Anahita,Lake Urmia & Takht-e Soleyman

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Temple of Anahita…..Takht-e-Soleiman, (Azargoshasb) West Azerbaijan…Ardvi Sura Anahita, Goddess of the Oxus

Takht-i-Suleiman (Arabic "Throne of Solomon") is a common name for various flat-topped mountains throughout the Middle East and Central Asia…..Takht-e Soleymān (Persian: تخت سلیمان‎, Takht-e Soleymān, literally "the Throne of Solomon", in earlier ancient period known as Shiz or Adur Gushnasp, literally "the Fire of the Warrior Kings") is an archaeological site in West Azarbaijan, Iran. It lies midway between Urmia and Hamadan, very near the present-day town of Takab, and 400 km (250 mi) west of Tehran…..West Azerbaijan Province (Persian: استان آذربایجان غربی‎, Ostān-e Āzarbāijān-e Gharbī and :Azerbaijani: غربی آذربایجان اوستانی) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the northwest of the country, bordering Turkey, Iraq and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Zanjan and Kurdistan.The province of West Azerbaijan covers an area of 39,487 km², or 43,660 km² including Lake Urmia.

The word "Āzar" (Persian: آذر‎) means Fire ……..Baijan was originally rendered as "Pāyegān" (Persian: پایگان‎), meaning Guardian/Protector (Āzar Pāyegān = "Guardians of Fire") (Persian: آذر پایگان‎)……Atar (Fire)….

Adhurpatagan, later Arabicized to Azerbaijan….In the late 4th century AD Sassanids incorporated the area into the neighbouring Adhurpadaghan satrapy to the east….

"Iran has four Azerbaijani provinces: West & East Azerbaijan, Zanjan and Ardabil. To their north lies the independent nation of Azerbaijan, a previous Soviet Republic. All five come together to form the Greater Azerbaijan region, a region that includes Lake Urmia and the Northern Zagros mountains….http://heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/urmia/

The northern extent of Greater Azerbaijan has been variously described as the Aras (Araxes) River, the Kura River and the Caucasus Mountains…During the subsequent Parthian era (1st cent. BCE to 3rd cent. CE) the Old Persian name 'Aturpatan' evolved to 'Atarpatakan' (see Greater Bundahishn 29.12). Still later, we find that in the inscriptions of Persian-Sassanian King Shapur I (r. 241 to 272 CE) and those of a contemporary Zoroastrian high priest Kartir or Kerder, we find 'Atarpatakan' named as 'Adurbaigan'. 'Adurbaigan' would then have evolved to the 'Azerbaijan' in New Persian when 'Adur' evolved to 'Azar' or 'Azer'. ….The region is known for its continuously burning natural gas fires which to the ancients must have seemed like the miraculous phenomenon of an ever-burning fire - a symbol of special importance in Zoroastrianism. In ancient texts, Azerbaijan was known as the land of fire and burning hillsides."…..http://heritageinstitute.com

Ancient Media showing 'Atropatia'. Estimation of nations 'before' Cyrus the Great (6th cent. BCE). From atlas by C. Picquet (1771-1827) & A. H. Brué (1786-1832). Note: according to the cartographers, Atropatia's northern border is the River Aras (Araxes) which may or may not be correct.

Lake Urmia (also spelt Urmiyeh, Urumiyyeh, Urmiye, Urmiya, Urmiah, Urumiah, Oroumiah or Ormieh) lies in the northwest corner of present-day Iran, close to Iran's present border with Turkey and Iraq. The lake also sits on the border between the Iranian provinces of West and East Azerbaijan….Medieval Iranian literature (catalogued by A. W. Jackson in Persia Past and Present and Zoroaster, the Prophet of Ancient Iran), strongly links the region around Lake Urmia with Zoroastrianism - so much so, that they make Urmia the birthplace of Zoroastrianism. These assertions lend credence to the notion that Urmia was home to the ancestors of the southern Persians - early Persians who were the bearers of the torch of Zoroastrian heritage."….http://heritageinstitute.com

One arm of the Aryan trade roads (the Silk Roads) went west from Balkh (Bactria) in Central Asia, through Marv, Nishapur and Rai, skirting the Alborz / Elburz mountain range (that runs along the southern shores of the Caspian), to present-day Tabriz just east of upper Lake Urmia….The trade road that ran from Khorasan & Balkh (Ariana / Aria) to Babylon and Susa - from the northeast to the southwest of present day Iran - was in medieval times called the Great Khorasan Road. One arm of the road ran through Ecbatana (Hamadan) and Kermanshah, beside the rivers Qareh Su and Diyala to Babylon. This could have been the route for Median (as well as Persian) migration. …..

