mid-3rd century BC when he conquered the region of Parthia in Iran's northeast, then a satrapy (province) in rebellion against the Seleucid Empire. Mithridates I of Parthia (c. 171–138 BC) greatly expanded the empire by seizing Media and Mesopotamia from the Seleucids....There is scant archaeological evidence for the spread of Buddhism from the Kushan Empire into Iran proper. However, it is known from Chinese sources that An Shigao (fl. 2nd century AD), a Parthian nobleman and Buddhist monk, traveled to Luoyang in Han China as a Buddhist missionary and translated several Buddhist canons into Chinese."....Emmerick, R.E. (1983), "Buddhism Among Iranian Peoples", in Yarshater, Ehsan, Cambridge History of Iran 3.2, London & New York: Cambridge University Press,

"The reports of Zhang Qian's travels are quoted extensively in the 1st century BCE Chinese historic chronicles "Records of the Great Historian" (Shiji) by Sima Qian. Zhang Qian visited directly the kingdom of Dayuan in Ferghana, the territories of the Yuezhi in Transoxiana, the Bactrian country of Daxia with its remnants of Greco-Bactrian rule, and Kangju (康居). He also made reports on neighbouring countries that he did not visit, such as Anxi (Arsacid territories), Tiaozhi (Mesopotamia?), Shendu (Pakistan) and the Wusun."

"Daxia (Bactria)......Zhang Qian probably witnessed the last period of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, as it was being subjugated by the nomadic Yuezhi. Only small powerless chiefs remained, who were apparently vassals to the Yuezhi horde. Their civilization was urban, almost identical to the civilizations of Anxi and Dayuan, and the population was numerous.........'Daxia is situated over 2,000 li (1,000 kilometers) southwest of Dayuan (Ferghana), south of the Gui (Oxus) river. Its people cultivate the land, and have cities and houses. Their customs are like those of Dayuan. It has no great ruler but only a number of petty chiefs ruling the various cities. The people are poor in the use of arms and afraid of battle, but they are clever at commerce. After the Great Yuezhi moved west and attacked and conquered Daxia, the entire country came under their sway. The population of the country is large, numbering some 1,000,000 or more persons. The capital is Lanshi (Bactra) where all sorts of goods are bought and sold.....Zhang Qian identifies "Anxi" as an advanced urban civilization, like Dayuan (Ferghana) and Daxia (Bactria). " ........Shiji, 123, Zhang Qian quote, translation Burton Watson.

"In 126 BC the Chinese chronicler Zhang Qian visited Bactria (known as Daxia in Chinese) and described a kingdom that had collapsed while its large population and urban infrastructure remained:
'Daxia (Bactria) is located ... south of the Gui (Oxus) river. Its people cultivate the land and have cities and houses. It has no great ruler but only a number of petty chiefs ruling the various cities. The people are poor in the use of arms and afraid of battle, but they are clever at commerce. After the Great Yuezhi moved west and attacked Daxia, the entire country came under their sway. The population of the country is large, numbering some 1,000,000 or more persons. The capital is called the city of Lanshi (Bactra/Balkh) and has a market where all sorts of goods are bought and sold.'
By this time, the last Graeco-Bactrian king, Heliocles (ruled 150-125 BC), had moved his capital to the Kabul Valley. His successors would ally themselves with Greek kings in the East and become the western edge of the Indo-Greek kingdom until the last "western" Indo-Greek kings, Hermaeus, was routed by the Yuezhi around 70 BC.....Around 12 BC the Yuezhi were then to move further to northern India where they established the Kushan Empire.."....http://www.cemml.colostate.edu/

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

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An Shigao: Prince of Parthia & First Chinese Buddhist Translator (c. 148-180 AD)

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"An Shigao (Chinese: 安世高 Pinyin transcription: Ān Shìgāo) (Wade–Giles transcription: An Shih-kao, Korean: An Sego, Japanese: An Seikō) (c. 148-180 AD) was an early Buddhist missionary to China, and the earliest known translator of Indian Buddhist texts into Chinese. According to legend, he was a prince of Parthia, nicknamed the "Parthian Marquis", who renounced his claim to the royal throne of Parthia (a historical region located in north-eastern Iran) in order to serve as a Buddhist missionary monk in China."....Robert E. Buswell Jr. and Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. (2104). "An Shigao". The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.

