Multan & Balkh: Ancient Sun Temples to Shams or Shamba (515 BC)

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"There are known to have been other famous temples dedicated to the sun called Shams or Shamba in Balkh, the ancient capital of the Bactrian kingdom in northern Afghanistan, and in Multan which according to Alberuni used to be called Shambha-pura (City of the Vision of the Sun) in the pre-Islamic period."

".....in Multan which according to Alberuni used to be called Shambha-pura (City of the Vision of the Sun) in the pre-Islamic period. In Multan, the great annual festival of the year was celebrated in honor of the sun and there are descriptions of the golden idol representing the sun to support this identification. Though the temple was destroyed after Alberuni saw it, the sun god Surya in Multan (as in many other Indian temples) is described as wearing "northern" (central Asian) nomadic dress, including in this case red leather boots....."

Hinduism and Buddhism: An Historical Sketch, Volume 1....By Sir Charles Eliot.....page 453

Acta Iranica......edited by Jacques Duchesne-Guillemin

"If then we see a Middle Eastern derivation in the name Shambhala, it would mean "light of the sun" or "vision of the sun." Alternatively, if we spell the word Shambala (as it was spelled in most of the early European references to it), this would mean "the sun above" (from the Persian bala "above"; as in Bala Missar, the fort above Kabul, and many other similar names). Shambhala would then mean "the supernal sun", not merely the ordinary visible sun but the principle of light itself, as coming from the transcendent sun, the source of all light."......http://www.chronicleproject.com/james_george_searching_for_shambhala.html

Chogyam Trungpa: His Life and Vision......(Page 219)......By Fabrice Midal

SHAMBA....."As for sham, it could either be connected (for reasons given below) with the Indian God Shiva, if the term is ascribed an Indian origin, or with the word Shamash of Sumerian origin meaning "sun", which comes into modern Arabic as shams. Thus, apart from the Sumerian sun god, Shambash, whose temple was near Babylon, there are known to have been other famous temples dedicated to the sun called Shams or Shamba in Balkh, the ancient capital of the Bactrian kingdom in northern Afghanistan, and in Multan which according to Alberuni used to be called Shambha-pura (City of the Vision of the Sun) in the pre-Islamic period. In Multan, the great annual festival of the year was celebrated in honour of the sun and there are descriptions of the golden idol representing the sun to support this identification. Though the temple was destroyed after Alberuni saw it, the sun god Surya in Multan (as in many other Indian temples) is described as wearing "northern" (central Asian) nomadic dress, including in this case red leather boots, though leather is anathema in Hindu temples. Trade routes to Tibet ran through both Multan and Balkh, so the name shams or shambha could as easily have been carried to Tibet as the dress from north of the Himalayas to Multan......."...http://www.chronicleproject.com/james_george_searching_for_shambhala.html

The Sun Goddess Marichi ....... Painting by the 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje (1604-1674) .....The Kaśmiri style was one of the Tenth Karmapa's dominant influences....

Click on the map to enlarge

"Multan is one of the oldest cities not only in the Asian subcontinent but also in the world.....the current name is derived from the Sanskrit name Mulasthana named after a Sun Temple.....Multan has frequently been a site of conflict due to its location on a major invasion route between South Asia and Central Asia. It was conquered by Alexander the Great in 326 BC. In the mid-5th century BC, the city was attacked by a group of Huna Hephthalite nomads led by Toramana.....Sun Temple of Multan also known as Aditya Sun Temple was an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Surya also called Aditya.....This Sun Temple has been mentioned also by Greek Admiral Skylax, who passed through this area in 515 B.C. The Multan and its temple are also earlier known as Kashya-papura is mentioned by Herodotus......Huen Tsang is said to have visited this temple in 641 AD and had described the deity made of pure gold and eyes of whom were made of large red rubies. The gold, silver and gems were abundantly used in doors, pillars and shikhara of temple. Thousands of Hindus regularly went to Multan to worship Sun God. He is also said to have seen several dancing girls (devadasis) in the temple.He further mentions the deities of Shiva and Buddha were also installed in the temple. Even after conquest of Multan by Umayyad Caliphate in 8th Century AD, under Muhammad bin Qasim, the Sun Temple was left intact, as it was a source of great income.Al-Baruni, who also visited Multan in 10th Century AD has also left glowing description of it. However, the temple is said to have been finally destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 AD.....The city of Multan may get its name from the Sanskrit name Mulasthana named after location of this Sun Temple.The exact site of Sun Temple of Multan is, however, unknown and subject of debate for researchers."....Sun-worship in ancient India. 1971. pp. 172.......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Temple_of_Multan

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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The Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (1604 - 1674) ...The Black Hat Eccentric

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"The Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje b.1604 - d.1674......Choying Dorje (chos dbyings rdo rje) was born in 1604, in the upper Mar valley in Golok, on the border of Amdo and Kham. .... "the tenth Karmapa was born in the Golok region, in the far northeast of Tibet. He was recognized and enthroned by Shamar Chokyi Wangchuk, from whom he received the full Kagyu transmission......By the age of six, he was a better painter than his teachers, as well as a gifted sculptor. Chöying Dorje anticipated the wars and political strife that were soon to come, realizing that certain political interests in Tibet would enlist the Mongol armies in the Gelugpa cause. Knowing he would be forced out of central Tibet by the political strife, the tenth Karmapa gave away most of his wealth to the poor and appointed Goshir Gyaltsab his regent....he spent more than three years living in the wilds of Bhutan.....Twenty some years passed before he could return to his homeland... the political landscape in Tibet had changed for good.....the fifth Dalai Lama, had become the official ruler of Tibet...."....http://kagyuoffice.org

Marichi Painting by the 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje.....The Kaśmiri style was one of the Tenth Karmapa's dominant influences....Marici: Yidam - Goddess of the Sun......Marici (pron. Marichi) is a red-coloured female yidam associated with the sun and with dawn; her name in Tibetan is Öser Chenma, i.e. Goddess of Great Light.

"Toward the end of 1673, at Nagdrak Monastery, the Tenth Karma produced one of his last works of art, a white-sandalwood statue of Mārīcī riding a pig, for his wife & consort, Kelpa Zangmo....the mother of his several sons and daughters. Around 1674, he fell ill at Drak and passed away."....http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"In the autumn of 1629 the Karmapa received permission from his teacher to go on pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash. The Zhamar advised the Karmapa to take good care of himself and to beware of bandits who haunted the deserted plains. The Karmapa performed this pilgrimage from Dingma Drin (ding ma brin) to Lake Manasarovar on foot, without, it is said, even an umbrella to protect him from the hot sun."...http://www.treasuryoflives.org

Click on the map to enlarge.