The Lake Urmia region has a wealth of archaeological sites that were home to some of the most advanced Neolithic communities known. Archaeological excavations of settlements in the Lake Urmia area have found artefacts that date from the Neolithic (New Stone) age, that is, from about 7,000 BCE. A number of these settlements were destroyed in the Iron Age around 800 BCE, a dating that coincides with records of devastating Assyrian raids in the region….The Ash Hills of Urmia…..There are sixty-four ash hills scattered around Lake Urmia - a dozen or so within the immediate vicinity of the city of Urmia - each hill rising from a small natural elevation. The hills were said to have been formed from ashes from ancient fire shrines and are called 'hills of the Fire-worshipers' by the local people,…..http://heritageinstitute.com

"…another ash hill called Lakki was located seventeen miles north of Urmia and that six miles east of Lakki was the ash hill of Termani. In Jackson's time, the Termani cone-shaped mound was still fairly intact and 'the outline of an old building's foundation could be traced on the ground nearby'. The remaining stones from the ruined building were large enough to make the villagers wonder how they could have been moved into place. They remarked that in the 1880's, after a shaft had been sunk into the hill, a large image was discovered buried in the ashes. The local Muslims destroyed this statue, believing it to be an idol."….http://heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/urmia/

Hasanlu dates from about 7,000 BCE, (the Neolithic era or New Stone Age). It was occupied continuously until its destruction around 825 BCE …Hasanlu's site consists of a 25m high central artificial mound called the citadel, with massive fortifications and paved streets. The citadel is surrounded by a low outer town, 8m above the surrounding plain….archaeologists have speculated that the hall is a fire temple. ….http://heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/urmia/

"Relationship between the mythical Sea of Chichest and Urmia lake…..The subject of Chichest sea and its identification as Urmieh lake has always caused ‎some argumentation among scholars. Investigation of documents and myths incorporated ‎in Avesta, shows that chichast was at first a deep, wide and stormy sea. The mythical ‎king Khosro praised the goddess Anahita and the angel derwasp on its shore to arrest his ‎enemy Afrasyab. Later, Zoroastrian clergy used the myth as a base to innovate a wide ‎range of legends during Achaemenids and Sassanid period. Therefore, some new legends ‎were ascribed to the sea, such as the foundation of Azargoshasb fire temple on its shore, ‎and ruin of pagan’s temple by the king. In Middle Persian texts, the two seas were known ‎as equal. Its reason should be searched in the authority of median clergy and trying to ‎find legitimacy by Sassanid monarchs. Even Greek and Armenian sources have attributed ‎an important role to this lake in the resurrection day. ‎ ….Additionally the etymology and meaning of its name is obscure. In this area, two ‎probabilities are suggestible: 1) it is a past participle (čaē.čas.ta) from indo-European root ‎kand- “shining, to be white”, skr: candra, lat: cicindēla. So it can means as “white, ‎shining”, or 2) from old Iranian root kas “to see” and as past participle “worth seeing”. ‎"….by khosro gholizadeh….http://www.academia.edu/3046496/Relationship_between_the_mythical_see_of_Chichest_and_Urmia_lake

"A glimpse into ancient Persian cosmology is the royal city of Echbatana (Hamadan, Agbatana, Ekbatana)[50E 32N] built in 800 BC by King Deioces (Daiukku) of the Medes...Seven concentric circles within walls, each higher than the preceding wall as one passed toward the center hill where the palace (KALA, CAHLA) of the Emperor stood. The 7th and highest wall was painted gold (sun)...the 6th was painted silver (moon)...the 5th wall was painted orange...the fourth was painted blue...the third was painted red...the second black...and the outermost wall was painted white. Orange was the fiery morning 'asman', blue the noonday 'asman', red for the evening asman. The array of colors chosen for the encircling walls of the royal city was similar to that of the robe of warriorhood and sovereignty described in the Denkart…...East Azerbaijan Province, Iran" (Leroy Campbell: 1968...pg 97)..