"Parthians also played a role in the Silk Road transmission of Buddhism from Central Asia to China. An Shih Kao, a Parthian nobleman and Buddhist missionary, went to the Chinese capital Luoyang in 148 CE where he established temples and became the first man to translate Buddhist scriptures into Chinese."

"Bodhidharma......At that time there was a monk of the Western Region named Bodhidharma, a Persian Central Asian.....Bodhidharma is referred as "The Blue-Eyed Barbarian" (碧眼胡) in Chinese Chan texts......Bodhidharma lived in the 5th or 6th century AD....He took the Ch'an and Zen tradition to China from Persia....Bodhidharma's teachings and practice centered on meditation and the Lankavatara Sutra."....Soothill, William Edward; Hodous, Lewis (1995), A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms

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"An Shigao (安世高, 2nd century) was a prince of the kingdom of Anxi, the Arsacid Empire, in present-day northeastern Iran. He was famed for honoring his parents and having broad knowledge in astrology, medicine, and sacred texts. After his father’s death, he gave up his throne and became a Buddhist monk.........An Shigao arrived in Luoyang (洛陽), China’s capital, in 148, the second year of the Janho (建和) years of Emperor Huan (漢桓帝) of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220). He was given the surname An in Chinese to indicate his Anxi origin. Between 148 and 170, he translated many Sanskrit texts into Chinese, and fifty-five texts in the Chinese Canon are attributed to him, including the Repentance Sūtra (T24n1492). These texts cover basic Buddhist doctrine according to the Hīnayāna (Small Vehicle). An Shigao was the first to bring to China the Buddhist meditation technique of noting one’s ānāpāna (inhalation and exhalation)......During the turmoil near the end of Emperor Ling’s reign (漢靈帝, 168–89), An Shigao traveled to southern China. He is said to have died in Huiji (會稽), present-day Suzhou (蘇州), Jiangsu Province.".....Buddha Sūtras Mantras Sanskrit

"The Ānāpānasati Sutta (Pāli) or Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra (Sanskrit), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana) as an initial focus for meditation."

"Anapana sati, the meditation on in-and-out breathing, is the first subject of meditation expounded by the Buddha in the Maha-satipatthana Sutta,......The Ānāpānasati Sutta (Pāli) or Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra (Sanskrit), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana) as an initial focus for meditation.....The Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra, as the text was known to Sanskritic early Buddhist schools......The earliest translation of Ānāpānasmṛti instructions was by An Shigao in the 2nd century AD........The Buddha states that mindfulness of the breath, "developed and repeatedly practiced, is of great fruit, great benefit."....Ultimately, it can lead to "clear vision and deliverance."......Nanamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998). Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati): Buddhist Texts from the Pali Canon and Extracts from the Pali Commentaries. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.

"The ancient Parthians and Sassanid empires (occupying much of present Iran and Central Asia) had various contacts with the Han and Tang Dynasty empires occupying what is now the People's Republic of China. The two lands were further connected via the Silk Road.....The Chinese explorer Zhang Qian, who visited the neighbouring countries of Bactria and Sogdiana in 126 BCE, made the first known Chinese report on Parthia. In his accounts Parthia is named "Ānxī" (Chinese: 安息), a transliteration of "Arsacid", the name of the Parthian dynasty. Zhang Qian clearly identifies Parthia as an advanced urban civilization, which he equates to those of Dayuan (in Ferghana) and Daxia (in Bactria)."......The Records of the Grand Historian (Taishi gong shu 太史公書, now usually known as the Shiji 史記 –

