Thursday, December 31, 2015

Terms Updated: HEART to MU CORD

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HEART...."Discovering drala is indeed to establish ties to your world, so that each perception becomes unique. It is to see with the heart, so that what is invisible to the eye becomes visible as the living magic of reality." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 105)..."The Orthodox Christian Prayer of the Heart seems to be the ground for Eastern and Western philosophy to join together. It is not a question of dogma, but it is a question of heart, that is where the common ground lies." (Trungpa: Heart of the Buddha..pg 215)..."Inner luminosity originates in the heart and passes through two channels that connect the empty space of the heart with the external empty space of the sky through the eyes." (Wangyal:1993..pg 119)..."The clear light has abided in the heart of the individual from the very beginning. The heart (tsit ta) may be compared to a magic lantern, an early type of cinema projector." (Reynolds:1996..pg 151)....srog: life force, heart, soul...yang zhun snying thig: refined heart essence...zhe: heart, mind...tsit ta: heart, mind...thugs ka: heart center...kun spyod mtshungs mo: sweetheart...."The white pure light of the space element gives rise to the mind and the heart channels. The life process begins from the heart." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 145)..."Basic Goodness is very closely connected to the idea of bodhicitta (awakened heart) in the Buddhist tradition. Awakened heart comes from being willing to face your state of mind...to connect with your heart, fully and totally." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 44)..."In the center of the precious palace of the spiritual heart there are five mystic juices. In their center is the 'Bon essence' a mass of light." (Hoffman: 1975..pg 111)....."In Shinto, the expressions: 'akaki kokoro: heart shining brightly like the sun'...'kiyoki kokoro: pure heart clear as a white jewell'...'"naoki kokoro: heart lovely and without wrong inclinations'...(Jinja: 1958..pg 31)....."Gurdjieff also found from the Sufi mastes that knowledge of the wheel of time could be understood through many modalities of perception. Meditation on mandalas opens the eyes of the heart. If done correctly, the wheel of time will begin to spin."..(Kharatidi: 1996..pg 218)...


HIDDEN LANDS...Tib:shas-yul...Beyul (Tibetan: སྦས་ཡུལ, Wylie: sbas-yul) are hidden valleys.....Tertöns may reveal them from terma at specific and appropriate times. Their locations were kept on scrolls (lamyig or neyig) hidden under rocks and inside caves, monasteries and stupas.....deities are assigned to protect the beyul. Protective forces manifest as snowstorms, mists and snow leopards. Buddhist texts indicate beyul are discovered when the planet is approaching destruction and the world becomes too corrupt for spiritual practice. They describe valleys reminiscent of paradise, which can only be reached with enormous hardship. Pilgrims who travel to these wild and distant places often recount extraordinary experiences similar to those encountered by Buddhist spiritual practitioners on the path to Liberation. People who try to force their way in, may encounter failure and death. Beyul retreat time has concentrated benefits. The places originate from a faith which has traditional natural site respect. Life in beyul is sacred and protected.....Earthly beyuls share significant characteristics with Shambhala, which is the greatest hidden valley."... Dmitrieva, Victoria (1997). "Be-yuls: Shambhala on Earth". The Legend of Shambhala in Eastern and Western Interpretations ....."Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring of the Bon tradition is understood to be a timeless perfected realm where peace and joy are the very fabric of being. The Beyul realm of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring is fabled to be located to the west of Mount Kailash."


HIGHER HUMAN REALM..."people who experience the five colors blended together are reborn in a pure human dimension" (Wangyal: 1993..pg 198)...."The human realm includes the lower human realm of the setting sun and the higher human realm of enlightened society."....CTR


HISSING SOUND....."Next make a long hissing sound." (From Meyer: The Mithras Liturgy: 1967..pg 9).....Humble Hiss (CTR)


INK..."At Persepolis, from the time of Xerxes, we have found almost a hundred mortars and pestles in green chert, many with Aramic inscriptions in black ink. Mithra is present in some of the names. Was haoma (soma) pressed in the mortars?" (Neuser: 1968..pg 587)..."This practice of the stroke of Ashe is outwardly very simple: standing or kneeling in front of white calligraphy paper, with a bowl of black ink and a calligraphy brush, you make one stroke down on the paper. But the, primordial stroke is not merely a stroke of calligraphy. It is a message from awake mind of how to rend the veil that normally prevents direct experience of the sacredness of our world. The practice of Ashe takes us directly and immediately to mind beyond concept, while at the same time it is expressed in a thoroughly direct and physical way. Thus, by practicing the stroke we began to feel the reality of the Shambhala teachings at a profound level of mind and body; we saw the real possibility of fully joining mind and body, heaven and earth. We began to discover, for ourselves, that spiritual energy is not fundamentally different from physical energy. And we began to see how this might lead o being able to manifest this enlightened energy on this earth.".....From Jeremy Hayward's book, 'Warrior - King of shambhala - Remembering Chogyam Trungpa. - Wisdom Publications, 2008.....http://www.beezone.com/ashe/ashe.html


JUNIPER..."Shug pa...the juniper is specified as lha shing, a tree for the lha divinities (often called the lha shing shug pa g.yu lo...'tree of the gods', turquoise leaved juniper) is an antidote against demonic poison and pollution." (Blondeau: 1996..pg 103)...."They possessed a small drum made of juniper, on which they could fly through the air." (Tucci: 1980..pg 228)....(rgya shug:juniper tree)(shugs pa:juniper)..."The juniper tree is the Bon po sacred tree. It is often called the 'lha shing pa gyu lo' (tree of the gods)." (Bansal: 1994..pg 81)..."The priests owned a drum made from Juniper wood on which they could travel through the air like their Siberian counterparts." (Hoffman: 1975..pg 109)..."Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche poem Looking into The World...
Looking into the world
I see a lone chrysanthemum,
Lonely loneliness,
And death approaches.
Abandoned by guru and friend,
I stand like the lonely juniper
Which grows among the rocks,
Hardened and tough.
Loneliness is my habit.
http://la.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=182931


KALPA...."According to ancient Indian philosophical theories, a kalpa is an extremely long period of time, amounting to over 4 billion years." (Norbu: 1995..pg 245)...Kalpa (Sanskrit: कल्प kalpa) is a Sanskrit word meaning an aeon, or a relatively long period of time (by human calculation) in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. The concept is first mentioned in the Mahabharata. Generally speaking, a kalpa is the period of time between the creation and recreation of a world or universe. The definition of a kalpa equaling 4.32 billion years is found in the Puranas—specifically Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana."..... Cremo, M.A., 1999. Puranic time and the archaeological record.


KHATVANGAS....magic wands...."A khaṭvāṅga (Sanskrit: खट्वाङ्ग) is a long, studded club originally created as a weapon. It was adopted as a religious symbol in Indian religions such as Shaivism and Vajrayana Buddhism. The khatvāṅga was adopted by some lineages of historical tantra though it preceded such traditions.....In Hinduism, Shiva carried the khatvāṅga as a staff weapon....... the symbolism of the khatvāṅga in Vajrayana, particularly the Nyingma school founded by Padmasambhava, was a direct borrowing from the Shaiva Kapalikas, who frequented places of austerity such as charnel grounds and crossroads as a form of "left-handed path" (vamachara) sādhanā."... Beer, Robert (2003). The handbook of Tibetan Buddhist symbols.


KI KI SO SO....Kye Kye So So....lha gyello lha gyello (the Gods are victorious)....."Stein links this invocation with the warcries..the warlike nature of the gods and the idea of passing through a dangerous and strategic place."... “Ki ki so so” is an ancient Tibetan prayer whispered as one crosses a mountain pass....the Ki is a very high pitched sound similar to the cry of an eagle...seed syllable of the sky....the So is very low pitch, seed syllable of the earth."......"Ki ki so so lha gyal lo" is the prayer a Tibetan will recite at the summit of a mountain pass. It can be translated as "victory to the gods"The Tibetans believe that it is at these high mountain passes that the good gods fight with the evil gods and that the lung-tar (coloured paper printed with prayers) and prayer are an offering to the good gods. Offering these prayers at mountain passes is especially auspicious because it is believed that the high winds will be of benefit in carrying the prayers.".....http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/China/Central/Sichuan/Chola_pass/photo1114535.htm



KVARENAH (Xwarenah)(khvarenah)(Avestic: xvarnah)(Parsi: farrah)(khurrah) ..."Glory" (Median: farnah) (Khotanese:pharra)..."In the Avesta, the xwarenah is called 'kawyan', that is belonging to the Kawis. The Kawis were a partially legendary dynasty of eastern Iranian rulers. Xwarenah can be a creative power used by the gods or it can be a religious power. But generally it embodies the concept of good fortune. As a kind of fiery radiance it would relate to the word for sun (xwar) (Old Iranian: Suvar) (hwar: to shine)(xwar: to grasp)." (Malandra: 1983...pg 88)....sacred light surrounding the Fravashi warriors. Manifestation of glory, splendor (Tib: byin). Spiritual radiance.."In front of Mithra flies the blazing fire which is the strong Kavyan Fortune (xvareno)." (Gershevitch: 1959)..."Found in the Avesta, Yast 19, Khvarenah persisted into the Sasanian period where in Middle Persian it is "farrah'. Khotanese Buddhist used the term in the form of 'pharra' to denote good fortune. Sogdian Buddist groups used the form 'prn'. (Scott: 1990...pg 48)..."In the Avesta both the lesser Ahuras are actively associated with 'khvarenah', divine grace or fortune (hvar: sun, glow). The median form of the word was 'farnah'. The Zoroastrian pantheon also knows khvarenah as a yazata." (Boyce: 1982...pg 17)..."Mithra has the xwarrah. The association of xwarrah with fire and radiant light. Yast XIX." (Gershevitch: 1959)...."Celestial fortune and power, special glory and light."..(Nasr: 1964...pg 152)...