"The Karmapa is reported to have spent the years after the death of his teachers in strict solitude. His entourage also adopted that attitude of "mental renunciation" (yid byung) and cultivated an attitude of disgust with all the concerns of this life."......http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso , (1617-1682), in his own autobiography recorded that the Karmapa was "behaving like an unconventional yogi." The phrase might suggest that the Karmapa was not observing his monastic vows, and was drinking and having intercourse with women. However there is nothing in the historical record to support this, and it is perhaps more likely that the Dalai Lama was referring to the Karmapa's penchant for wearing the brown and gray robes of a Chinese monk, and walking on pilgrimage without a suitable retinue.".........http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"Soon after the death of his brothers, U and Tsang again erupted into war, one that resulted in the total destruction of the kingdom of Tsang and the ascendance of the Dalai Lama and Geluk power in Lhasa. In 1639, at the invitation of Geluk hierarchs, the leader of the Khoshot Mongols Gushri Khan (1582-1655) led an army into Kham, obliterating the Bon kingdom of Beri.....and then proceeded to march eastwards towards Lhasa. When Gushri Khan reached as far west as Kongpo and seized territories there, the Karmapa was asked by patrons and supporters to call up the considerable military forces of the area. He refused to get involved, saying, that should he be responsible for the destruction of the Geluk monasteries, "It would be an ugly thing for the Buddha's teachings." The Karmapa was later criticized for not helping to defend his patron, the king of Tsang.....In 1642 the Karmapa escaped the chaos of the fighting by going south to Lhodrak."..........http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"....after a long siege, Shigatse, the capital of the king of Tsang, finally fell to Gushri Khan's troops. The king was imprisoned in Lhasa and was executed there some months later. The young Fifth Dalai Lama was brought to Shigatse and entrusted with responsibility for religious affairs of Tibet, while Gushri proclaimed himself to be the king of all Tibet. Gushri and his Geluk supporters then embarked on a vicious campaign of destruction, razing monasteries belonging to the Nyingma and Kagyu tradition, converting many to the Geluk tradition.....The Karmapa attempted to negotiate with the Fifth Dalai Lama to have his monasteries restored to him, but for the most part the Dalai Lama refused...When the Mongols finally attacked the Karma encampment, at the end of 1644, the Karmapa himself managed to miraculously slip away on foot unscathed, accompanied only by his attendant, the Tsang Khenchen ....".......http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"...at Gyeltang (rgyal thang) in southern Khams,....the Karmapa finished his autobiography, the Wish-Fulfilling Cow at a solitary walnut-tree grove in a park north of a river on the bank of Gyeltang's Milk Lake ('o ma'i mtsho)....At the end of the summer the Karmapa decided that he would travel north, without a retinue, to meet the Seventh Zhamar..... He exchanged his monastic robes for common clothes, and set off alone on a horse. He concealed his identity from the people he met, relying on villagers for food and shelter. He was robbed by bandits of his possessions and horse, and had to continue on in rags and on foot, reduced to begging in a region where he could not even understand the local dialect....".......http://www.treasuryoflives.org

" ....the Karmapa went to Mount Poṭala in Gyeltang where he went into retreat and created statues in the Kaśmiri style. The Kaśmiri style was one of the Tenth Karmapa's dominant influences, and there is good evidence that he was also heavily influenced by Chinese religious sculpture as well. (Readers who are interested in extensive discussion of the Tenth Karmapa's artistic styles and influence are urged to consult Karl Debreczeny's magnificent The Black Hat Eccentric.)"...........http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"The Tenth Karmapa Choying Dorje (1604-1674) was not only leader of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism but also famous as a great artistic innovator. In particular his works are characterized by playful depictions of animals, which set him apart from other Tibetan artists. The Black Hat Eccentric is the first publication to focus on works by the hand of a single Tibetan historical artist."...The Black Hat Eccentric: Artistic Visions of the Tenth Karmapa ....by Karl Debreczeny

"The Karmapa remained in exile in the far southeast of Tibet for the next twelve years. During the period he created an enormous number of paintings and sculpted images. He also composed songs for the lute and gave extended teachings. It was likely that during this period he returned his vows and took a consort, fathering several sons and daughters. One of his sons, Norbu Zangpo, who was recognized as the Sixth Tsurpu Gyeltsab (c.1659-1698). The boy's mother was named Kelpa Zangmo .....at Gyeltang Riknga Temple., the Karmapa enthroned his three-year-old son Norbu Zangpo"............http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"In 1672 the Karmapa, now aged sixty-nine, finally left Gyeltang, where he had spent much of the past twenty-four years (1648-1672), and returned to U-Tsang. It is not known how his return was negotiated, since in the Ganden Podrang (dga ldan pho brang) the Dalai Lama's government in Lhasa, continued its policy of harassment of Karma Kagyu monks and lamas, a policy that continued into the early eighteenth century. His main reason for returning was presumably to arrange the installment of Norbu Zangpo at Tsurpu. He left in a large entourage that included his wife, sons, and daughters."............http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"1673 the Karmapa reached Lhasa, where he had an audience with the Fifth Dalai Lama, the first in forty years......Toward the end of 1673, without having yet visited Tsurpu, the Karmapa was told by the Fifth Dalai Lama to go to Drak (sgrags), a somewhat inaccessible region south of Lhasa, on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The Karmapa followed the order. There, at Nagdrak Monastery (sngags grwa dgon pa), he produced one of his last works of art, a drawing of the Caṇḍa Vajrapāṇi for Norbu Zangpo and a white-sandalwood statue of Mārīcī riding a pig for Norbu Zangpo's mother. Around the lunar New Year of 1674, not only was the Karmapa granted permission to return to Tsurpu, but the Dalai Lama gave him back the share of property from which he derived his sustenance, the main and subsidiary estates of Tsurpu. He never returned to Tsurpu, however, as he fell ill at Drak and passed away.".............http://www.treasuryoflives.org

"The International conference “The Tenth Karmapa and Tibet’s Turbulent 17th century” will explore different aspects of Choying Dorje’s life, art, and the tumultuous times in which he lived. Some of the world’s most accomplished academics in the field will be taking part in the conference Friday 9 – Sunday 11 November 2012. These include Director of the Amnye Machen Institute Tashi Tsering, researcher in Tibetan Studies and former Director of Research in history and anthropology at the National Center of Scientific Research, Paris, Samten Karmay, Director of the Latse Library Pema Bhum, Associate Professor of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University Elliot Sperling, Adjunct Researcher at Monash Asia Institute David Templeman, Professor and head of Tibetan Studies at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris Heather Stoddard, lecturer in Tibetan language and poetry at Indiana University Gedun Rabsal, Assistant Professor of Theology at Georgetown University Benjamin Bogin, Researcher at the Palace Museum in Beijing Luo Wenhua, and Rubin Museum of Art curators Karl Debreczeny, Christian Luczanits and David Jackson.".....http://www.rubinmuseum.org

"The Artist's Life", in The Black Hat Eccentric; Artistic Visions of the Tenth Karmapa, New York: Rubin Museum of Art

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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Marici: Öser Chenma, Goddess of Great Light.....Part Two

Marici: Öser Chenma, Goddess of Great Light.....Part Two

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The origins of Marici are obscure; however, she appears to be an amalgamation of Indic, Iranian and non-Indo-Iranian antecedents.......her origins are obscure, but she believed to be an amalgamation of Hindu, Iranian, and Non-Aryan antecedents

Marichi Painting by the 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje..... "the tenth Karmapa was born in the Golok region, in the far northeast of Tibet. He was recognized and enthroned by Shamar Chokyi Wangchuk, from whom he received the full Kagyu transmission......By the age of six, he was a better painter than his teachers, as well as a gifted sculptor. Chöying Dorje anticipated the wars and political strife that were soon to come, realizing that certain political interests in Tibet would enlist the Mongol armies in the Gelugpa cause. Knowing he would be forced out of central Tibet by the political strife, the tenth Karmapa gave away most of his wealth to the poor and appointed Goshir Gyaltsab his regent....he spent more than three years living in the wilds of Bhutan.....Twenty some years passed before he could return to his homeland... the political landscape in Tibet had changed for good.....the fifth Dalai Lama, had become the official ruler of Tibet...."....http://kagyuoffice.org

"Toward the end of 1673, at Nagdrak Monastery, the Tenth Karma produced one of his last works of art, a white-sandalwood statue of Mārīcī riding a pig, for his wife, Norbu Zangpo's mother. Around 1674, he fell ill at Drak and passed away."....http://www.treasuryoflives.org

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India: Marici is a deva associated with light and the sun....Marici is a Sanskrit name for girls meaning Ray of Light.......Images of her are common in India, but there are few examples in China and Japan.....Brahmā, the first-born living being, went along with Marīci and other sages to the place of Kardama’s hermitage, which was surrounded by the River Sarasvatī.....Marichi Temple is a Hindu and Buddhist temple located in Ajodhya, Baleswar, Odisha, India....The temple houses many Tantra-, Jainism- and Buddhism-related images dating back to the late 11th century. ...The central icon in is worshiped as Durga and closely seeing the image is a Mahayana goddess Marichi. The Marichi image is flanked by two goddesses.