"Anxi is situated several thousand li west of the region of the Great Yuezhi (in Transoxonia). The people are settled on the land, cultivating the fields and growing rice and wheat. They also make wine out of grapes. They have walled cities like the people of Dayuan (Ferghana), the region contains several hundred cities of various sizes. The coins of the country are made of silver and bear the face of the king. When the king dies, the currency is immediately changed and new coins issued with the face of his successor. The people keep records by writing on horizontal strips of leather. To the west lies Tiaozi (Mesopotamia) and to the north Yancai and Lixuan (Hyrcania)." ......The Chinese explorer Zhang Qian, who visited the neighbouring countries of Bactria and Sogdiana in 126 BCE..... Zhang Qian quote, trans. Burton Watson

"The prefix An in An Shigao's name has raised many questions and hypotheses as to his origin and story. Some believe that it is an abbreviation of Anxi, the Chinese name given to the regions ruled by the Arsacids (Arsacid dynasty of Parthia (247 BC – 224 AD), Persia (Iran))...... Most visitors from that country who took a Chinese name received the An prefix to indicate their Anxi origin. According to Erik Zürcher, "Nothing more is known about his life; the stories about his peregrinations in Southern China recorded in his biographies must be relegated to the realm of hagiography. ..... It is still unknown whether he was a monk or layperson, or whether he should be considered a follower of the Sarvāstivāda or Mahāyāna......The unresolved mystery of who An Shigao was is studied in the academic work by Antonino Forte."... Antonino Forte, An Shigao and His Offspring: An Iranian Family in China. Italian School of East Asian Studies

"An Shigao or An Shih-kao (?-~168) was a prince of Parthia, nicknamed the "Parthian Marquis", who renounced his prospect as a contender for the royal throne of Parthia in order to serve as a Buddhist missionary monk. The prefix An in An Shih-kao's name is an abbreviation of Anxi, meaning Parthia in ancient Chinese: Anxi is a transcription of "Arsaces", the founder of the Arsacid Dynasty of Parthia. Most Parthian visitors who took a Chinese name received the An prefix to indicate their Parthian origin. In 148, An Shih-kao arrived in China at the Han Dynasty capital of Luoyang, where he set up a centre for the translation of Buddhist texts. He translated thirty-five texts from the Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism, including works on meditation, psychology, and techniques of breath control. An Shih-kao is the first Buddhist missionary to China to be named in Chinese sources. Another Parthian monk named An Xuan is also said to have followed An Shih-kao to Loyang around 181 CE, where he took charge of translating Mahayana texts."...http://www.tamqui.com/buddhaworld/An_Shigao

"An Xuan (安玄, Ān Xuán) was a Parthian layman credited with working alongside 安世高 (Ān Shìgāo) in the translation of early Buddhist texts in Luoyang during the Later Han Dynasty."

"The Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD), also known as the Arsacid Empire, was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran, also known as ancient Persia. Its latter name comes from Arsaces I of Parthia who, as leader of the Parni tribe, founded it in the mid-3rd century BC when he conquered the region of Parthia in Iran's northeast, then a satrapy (province) in rebellion against the Seleucid Empire. Mithridates I of Parthia (c. 171–138 BC) greatly expanded the empire by seizing Media and Mesopotamia from the Seleucids....There is scant archaeological evidence for the spread of Buddhism from the Kushan Empire into Iran proper. However, it is known from Chinese sources that An Shigao (fl. 2nd century AD), a Parthian nobleman and Buddhist monk, traveled to Luoyang in Han China as a Buddhist missionary and translated several Buddhist canons into Chinese."....Emmerick, R.E. (1983), "Buddhism Among Iranian Peoples", in Yarshater, Ehsan, Cambridge History of Iran 3.2, London & New York: Cambridge University Press,