LA...." the word La is similar in meaning to the word 'soul'. All human beings possess a la, consciousness (sem) and life (sok). The la is an entity which is part of one's being but is unintelligent. Therefore it can be stolen, confiscated, regained, as well as reinforced by spiritual power." (Trungpa: 1978..pg 227)...."represents the psycho-energetic function of the individual in relation to the energies of the world. The link between the inner and outer energy." (Norbu: 1995..pg 60)..."the notion of ancestral souls (bla)"..(Blondeau: 1996..pg 123)...."In the Saka of the Altai, there was a belief not only that the body contained a life element (the soul) but also that its parts, including the hair and nails, had their distinct, partial souls. The hair and nails continue to grow after death. It was sufficient to possess the hair or nails of a person in order to gain control over his soul and influence his life." (Rudenko: 1970..pg 287)..."In the Kalachakra tradition, the soul (bla-gnas) resides at the bottom of the left foot (men), or right foot (women) at the new moon. Then it rises higher each day, residing at the top of the head on the full moon. Then returns." (Stein: 1972..pg 226)...

Lha and La......."Some confusion exists between two Tibetan words, sometimes used interchangeably: lha and la. The first, lha, is the Tibetan word used to translate the Sanskrit deva, meaning “deity,” “god,” or “divine.” This is also the term used in the Shambhalian sense of natural hierarchy: lha, nyen, and lu. (If we were to be more daring in writing this word like it is actually pronounced, we might spell it hla!).....The word la (bla) literally means that which is “higher” or “above,” as in the word lama, the Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit guru (which literally means “heavy,” —heavy with good qualities, as the tradition explains). Lama Ugyen once explained lama as “one who looks down from above (la) with the love that a mother (ma) has for her children.” La is also a Pön term, meaning “soul,” “life force.”......An example of the confusion between these words comes in the alternate spellings of the term drala or dralha. Both are found in texts, and they are usually referring to the same principle or type of deity. The Dorje Dradül much preferred the former spelling, explaining that the word means “above” or “beyond” the “enemy” or “aggression.” We used to translate this as “war gods,” which might be seen to favor the other reading, but it was actually just an attempt to characterize this deity type."....http://nalandatranslation.org/offerings/choosing-the-right-word/lha-or-is-it-la/


LOVE..."The warrior is more and more in love with the world. That combination of love affair and loneliness is what enables the warrior to constantly reach out and to help others." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 69)...."In Shinto, if man regards his own life as sacred, he must give infinite thanks to his ancestors who handed down this sacred thing. One must treat this inheritance carefully and hand it on, to bring up the coming generation with a love even surpassing that of his forebears. All human beings are loved and protected by their ancestors and by the gods; each is given a sacred mission to perform and must hand on his precious life and abilities to his offspring." (Jinja:1958..pg 9,17)...."So-called 'love' relationships usually take one of two patterns. Either we are being fed by someone or we are feeding others. These are false, distorted kinds of love. A third kind of love is : Just be what you are. This is a balanced way of openness and communication which allows tremendous space in which to dance and exchange."..(Trungpa: 1973..pg 212)...


LIGHT...('od)...."Rigpa is compared to the sun in the sky and ye-shes is compared to the rays of the sun which stream forth." (Reynolds:1996..pg 122)..."It is like a sunbeam meeting the sun, like light (ye-shes) merging into light ('od gsal). It is only by first looking at one's reflection in the mirror that one discovers the mirror." (Reynolds: 1996..pg 152)..."The worship of light can be confirmed throughout the Indo-Iranian sphere, from Vedic to late Buddhist times." (Eliade)..."It is the luminous mind who is the creator of the world, the world being nothing but its own illusory projection, the Primordial Basis existing in the form of variegated light." (Karmay: 1988..pg 203)..."When I saw these visions, they were not something appearing externally: they were the manifestations of my own mind in the form of light." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 12)..."In the Bon cosmology, the absolute realm may be symbolized as pure light, which is neither black nor white, but transparent." (Paul: 1982..pg 55)..."Sems then is not only mental energy, but also light, and light too is the breath (rlung) on which it rides, for the breath is made of five shining rays of light ('od zer)" (Tucci: 1980..pg 64)..."In the borderland between Ye (light) and Ngam (darkness) the Werma with magic power built a fortress: it had its entrance facing East." (Mipham text in Norbu: 1995..pg 59)...."At death, the adept achieves the light body or rainbow body." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 145)..."When we see the rainbow lights, deities, mandalas, thigles and colors, we will not follow after them but recognize them as mental projections...(Wangyal: 1993..pg 197)..."inner light (aloka, snang ba) increase of the inner light (alokabhasa, mched pa), and inner light approaching fullness (upalabdha, nyer thob)."..(Kongtrul: 1995..pg 276)..."In the Kabala, one of the basic doctrines involves the withdrawal (tzimtzum) of the divine light, therebye creating primordial space"...(Encyclopedia Britannica)..."Od'iana: Land of Light"...Oḍḍiyāna (Skt. Oḍḍiyāna; Tibetan: ཨུ་རྒྱན་, Wylie: u rgyan, Odia: ଓଡ଼ିଆଣ), a small country in early medieval northwest India, is ascribed importance in the development and dissemination of Vajrayana Buddhism.....In later Tibetan traditions, Oḍḍiyāna is either conflated or identified with Shambhala, a land inhabited by dakinis and inaccessible to or by ordinary mortals - a beyul "hidden land"......"Uḍḍiyāna is also spelt as Oḍrayāna while in the Kālikā Purāṇa".....


MENOK...primal matter. the ras. the wheel of heaven. the embodiment of time-space. In Zurvanism, not only a concept but also an actual weapon to be used by Ohrmazd....The pahlavi words for 'spiritual' and 'material' are, in this context, menok and geteh, and they derive from the Avestan words mainyu and gaethya..... in accordance with Aristotelian principles. Because the menok or spiritual side of man which included mind, will, and consciousness, was regarded as being immaterial, the word was re-defined as meaning a single, uncompounded substance without parts, invisible and intangible; and because Aristotle's 'matter' was also invisible and intangible, 'matter' in its primary unformed state was also described as menok. Thus there are three forms of menok existence, the two menoks or 'spirit' of orthodox theology, neither of which is the material cause of the material and physical world, and a third menok, which is the totally unformed primal matter of Aristotelian philosophy, the unseen source of all material things.".....http://www.farvardyn.com/zurvan1.php


MIND..."I am afraid there is really no such thing as the one mind."...(Trungpa: 1973..pg 202)...."sem is referred to as 'mind' and Rigpa is referred to as the 'nature of mind'.'..(Sogyal: 1992..pg 394)...Page 392....The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Six: Glimpses of Space ...


MIRROR..."The quality of the cosmic mirror is that it is unconditioned, vast open space....free from any bias...willing to reflect anything." (Trungpa: 1984, pps 100, 174)...." In whatever he does, the master warrior guides the minds of his students into the visionary mind of the Rigden Kings, the space of the cosmic mirror." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 179)...."In the realm of the cosmic mirror, clinging to concept or doubt has never been heard of." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 179)....me long: mirror, looking glass....shel: mirror, crystal, crystaline....pra se na: oracular mirror....pra: mirror divination...kun gsal: sky, sun, mirror,that which is fully clear...kun mthong: mirror...."In Dzogchen, Rigpa is the mirror of awareness held up to things so that everywhere, under all circumstances, in each event that occurs, there exists this self-recognition. This is like the net of Indra made of chains of linked mirrors, where every mirror reflects every other mirror." (Reynolds: 1996..pg 152)...."A slightly flawed cosmic mirror allows the universe to exist: The existence of the universe comes from a flaw in a symmetry exhibited by a 'universal mirror' called the CP mirror, [and then lost me in a discussion of matter and anti-matter]." (Article in Scientific American: Feb 1988)..."The son (Bu) is the unobscured, self-clear essence of the empty nature of the non-grasping mind. If we know this mind, this mirror of awareness, all nirvanic qualities reflect or manifest in it. It is called the mirror-like wisdom." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 125)...The nature of the mind is like a mirror with 5 different powers: vastness, detail, unbiased, unconfused, all-accomplishing. (Sogyal: 1992..pg 153)....


MAGIC...."Nowness, or the magic of the present moment, is what joins the wisdom of the past with the present." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 96)...."When we draw down the power and depth of vastness into a single perception, then we are discovering and invoking magic." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 103)..."When you discover magic, you simply find yourself in the realm of utter reality, complete and thorough reality." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 106)...." to invoke the power of drala, or elemental magic" (Trungpa: 1984..pg 135)..."This world is a magical place because it can BE so vividly, so brilliantly." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 132)..."then magic, or drala, can descend onto our existence." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 132)..."You cannot own the power and the magic of this world. It is always available, but it does not belong to anyone. The only way to contact that energy is to experience a gentle state of being in yourself." (Trungpa: 1984...pg 107)....."It is not true that there is no magic these days, that we are in the dark ages. The only magic that exists is in this life, the particular phenomenon we are experiencing right now."...(Trungpa: 1996...pg 96)...


MARRIAGE..."Jamgon Kongtrul the Great wrote a marriage ritual with the traditional Bon ceremony with the arrows, incorporating Buddhist divinities and some pieces of Indian mythology."..(Karmay: 1975..pg 207)..."During the marriage ceremony, the mu cord is attached to the ceniput of the groom. He holds an arrow and makes offerings. The priest presents the bride with turquoise (la-gyu...soul turquoise) and the groom with a piece of gold (la-gser...soul gold)."..(Karmay: 1975...pg 210)...


MU CORD...(dMu dag...rMu thag)..."sky rope (dMu thag). the early kings descended by means of the Mu cord." (Hoffman: 1975..pg 96)..."the Phrul shamans were God-possessed and had the function of planting the rope which linked earth with heaven." (Hoffman: 1975)..."ascended to the sky by means of the Mu cord." (Norbu: 1995..pg 75)..."in her hands she holds the Mu cord of the Phug Lha" (Norbu: 1995..pg 74)..."a wool cord is extended in the four directions. This acts as a conductor for SE when he descends from heaven." (Trungpa: 1978..pg 227)..."Each King ruled until his first son was old enough to ride a horse, at which point the king returned to heaven via the rope." (Lopez: 1997..pg 4)..."the sky rope (namtak: gnam thag) (mutak: dmu thag) connected the kings to the heavens." (Kohn: 1997)...



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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

September 2012...Updated December 2015

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Terms Updated: NATURAL HIERARCHY to RIGPA

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NATURAL HIERARCHY...(Lha, Nyen and Lu Principles)...(Sacred order, sacred source)..Lha is the highest point, the point that catches the light of the rising sun first and reflects the Great Eastern Sun first." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 135)..."Lha, nyen, and lu describe the protocol and the decorum of the earth itself, and show how humans can weave themselves into that texture of basic reality." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 134)...."In Shinto, there is a word naka-ima (literally, middle-now). The word naka (middle, center, inside) not only denotes a relation of place, but also spatially the best place and temporally the best time. These words express to perfection the Shinto idea of regarding this world as a world full of blessings."..(Jinja: 1958...pg 23)...