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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Caucasus Mountains & the Bactrian Migration (9th c. BC)

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Skype: Okar Research

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Greater Caucasus (Russian: Большой Кавказ; Azerbaijani: Böyük Qafqaz; Georgian: დიდი კავკასიონი), sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains…..It stretches for about 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) from west-northwest to east-southeast, between the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of the Caspian Sea: from the Western Caucasus in the vicinity of Sochi on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea and reaching nearly to Baku on the Caspian.

"The Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (or BMAC, also known as the Oxus civilization) is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilisation of Central Asia, dated to ca. 2300–1700 BCE, , centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River). ...Deh Morasi Gundai was eventually abandoned about 1500 BC, perhaps because of the westward shift of the river on which it was built. Mundigak continued another 500 years. Two successive invasions by a nomadic tribe from the north forced the inhabitants to abandon the city after more than 2,000 years of continuous occupation……"...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactria–Margiana_Archaeological_Complex

The Greater Caucasus range is traditionally separated into three parts:
Western Caucasus, from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus
Central Caucasus, from Mount Elbrus to Mount Kazbek
Eastern Caucasus, from Mount Kazbek to the Caspian Sea
In the wetter Western Caucasus, the mountains are heavily forested (deciduous forest up to 1,500 m, coniferous forest up to 2,500 m and alpine meadows above the tree line). In the drier Eastern Caucasus, the mountains are mostly treeless.

Mount Elbrus…. is a dormant volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range….Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus and also the highest mountain in all of Europe, or the highest in western Asia, narrowly exceeding (by 32 meters/106 feet) another volcano, Mount Damavand in the Alborz range in Iran.

Azerbaijan…..The word "Āzar" (Persian: آذر‎) means Fire and Baijan was originally rendered as "Pāyegān" (Persian: پایگان‎), meaning Guardian/Protector (Āzar Pāyegān = "Guardians of Fire") (Persian: آذر پایگان‎).

"Early settlements included the Scythians in the 9th century BC…..Like the Black Sea Scythians, the Saka identified gold with the sun, fire, supreme power and eternal life. The Saka tribes also worshipped the sword and had other sacred artifacts. The Roman historian, Quintus Curtius Rufus retells the legend about the Saka in which they, just like the Scythians from the Dnipro region, had magical gifts from heaven: a plough and a yoke for farmers; a spear and an arrow for soldiers; and a sacrificial cup for priests…..This suggests a division of the Saka society into three groups: warriors (the ancient Indo-Iranian name for warriors, “rataishtar” – “those who stand in a chariot”), priests with their characteristic sacrificial cup and specific headgear and communal farmers, or the “eight-legged”, i.e., those who had two oxen that could be yoked to a plough. Each caste had its own traditional colours: red and golden-red for warriors, white for priests and blue and yellow for farmers….a Saka tsar would plough the first furrow in spring and would be raised by a shepherd, which showed his connection to the people. A Basileus was a member of the military caste and, at the same time, was considered to be chosen by the gods, a mediator between heaven and earth, the centre of the Universe and the carrier of earthly prosperity. The welfare of the people depended on his physical strength and spiritual energy. He was the embodiment of all societal strata. Saka women enjoyed equal rights with men, and the names of their warrior queens, Tomyris and Zarina, have been preserved though the ages."….http://ukrainianweek.com/History/60165

Caucasus Indicus, an ancient name for Hindu Kush …In the time of Alexander the Great, the Hindu Kush range was referred to as the Caucasus Indicus or the "Indian Caucasus" (as opposed to the Greater Caucasus range between the Caspian and Black Seas),….A mountain range of southwest Asia extending more than 805 km (500 mi) westward from northern Pakistan to northeast Afghanistan. It is crossed by several high-altitude passes used as invasion and trade routes since ancient times. The highest elevation is Tirich Mir, 7,695.2 m (25,230 ft), in Pakistan.