"Indo-Scythians is a term used to refer to Scythians (Sakas), who migrated into parts of central and northern South Asia (Sogdiana, Bactria, Arachosia, Gandhara, Sindh, Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP and Bihar.), from the middle of the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD.......The first Saka king in south Asia was Maues (Moga) (1st century BC) who established Saka power in Gandhara (Pakistan) and gradually extended supremacy over north-western India. Indo-Scythian rule in northwestern India ended with the last Western Satrap Rudrasimha III in AD 395 who was defeated by the Indian Emperor Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire..... the Saka kingdom was completely destroyed by Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century.....The invasion of India by Scythian tribes from Central Asia, often referred to as the Indo-Scythian invasion..... had lasting effects on Bactria, Kabul, Parthia and India as well as far-off Rome in the west. "

The Relationships Between Traditional And Imported Thought And Culture In China: From The Standpoint of The Importation Of Buddhism" by Tang Yi-Jie. Journal of Chinese Philosophy 15 (1988)

The Hostage An Shigao and His Offspring An Iranian Family In China......Author: Antonino Forte (1995)...Publisher: Italian School of East Asian Studies

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

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Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra... Buddhist Breath Awareness Meditation (160 AD)

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"The Ānāpānasati Sutta (Pāli) or Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra (Sanskrit), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana) as a focus for meditation...mindfulness of the breath, developed and repeatedly practiced, is of great fruit, great benefit.....ultimately, it can lead to 'clear vision and deliverance'.

"Anapana Sati, the meditation on in-and-out breathing, is the first subject of meditation expounded by the Buddha in the Maha-satipatthana Sutta,......The Ānāpānasati Sutta (Pāli) or Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra (Sanskrit), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana) as a focus for meditation.....The Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra, as the text was known to Sanskritic early Buddhist schools......The earliest Chinese translation of Ānāpānasmṛti instructions was by the Persian translator, An Shigao in the 2nd century AD........The Buddha states that mindfulness of the breath, "developed and repeatedly practiced, is of great fruit, great benefit.....ultimately, it can lead to "clear vision and deliverance."......Nanamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998). Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati): Buddhist Texts from the Pali Canon and Extracts from the Pali Commentaries. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.

"The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Sanskrit: Smṛtyupasthāna Sūtra .... स्मृत्युपस्थान सूत्र, Chinese: 念處經; The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness) and the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta.... (The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness) are two of the most important and widely studied discourses in the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism.

Mahasatipatthana Sutra....
Part One: Kayanupassana (Contemplation on the Body)
i. Anapana Pabba (Section on In and Out Breathing)
ii. Iriyapatha Pabba (Section on Postures)
iii. Sampajanna Pabba (Section on Clear Understanding)
iv. Patikulamanasika Pabba (Section on Contemplation of impurities)
v. Dhatumanasika Pabba (Section on Contemplation of Elements)
vi. Navasivathika Pabba (Section on Nine Stages of Corpses)
Translated by U Jotika & U Dhamminda

"Mindfulness of Breath (ānāpānasmṛti: smṛti = mindfulness, ānāpāna = inhalation and exhalation), is a fundamental form of meditation personally taught by Buddha Shakyamuni. According to this teaching, classically presented in the Ānāpānasmṛti Sutra, practicing this form of meditation as a part of the Noble Eightfold Path leads to the removal of all defilements and finally to the attainment of liberation. It is important to appreciate that Mindfulness of Breath is not the same as breathing exercises; it is the mind that is cultivated in this practice, and not the breath.".....Great Middle Way .......New Jonang Buddhist Community

Smrti....."Mindfulness is a meditative practice which originates in Buddhism, but has gained worldwide popularity as a distinctive method to handle emotions.....The term "mindfulness" is derived from the Pali-term sati, and its Sanskrit equivalent smṛti, which can also be translated as "awareness", "retention" and "memory". Sati is an essential element of Buddhist practice, including Satipaṭṭhāna and Anapanasati."....

"Sati ......Vedic smṛti: memory, recognition, consciousness, intentness of mind, wakefulness of mind, mindfulness, alertness, lucidity of mind, self -- possession, conscience, self -- consciousness
upaṭṭhitā sati presence of mind
parimukhaŋ satiŋ upaṭṭhāpetuŋ to surround oneself with watchfulness of mind
satiŋ paccupaṭṭhāpetuŋ to preserve self -- possession
kāyagatā sati intentness of mind on the body, realization of the impermanency of all things
muṭṭhasati forgetful, careless
maraṇasati mindfulness as to death
asati not thinking of, forgetfulness
sati (sammā˚) is one of the constituents of the 8 -- fold Ariyan Path
The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary.