"NATURAL STATE.....Even though one's original nature, as light and space, is like the clear open sky, it becomes obscured and clouded over by an ignorance that grasps at the reality (bdag 'dzin) these clouds represent one's delusions or Samsaric visions. Becoming liberated from these clouds, one's own real nature as awareness or Rigpa comes into visible manifestation, just as when the clouds in the sky dissipate, the sun becomes clearly visible. Therby one's view and con's conduct and activity in the world become inseparably linked. One acts spontaneously in terms of the Natural State, without any deliberation or artifice. The Primordial State, the Nature of Mind, being Shunyata andbeing without any source or ground (gzhi-med-rtsa-bral) in the causal processes of Samsara, totally transcends the intellect (blo 'das chenpo). Yet at the same time it may be directly discovered within one's own immediate experience in this present life by way of the practice of contemplation, a state that goes beyond the mind." .......John Myrdhin Reynolds....'The Oral Traditions From Zhang-Zhung'....Page 240 (The Guru Yoga for Tapihritsa, the most important master in the transmission of the lineage of the Zhang-zhung Nyan-gyad).


NON-AGGRESSION...."The key to life and to perception altogether is non-aggression. It is how to perceive reality at its best. Out of that comes the notion of dignity."...(Trungpa: 1984..pg 101)....."According to the Buddhist vajrayana tradition, if your mind is preoccupied with aggression, you cannot function properly."..(Trungpa: 1996..pg 15)...


PARALLEL UNIVERSE..."In Shinto, it is believed that the world of the noble ancestors is connected spiritually to this world. Theirs is a second world, an unseen world in contrast to this visible world. They live, so to speak, in a second 'this world'."...(Jinja: 1958...pg 24)...."In the I Ching, every event in the visible world is the effect of an 'image', that is, an idea in the unseen world. Everything that happens on the Earth is only a reproduction of an event in a world beyond our sense perception. As regards its occurrence in time, it is later than the suprasensible event."...(Wilhelm: I Ching..pg lvii)...."A black hole will go to zero mass then disappear. These particles will go to another baby universe. Baby universes occur in imaginary time, not real time." (Hawkens: Brief History of Time)


PASSION...."Straightforward, pure passion--without ice, without water, without soda--is good! It is drinkable; it is also food; you can live on it!"..(Trungpa: 1996..pg 15)...."If your mind is preoccupied with passion, there are possibilities. Artistic talent is somewhat related to the level of passion, or heightened interest in the intriguing possibilities of things."...(Trungpa: 1996..pg 15)...


PRECIOUS SUBSTANCES...Six essential ingredients: saffrom seeds, sandalwood powder, camphor, powder of teak, copper dust, powdered cloves...."the 'first offerings' (phud) of the three 'white substances' (dkar gsum) milk, yogurt, and butter.(Norbu: 1995..pg 56)..."five perfumes: sandalwood, musk, jasmine, saffron, and camphor"...

PRESENCE...."Presence in energy, presence in power, presence in joy, presence in clarity, presence in the inseparability of clarity and emptiness in the natural state of mind." (Wangyal: 1993...pg 88)... "Because you achieve some merit or virtue, therefore that virtue begins to be reflected in your being, your presence." "If a person is modest and decent and exertive, then he will begin to manifest some sense of good and wholesome being to those around him." (pg 159, 160-61)...From "SHAMBHALA: THE SACRED PATH OF THE WARRIOR" by Chogyam Trungpa, (c) 1984.


PRIMORDIAL PURITY..."the master warrior has relaxed completely into the unconditional purity of the cosmic mirror." (Trungpa:1984, pg 177)....ka dag: primordial purity, original purity, the basic nature of sentient beings which is originally untainted by defilement and beyond confusion and liberation...ka dag klong yangs: the vast space of primordial purity"..."The Dzogchen texts postulate a primordial purity (kadag, dodme shi, etc) on the basis of which both Enlightenment and the deluded appearance of samsara have arisen." (Samuel: 1993..pg 464)...."According to Dzogchen, the essence (ngo bo) of the base of everything (kunzhi) is empty (ston pa nyid) and primordially pure (ka dag)." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 41)..."MA, the mother (kunzhi) has the quality of primordial purity because she is not tainted by any obscurations or by the dualism of samsara and nirvana, virtue or non-virtue, passions and blessings, thought and wisdom, happiness and suffering, inner and outer, subject and object, cause and effect, or any bias toward good or bad." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 120)...."The basis of Great Eastern Sun vision is realizing that the world is clean and pure to begin with in its natural, original state." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 58)..."this display of 'sound, light' and color is inherently present within the expanse of 'primordial purity' which is the ground."..(Sogyal: 1992..pg 275)..."The Buddha informed Sariputra that the universe is always pure, but in order to effect the spiritual maturity of beings, it appears to be flawed."(Kongtrul: 1995..pg 48)...."The fruition of the warrior's path is the experience of primordial goodness, or the complete, unconditioned nature of basic goodness."..(Trungpa: 1984..pg 58)...

PURIFICATION...."Chapter in Nelson: 1996: 'Being dirty, getting clean, and the ritual of great purification."....Harae or harai (祓 or 祓い) is the general term for rituals of purification in Shinto. Harae is one of four essential elements involved in a Shinto ceremony. The purpose is the purification of pollution or sins (tsumi) and uncleanness (kegare). These concepts include bad luck and disease as well as guilt in the English sense.....Harae is often described as purification, but it is also known as an exorcism to be done before worship. Harae often involves symbolic washing with water, or having a Shinto priest shake a large paper shaker called ōnusa or haraigashi over the object of purification. People, places, and objects can all be the object of harae."...Norbeck, E. (1952). Pollution and taboo in contemporary Japan. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology,

RAINBOW BODY...T: jalu..."In Dzogchen, rainbow body (Tibetan: འཇའ་ལུས་, Wylie: 'ja' lus, Jalü or Jalus) is a level of realization....The rainbow body phenomenon is a third person perspective of someone else attaining complete knowledge (Tibetan: རིག་པ, Wylie: rigpa). ...In Dzogchen, a fundamental point of practice is to distinguish rigpa from sems (mind).....The ultimate fruition of the thodgal practices is a body of pure light, called a rainbow body (Wylie 'ja' lus, pronounced jalü.)... If the four visions of thogal are not completed before death, then during death, from the point of view of an external observer, the dying person starts to shrink until he or she disappears. Usually fingernails, toenails and hair are left behind...The attainment of the rainbow body is typically accompanied by the appearance of lights and rainbows....Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (1859 - 1933) was a great Dzogchen master of the Bon tradition of Tibet who took not only Bon disciples, but gathered students from all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.....According to tradition, Shardza Tashi Gyeltsen famously realized the rainbow body."...Lopön Tenzin Namdak and Dixey, Richard (2002). Heart Drops of Dharmakaya: Dzogchen Practice of the Bön Tradition. Snow Lion Publications


REALITY..."Words don't mean very much. Reality means a lot." (Trungpa)...."the sphere of reality (dharmadhatu) never changes, never becomes anything other than itself. It always remains empty of true existence." (Kongtrul: 1995..pg 49)..."When you click into the iconography of the cosmos, you are able to experience a sense of reality that is not dependant on reinforcement. The experience is not unconditional."..(Trungpa: 1996..pg 95)...."Reality seems to be the basic space in which we operate in our ordinary, everyday life."...(Trungpa: 1996..pg 52)..."Since there is no one to perceive a mind or reality, the notion of existence in terms of 'things' and 'form' is delusory; there is no reality, no perceiver of reality, and no thoughts derived from perceptions of reality."..(Trungpa: 1973..pg 196)....."In general, all followers of the Great Vehicle assert that completely false truth is fabricated and superimposed onto genuine reality, while actual genuine truth is not fabricated and involves no superimposition." (Kongtrul: 1997..pg 47)


RENUNCIATION...."In the ordinary sense, renunciation is often connected with asceticism...you give up the sense pleasures of the world and embrace an austere spiritual life in order to understand the higher meaning of existence. In the Shambhala context, renunciation is quite different. What the warrior renounces is anything in his experience that is a barrier between himself and others. Renunciation is making yourself more available, more gentle and open to others. You renounce your privacy." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 66)......"Pon, unlike the religious outgrowths of the Aryan culture, especially Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism in their quasi-popular forms, gives little heed to the pursuit of salvation through the practice of austerities." (Trungpa: 1978)....."In Dzogchen there is nothing to renounce, we must integrate with the negative as well as the positive." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 97)..."The basic idea of asceticism, leading a life according to the dharma, is to be fundamentally sane."..(Trungpa: 1973..pg 47)....."The great poet-yogin Milarepa was a classic example of the yogi-renunciate tradition. But his asceticism was simply an expression of his character. He wanted to be simple and he led a very simple life."..(Trungpa: 1973..pg 240)....


RICHNESS...Tib: yun (dbyun)..."The real meaning of wealth is knowing how to create a goldlike situation in your life. You may not have any money but you still manifest richness in your world. Appreciating wealth and richness come from being a basically decent human being." (Trungpa: 1984..p 143-144)....."Nor lha: the deity of wealth...dwells on a lotus; he accumulates jewels." (Nebesky:1956..p 332)....Vaisravana (rNam thos sras): the God of Wealth....."Chuglha: the god of wealth wears a golden per over golden armor. Carries a multicolored victory banner in his right hand. He vomits gems." (Trungpa: 1978...pg 224)...."The Zijid explains that when someone is afflicted by poverty it is necessary to increase the cha and the yang." Rituals are described to summon the cha and yang present in the universe. (Norbu: 1995..pg 72)...."Namse (Rnam-thos-sras) a manifestation of Kuvera, the God of Wealth." (Paul: 1982..pg 111)...."In many Tibetan houses, a white dgra lha mask is always hung to insure good luck and prosperity for the family. A thangka showing the nine dgra lha is also hung." (Nebesky: 1956..pg 335)..."the term gYang can be rendered by prosperity, fortune." (Norbu: 1995..pg 247)..."the ritual of yang-gugs (the summoning of the essence of fortune) is considered to be very important." (Karmay: 1975..pg 209)...