Marici.....Bihar, 9th century ......Indian Museum, Calcutta......By the time this statue was made, Mahayana Buddhism had elaborated an almost endless set of deities......Marici is a fierce emanation of Tara, and the initial impression is of a Durga-like goddess with multiple arms and weapons to defend the faith, conquer ignorance, and the like. Her stance, with one leg cocked sideways and the other extended, is also like Durga's......Marici has four heads, in common with many Mahayana deities. Only three are visible, but another, looking backwards, is implied by the goddess' four pairs of arms. The base of this magnificent Pala sculpture links Marici to Surya as well as to Durga: her charioteer drives seven lions (the lion is Durga's vehicle), corresponding to Surya's seven horses.

Japan: Marishi-ten ... a solar deity of light and the heavens and a tutelary deity of the warrior class who is revered in many schools of Buddhism....An important deity in the Shingon and Tendai schools, Marici was adopted by the Bujin or Samurai in the 8th century CE as a protector and patron.......devotions to Marici predate Zen...Samurai would invoke Marici at sunrise to achieve victory.... Since Marici means "light" or mirage, she was invoked to escape the notice of one's enemies..........she was also later worshipped in the Edo period as a goddess of wealth and prosperity by the merchant class, alongside Daikoku-ten (大黒天) and Benzaiten (弁財天) as part of a trio of "three deities" (santen 三天)."....she is the consort of Dainichi Nyorai and is the harbinger of Dainichi, associated with the blinding rays and fire of the rising sun

Tibet: 'Odzer Canma, "Woman Endowed with Rays of Light" (Wylie: 'od zer can ma). ...light: འོད ('od) light; shine; brightness, splendor; radiance; illumination; spread the light; lustre; come to hear; effulgence; brilliance......zer: ray; beam; shaft of light....Oser Chenma is a yidam (personal deity), the physical symbol of the influence of the gods. The chariot pulled by pigs that she rides, and the tree that she holds were once the home of a demon she vanquished. ....Marichi, Kalpoktam (Tibetan: o zer chen ma, English: the One Having Light Rays), Goddess of the Dawn.

Chinese Taoism: Dǒumǔ Yuánjūn....Dou Mu...Queen of Heaven ( Tiān Hòu)...the Goddess of Beidou.....the mother of the Nine Emperor Gods who are represented by the nine stars in the Beidou constellation......A chinese inside painting snuff bottles with this design of a Marici or so called Dǒumǔ Yuánjūn or 斗母元君 in Chinese terminology. The mythology about this woman usually has 4 hands and named as a Mother Dipper. This woman is the most popular worshiped Taoist deities. She is the mother of the mother of all Nine Emperor Gods....“Taoist” call it “斗母元君” Dau Mo Yuen Gwun, which translate to the Mother of Stars, or the Lord of Stars, the goddess that governs all the Tai Sui Deities....came to China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD)

Chinese Buddhism....Molizhitian or Molizhitian Pusa.....she is worshiped as the goddess of light and as the guardian of all nations, whom she protects from the fury of war.

"The Haoren Monastery....Lotus Light Monastery....Richmond, B.C, Canada ...in the Vajra Shrine we pay homage to Vajra Kalachakra and Marici Bodhisattva. On the wall in the background there are many light offerings. When one gives a light offering we believe one is also given protection by these Deities.

Yaksha....."....Marici as a Yaksha General,..Yaksha (Sanskrit: यक्ष yakṣa)....is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist literature. The feminine form of the word is yakṣī (यक्षी) or Yakshini (yakṣiṇī, यक्षिणी)....Female yakṣas, known as yakṣiṇīs, are portrayed as beautiful young women with happy round faces and full breasts and hips.... Marici has also sometimes included as one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals associated with Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Buddha of Medicine...In Buddhist literature, the yakṣa are the attendants of Vaiśravaṇa, the Guardian of the Northern Quarter, a beneficent god who protects the righteous. The term also refers to the Twelve Heavenly Generals who guard Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha.."

"Sanskrit Marici, the name of a Buddhist goddess representing an amalgamation of several Hindu antecedents, primarily the god Marici, who is considered to have been a son of Brahma (*Bonten 梵天) or one of the ten patriarchs created by the first lawgiver Manu. The deity assumed female form on adoption into Buddhism.....marici means "light" or "mirage"."

Amaterasu & Marishiten.......... "The Amatsukami are the heavenly divinities of ancient Japan......Amaterasu is the Queen of the Heavenly Plain, Goddess of the sun and mother of the imperial family of Japan. She was the most powerful of the Japanese deities.... was the Japanese sun goddess who was born from the left eye of the primeval being Izanagi. The ruler of the Plain of Heaven, she was the oldest daughter of Izanagi. She hid in a cave until Uzume lured her out, at which time a beam of light, the dawn, escaped.....Marishiten is not native to Japan and, to make matters worse, she personally converted to Buddhism shortly after being allowed to join the Amatsukami. For this reason, the other Gods of the pantheon feel that it is unbecoming to associate with Marishiten too extensively, and she is not allowed into Amaterasu’s court. Still, they find themselves calling upon Marishiten’s talents again and again. She is a mighty warrior, yet does not rely on direct assault when deception and misdirection might serve. She is an adept instructor of military strategy and combat arts, and above all teaches her pupils that life itself is yet another illusion, thus allowing them to release their fear of death.....her Scions are detached from worldly rewards, seeking only to prefect themselves and their military art. As do the majority of Japanese citizens, they practice both Buddhism and Shintoism, although the Scions of Marishiten frequently remove themselves on religious retreats and a high proportion retire into the Buddhist priesthood.".....http://modern-legends.wikidot.com

"Surya (Sanskrit: सूर्य Sūrya, "the Supreme Light") also known as Adithya, Suraya, Bhanu, Ravi or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism and generally refers to the Sun..... He is often depicted riding a chariot harnessed by seven horses.....Marici is considered the equivalent of the Hindu Surya. Marici may be depicted in a three-headed form, as the Shakti of Hayagriva, with the left head being that of a pig. She rides in a chariot drawn by seven boars."

"Mithra, also spelled Mithras, Sanskrit Mitra, in ancient Indo-Iranian mythology, the god of light, whose cult spread from India in the east to as far west as Spain, Great Britain, and Germany....The first written mention of the Vedic Mitra dates to 1400 bc. His worship spread to Persia and, after the defeat of the Persians by Alexander the Great, throughout the Hellenic world......As god of light, Mithra was associated with the Greek sun god, Helios, and the Roman Sol Invictus. He is often paired with Anahita, goddess of the fertilizing waters"... Mithras.....the Sun-god's chariot which is drawn by two or four horses."