Ānāpāna.......āna + apāna, cpds. of an to breathe.......inhaled & exhaled breath, inspiration & respiration......ānāpāna-sati......'mindfulness on in-and-out-breathing'........In the Satipatthāna Sutta 4 methods of practice are given, which may also serve as basis for insight meditation. The 'Discourse on Mindfulness of Breathing' (ānāpānasati Sutta) and other texts have 16 methods of practice, which divide into 4 groups of four. The first three apply to both tranquillity (samatha, q.v.) and insight-meditation, while the fourth refers to pure insight practice only."....http://www.palikanon.com

"An Shigao (Chinese: 安世高 Pinyin transcription: Ān Shìgāo) (Wade–Giles transcription: An Shih-kao, Korean: An Sego, Japanese: An Seikō) (fl. c. 148-180 AD) was an early Buddhist missionary to China, and the earliest known translator of Indian Buddhist texts into Chinese. According to legend, he was a prince of Parthia, nicknamed the "Parthian Marquis", who renounced his claim to the royal throne of Parthia (a historical region located in north-eastern Iran) in order to serve as a Buddhist missionary monk in China."

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

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Sufi Prayer of the Heart & Breath Awareness Meditation (Khorasan: 1200 AD)

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Heart Prayer of Abdul Khaliq Gujduvani.....Khwaja Abdubalik Gudjduvani, was the Grand Master of the Inner Circle of the Masters of his time....Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani (d. 1220)

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Khwarezm has been known also as Chorasmia, Khwarezmia, Khwarizm, Khwarazm, Khorezm, Khoresm, Khorasam, Harezm, Horezm, and Chorezm.

"Gudjduvan was a large village 18 miles from Bokhara.... part of the kingdom of Harzem (usually spelled Khwarazm), soon to be destroyed by the Mongolian Jenghis Khan......among his chief innovations was the `Prayer of the Heart', (Zikr-i-Qalbi...Pas Anfas), not previously known to the Sufis and said to have been imparted to him directly by the Prophet Khidr.....(But most probably derived from the mantras practised by the Buddhist monks of the Hindu Kush.)".......THE MASTERS OF WISDOM OF CENTRAL ASIA by J. G. Bennett

Zikr-i-Qalbi...Pas Anfas, in Persian, means guarding every breath..... Zikr is performed with the heart using breath as the medium.:

1. Hush der dem. Be present at every breath. Do not let your attention wander for the duration of a single breath. Remember yourself always and in all situations.

2. Nazar ber kadem. Keep your intention before you at every step you take. You wish for freedom and you must never forget it.

3. Safar der vatan. Your journey is towards your homeland, Remember that you are traveling from the world of appearances to the World of Reality.

4. Halvat der endjuman. In all your outward activity remain inwardly free. Learn not to identify yourself with anything whatsoever.

5. Yad gerd. Remember your Friend, i.e. God. Let the prayer (zikr) of your tongue be the prayer of your heart (q'alb).

6. Baz gasht. Return to God. No aim but to attain Reality.

7. Nigah dasht. Struggle with all alien thoughts. Keep your mind on what you are doing whether outwardly or inwardly.

8. Yad dasht. Be constantly aware of the quality of the Divine Presence. Become used to recognizing the Presence of God in your heart.