RIGPA...."In different traditions, Rigpa is called God, Self, Shiva, Brahman, Vishnu, Hidden Essence, or Buddha Nature"..(Sogyal: 1992..pg 47)...'The first thing is Dzogchen vision which sees what really is -- the nature of mind itself. This is the natural state of being, where the mind makes no distinctions and judgments. This state of awareness is called rigpa. Rigpa is naked awareness of the wholistic here and now. We cannot actually express this awareness and there is nothing to compare it to in order to describe it."...http://keithdowman.net/dzogchen/garuda.htm...


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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

September 2012...Updated December 2015

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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Terms Updated:Sacred Outlook to Ziji

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Click on the Blue Title to View the Notes

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SACRED OUTLOOK...(dag nang: pure perception) (taknang, dag.snang)..."In my sixteenth year I looked from East to East and experienced sacred outlook." (Nalanda: 1980...pg 56)...


SACRIFICES/OFFERINGS...."Releasing the seed of beings, go alive to the place of the gods." (Keith: 1967..pg 226)....."He who sacrifices beyond his own diety loses his own deity, and does not obtain another. The prosperous are three: the learned Brahman, the headman, and the warrior." (Keith: 1967..pg 193)..."Alexander the Great had performed the divine sacrifices (those prescribed for good fortune and others suggested by the priests)...."....."The word "Karbanot" is usually translated as "sacrifices" or "offerings"; however, both of these terms suggest a loss of something or a giving up of something, and although that is certainly a part of the ritual, that is not at all the literal meaning of the Hebrew word. The word Karbanot comes from the root Qof-Resh-Bet, which means "to draw near," and indicates the primary purpose of offerings: to draw us near to G-d."...https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org....Buddhism developed as a non sacrificial religion, refusing especially "bloody": sacrifices (that was the case also of Taoism during the Han dynasty at the same time Buddhism was entering China.) Still, "offerings" developed in various contexts......www.researchgate.net


SETTING SUN.."The analogy for setting sun hierarchy is a lid that flattens you and keeps you in your place."...(Trungpa: 1984..pg 58)........"based on fear of oneself and fear of death. Has no connection to drala principle."(Trungpa: 1984 pg 108)...Untergang, literally "down-going" but used in German to mean "setting" (as of the sun), which Nietzsche pairs with its opposite Übergang (going over or across).


SECULAR...Latin: saecularis: not belonging to a religious order...."In 1975, the Venerable Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche introduced a secular discipline (Shambhala Training), that was appropriate for all beings, regardless of the conditions of their birth, status. or previous beliefs." (Osel Tendzin in Trungpa: 1984, page 195)...."People worry about a conflict between the religious and the profane...But the categories of higher and lower, religious and profane, do not really seem relevant to a basically sane approach to life."...(Trungpa: 1973..pg 47)..."Spiritual and secular vision could meet at sacred outlook." (Nalanda: 1980..pg 364)...


SIDDHI...magic power...Siddhi is a Sanskrit noun which can be translated as "perfection", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success".In Tamil the word Siddhar/Chitthar refers to someone who has attained the Siddhic powers & knowledge. Chitta is pure consciousness/knowledge in Sanskrit also....The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, compiled around 400 BC from many older traditions, goes into great depth about how to obtain various siddhis....The term siddhi is later found in the Mahabharata."


SKY GAZING...(nam mkha ar gtad)(rig pa nam mkhar gtad) ..."enables us to integrate the empty condition of our mind with the empty space of the sky." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 93 & 119)..."In Mithraic iconography, the Sovereign Sky has an eye in the long solar ray that penetrates the world cave." (Campbell: 1968..pg 99)....“Dzogchen is the apex of Buddhism; Atiyoga is the supreme mode of Dzogchen; Trekcho/Togel is unitary atiyoga; Sky-gazing is the way of nonmeditation. If you can simply sit and watch, Dzogchen sky-gazing will bring ultimate or relative siddhi.”...http://keithdowman.net/diary/


SOCIETY...."Shinto grasps truth in concrete expression and takes social groups such as the family, the village, the State, and makes them arenas for realizing the truth of the gods." ...(Jinja: 1958..pg 5)....“Although the Shambhala tradition is founded on the sanity and gentleness of the Buddhist tradition, at the same time, it has its own independent basis, which is directly cultivating who and what we are as human beings. With the great problems facing human society, it seems increasingly important to find simple and non-sectarian ways to work with ourselves and to share our understanding with others....The Shambhala teachings or “Shambhala vision” as this approach is more broadly called, is one such attempt to encourage a wholesome existence for ourselves and others.”– Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, author of Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior



SPACE...(kLong)..."the warrior, fundamentally, is someone who is not afraid of space...the truth of non-reference point." (Trungpa:1984, pg 155)...klong: basic space, expanse...mkha: sky, space, heaven....thog ma'i dbyings: primordial basic space....spyi klong: cosmic space....gzhi klong: basic space..."mkha: external space...klong: internal space...dbying: secret space" (Wangyal: 1993..pg 118)...."The word lungta...lung represents the space element,,,the term is sometimes found in the meaning ascribed to long (klong): space...significance between long and namkha (space,sky)." (Norbu:1995...pg 69)...."The Tibetan Book of the Dead is actually a 'Book of Space.' Space contains birth and death; space creates the environment in which to behave, breathe and act, it is the fundamental environment." (Trungpa: Tibetan Book of the Dead: 1975...pg 1)...."three kinds of absolute emptiness or space: 'mkha' is external space conceived without consideration of the things contained within it. 'kLong' is the space of objects that exist within the mkha...and dbying is the space of direct experience as such." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 118)...."Tachyons, particles moving faster that the speed of light, do not experience real time (imaginary space). They move in imaginary time (real space) quite easily." (Wolf: Parallel Universes..pg 130)...Absolute space: chos dbyings...(sk:dharmadhatu)..the expanse of reality..."the mind breaks out of the cage of fixed concepts of definite space and existence and enters the open space of myriad worlds." (kongtrul: 1995..pg 49)..."Throughout our lives, there are occasional experiences of this black hole, suspended space, where we have no reference point."..(Trungpa: 1996..pg 41)....


SQUARE ZERO...."Square One is the basic ground from which we function, and square zero seems to be beyond our even functioning. There is no reference point anymore, just zero. Try it!"...~ from Ocean of Dharma by Chogyam Trungpa edited by Carolyn Rose Gimian


SACRED SPACE..."Conceived as linking the ancestral past and the messianic future, the mountains are not only the lords of a sacred space, but also the lords of time." (Blondeau: 1996...pg 226)...."In an article describing the different stages of the process of sacralization of space in Japan, Grapard (1982) shows that several mountains came flying to that country from India and China." (Blondeau: 1996..pg 81)..."The first kind of sacred space derives from Shinto, and quite likely from pre-Shinto indigenous traditions in Japan. A place is considered to be sacred if a deity has shown itself there; thus, Shinto temples were believed to have been built where kami had appeared to humans."....Written by: Julia Hardy...http://www.patheos.com/Library/Zen/Ritual-Worship-Devotion-Symbolism/Sacred-Space


SOUND,LIGHT,RAYS...The tibetan terms: sgra (sound)[sgralha], 'od (light)['odkar], zer (rays)[zermig]. The relationship of these three elements with the kun gzhi (basis)[Kuntu Sangpo:Basic Goodness]. Excellent description of the relationship between heart, eyes, and space: (Reynolds:1996 pps 121, 150, 157)...."Sun Ray Particles" (Kongtrul: 1995..pg 168)...(Rangdrol: 1990..page 45)...."Everything that arises as manifest phenomenon, consisting of sounds, lights, and rays (sgra 'od zer gsum)...this energy, in the form of light, originates in the heart of the individual." (Reynolds: 1996..pg 157)..."This state of Primeval Purity manifests in the milieu of three elements: sound (sgra), light ('od), and ray (zer). This luminosity resides in the heart of the body like a lighted lamp in a vase." (Karmay: 1988..pg 204).....Sound, light, rays: See (Wangyal:1993..pg 134)..."When the 3 great visions (sound, light, rays) arise, we are in the bardo of the clear light of the essential reality, and that they are our own projections." (Wangyal: 1993..pp190-191)..."the name we give to this display of sound, light and color is 'spontaneous presence'."..(Sogyal: 1992..pg 275)..."The Mithraic solar ray that penetrates into the world cave."..(Campbell: 1968..pg 99)..."O Agni, thy pure bright, flaming rays arise." (Keith: 1967..pg 63)..."Draw in breath from the rays"..(Meyer:1976..pg 7)


SOUND...."the spelling sgra-la (la of sound) is based on a very deep principle. Although not visible, sound is perceived through the sense of hearing and is linked to the Cha (the individual's positive force, the base of prosperity), and wangthang (ascendancy-capacity [authentic presence]), both aspects related with the protective deities and entities since birth. Sound is considered the foremost connection between the individual and his la. This is the meaning of the word sgra-la." (Norbu: 1995...pg 62)...."the deities are invoked with the sound of the drum, the shang, the conch shell, and the flute (rgya gling)." (Norbu: 1995..pg 53


SINGULARITIES..."There are regions of space time where distortions occur. Space and time become highly stretched. In the vicinity of the distortions, gateways to other universes occur." (Wolf: Parallel Universes..pg 143)..."How come dark matter doesn't clump up into black holes / singularities or sun shaped objects?....Singularities, dark matter, and dark energy. A connection?"...https://www.physicsforums.com


SPIRITUAL JUNKYARD...."If one is living in a spiritual junkyard, the way to develop an appreciation of your collection is to start with one item, that would be the equivalent of having one object in an empty room."...(Trungpa: 1973..pg 22)....Chögyam Trungpa wrote a book on "spiritual materialism," warning his students not to transform the teachings into an "antique shop" or "junkyard" of beliefs and practices. You have to get the ego out of it, he says."...Thomas Moore


SWASTIKA....(Tib: gYung Drung)..."the swastika is called the Gammodian Cross and is associated with the movements of heavenly bodies around the Great Bear. It represents the Solar Wheel and is found in sun worship around the world." (Rao: 1978..pg 7)..."Interesting swastika designs on the Grand Mosque of Cordoba in Spain."..."In ancient Persia, the palace of the King was located in the highest circle, the Garodman that was located in the realm of the sun. Within such a circle, the King withdrew from the view of his subjects."...(Campbell: 1968..pg 99)...In the Tibetan Bon tradition the swastika (Tib. gyung-drung), meaning 'eternal or unchanging', essentially corresponds to the Buddhist vajra.