"Sherab Chamma, also called in Tibetan language "Thugje Chamma", (the loving mother of compassion) is considered in the Bon tradition to be the Gyalyum (rgyal yum), the mother of all buddhas. She embodies the perfection of wisdom. In the Buddhist tradition of India Chamma is called Prajnaparamita or Tara, the "saviouress."......In the Zhangzhung language, Sherab Chamma is known as Satrig Ersang, sa trig meaning "wisdom." In the Tazig language of ancient Central Asia she is Ardvishura Anahita.....The cult of the goddess extended all the way from the borders of China to the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean coast, where in Greco-Roman times she was variously identified with Ishtat, Isis, Aphrodite, and Urania.....The cult of the mother tantras is believed by the Bonpos to have been transmitted to humans by Zangsa Ringtsun, a manifestation of Satrig Ersang.....She dances on a moon disc atop a sun mandala, which itself lies atop a blue lotus and a throne supported by lions. Her body glows reddish yellow and is decorated by clusters of jewels."....http://bon-encyclopedia.wikispaces.com

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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Marici: Öser Chenma, Goddess of Great Light, Tibetan Sun Goddess

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Marici .... Goddess of the Sun....."The origins of Marici are obscure; however, she appears to be an amalgamation of Indic, Iranian and non-Indo-Iranian antecedents spanning 1500 years."...Hall, David Avalon (1990). Marishiten: Buddhism and the warrior Goddess, Ph.D. dissertation, (Ann Arbor: University

Marichi (Buddhist Deity) by 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje
Central Tibet....1600 - 1699.....Karma (Kagyu) Lineage......Ground Mineral Pigment on Silk
Collection of Navin Kumar
http://the17thkarmapa.blogspot.com/2014/03/marichi-buddhist-deity-by-10th-karmapa.html

Marichi Painting by the 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje....Toward the end of 1673, at Nagdrak Monastery, the Tenth Karma produced one of his last works of art, a white-sandalwood statue of Mārīcī riding a pig, for his wife, Norbu Zangpo's mother. Around 1674, he fell ill at Drak and passed away."....http://www.treasuryoflives.org

Marici.......Yidam - Goddess of the Sun......Marici (pron. Marichi) is a red-coloured female yidam associated with the sun and with dawn; her name in Tibetan is Öser Chenma, i.e. Goddess of Great Light. Her mantra is traditionally used as protection by travelers. Marici has an orange-coloured body (the colour of the sun at dawn), and three faces, eight arms and two legs. Of the three faces, the first (central) is orange and smiling, her right face is red, and her left is the face of a white boar: each has three eyes. Her first right hand holds a vajra at the heart in the mudra of teaching, the second holds a vajra axe, the third holds an arrow with the tip pointing downwards, and the fourth, in the mudra of generosity, holds a (sewing) needle. Her first left hand, in the mudra of teaching, holds the stem of a plant whose crown is at the level of her left ear (next to the boar's face). Her second left hand holds a bow, the third holds a thread, and the fourth holds a noose ending in a loop and hook. Marici's right leg is extended in the manner of Tara, while the left is tucked in. She is dressed in the royal robes of a bodhisattva: five-pointed crown surmounting each face, jewels, silks and so forth. Marici rides a throne/chariot drawn along by seven white boars.".....Women Active in Buddhism (WAIB)

"Marici is a Sanskrit name for girls meaning Ray of Light."

"In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Marici is a deva or bodhisattva associated with light and the sun. She is known as Molizhitian (摩利支天) or Molizhitian Pusa (摩利支天菩萨) in China and Marishi-ten (摩利支天?) in Japan and in Tibetan as 'Odzer Canma, "Woman Endowed with Rays of Light" (Wylie: 'od zer can ma). She is one of the Twenty (or Twenty Four) Celestials (二十/二十四诸天).

In Taoism, Marici is known under the epithet of the Dipper Mother (Chinese: 斗母元君; pinyin: Dǒumǔ Yuánjūn), a name also used by Buddhists.

"Marici is usually depicted in one of the following ways:
As a beautiful woman on an open lotus, the lotus itself sometimes perched on the back of seven sows.
As a ferocious wrathful deity perched on the back of a boar.
Riding a fiery chariot pulled by seven savage boars or sows.
As a multi-armed woman with a different weapon in each hand standing or sitting on the back of a boar.
She has been depicted with one, three, five or six faces and two, six, eight, ten or twelve arms; three eyes; in her many-faced manifestations one of her faces is that of a sow.

"Marici in China is worshiped as both a Buddhist and Taoist deity. She is highly revered in Esoteric Buddhism. Most often, she is depicted with three eyes in each of her four faces; with four arms on each side of her body. Two of her hands are held together, and the other six hold a sun, moon, bell, golden seal, bow, and halberd. She is either standing/sitting on top of a lotus or pig, or on a Lotus on top of seven pigs. She is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month.".....Due to similar iconography, she is often confused with the Bodhisattva Cundī. Among Chinese Buddhists, she is worshiped as the goddess of light and as the guardian of all nations, whom she protects from the fury of war."....Keith Stevens (1997). Chinese Gods: The Unseen World of Spirits and Demons.

"In Taoism, Dou Mu remains a popular deity and is often referred to as Queen of Heaven (Chinese: 天后; pinyin: Tiān Hòu) and is widely worshiped as the Goddess of Beidou (the Chinese equivalent of Ursa Major except that it also includes 2 "attendant" stars). She is also revered as the mother of the Nine Emperor Gods who are represented by the nine stars in the Beidou constellation."....Keith Stevens (1997). Chinese Gods: The Unseen World of Spirits and Demons.

"A Chinese Antique Gilt Bronze Marici: extremely unusual and detailed gilt bronze Marici, wearing an ornate crown while perched on the back of a boar, her right hand rests on her right knee in mudra and left hand holding a lotus branch, of early Qing Dynasty".....http://www.eleganceauction.com

"Japan.......An important deity in the Shingon and Tendai schools, Marici was adopted by the Bujin or Samurai in the 8th century CE as a protector and patron.......While devotions to Marici predate Zen, they appear to be geared towards a similar meditative mode in order to enable the warrior to achieve a more heightened spiritual level. He lost interest in the issues of victory or defeat (or life and death), thus transcending to level where he became so empowered that he was freed from his own grasp on mortality. The end result was that he became a better warrior.......The worship of Marici was to provide a way to achieve selflessness and compassion through Buddhist training by incorporating a passion for the mastery of the self.......Samurai would invoke Marici at sunrise to achieve victory.... Since Marici means "light" or mirage, she was invoked to escape the notice of one's enemies......She was also later worshipped in the Edo period as a goddess of wealth and prosperity by the merchant class, alongside Daikoku-ten (大黒天) and Benzaiten (弁財天) as part of a trio of "three deities" (santen 三天)."....

"Marici (or Marishi-ten in Japan) is a solar deity of light and the heavens and a tutelary deity of the warrior class who is revered in many schools of Buddhism. Her origins are obscure, but she believed to be an amalgamation of Hindu, Iranian, and Non-Aryan antecedents dating back 1500 years. Marici is depicted as either a goddess on a lotus, a multi-armed goddess with many weapons on the back of a boar (similar to Durga), a deity riding a fiery chariot of savage boars, or a ferocious demon on the back of a boar.....Marishiten in Japan is also believed to be a non-standard member of the Seven Lucky Gods who is largely supplanted by Benzaiten. She is also believed to the consort of Dainichi Nyorai and is the harbinger of Dainichi, associated with the blinding rays and fire of the rising sun, and thus with the power of mirage and invisibility. She is also a part of a group of three deities called the Santen, alongside Benzaiten and Daikokuten. "......