Eight laws according to Abdulhalik Ghujduvani, 11th century......The Inner Work (3 volumes) ....by Reshad Feild, chapter "The Way of the Masters"

"Abdulhalik ..... among his chief innovations was the `prayer of the heart', (Zikr-i-Qalbi), not previously known to the Sufis and said to have been imparted to him directly by the Prophet Khidr.....( But most probably derived from the mantras practised by the Buddhist monks of the Hindu Kush.) "....THE MASTERS OF WISDOM OF CENTRAL ASIA by J. G. Bennett

"Zikr-i-Qalbi...Pas Anfas, in Persian, means guarding every breath..... Zikr is performed with the heart using breath as the medium. When you breathe in, imagine that the word Allah penetrates the depths of your heart and when you breathe out, the word ‘Hu’ strikes the heart or the Latifah on which the Zikr is being performed.....After doing Zikr on it for some more time, start the meditation. The body should now be relaxed and the mind set at ease."

Habs-i-nafas and Pas-i anfas as Methods of Invocation....
Pas Anfas.....Breath Awareness..... ( The Jikr of Breathing).......Pas Anfas means inhale/exhale.....pas-i anfas (breaths-vigilance)...pas-i anfas (anfas being the plural of nafas) or breaths-vigilance, which is more rajayogic than hathyogic, is specifically concerned with exercising vigilance over the dual act of breathing by reciting allah silently with each ingress and invoking hu with every egress.....In pas-i anfas (breaths-vigilance) the aspirant is to be attentive to the regular alternation of inspiration and expiration of breath......from Uyun al-Ma’arif (Fountains of Wisdom) by Shah Wahhaaj al-Din Qalandar
Habs-i-nafas......Breath Control.....The practice of habs-i nafas (breath-control) arrests the intrusion of thoughts (khatrat) in so far as the process of respiration remains suspended due to which the cycle of creation (takhliq) comes to a standstill, microcosmically speaking....Habs-i nafas or breath-control is a method of the regulation of breath similar to the hathyogic practice of pranayama meant to awaken the higher states. It is done by invoking la ilaha silently while breathing in and then keeping the breath confined for a while. After it the breath is thrown out saying illa’ Llah....from Uyun al-Ma’arif (Fountains of Wisdom) by Shah Wahhaaj al-Din Qalandar

"The double phases of breathing-in and breathing-out correspond to the two-fold orders of reality, that is, the lahut (Universal) and the nasut (individual). The breaths in question provide the key to unlocking the mysteries of both the worlds and a fortiori they are called the nafas-i rahman (The Breath of the Merciful) .... http://www.islamicpluralism.org

"Abd al-Ali i......emphasizes that one must not confuse ruh-i hayvani of the Sufis with that of the ancient Greek philosophers and physicians which is none other than the bodily heat (hararat-i jismi). The latter can be more properly called the ruh-i tibbi (‘medicialist’ soul) which in the opinion of a majority of Unani physicians is a vaporous body made up of rarefied humours (latif akhlat) particularly blood. On the contrary, Galen and his followers and also Diogenes and Heraclitus, as testified by Aristotle, believed that soul is formed out of air."....a Persian treatise, Wahdat al-Wujud (The Unicity of Existence) by Abd al-Ali Bahr al-Ulum, Delhi, 1970

".... in Sufic esotericism...... the various practices such as nayaz, kasab and shagal, the disciple is trained carefully so as to obtain longer breaths without upsetting rhythm or equilibrium......There is a form of nayaz in which drinking in air is used. .....There are some whose breath has volume, or breadth, but not much length, and there are others who have length and no breadth. But it is the balance of the length and breadth of the breath which gives balance to the mind.......there is a third element here which is refinement of breath. When the refinement is added to the length and breadth, one has a more fully developed and balanced existence.".....Gatha with Commentary......Pasi Anfas: Breath by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis

"...... Perpetual Invocation (Yad dasht)..... yad dasht which is also called pas anfas, and always concentrating one’s attention on the heart, which is beneficial in acquiring the reality of ihsan........Allamah Shah Muhammad Isma’il Shahid Translated by Shaykh Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi

Principles of the Naqshbandi Path.....the first eight principles are from 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani (d. 1220)........The Golden Sufi Center..
1. Awareness in the Breath / Awareness in the Moment (Hush dar dam)......."Every breath which is exhaled from within must be exhaled with awareness and presence of mind and so that the mind does not stray into forgetfulness........Baha ad-din Naqshband said: "The foundation of our work is in the breath. The more that one is able to be conscious of one's breathing, the stronger is one's inner life. It is a must for everyone to safeguard his breath in the time of his inhalation and exhalation and further, to safeguard his breath in the interval between the inhalation and exhalation.......remembering the breath......focuses on each breath until it is expired......Sa'd ud-din Kashghari added: "Hush dar dam is moving from breath to breath so there is no heedlessness but rather there is presence, and with each breath that we take should be the remembrance of the Real.".
2. Watch your Step! (Nazar bar qadam).........Direct yourself constantly towards the goal.....when the beginner's attention is taken by shapes and colors outside of himself ...his heart loses its collectedness, and his mind becomes scattered....... Nazar bar qadam is an expression which refers to the wisdom inherent in one's natural disposition.
3. The Journey Home (Safar dar watan)....Your journey is towards your homeland. Remember you are traveling from a world of illusion to a world of reality.
4. Solitude in the Crowd (Khalwat dar anjuman)......There are two kinds of retreat. One is the outward kind in which the seeker, far from people, sits alone in his cell until he comes into contact with the spiritual world. This result comes about because the external senses withdraw themselves and the inner senses extend themselves to signs from the spiritual world.....The second kind of retreat is the hidden one, where the seeker is inwardly witnessing the secrets of the Real while he is outwardly surrounded by people. Khalwat dar anjuman is of this second type of retreat....In all your outer activities remain inwardly free. Learn not to identify with anything whatsoever.....Close the door of khalwat (solitary retreat) and open the door of sohbat (companionship)." Baha ad-din Naqshband said in this connection: "Our path is in companionship....."
5. Remembrance (Yad kard).....remembrance is practiced in the silent dhikr.....The purpose of the dhikr is to keep one's heart and attention entirely focused on the Beloved in love and devotion.......The dhikr is not just repeated as words, but is in the heart......Remembrance of the tongue becomes remembrance of the heart. 6. Returning (from distraction), Going Back (Baz gasht)......Single-minded pursuit of divine truth.
7. Attentiveness (Nigah dasht)......Be watchful. Be aware of what catches your attention. Learn to withdraw your attention from undesirable objects. This is also expressed as "be vigilant in thought and remember yourself......Nigah means sight.....Nigah dasht is when the seeker at the time of the dhikr holds his heart/mind upon the meaning of LA ILAHA ILLA 'LLAH so that thoughts do not find entrance into his heart...
8. Continued Remembrance / Perpetual Invocation (Yad dasht).......the last stage before transformation is completed. The seeker becomes aware that his loss of "self" will be compensated by essential love....

"Khwarezm has been known also as Chorasmia, Khwarezmia, Khwarizm, Khwarazm, Khorezm, Khoresm, Khorasam, Harezm, Horezm, and Chorezm....C.E. Bosworth however, believes the Persian name to be made up of (خور) meaning "the sun" and (زم) meaning "Earth", designating "the land from which the sun rises", although the same etymology is also given for Khurasan.....Gudjduvan was a large village 18 miles) from Bokhara.... part of the kingdom of Harzem (usually spelled Khwarazm), soon to be destroyed by the Mongolian Ghenghis Khan

"Anapana sati, the meditation on in-and-out breathing, is the first subject of meditation expounded by the Buddha in the Maha-satipatthana Sutta,......The Ānāpānasati Sutta (Pāli) or Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra (Sanskrit), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana) as an initial focus for meditation.....The Ānāpānasmṛti Sūtra, as the text was known to Sanskritic early Buddhist schools......The earliest translation of Ānāpānasmṛti instructions was by An Shigao in the 2nd century AD........The Buddha states that mindfulness of the breath, "developed and repeatedly practiced, is of great fruit, great benefit."....Ultimately, it can lead to "clear vision and deliverance."......Nanamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998). Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati): Buddhist Texts from the Pali Canon and Extracts from the Pali Commentaries. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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