THEISM, ATHEISM, NON-THEISM..."Theistic symbolism is a constant self-existing confirmation. In non-theistic symbolism, such as Buddhism, you don't exist, symbolism doesn't exist, and the universe doesn't exist. That's quite shocking!"..(Trungpa: 1996..pg 33)..."Shambhala is: Is it one path? How does it compare with Buddhism? What are we trying to pass on to future generations of Shambhalians? Some of us like to think that Shambhala encompasses all traditions, and that nothing is excluded. We are not theists, yet we have Jews and Christians in our Shambhala Training programs. Maybe we are everything after all? Both theistic and nontheistic, both religious and secular. Often we say that the Shambhala teachings capture the wisdom that exists in all humans, so different themes melt together and give birth to a vision of future society....people who are inspired by Shambhala teachings who practice a different religion are welcomed, and they will enrich the Shambhala mandala as Shambhalian Christians, Shambhalian Jews, and so forth.".... Shambhala Buddhism by Sakyong Mipham...May 23, 2000....http://shambhala.org/teachers/sakyong-mipham/shambhala-buddhism/


"THEKCHOD......The principle of Thekchod is the primordial purity of everything.....From the viewpoint of the Nying-thig teachings, the original state of the individual, one's inherent enlightened nature, is seen as being primordially pure and spontaneously self-perfected (lhun-grub). These two aspects of the state are realized in the two divisions of Nying-thig teaching and practice, namely, Thekchod and Thodgal....The term Thekchod (khregs-chod) literally means 'cutting loose (chod) the bundle (khregs)'....much as a woodman might cut loose the ties binding a bundle of sticks he has brought with him from the forest. In the case of the individual, this bundle is one's emotional and intellectual tensions and rigidities that keep one imprisoned in a self-created cage and prevent one from realizing one's intrinsic freedom. The principle point of Thekchod is to relax all these tensions of body, speech, and mind that obscure our inherent Buddha-nature, which has been primordially present as the Base (ye gzhi). In Thekchod practice, one settles into a state of contemplation without being distracted for a moment from the view of the primordial purity of our inherent nature. As the master Garab Dorje said: "Whatever is produced in the mind is unobstructed like the clouds in the sky. Having understood the meaning of the complete identity of all phenomenon (in terms of the essence of their emptiness), then when one enters into this (state of contemplation)without following them, this is the true meditation.".....Through the practice of Thekchod, one comes to understand and be totally familiar with the state of contemplation."......John Myrdhin Reynolds....'The Oral Traditions From Zhang-Zhung'....Page 33


"THODGAL......Whereas the principle of Thekchod is the primordial purity of everything, the principle of Thodgal is their spontaneous self-perfection.........The term Thodgal (thod rgal....Sanskrit: vyuthtkrantaka)...literally means "direct" (thod-rgal du) in the sense of an immediate and instantaneous transition from one location to another, where there is no intervening interval of time. Thus some would translate it as 'leap over'...but it is much more immediate than leaping about. Also, when we say 'vision' (snang-ha) we are not talking about visualization( (dmigs-pa) which, for example is used in Tantra. Visualization is a process which involves the working of the mind. However with Trkchod we have moved into a dimension beyond the mind and with Thodgal, one continues in this direction. Rather than visualizations created by mind we are talking about an integration with vision, with whatever arises spontaneously to vision while the practiiioner is in the state of contemplation. Therefore, the master of contemplation through the practice of Thekchod is an immediate prerequisite to the practice of Thodgal...Otherwise there is the danger of becoming caught up in one's visions, becoming distracted by them and believing them to be an objective reality. It is precisely this attachment to one's impure karmic visions that got the individual caught up in samsara in the first place".......John Myrdhin Reynolds....'The Oral Traditions From Zhang-Zhung'....Page 33


TREES...the oak, the rowan, and the hazel were the sacred trees of the Druids...traditionally, the Juniper has been the sacred tree of the Bon tradition..."In Shinto, the white oak is sacred."..(Jinja: 1958)...The Bon and pre-Bon concept of a three-levelled universe with a rope or ladder connecting earth and heaven has persisted in Tibetan folk religion (Mumford 1989:31 citing Hoffman 1961:15) and is found in surviving shamanist cultures throughout the Himalayas."...."In their imagination (the Gurung shamans) visit Khro- nasa, the Gurung underworld, going down nine ladders. The upper world is also reached by nine ladders, arriving at a mansion in Mu, the Gurung term for sky. The `middle' human world is connected to the upper world by a tree in the sacred grove at Tapje village, and also by a rock dome called Oble, the local Gurung land of the dead that is seen from the trail. (Mumford 1989:8).....Mumford notes that the Gurung description of this sacred tree is remarkably similar to the tree connecting the three worlds visited by Siberian shamans. (1089:8). (As Eliade points out, the Universal Tree that grows at the centre of the world and connects the cosmic zones of underworld, earth and heaven is common to all North and Central Asian mythologies.) (1964:37)"


TRUST..."You trust not in success, but in reality." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 73).... "Never, never trust.
But be friendly.
By being friendly towards others
You increase your non-trusting.
The idea is to be independent,
Not involved,
Not glued, one might say, to others.
Thus one becomes ever more
Compassionate and friendly.
Whatever happens, stand on your own feet
and memorise this incantation:
Do not trust.
-Chogyam Trungpa....From TIMELY RAIN, © 2015 by Diana J. Mukpo.


UNENLIGHTENED BEINGS..."cling to the idea that they, their worlds, and their experiences are ultimately real." (Kongtrul: 1995..pg 49)...


WATER...."in the Kalachakra, energies arise from the ten directions and through pressure and friction, produce "primordial water'." (Kongtrul: 1995..pg 41)...Anahita (Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā); the Avestan language name of an Indo-Iranian cosmological figure venerated as the divinity of 'the Waters' (Aban) and hence associated with fertility, healing and wisdom.


WHEEL OF LIFE..."In ancient Persia, this may have suggested the ultimate Apogenesis and escape from the wheel of birth, perhaps as a soldier of the god, whereas incarnation is emphasized on the bottom register." (Campbell:1968..pg. 333)..."The historical origins of a concept of a cycle of repeated reincarnation are obscure but the idea appears frequently in religious and philosophical texts in both India and ancient Greece during the middle of the first millennium B.C.E.[2] Orphism, Platonism, Jainism and Buddhism all discuss the transmigration of beings from one life to another. The concept of reincarnation is present in the early Vedic texts such as the Rigveda but some scholars speculate it to have originated from the shramana traditions. Several scholars believe that reincarnation was adopted from this religious culture by the Historical Vedic religion and that Brahmins first wrote down scriptures containing these ideas in the early (Aitereya) Upanishads."....


WHITE...'the ancient Tibetan Kings, who were considered gods, wore white silk and cotton."...(Kohn: 1997...pg 390)..."During the Song Dynasty, the Manichaeans were derogatorily referred by the Chinese as chicai simo (meaning that they "abstain from meat and worship demons"). An account in Fozu Tongji, an important historiography of Buddhism in China compiled by Buddhist scholars during 1258-1269, says that the Manichaens worshipped the "white Buddha" and their leader wore a violet headgear, while the followers wore white costumes." ....


WHITE 'A'..."O great White Light of (the letter) A of the womb of space"(Nalanda Translation Committee: Lopez:1997..pg 403)....The seventh level in the Nine Ways of Bon is the Way of the White Letter A (A-dkar theg-pa). (Snellgrove:1967)....."A' represents the unconditioned primordial state, the natural state of mind; it is white to represent the innate purity of mind." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 41)..."The Seventh Vehicle is 'The White A'. The sacred A is the symbol of the 'Pure Sound'...the origin of all earthly sounds and of all effects in the phenomenal world." (Hoffman: 1975...pg 110)...


WIND..."a special wind from this sphere becomes instrumental in the creation of new worlds." (Kongtrul: 1995..pg 42)...


WINDHORSE...(T:lungta...Sk: prana...Ch: ch'i): Mipham (1846-1912): "to write klung-rta (river horse) is not beautiful. It should be written rlung-rta (windhorse)". (Karmay 1993)...LUNG means wind and TA means horse. Invoking secret drala is the experience of raising windhorse, raising a wind of delight and power and riding on, or conquering, that energy...a feeling of being completely and powerfully in the present...connect yourself to the inconceivable vision and wisdom of the cosmic mirror on the spot." (Trungpa: 1984..Pg 114)...The Tibetan text: "Cult of the Deities of the Lungta" A Buddhist text from the 14th century. Includes an invocation to the deities of the four directions. (Norbu:1995, pg70)....klung: river, stream....klung rta: luck, fortune....rlung: wind, breath, vital energy, prana, energy currents of the body, element wind...rlungta: the wind horse...."The klungta is a protective energy tied to a person's bla and phywa and is based on the function of the five elements." (Norbu:1995..pg 249)...."klun-rta (rlun-rta) is regularly written as sruns-rta." (Snellgrove: 1967...pg 9)


XRATU....."The power of 'xratu/rising' is an energy closely connected with visionary insight, indeed it is the cause of it. The moment of dawning when Mithra and his retinue are manifested." (Piras: 1996...pg 15)..."The relationship between daena (the medium of sight) and xratu (a mental sphere). Possession of daena/vision is manifested with the action of an eye enhanced with the energy of xratu, displaying the features of 'rising. Vision derives from the possession of the 'asna xratu', which is itself the faculty of vision of 'Jan', whence the eye is ordered." (Piras: 1996...pg 14)...


XVARENAH....(Xvarnah, Xwarrarh, farrah, khurrah,See Khvarenah)



YANG...." In the I Ching, yin is the cloudy, the overcast and yang actually means 'banners waving in the sun' or 'something shone upon bright'. Yang is bright because it reflects the light." (Wilhelm: I Ching..pg lvi)..."the notion of symbolic wealth is yang".(Karmay: 1975..pg 209)...