Tibet....Oser Chenma is a yidam (personal deity), the physical symbol of the influence of the gods. The chariot pulled by pigs that she rides, and the tree that she holds were once the home of a demon she vanquished. ....

"As a Yaksha General.......Marici has also sometimes included as one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals associated with Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Buddha of Medicine......Images of her are common in India, but there are few examples in China and Japan......".....

"Brahmā, the first-born living being, went along with Marīci and other sages to the place of Kardama’s hermitage, which was surrounded by the River Sarasvatī......marīci—the great sage Marīci; ....After 4,300,000,000 solar years, when Brahmā awoke to create again by the will of the Lord, all the ṛṣis like Marīci, Aṅgirā, Atri and so on were created from the transcendental body of the Lord..."....http://prabhupadabooks.com

"Marichi Temple (Oriya: ମାରିଚୀ ମନ୍ଦିର) is a Hindu and Buddhist temple located in Ajodhya, Baleswar, Odisha, India.The temple is a newly built pidha vimana like other temples of Odisha. The temple houses many Tantra-, Jainism- and Buddhism-related images dating back to the late 11th century. It is thought that during Somavamsi Keshari rule the deities were built. There are many old icons like four-handed Varahi, Buddha in bhumisparsa mudra, Jain tirthankara, Avalokitesvara......The central icon in is worshiped as Durga and closely seeing the image is a Mahayana goddess Marichi. The Marichi image is flanked by two goddesses. The Garbhagriha houses three icons of late 11th century. Durga Puja is a famous festival in this temple.".....

"Marichi, Kalpoktam (Tibetan: o zer chen ma, English: the One Having Light Rays), Goddess of the Dawn.......Peaceful in appearance, yellow in colour, with three faces and eight hands. Seated atop a large mother sow, the left leg extended rests on the back of several sleeping piglets. The red orb of the morning sun encircles behind crowned with the upper spire of a stupa.
"She who holds the night, and by merely remembering quickly protects from all fears and bestows the stainless great bliss. To the goddess Marichi I bow." (Sakya liturgical verse).
http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/90016.html

"The Haoren Monastery has a Kurukulla Mother Love and Harmony Shrine and a Yellow Jambala Great Wealth Shrine. On the wall behind the Deities there are smaller statues where one’s name can be permanently placed for a lifetime of blessings to enrich one’s future. One can make offerings for one’s business, home, family and friends to Kurukulla Mother and or to the Great Wealthy Yellow Jambala......in the Vajra Shrine we pay homage to Vajra Kalachakra and Marici Bodhisattva. On the wall in the background there are many light offerings. When one gives a light offering we believe one is also given protection by these Deities."......Lotus Light Monastery....Richmond, B.C, Canada

Hall, David Avalon. (2013). The Buddhist Goddess MARISHITEN: A Study of the Evolution and Impact of Her Cult on the Japanese Warrior. Global International. ISBN 978-90-04-25010-9
Hall, David Avalon. (1997). "Marishiten: Buddhist Influences on Combative Behavior" in Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan. Koryu Books, pp. 87–119. ISBN 1-890536-04-0

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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TARA: The Female Buddha and The Mahavidya Wisdom Goddess

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"In Hinduism, the goddess Tara (Bengali:দেবী তারা মা )(Sanskrit: Tārā, Devanagari: तारा) meaning "star", is the second of the Dasa (ten) Mahavidyas or "Great Wisdom [goddesses]", is a form of Durga or Parvati. Tantric manifestations of Durga or Mahadevi, Kali, or Parvati. As the star is seen as a beautiful but perpetually self-combusting thing, so Tara is perceived at core as the absolute, unquenchable hunger that propels all life."

"Tara (Sanskrit: तारा, tārā; Tib. སྒྲོལ་མ, Drolma) or Ārya Tārā, also known as Jetsun Dolma (Tibetan language:rje btsun sgrol ma) in Tibetan Buddhism, is a female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements. In Japan she is known as Tara Bosatsu (多羅菩薩), and little-known as Duōluó Púsà (多罗菩萨) in Chinese Buddhism."

Mahavidya...."Mahavidyas (Great Wisdoms) or Dasha-Mahavidyas are a group of ten aspects of the Divine Mother Durga or Kali herself or Devi in Hinduism. The 10 Mahavidyas are Wisdom Goddesses, who represent a spectrum of feminine divinity, from horrific goddesses at one end, to the gentle at the other......The development of Mahavidyas represents an important turning point in the history of Shaktism as it marks the rise of Bhakti aspect in Shaktism, which reached its zenith in 1700 AD. First sprung forth in the post-Puranic age, around 6th century C.E., it was a new theistic movement in which the supreme being was envisioned as female. A fact epitomized by texts like Devi-Bhagavata Purana, especially its last nine chapters (31-40) of the seventh skandha, which are known as the Devi Gita, and soon became central texts of Shaktism.".....

10 Mahavidyas, Wisdom Goddesses....Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi & Kamala . Consort - Shiva.

The Mythology of Venus: Ancient Calendars and Archaeoastronomy By Helen Benigni

Deva (देव in Devanagari script) is the Sanskrit word for deity. Its related feminine term is devi. Devas, in Hinduism, can be loosely described as any benevolent supernatural being. In Hinduism, Devas are also called Suras and are often mentioned in the same context as their half-brothers the Asuras.Devas are also the maintainers of the realms as ordained by the Trimurti. They are often warring with their equally powerful counterparts, the Asuras.

Asuri....Feminine of Asura, a group of power-seeking deities...In Hinduism, the asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a group of power-seeking deities related to the more benevolent devas (also known as suras). They are sometimes considered nature spirits. They battle constantly with the devas.

The feminine divinity Devi.....Maya or Dirghajihvi, a Rakshasi....Asuri metre of the Zend Avesta

"Bṛhaspati (Sanskrit: बृहस्पति, "lord of prayer or devotion", often written as Brihaspati or Bruhaspati) also known as Deva-guru (guru of the gods), is a Hindu god and a Vedic deity. He is considered the personification of piety and religion, and the chief 'offerer of prayers and sacrifices to the gods' (Sanskrit: Purohita), with whom he intercedes on behalf of humankind.....He is the guru of the Devas (gods) and the nemesis of Shukracharya, the guru of the Danavas (demons). He is also known as Ganapati (leader of the group [of planets]), and Guru (teacher), the god of wisdom and eloquence, to whom various works are ascribed, such as the Barhaspatya sutras.....He is described as of yellow or golden color and holding the following divine attributes: a stick, a lotus and beads....His second wife, Tara, gave birth to seven sons and a daughter."