ZIJI...(gzi brjid) (gzhi)...the Tibetan word for confidence. ZI means shine or glitter. JI means splendor or dignity. Means to shine out, rejoicing while remaining dignified. (Trungpa:84...pg 85)...."A person possessed fully of the blessings and health that come from the gods is said to be "full of splendor" (gzi brjid can). This splendor, majesty is pronounced ziji in Tibetan, and is an actual radiant force that envelops a healthy and prosperous being, whether god or man." (Kornman: In Lopez...pg.82)...."gzi brjid: brilliance, majestic brilliance, splendor, charisma, glamour, confidence, light, radiance, full of splendor, overwhelming presence, resplendent radiance..."
....gzi: nine eyed onyx stone....gzi byin: overwhelming presence...gzig: leopard....gzig stangs gsum: the three gazes..."This state of pure and total awareness (rigpa) is the primordially pure ground of being itself (gzhi)."..(Kongtrul: 1995..pg 54)...


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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

September 2012 (Updated December 2015)

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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Nietzsche’s Zarathustra and Zarathushtra Spitama

Nietzsche’s Zarathustra and Zarathushtra Spitama

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Primary Source: NIETZSCHE AND PERSIA.....Daryoush Ashouri (2010)......http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"Nietzsche’s Zarathustra, like the original Zarathustra according to Zoroastrian tradition, goes to the mountain for meditation when he is thirty years old, and, like him, descends ten years later to convey his message to humanity. The early Zarathustra, at the dawn of the metaphysical history of humanity, after having long dialogues with his God of goodness, descends from the mountain to proclaim the heavenly message that interprets being in moralistic terms of Good and Evil; while the “second” Zarathustra, at the end of this history, descends to announce, first of all, the dreadful news which has immense consequences for human life and thought: the death of God......Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900)......Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None.......composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885 and published between 1883 and 1891"........http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"Zoroaster (Greek Ζωροάστρης Zōroastrēs), also known as Zarathustra (/Persian: زرتشت‎‎ Zartosht), or as Zarathushtra Spitama, was the founder of Zoroastrianism. He was a native speaker of Old Avestan and is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrian thinking. Most of his life is known through the Zoroastrian texts.....Modern scholars of Zoroastrianism generally place Zoroaster as having lived in north-east Iran or northern Afghanistan (Balkh) some time between 1700 and 1300 BC......Avestan, the language spoken by Zoroaster and used for composing the Yasna Haptanghaiti and the Gathas, on archaeological and linguistic grounds, is dated to have been spoken probably in the first half of the 2nd millennium BC.....Zoroaster's death was said to have been in Balkh located in present-day Afghanistan during the Holy War between Turan and the Persian empire in 583 BC..... Jamaspa, his son-in-law, then became Zoroaster's successor... Zoroaster himself hailed from the Airya (Aryan) people but he also preached his message to other neighboring tribes.... the Avesta contains the names of various tribes who lived in proximity to each other: "the Airyas [Aryans], Tuiryas [Turanians], Sairimas [Sarmatians], Sainus [Ashkuns] and Dahis [Dahae]"......Michael Witzel, THE HOME OF THE ARYANS, Harvard University & Encyclopedia Iranica

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"Tūrān (Persian توران) literally means "the land of the Tur", and is a region in Central Asia. The term is of Persian origin and may refer to a certain prehistoric human settlement, a historic geographical region, or a culture. The original Turanians were an Iranian tribe of the Avestan age........ according to the Shahnameh's account, at least 1,500 years later after the Avesta, the nomadic tribes who inhabited these lands were ruled by Tūr, who was the emperor Fereydun's elder son.....Tur/Turaj is the son of emperor Fereydun in ancient Iranian mythology......Turan comprised five sub regions: Southern Turkmenia, the Atrak Valley, the Eastern Elburz Mountains, the Helmand Valley, and Bactria and Margiana.....Similar to the ancient homeland of Zoroaster, the precise geography and location of Turan is unknown. In post-Avestan traditions they were thought to inhabit the region north of the Oxus, the river separating them from the Iranians.".....Possehl, Raymond (2002). The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective

" Artaxerxes II invokes the goddess Anahita and the god Mithra, but as we have already seen above, Zarathustra was not a monotheist; he wrote Yashts for these two gods."....http://www.livius.org/articles/religion/ahuramazda/

"Nietzsche's study of classical philology and his deep immersion in Greek and Latin literature also introduced him to the ancient history of Persia and its culture, conceived as an Asiatic culture embodied in an imperial power in contradistinction to the Greek city-states in its neighborhood. In his collected works, including the voluminous fragments left in his notebooks (Nachgelassene Fragmente), there are many references to the ancient Persians. Nietzsche’s concern with Persia is well reflected in his choice of “Zarathustra” as the prophet of his philosophy and the eponymous hero of his most popular work, Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra). He shows no particular interest in Persian history after the rise of Islam..."....http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), had studied philosophy and law in Great Britain and received his doctorate 1908 in Munich with a thesis on The Development of Metaphysics in Persia, in which he retraced the development of metaphysics in Persia from Zoroaster to Baha ’ullah, the founder of the Baha’i religion. It is therefore not surprising that he also showed interest in Nietzsche, the poet of Thus spoke Zarathustra and the concept of the overhuman proposed in it......http://www.academia.edu/331812/NIETZSCHE_IN_INDIAN_EYES

"Allama Sir Mohammed Iqbal, the 'muslim of the century' and the first great Persian-language poet in 400 years, stated clearly that Persian Sufism is essentially the same as Tantric Buddhism. Iqbal is highly regarded in the great centres of learning of the muslim world both as a mystical poet and a religious reformer. A Kashmiri lawyer, he lived in Lahore, had a German wife, was knighted by the Brits, and had a great regard for Afghanistan. I have a handmade book of poetry he wrote about his only trip there - he visited a series of famous shrines behind Ghazni - its in Urdu and not so far translated into English."...RA

"Nietzsche’s deepest interest and admiration for the Persians manifest themselves where he discusses their notion of history and cyclical time. This Persian concept of time resembles to some degree his own concept of the circle of the Eternal Recurrence, expressed in a highly poetic and dramatic manner in his Zarathustra. Through this concept Nietzsche emphasizes the cyclical nature of cosmic time and the recurrence of all beings in every “circle”: “I must pay tribute to Zarathustra, a Persian (einem Perser): Persians were the first to have conceived of History in its full extent” (Sämtliche Werke, XI, p. 53). In this fragment Nietzsche uses the Persian word hazār referring to the millennial cycles (hazāra) in ancient Persian religious beliefs, “each one presided by a prophet; every prophet having his own hazar, his millennial kingdom.” In Also Sprach Zarathustra, he speaks of the great millennial (“grosser Hazar”) kingdom of his own Zarathustra, as “our great distant human kingdom, the Zarathustra kingdom of a thousand year,” (“Das Honigopfer”[The Honey Sacrifice,] Part IV).".........http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"Nietzsche implicitly expresses once more his radical opposition to Greek metaphysical thought, as developed by Socrates and Plato, and its later prevalence in Western world through the supremacy of Greek culture within the Roman Empire. This process ultimately led, at the hands of the Church Fathers, to the integration of the Platonic metaphysics, as developed in Rome by the Neoplatonists, within the theological doctrines of Christianity. Nietzsche considered this whole historical development as constituting an ascetic and nihilistic worldview that denied and reviled the reality of this-worldly existence in the name of an illusory, eternal, and other-worldly life. Therefore, he thought that if the Persians rather than the Romans had been successful in gaining dominance over Greece, the predominance of their positive outlook towards worldly life and time would have prevented such a lamentable event in human history."......http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"Nietzsche’s Zarathustra and the Persian Zarathustra. Nietzsche’s proficiency in classical philology, and the insertion of “Zarathustra” as the title of his most popular work, have misled some scholars of Zoroastrian studies to search laboriously for a direct reflection and representation of the ideas of the Persian prophet, or Mazdean texts, in his work (Rose, p. 174ff). Moreover, uncritical admirers of pre-Islamic Iranian history and culture, particularly among Iranians themselves, insist on seeing in Nietzsche’s Zarathustra an exact replica of the original Persian prophet and his teachings. Nietzsche’s sister, Elizabeth, has related that many Persian visitors used to come to her weekly open house in Weimar to express “their gratitude that Nietzsche had chosen a Persian sage to be the prophet of a new and superior race of man” (Rose, p. 186).....However, it is by no means certain that he had ever read Anquetil-Duperron’s translation of Zend Avesta. It could be said that his selection of the name of Zarathustra and allusions to his solitude in the mountains for ten years, and a concept like hazār (see above), testify to a broad acquaintance with Zoroastrian traditions and doctrines. However, by considering the trajectory of his intellectual interests from early youth, it becomes apparent that his historical and philological studies, including his thought-provoking studies on history of Eastern and Western religions and their sacred books, was not a matter of investigative scientific concern, but aimed at a hermeneutical reading from a novel revolutionary philosophical point of view. Moreover, he had a disdainful attitude toward supposedly “objective” scholarship restricted solely to painstaking research in specialized fields in the absence of a broad philosophical view (see, “On Scholars” and “The Leech” in Zarathustra Parts II and IV). Thus, he never intended to merely copy or adopt Zoroaster’s words and ideas uncritically."........http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"Nietzsche made several references to “Zoroaster” in his early writings. This familiar name in European languages, of Greek origin, was used in his notebooks of 1870-71, about a decade before writing Also Sprach Zarathustra. There he speaks with great admiration of Zoroaster and his religion and, in a short note, as elsewhere (see above), implicitly expresses his sympathy for the historically not improbable possibility that Zoroastrianism could have well triumphed in ancient Greece: “Zoroaster’s religion would have prevailed in Greece, if Darius had not been defeated.” (Sämtliche Werke, VII, p. 106). Also in his posthumously published work of the same period, Die Philosophie im tragischen Zeitalter der Griechen (Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks), he refers to the probable influence of Zoroaster on Heraclitus (Sämtliche Werke, I, p. 806; English tr. P. 29). The name of “Zarathustra,” as such, first appears in Die fröhliche Wissenschaft (The Gay Science, fragment 342), published in 1882. Nietzsche inserts here the first fragment of the prologue to Also Sprach Zarathustra, i.e. Zarathustra’s prayer before the sun. This fragment appears in the following year in the published text of the first part of Zarathustra.".........http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"One may wonder why Nietzsche abandoned the familiar name of Zoroaster for the original Old Persian form of it, Zarathustra, at a time when only specialists in Indo-Iranian philology were familiar with the original form. As Nietzsche admits himself, by choosing the name of Zarathustra as the prophet of his philosophy in a poetical idiom, he wanted to pay homage to the original Aryan prophet as a prominent founding figure of the spiritual-moral phase in human history."........http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"Sa‘di and Hafez are the only Persian names of the Islamic era mentioned in Nietzsche’s writings......Hafez provides him with a prime example of “Dionysian” ecstatic wisdom, which he extols so extensively in his writings. There are several references to the poet in Nietzsche’s works. Obviously, Goethe’s admiration for Hafez and his “Oriental” wisdom, as expressed in West-östlisches Divan, has been the main source of attracting Nietzsche to the Persian poet. The name of Hafez, usually in association with Goethe, appears about ten times in his writings. He admires both poets for reaching the zenith of joyful human wisdom. For him Hafez exemplifies the Oriental free spirit who gratefully receives both the pleasures and sufferings of life. Nietzsche commends such an attitude as sign of a positive and courageous valuation of life."...........http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nietzsche-and-persia