"Tārakā (or Tārā) was the second wife of Hindu God Brihaspati, God of planet Jupiter. According to the Puranas, Tara sired or mothered child named Budha (God of Mercury) through Chandra (Soma)."....Dowson, John (1820-1881). A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history, and literature. London: Trübner, 1879

"...In the Puranic mythology Soma, as the moon, is commonly said to be the son of the Rishi Atri by his wife Anasuya.....the Brihad Aranyaka, an older work, makes him a Kshatriya.....He performed the Rajasuya sacrifice, and became in consequence so arrogant and licentious that he carried off Tara, the wife of Brihaspati, and refused to give her up either on the entreaties of her husband or at the command of Brahma. This gave rise to a wide-spread quarrel. The sage Usanas, out of enmity to Brihaspati, sided with Soma, and he was supported by the Danavas, the Daityas, and other foes of the gods. Indra and the gods in general sided with Brihaspati. There ensued a fierce contest, and "the earth was shaken to her centre." Soma had his body cut in two by Siva's trident, and hence he is called Bhagnatma. At length Brahma interposed and stopped the fight, compelling Soma to restore Tara to her husband. The result of this intrigue was the birth of a child, whom Tara, after great persuasion, declared to be the son of Soma, and to whom the name of Budha was given: from him the Lunar race sprung...."....Dowson, John (1820-1881). A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history, and literature. London: Trübner, 1879

"The moon has many names and descriptive epithets, as Chandra, Indu, Sasi, 'marked like a hare;' Nisakara, 'maker of night;' Nakshatranatha, 'lord of the constellations;' Sitamarichi, 'having cool rays;' Sitansu, 'having white rays;' Mriganka, 'marked like a deer;' Shivasekhara, 'the crest of Siva;' Kumudapati, 'lord of the lotus;' Swetavaji, 'drawn by white horses.'"

"Tara is the Hindu Goddess of liberation. She is one of the Mahavidyas, the Wisdom Goddesses. The Hindu Tara is usually depicted as fierce and horrifying, in contrast to the beautiful and compassionate Tara of Buddhism. She sits on a white lotus, and holds a knife or a pair of scissors, a skull, a sword, and blue lotus. Her complexion is often shows as blue, and she has three red eyes. Tara wears snakes and a tiger skin, and is seated on the heart of a corpse. Her depiction is very often like that of Kali, and she shares many names with Kali.".....http://www.goddessaday.com/hindu/tara

The main Tārā mantra is the same for Buddhists and Hindus alike: oṃ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā.

"Whether the Tārā figure originated as a Buddhist or Hindu goddess is unclear and remains a source of dispute among scholars. Mallar Ghosh believes her to have originated as a form of the goddess Durga in the Hindu Puranas.....('Development of Buddhist iconography in eastern India: A study of Tara, Prajnas of five Tathagatas and Bhrikuti'... by Mallar Ghosh (1980)........Today, she is worshipped both in Buddhism and in Shaktism as one of the ten Mahavidyas. It may be true that goddesses entered Buddhism from Shaktism (i.e. the worship of local or folk goddesses prior to the more institutionalized Hinduism which had developed by the early medieval period (i.e. Middle Kingdoms of India) as Buddhism was originally a religion devoid of goddesses, and in fact deities, altogether......Possibly the oldest text to mention a Buddhist goddess is the Prajnaparamita Sutra (translated into Chinese from the original Sanskrit c. 2nd century CE), around the time that Mahayana was becoming the dominant school of thought in Indian and Chinese Buddhism..... Thus, it would seem that the feminine principle makes its first appearance in Buddhism as the goddess who personified the "Perfection of Wisdom" (Prajnaparamita)...... Tārā came to be seen as an expression of the compassion of perfected wisdom only later, with her earliest textual reference being the Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa (c. 5th–8th centuries CE)...... The earliest, solidly identifiable image of Tārā is most likely that which is still found today at cave 6 within the rock-cut Buddhist monastic complex of the Ellora Caves in Maharashtra (c. 7th century CE), with her worship being well established by the onset of the Pala Empire in Northeast India (8th century CE).....Tārā became a very popular Vajrayana deity with the rise of Tantric Buddhism in 8th-century Pala India and, with the movement of Indian Buddhism into Tibet via Padmasambhava, the worship and practices of Tārā became incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism as well.".....Stephen Beyer (1978). The Cult of Tārā: Magic and Ritual in Tibet

"Anahita.....the Persian form of Durga.....Anahita … the Persian Goddess … The Lady of the Waters and the Lady who has a chariot that is pulled by four horses named wind, rain, clouds and sleet.....Aredevi Sura Anahita-.....the similarity in her name to the Hindu Devi (Shakti!). As well, her name Harahvati bears a resemblance to Parvati and Saraswati...She is sometimes depicted as riding a tiger (like Durga!) or lion. ."....http://shaktiwomyn.com

"The enlightened women or female figures all come from Vajrayana or "Tibetan" Buddhism, the school of Mahayana which originated in India and later moved to Tibet and the other Himalayan countries. Hence, most figures are identified first by their Sanskrit name, with the alternate Tibetan form appearing in parentheses. When it is the other way about, e.g. Achi Chökyi Drolma, Machig Labdrön and Palden Lhamo, it is because their practices developed or were practised principally in Tibet.....
Achi Chökyi Drolma - Dharma protector of the Drikung Kagyu tradition
Dechen Gyalmo - yidam, guru and historical figure - see Yeshe Tsogyal
Dorje Yudronma - Dharma protector
Ekajati (Ralchigma) - Dharma protector - protectress of mantras
Ekajati - yidam - wrathful Black Tara
Kakasya - yidam
Kuan Yin - Chinese bodhisattva of compassion
Kurukulla - yidam - deity of power
Lamanteri - wrathful yidam
Machig Labdrön - historical figure and yidam - the founder of Chöd
Magzor Gyalmo - Dharma protector - see Palden Lhamo
Mahamaya - historical figure
Mandarava - yidam and historical figure - long-life deity
Marici - yidam - goddess of the sun
Mayadevi - historical figure - mother of Sakyamuni Buddha
Nairatmya - yidam
Niguma - lineage guru and historical figure - lineage dakini
Palden Lhamo (Sri Devi) - Dharma protector - wrathful protectress of Tibet
Prajnaparamita (Yum Chenmo) - guru and yidam - Mother of all the Buddhas
Samantabhadri (Kuntuzangmo) - guru and yidam - Primordial Mother of all the Buddhas
Sarasvati - yidam - goddess of learning and the arts
Simhamukha (Sengdongma) - yidam - lion-headed Dakini
Sukkhasiddhi - guru and historical figure - lineage Dakini
Tara, Green (Drolma) - yidam - beloved Saviouress
Tara, Red - yidam of bountifulness
Tara, White (Drolkar) - yidam - she who grants long life and wisdom
Troma Nagmo (Rudrani) - yidam - see Machig Labdrön
Tseringma - Dharma protector - goddess of the mountain
Ushnisha-sitatapatra - yidam - goddess of the glorious white umbrella
Ushnisha-vijaya - yidam - the long-life deity
Vajrayogini / Vajravarahi (Dorje Naljorma / Dorje Phagmo) - yidam - the queen of Dakinis
Yeshe Tsogyal (Dechen Gyalmo) - yidam, guru and historical figure - mother of Tibetan Buddhism
Women Active in Buddhism (WAiB).....http://lhamo.tripod.com/index.htm

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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Srinmo: The Ancestral Earth Goddess of Tibet

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Brag-srin-mo......The ancestral goddess of Tibet. She mated with a monkey and bore six children who. Those children were fed a special food, causing them to shed their tails and fur and thus becoming the first Tibetans.....Brag-srin-mo is a Tibetan name for girls meaning The Ancestral Goddess of Tibet.

"Among the many representations of pre-Buddhist deities that in the later Tibetan tradition turn into protectors of the Buddhist Dharma, a primary role is played by the terrific female demon called srin mo (‘demoness’). In singular or plural form, she traverses all the different periods of Tibetan religious life, performing a central role in folklore and literature as well, and reveals an outstanding vitality in her various transformations."..... THE SRIN MO DEMONESS AND HER SUBMISSION TO THE BUDDHIST TIBETAN DHARMA by Carla Gianotti

".....the earth goddess Srinmo and the history of the origin of Tibet.....In the period before there were humans on earth, the Buddha being was embodied in a monkey and passed the time in deep meditation on the “Roof of the World”. There, as if from nowhere, a rock demoness by the name of Srinmo appeared. The hideous figure was a descendent of the Srin clan, a bloodthirsty community of nature goddesses. “Spurred on by horniness” — as one text puts it — she too assumed the form of a (female) monkey and tried over seven days to seduce Avalokiteshvara. But the divine Bodhisattva monkey withstood all temptations and remained untouched and chaste. As he continued to refuse on the eighth day, Srinmo threatened him with the following words: “King of the monkeys, listen to me and what I am thinking. Through the power of love, I very much love you. Through this power of love I woo you, and confess: If you will not be my spouse, I shall become the rock demon’s companion. If countless young rock demons then arise, every morning they will take thousands upon thousands of lives. The region of the Land of Snows itself will take on the nature of the rock demons. All other forms of life will then be consumed by the rock demons. If I myself then die as a consequence of my deed, these living beings will be plunged into hell. Think of me then, and have pity” ....With this she hit the bullseye. “Sexual intercourse out of compassion and for the benefit of all suffering beings” was — as we already know — a widespread “ethical” practice in Mahayana Buddhism. Despite this precept, the monkey first turned to his emanation father, Amitabha, and asked him for advice. The “god of light from the West” answered him with wise foresight: “Take the rock demoness as your consort. Your children and grandchildren will multiply. When they have finally become humans, they will be a support to the teaching” .....Magic and Religion of the Tibetans.....M. Hermanns, 1956, p. 32).

"J. Gyatso in “Down With the Demoness: Reflections on a Feminine Ground in Tibet”, 1989, a work that still remains, as far as I know, the best starting point for a comprehensive analysis on the demoness srin mo."...Carla Gianotti

Female Stereotypes in Religious Traditions......edited by Ria Kloppenborg, Wouter J. Hanegraaff

"Changzhug was one of twelve geomantic temples, the Tadül "Border Subduers" (Tibetan: མཐའ་འདུལ་, Wylie: mtha' 'dul) and Yangdül "Further Taming [Temples]" (Tibetan: ཡང་འདུལ་, Wylie: yang 'dul), that were built to hold down the huge supine ogress (Tibetan: སྲིན་མོ་, Wylie: srin mo, Sanskrit: राक्षसि rākṣasi)".... this monastery was built in the seventh century and has been repaired in various historical periods. A legend says after Songtsan Gambo established its capital in Lhasa, he came and stayed here together with Princess Wen Cheng who planted the willow trees around the monastery."

"Trandruk Temple (khra 'brug lha khang), one of the earliest Buddhist temples, in Tsetang. It was said to have been built by the Tibetan emperor Songtsan Gampo (srong btsan sgam po, r. 617-650) as one of the so-called demon-taming temples. These temples were built to pin down the supine demoness (srin mo) whose body was mapped across the Tibetan landscape and who was said to be preventing the Chinese Princess Wenchen from bringing the famous statue of the Buddha Shākyamuni (jo bo shA kya mu ni), later installed in the Jokhang, to Lhasa. The Tradruk Temple was the stake that pinned down the demoness' left shoulder.".....http://www.treasuryoflives.org/

Encyclopedia of Earth Myths: An Insider's A-Z Guide to Mythic People, Places ...By Richard Leviton

"....srin mo'i gling......island of cannibals/rakshasas"......Rangjung Yeshe Wiki - Dharma Dictionnary

"....Srin mo do.....The geomantic heart of gNam mtsho is an island variously called Sri mo do, Srin mo do, Se mo do and Nang do. Srin mo and Sri mo refer to the pre-Buddhist class of deities mentioned in conjunction with the mythology of the Divine Dyad. Se mo is probably a corruption of Srin mo, but if it is a valid spelling it must denote the Zhang zhung language word for 'old woman', an obsolete term....Nang is defined as inside or inner, and refers to the innermost place that the island occupies in the sacred geography of gNam mtsho..... As in other regions of Tibet, srin mo generally have negative connotations for the 'brog pa and are equated with cannibalistic demons. Although, as we have seen, the srin mo was an important component of cosmogonic myths, it is now essentially one and the same as the man-eating Indian rakshasani......We have already met Srin bdag tsun mo, a cosmogonic goddess, and the srin mo progenitor of the Tibetan race, the primitive lha srin and the srin of the royal foundation myths. In these examples, the srin mo is a divinity and not a frightening demonic figure. Her status was transformed into the inauspicious character of the rakshasani with the advent of Buddhism.".....Srinmo by John Vincent Belezza......Devine Dyads Ancient Civilization in Tibet

"51 Shakti Pithas......Shakti Peethas are shrines or divine places of the Mother Goddess. These are places that are believes to have enshrined with the presence of Shakti due to the falling of body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi, when Lord Shiva carried it and wandered throughout Aryavartha in sorrow. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple has shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava, and mostly Shakti and Kalabharava in different Shakti Peeth have different names....."Shakti" refers to the Goddess worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani, Sati; later known as Parvati or Durga;...."Bhairava" refers to the corresponding consort, each a manifestation of Shiva;....."Body Part or Ornament" refers to the body part or piece of jewellery that fell to earth, at the location on which the respective temple is built...... According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the peethas are scattered all over India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Pakistan....

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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Drukpa Kunleg: Phallus Paintings: Crazy Wisdom from Bhutan (1500 AD)

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"Drukpa Kunleg ('brug pa kun legs) [1455-1529] aka The Madman of Bhutan, Kunga Legpa ('brug smyon kun dga' legs pa)..... was a great master of Mahamudra in the Buddhist tradition, as well as a famous poet, and is often counted among the Nyönpa.... After undergoing training in Ralung Monastery under siddha Pema Lingpa, he introduced Buddhism to Bhutan and established the monastery of Chimi Lhakhang there in 1499."

"Nyönpa (Wylie: smyon pa "mad one(s)") may refer to a group of Tibetan Buddhist yogis or a single individual belonging to this group. They were mainly known for their unusual style of teaching, to which they owed their names......Famous Nyönpa....
Drukpa Kunley....(1455 - 1529)....The Madman of Bhuta
Thangtong Gyalpo (Tibetan: ཐང་སྟོང་རྒྱལ་པོ་, Wylie: thang stong rgyal po) (1385–1464) ...aka: Chakzampa (Wylie: lcags zam pa) and Tsöndrü Zangpo (Wylie: brtson 'grus bzang po) was a great Buddhist adept, a yogi, physician, blacksmith, architect, and a pioneering civil engineer.....He is said to have built 58 iron chain suspension bridges around Tibet and Bhutan, several of which are still in use today. ....
Tsangnyön Heruka (Tibetan: གཙང་སྨྱོན་ཧེ་རུ་ཀ་, Wylie: Gtsang smyon Heruka 1452-1507), was a Tibetan master of the Kagyu school and writer. Born in Tsang, he is best known as a biographer and compiler of the "The Life of Milarepa" and "The Collections of Songs of Milarepa", both classics of Tibetan literature.....
U Nyön Kunga Zangpo......"Madman of Central Tibet" (dbus smyon kun dga' bzang po) [1458-1532]....