"Yasnas 5 & 105 describe how "Zoroaster prayed to Anahita for the conversion of King Vištaspa", this provides further evidence that Zoroaster resided during the reign of King Vištaspa; which would corroborate a chronology of late-6th century BC.....His wife, children and a cousin named Maidhyoimangha were his first converts after his illumination from Ahura Mazda at age 30. According to Yasnas 5 & 105, Zoroaster prayed to Anahita for the conversion of King Vištaspa, who appears in the Gathas as a historic personage"....Williams Jackson, A.V. (1899), Zoroaster, the prophet of ancient Iran

"Zarathushtra and its derivative, Zoroaster..... The authentic form of Zoroaster’s name is that attested in his own songs, the Gathas, Old Av. Zaraθuštra- (Old Avestan [OAv.] and Young Avestan [YAv.] ....The speculation that Zarathushtra's name had something to do with camels appears to have started with Eugene Burnouf when explained Zarath-ustra as 'fulvos camelos habens' meaning 'having yellow camels' (Comm. sur le Yacna, pp. 12- 14, Paris, 1833). Later he changed his theory and stated that the name meant 'astre d'or' meaning 'golden star'".....http://zoroaster-zarathushtra.blogspot.com/p/etymology-of-name-zoroaster.html

"Nietzsche's original text contains a great deal of word-play. An example of this is the use of words beginning über ("over" or "above") and unter ("down" or "below"), often paired to emphasise the contrast, which is not always possible to bring out in translation, except by coinages. An example is Untergang, literally "down-going" but used in German to mean "setting" (as of the sun), which Nietzsche pairs with its opposite Übergang (going over or across). Another example is Übermensch (overman or superman)."....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Übermensch

"Untergang.....Setting of the Sun, Downfall, (Unter: down,below)...Untergang, literally "down-going" but used in German to mean "setting" (as of the sun), which Nietzsche pairs with its opposite Übergang (going over or across). Another example is Übermensch (overman or superman)."...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Übermensch

Übermensch.....(Über: going over, across)...." Zarathustra proclaims the Übermensch to be the meaning of the earth...The turn away from the earth is prompted, he says, by a dissatisfaction with life- a dissatisfaction that causes one to create another world in which those who made one unhappy in this life are tormented. The Übermensch is not driven into other worlds away from this one".....The Übermensch (German for "Overman, Overhuman, Above-Human, Superman, Superhuman, Ultraman, Ultrahuman, Beyond-Man") is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra (German: Also Sprach Zarathustra), Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra posit the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself. It is a work of philosophical allegory, with a structural similarity to the Gathas of Zoroaster/Zarathustra.".....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Übermensch

"Swastika is the symbol of Mithra, the deity of sun, or sun god, and hence its own religion, Mithraism; not Zoroastrianism. The difference is great although at some point they must have overlapped in certain regions of Iran. Mithraism predates the Iranian race, but Zoroastrianism is a strictly Iranian (in fact even Persian) religion...".....https://www.flickr.com/photos/briansearwar/3184317959

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

December 2015

John Hopkins....Northern New Mexico

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Barak Baba & the Il-khanid (Tibetan Buddhist/Muslim) Rulers of Persia (1257-1307 AD)

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"Barak Baba..........(1257-1307 AD), a crypto-shamanic Anatolian Turkman dervish close to two of the Mongol rulers of Iran, the Īlkhānid period.......http://www.iranicaonline.org

"Ahmet Karamustafa, Ph.D., associate professor of Islamic thought and Turkish literature in Arts and Sciences......his treatise on the Qalandars, a 13th-century Islamic dervish movement that also favored tambourines and psychoactive drugs, not to mention drums and naked revelry.....Among dervishes, he explains, such bizarre anti-establishment behavior was considered an intensely spiritual act of pious self-denial, an outward sign of disdain for earthly societal norms. It's an intellectual tidbit that might prove useful to anyone seeking answers to social unrest in the '60s......In his 1994 book, "God's Unruly Friends: Dervish Groups in the Islamic Later Middle Period, 1200 - 1500," Karamustafa tells of Barak Baba, who led about 100 dervishes into Syria in 1306. Baba, who made a point of thumbing his nose at authority, liked to wander around nearly naked, wearing only a red cloth around his waist and a reddish turban on his head. His turban sported buffalo horns protruding from either side......Baba's dervishes were renowned for their "immoral" ways, which included consumption of illegal foods and drugs and failure to observe the ritual Islamic fast. Like the free-spirited flower children of this century, dervishes were castigated as no-account beggars, idiots, lunatics and impostors, both by contemporary church leaders and waves of subsequent religious scholars."....http://home.earthlink.net/~drmljg/id1.html

"Barāq Bābā left Sarï Saltūq and traveled to the Il-khanid court, probably because of a reverse his master’s forces had suffered. When Barāq Bābā came into the presence of Ḡāzān Khan in Tabrīz, a tiger was unleashed on him to test his occult powers; a cry from him was sufficient to halt it in its tracks. Thereafter he enjoyed the trust both of Ḡāzān and of his successor, Moḥammad Ḵodā-banda Oljāytū (Öljeytü)..... it is possible to see in Barāq Bābā an early exponent of the potent mixture of Turkic shamanism, Sufism, and ḡolāt-Shiʿism that some two centuries later brought the Safavids to power."....http://www.iranicaonline.org/

"In 1306 AD Barāq Bābā arrived in Damascus, carrying the Il-khanid banner and a letter of appointment. His outlandish appearance aroused both disgust and amusement: He was naked except for a red loincloth (fūṭa) and extremely filthy, wearing a kind of felt turban to which cowhorns were attached on his head. His companions were similarly dressed and carried with them an assortment of bones and bells, to the accompaniment of which Barāq Bābā would dance, imitating the antics of monkeys and bears....Tapdūq Emre, the preceptor of the celebrated mystical poet Yūnos Emre, were both regarded as Barāq Bābā’s successors....Qoṭb-al-ʿAlawī’s interpretation of the ecstatic utterances contained in the resāla in conformity with the classical Sufism of Iran suggests that no clear line of demarcation separated the crypto-shamanic Sufism of Barāq Bābā and his peers from its established and orthodox counterpart. Barāq Bābā is said, indeed, to have been one of those whom Ḡāzān Khan consulted concerning the life and teachings of Mawlānā Jalāl-al-Dīn Rūmī".....http://www.iranicaonline.org/

"ḠĀZĀN KHAN......(1271-1304 AD), oldest son of Arḡūn Khan and his eventual successor as the seventh Il-khanid ruler of Persia......he was appointed governor of the eastern provinces, i.e., Khorasan, Māzandarān, Qūmes and Ray..... Ḡāzān was a Buddhist who converted to Islam.....Once firmly on the throne, Ḡāzān launched a campaign against the non-Muslims in his kingdom. Particularly affected were the Buddhists, to which the Khan had belonged before his conversion to Islam. The Buddhist baḵšīs (lamas or scholars, q.v.) were given the option either to become Muslims or to leave the country. Buddhist temples were destroyed as were many churches and synagogues.....In spite of his conversion to Islam, Ḡāzān remained loyal to different aspects of Mongol tradition, most notably the yāsā, or law code attributed to Čengīz Khan." ....http://www.iranicaonline.org/

"The Ilkhanate, a khanate that formed the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire, ruled by the Mongol House of Hulagu...The founder of the Ilkhanate dynasty was Hulagu Khan, (1218-1265 AD).....grandson of Genghis Khan....... It was founded in the 13th century and was based primarily in Iran as well as neighboring territories......Hulagu's descendants ruled Persia for the next eighty years, tolerating multiple religions, including Shamanism, Buddhism, and Christianity, and ultimately adopting Islam as a state religion in 1295......The Ilkhanate was originally based on the campaigns of Genghis Khan in the Khwarazmian Empire in 1219–24 and was founded by Hulagu Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan. With the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire after 1259 it became a functionally separate khanate. At its greatest extent, the state expanded into territories that today comprise most of Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, western Afghanistan, and southwestern Pakistan. Later Ilkhanate rulers, beginning with Ghazan in 1295, would convert to Islam......

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"In the period after Hulagu, the Ilkhans increasingly adopted Tibetan Buddhism. Christian powers were encouraged by what appeared to be an inclination towards Nestorian Christianity by Ilkhanate rulers, but this was probably nothing more than the Mongols' traditional even-handedness towards competing religions. The Ilkhans were thus markedly out of step with the Muslim majority they ruled. Ghazan, shortly before he overthrew Baydu, converted to Islam, and his official favoring of Islam as a state religion coincided with a marked attempt to bring the regime closer to the non-Mongol majority of the regions they ruled. Christian and Jewish subjects lost their equal status with Muslims and again had to pay the poll tax. Buddhists had the starker choice of conversion or expulsion.".....

"In Sufism, teachers of ‘crazy wisdom’ are termed ‘Malamati’ or followers of the ‘Path of Blame.’ They may find it necessary in their teaching function to incur feelings of opposition in others, in order to challenge fixed ideas and assumptions......Individuals who follow the ‘Malamati’ approach do not worry about appearances, image or the impression made on others. They incur reproach, take no care of their repute, and simplydo and say what they consider right.".....http://www.lightwinnipeg.org/Crazy%20Wisdom.pdf

"The Qalandariyyah (Qalandaris or Kalandars)..... are wandering Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized.......Starting in the early 12th century, the movement gained popularity in Greater Khorasan and neighbouring regions.....Particular to the qalandar genre of poetry are terms that refer to gambling, games, intoxicants......The Qalandariya may have arisen from the earlier Malamatiyya and exhibited some Buddhist and Hindu influences."