"Phallus paintings in Bhutan are esoteric symbols of an erect penis in Bhutan and are generally traced to Drukpa Kunley.....which have their origins in the Chimi Lhakhang monastery near Punakha, the former capital of Bhutan. The village monastery was built in honour of Lama Drukpa Kunley who lived in the 15-16th century and who was popularly known as the "Mad Saint" or “Divine Madman” for his unorthodox ways of teaching, which amounted to being bizarre and shocking. These explicit paintings, though embarrassing to many urbanites now (this folk culture is now informally discouraged in urban centres), can be seen painted on the walls of houses and buildings throughout Bhutan, particularly in villages, and are credited as Kunley's creations. Traditionally symbols of an erect penis in Bhutan are traced to Drukpa Kunley....studies carried out at the Center of Bhutan Studies (CBS) have inferred that the phallus was an integral part of Bön tradition, an animistic and shamanistic religion, which existed in Bhutan before Buddhism became the state religion. In Bonism, phallus was integral to all Bon rituals. Dasho Lam Sanga, a former principal of the Institute of Language and Culture Studies (ILCS), while stating that there are no written documents on it, elaborates: “But the worship of the phallus was believed to be in practice even before the arrival of Guru Rimpoche and Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal ... What we know about it is what we heard from our forefathers....The phallic symbols are, however, generally not depicted in community temples and dzongs, which are most revered places of worship where lamas or Buddhist monks reside and who have adopted celibate lifestyle and pursue divine ideals. However, rural and ordinary houses continue to display them."..... Karma Choden (2014). Phallus: Crazy Wisdom from Bhutan. Bhutan: ButterLamp Publishers.

"Bhutan's pervasive phallus: Is Drukpa Kunley really responsible?.......by Francoise Pommaret and Tashi Tobgay (Royal University of Bhutan).....As the Bhutanese scholar Sonam Kinga has written, in Bhutan “phalluses are everywhere”......

"The Gold Manuscript of the Fifth Dalai Lama contains images of ritual cakes in the shape of a “Human penis representing Shiva, used in the rite for dealing with evil omens that occur”......The Indian reference to the Shiva linga is also explicit in Bhutan as the phallus is referred to by one of the names of Shiva: Wangchuk chenpo (dBang phyug chenpo). This is clear evidence that the phallic symbol echoes its association with the Hindu deity Shiva channelled through Buddhism."....Bhutan's pervasive phallus: Is Drukpa Kunley really responsible?.......by Francoise Pommaret and Tashi Tobgay (Royal University of Bhutan)

"Tandin Dorji in his unpublished PhD on the lha 'bod ritual of Bjena village in Western Bhutan, writes: 'Le phallus en bois est un objet qui a un rôle significatif dans plusieurs rituels : dans le rituel de chodpa'.....In these community rituals, which take place in the village and which are associated with Bon beliefs, as understood in the Bhutanese context, that is non-Buddhist."....Pommaret, forthcoming, CBS, 2004, and Tandin Dorji, unpublished PhD

"....an anecdote from the life of the ‘divine madman’ Drukpa Kunley ('Brug pa Kun legs 1455-1529). He convinced his mother to sleep with him, the act of incest par excellence, and when she finally relented, he left.".....Dowman, Keith,....The Divine madman. The sublime Life & Songs of Drukpa Kunley....1980.

"Contemporary Bhutanese associate the protective role of the phallus—its ability to wardoff evil spirits or obstacles—with Drukpa Kunley who subdued demonesses with his‘thunderbolt’ (rdo rje/vajra), meaning his male organ. Tiny phallus (called srung ma) are carved from special trees for the protection of children, but are also hung around the necks of animals, and nowadays on the inside mirrors of cars."....http://www.academia.edu/3197709 Bhutans_pervasive_phallus_ Is_Drukpa_Kunley_really _responsible

"Drukpa Kunley has become in Bhutan almost a timeless figure presenting similarities with two other folk heroes, Ap Wang Drugye of western Bhutan and the Tibetan Akhu Tonpa(A khu ston pa)....Stories of Akhu Tonpa are widely popular throughout the Himalayan world and across the plateau where Akhu Tonpa is an archetypal trickster figure.....They have their share of ribaldry and illicit sexual adventures, soit is clear that sexuality in Tibet was part, at least, of the popular discourse as it is in Bhutan."....http://akhustonpa.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-historicity-of-tibetan-folk-tale.html

Pommaret, Françoise, ‘Bon and chos, community rituals in Bhutan’, Proceedings of the XIIth IATSBonn 2006, in Antonio Terrone (ed.).....Buddhism beyond Monasticism, Brill. Leiden,forthcoming 2009

The Saintly Madman in Tibet.....http://www.case.edu/affil/tibet/booksAndPapers/Saintly_Madman_Tibet.pdf

Shiva......དབང་ཕྱུག་ཆེན་པོ་........། (Wyl. dbang phyug chen po ) Pron.: wangchuk chenpo Skt. महेश्वरः, maheśvara, Pron.: maheshvara. From Sanskrit: a great lord, sovereign, 'chief of the gods' ..... (•esp. of Śiva and of Kṛishṇa......of the Loka-pālas or guardians of the world

"Bhutan’s phallic worship is getting a second look. The age-old tradition is being reconsidered — to preserve its rich narratives, as artistic inspiration and as a tool for religious belief. In fact, the phallic symbol is suddenly again in vogue, contrary to the popular belief that modern Bhutanese are discomfited by the graphic paintings of an erect penis......A young Bhutanese female author has released a new book, “Phallus: Crazy Wisdom from Bhutan,” a filmmaker is working on a film that explores phallic culture and an artist has carved a provocative phallus with dragon......“I not only saw phalluses of all kinds — from one village to the other — but I found the stories behind its symbolism equally intriguing,” said the author, Karma Choden. “It is like a new art form is found. We are now giving our own spin to spirituality, culture and ritual.....An animist ritual, which predates the arrival of Buddhism in Bhutan, is still practiced in western Bhutan. During the festival called “Lhabon,” or “calling the gods,” one community uses a ladder that has its edges carved in a shape of a phallus. They believe the deities, who will bless them with prosperity and good health, descend on a rope tied to the ladder..”....Bhutan takes a second look at phallus worship....by Tara Limbu

"Drukpa Kunley, who is a very accomplished and unusual mahasiddha. He actually met Tsongkhapa as is a contemporary of Lama Tsongkhapa. It is said he requested Lama Tsongkhapa for a protection string from Lama Tsongkhapa. Tsongkhapa asked him where would he want the string to be tied to, Drukpa Kunley replied that he would like it to be tied on his penis which is as clean as his hand. Later on, it is said that he is able to use his penis to subdue demons and he refers to his penis as a vajra.".....Converting Demons with his Thunderbolt.....http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2078.0

"In Bhutan, they take fertility very seriously. So much so that there is even a monastery devoted entirely to promoting fertility…the Chimi Lhakhang, more commonly know in English as the “Temple of the ‘Divine Madman’” after its founder.......Long throughout human history, the phallus has been an important symbol, often used as a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva (though here it is referred to as a Lingam). In the case of Bhutan, this long tradition of painting phalluses on houses is thought to bring its inhabitants luck (particularly with the ribbon in the photos above) and serves as a symbol of fertility.....So just who is this divine man and why is he mad? Well, Drukpa Kunley, as he is known, is a 15th century saint who was quite famous for his sexual exploits, which were his methods of enlightening people… Rumor has it that he even tied a ribbon around his own phallus to give him luck with the ladies! (It seems to have worked, as now you see ribbons around painted phalluses all over the place! .....http://www.aaronswwadventures.com/2011/02/phallus-fertility-blessings-bhutan/

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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