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

December 2015

John Hopkins....Northern New Mexico

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

The Kingdom of Zhun and Takzig/Tibetan Bon

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"The shrine of Zun in Zamindawar, which was believed to be located about three miles south of Musa Qala in today's Helmand Province of Afghanistan.......Scholars have noted several similarities between the religion of Zhun and the pre-Buddhist, religion of Tibet ......"

"CULT of ZHUN........Before Islam reached Afghanistan the population followed several religious traditions, some imported (including Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism), others indigenous. Of the indigenous religions we know most about the cult of Zhun (Zun), because it was described in some detail by a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Xuan Zang, who visited Afghanistan shortly before the Arab invasion (BOSWORTH 1984, 4-7). Based on the worship of a golden idol with ruby eyes, the cult of Zhun (widespread throughout Zamindawar and Zabulistan) survived for two centuries after the arrival of Islam. The idol was housed in a temple, in front of which stood the vertebra of a giant reptile, locally believed to be that of a dragon. The priests of Zhun seem to have possessed shaman-like abilities, for Xuan Zang describes them as having powers to control demons and other supernatural forces and being able to both heal and harm people (BoswoRTH 1984, 6).

"Zunbils ruled Zamindawar before Islamization of the area. The title Zunbil can be traced back to the Middle-Persian original Zūn-dātbar, 'Zun the Justice-giver'. The geographical name Zamindawar would also reflect this, from Middle-Persian 'Zamin-i dātbar' (Land of the Justice-giver).....Zamindawar is a historical district of Afghanistan, situated on the right bank of the Helmand River to the northwest of Kandahar.... André Wink: In southern and eastern Afghanistan, the regions of Zamindawar and Zabulistan or Zabul (Jabala, Kapisha, Kia pi shi) and Kabul, the Arabs were effectively opposed for more than two centuries, from 643 to 870 AD, by the indigenous rulers the Zunbils and the related Kabul-Shahs of the dynasty which became known as the Buddhist-Shahi...... The Zunbil kings worshipped a sun god by the name of Zun from which they derived their name. For example, André Wink writes that "the cult of Zun was primarily 'Hindu', not Buddhist or Zoroastrian... the shrine of Zun in Zamindawar, which was believed to be located about three miles south of Musa Qala in today's Helmand Province of Afghanistan."

"TIBETAN BON.........Scholars have noted several similarities between the religion of Zhun, the shamanic religions of Central Asia, and the pre-Buddhist, dragon-god religion of Tibet (Bosworth 1984, 7)......Following Afghanistan's conversion to Islam during the seventh century AD., many of the pre-existing shamanistic beliefs and practices were incorporated into the framework of Muslim cosmology. The ecstatic techniques associated with Islam's mystical Sufi tradition must have lent themselves particularly well to the assimilation of indigenous shamanistic practices."

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"The Bon religion of the royal period (seventh to ninth centuries) is said to have come from Tazig (stag gzig, Tajik/Iran) via Zhang Zhung, and Zhang Zhung is the probable source of other early components of Tibetan civilization. A pre-Buddhist shamanistic religion prevalent in early Tibet, Bon developed just west of Mount Kailash in Guge (gu ge), the capital of the ancient kingdom of Zhang Zhung. Like the Buddhists who came centuries after him, Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche (ston pa gshen rab mi bo che) combined the various native mystical cults under his own to fashion Bon, or Bön. He settled in Zhang Zhung, presently known as western Tibet's Guge region. Centered on the Tibetan Plateau, the tale of the kingdom of the Bon people is of profound importance, for it was from the Bon kingdom of Zhang Zhung that the myth of Shambhala arose. Shambhala, named Olmo Lung Ring ('ol-mo lung-rings), was considered to be one of the great centers of the Zhang Zhung culture of central Tibet. These people settled in Tibet and practiced some form of ritual Bon culture, which must have evolved from Hinduism and Zoroastrianism."....http://www.yungdrung.org/doc/Compilation_History_Zhang_Zhung.pdf

"Musa Qala ('Fortress of Moses') is a town and the district center of Musa Qala District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It sits at 32.4433°N 64.7444°E and at 1043 meters altitude in the valley of Musa Qala River in the central western part of the district. It is in a desolate area, populated by native Pashtun tribes......

"Sangin is a town in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m altitude, 95 km to the north-east of Lashkar Gah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the south of the country, and is also a town that has traditionally supported the Taliban. It was described by British newspaper The Guardian as "the deadliest area in Afghanistan".

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"Lashkar Gah historically also called Bost (Persian: بُسْت‎‎), is the capital of Helmand Province. It is located in Lashkar Gah district, and situated between the Helmand and Arghandab rivers. The city is linked by major roads with Kandahar to the east, Zaranj to the west, and Herat to the north-west. .....Lashkar Gah was part of the Saffarids in the 9th century. It grew up a thousand years ago as a riverside barracks town for soldiers accompanying the Ghaznavid nobility to their grand winter capital of Bost. The ruins of the Ghaznavid mansions (Qala-e-Bost )......still stand along the Helmand River; the city of Bost and its outlying communities were sacked in successive centuries by the Ghorids, Mongols, and Timurids.

"The great fortress of Bost, Qala-e-Bost, remains an impressive ruin. It is located at 31° 30’ 02″ N, 64° 21’ 24″ E near the convergence of the Helmand and Arghandab Rivers, a half hour's drive south of Lashkar Gah. Qala-e-Bost is famous for its decorative arch.....As of April 2008, it was possible to descend into an ancient shaft about 20 feet across and 200 feet deep, with a series of dark side rooms and a spiral staircase leading to the bottom. In 2006 construction began on a cobblestone road to lead from the south of Lashkar Gah to the Qala-e-Bost Arch (known to readers of James A. Michener's Caravans as Qala Bist.)"

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"Zhang Zhung (transcribed Zhang Zhung, Shang Shung, Zan Zun or Tibetan Pinyin Xang Xung)was an ancient culture and kingdom of western and northwestern Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. Zhangzhung culture is associated with the Bon religion, which in turn, has influenced the philosophies and practices of Tibetan Buddhism....The Zhang Zhung culture was centered around sacred Mount Kailash and extended west to Sarmatians..... the area of Shang Shung was not historically a part of Tibet and was a distinctly foreign territory to the Tibetans.....about 950 AD, the Hindu King of Kabul had a statue of Vişņu, of the Kashmiri type (with three heads), which he claimed had been given him by the king of the Bhota (Tibetans) who, in turn had obtained it from Kailāśa.....Zhang Zhung flourished until around 700 AD, when deteriorating climate and cultural and religious changes in Tibet combined in its demise."

"The Sarmatians (Latin: Sarmatæ or Sauromatæ, Greek: Σαρμάται, Σαυρομάται) were a large confederation of Iranian people during classical antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD. They spoke Scythian, an Indo-European language from the Eastern Iranian family.......Originating in Central Asia, the Sarmatians started their westward migration around the 6th century BC, coming to dominate the closely related Scythians by the 2nd century BC. The Sarmatians differed from the Scythians in their veneration of the god of fire rather than god of nature, and women's prominent role in warfare......Like the Scythians, Sarmatians were of a Caucasoid appearance....."

"The Aryan terms for deity are borrowed from fire and light. For example, 'deva' is from the root 'div' which means 'to shine'. In old Sanskrit, 'Athar' is 'fire'."..(James: 1963...pg 79)...

"According to the Bönpo tradition, although Yungdrung Bön is eternal and without an ultimate beginning in time, it originated in the present kalpa or cycle of existence in the country of Ölmo Lungring where Tönpa Shenrab descended from the celestial spheres and took up incarnation among human beings as an Iranian prince. The mysterious land of Ölmo Lungring (`ol-mo lung-rings) or Ölmoling (`ol-mo`i gling) is said to be part of a larger geographical region to the northwest of Tibet called Tazig (stag-gzig, var. rtag-gzigs), which scholars identify with Iran or, more properly, Central Asia where in ancient times Iranian languages such as Avestan and later Sogdian were spoken.".....http://bonchildren.tonkoblako-9.net/en/jewel2/03.tan

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"Zunbil, also written as Zhunbil, was a dynasty south of the Hindu Kush in present southern Afghanistan region. They ruled from the early 7th century until the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan in 870 AD. The Zunbils are believed to be an offspring of the southern-Hephthalite rulers of Zabulistan. The dynasty was related to the Kabul Shahis of the northeast in Kabul. "It follows from Huei-ch'ao's report that Barhatakin had two sons: one who ruled from after him in Kapisa-Gandhara and another who became king of Zabul......The Zunbils worshiped the sun, which they named Zun (pronounced "zoon") from which they derived their name. Their territory included between what is now the city of Zaranj in southwestern Afghanistan and Kabulistan in the northeast, with Zamindawar and Ghazni serving as their capitals. The title Zunbil can be traced back to the Middle-Persian original Zūn-dātbar, 'Zun the Justice-giver'. The geographical name Zamindawar would also reflect this, from Middle Persian 'Zamin-i dātbar' (Land of the Justice-giver).... The shrine of Zoon (sun god) was located about three miles south of Musa Qala in Helmand, which may still be traced today. Some believe that the Sunagir temple mentioned by the famous Chinese traveler Xuanzang in 640 AD pertains to this exact house of worship.".....

"It was during the governorship in Khorasan of ʿAbdallāh b. ʿĀmer for the caliph ʿOṯmān that the Arabs first appeared in Sistān, when in 652 AD Zarang surrendered peacefully, although Bost resisted fiercely. From the base of Zarang, raids were launched eastwards into Arachosia/Roḵḵaj and Zamindāvar against the local rulers, the Zunbils, and as far as Kabul, against the Kābolšāhs. A process of gradual Islamization must have begun in Sistān, although Zoroastrianism and Christianity long persisted there, certainly into the 11th century, with the Zoroastrian fire-temple at Karkuya (Karkuy) to the north of Zarang long maintained."......http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/sistan-ii-islamic-period

Iran By Patricia L. Baker, Hilary Smith, Maria Oleynik

"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 ruins are called Qal'a-e Kafaran "Fort of Infidels" or Qal'a-e Sam "Fort of Sam," the grandfather of the mythical Rostam".....

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

December 2015

John Hopkins....Northern New Mexico

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