List of sacred mountains according to local legends:
Mount Babadagh - Babadagh (Grandfather Mountain) is the fourth highest peak in the Caucasus in Azerbaijan at 3,629 meters. It is located north of Ismayilli. At the top is a "pir" (sacred place) dedicated to Hasrat Baba, a person recered as a holy man, who is believed to have lived during the period when the area was known as Caucasian Albania.
Mountain Avey - Avey Mountain is one of the peaks and a white-greyish ridge in the Small Caucasus Mountains located between Georgia and Gazakh district. It is 12 km away from the village of Dash Salahli. Avey means "house of the moon".
Mount Goyazan - is a mountain in northwestern Qazakh Rayon of Azerbaijan. According to ancient local beliefs mountain named because of its loneliness and being directed to sky. Goyazan means "Skycrusher".
Khinalug - is a mountain where Khinalig people live. Before Islam they were pagan and worshipping "their own fire god".

Neo-Paganism—One More Paradox of Globalization…..The 2,000th anniversary of Christianity is challenged by a paradoxical phenomenon—the revival of paganism. Significantly, this involves mainly urbanized literate people who have long ago lost their links with traditional peasant culture, commonly considered the last fortress of pre-Christian beliefs. The Neo-Pagan movement has been developing in the West for several decades and has recently begun to conquer the post-Soviet lands…… Neo-Pagans are doing their best to restore pre-Christian belief systems….

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

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Saka Migration and Black Sea 'Paganism' (7th c. BC)

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"Shaki, Azerbaijan …… "the name of the town goes back to the ethnonym of the Sakas, who reached the territory of modern day Azerbaijan in the 7th century B.C. and populated it for several centuries. In the medieval sources, the name of the town is found in various forms such as Sheke, Sheki, Shaka, Shakki, Shakne, Shaken, Shakkan, Shekin…..Shaki is surrounded by snowy peaks of the Greater Caucasus….There are traces of large-scale settlements in Shaki dating back to more than 2700 years ago. The Sakas were an Iranian people that wandered from the north side of the Black Sea through Derbend passage and to the South Caucasus and from there to Asia Minor in the 7th century B.C. They occupied a good deal of the fertile lands in South Caucasus in an area called Sakasena. The city of Shaki was one of the areas occupied by the Sakas. …..

The word "Āzar" (Persian: آذر‎) means Fire ……..Baijan was originally rendered as "Pāyegān" (Persian: پایگان‎), meaning Guardian/Protector (Āzar Pāyegān = "Guardians of Fire") (Persian: آذر پایگان‎). This etymology directly links the country to its ancient religion, zorastrianism. After the Muslim conquest of Persia many Persian words lost their original form as in Arabic there are no letters for pronouncing "G / P / ZH / CH"; hence, "Azar Paigān" came to be known as Azarbaijan .

Greater Caucasus Wall…..(5-7th century AD)…..Besides the Chinese Wall, the Greater Caucasus Wall was also written a lot about in ancient times. Some sources call it Kala Sur (Great Wall). Starting from the 19th century, the wall, stretching from Katekh to Shaki, is called the Zagatala wall. Only fragments of it along the Balakan-Zagatala road, in Katekh, Masekh, Goyam, Tala villages have survived. It is made of pebble stone. The 3-4-meter high and 140-145-cm thick wall was built in the time of Sassanid rulers Gubad (488-531) and Khosrov Anushiravan (531-579) to prevent attacks from the north. After occupying the region in the 19th century, the Russians also used it for defensive purposes…..Katex at the foot of Caucasian mountains and the most populous municipality, except for the capital Balakən, in the Balakan Rayon of Azerbaijan. The village takes its name from Turkic gədik (which is in local dialect sounds like gədıx) for nearby mountain passageway, which has been used for centuries to cross Caucasian mountains from its northern side to Southern…..Shaki is situated in northern Azerbaijan on the southern part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range, 325 km (202 mi) from Baku. ...http://discoverazerbaijan.az/en/balaken/

The earliest evidence of human settlement in the territory of Azerbaijan dates to the late Stone Age and is related to the Guruchay culture of the Azykh Cave.The Upper Paleolithic and late Bronze Age cultures are attested in the caves of Tağılar, Damcılı, Zar, Yataq-yeri and in the necropolises of Leylatepe and Saraytepe……Early settlements included the Scythians in the 9th century BC…..Azerbaijan: Early History: Persian and Greek Influences". U.S. Library of Congress

"The original etymology of this name is thought to have its roots in the once-dominant Zoroastrian religion. In the Avesta, Frawardin Yasht ("Hymn to the Guardian Angels"), there is a mention of âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide, which literally translates from Avestan as "we worship the Fravashi of the holy Atropatene"….Atropates ruled over the region of Atropatene (present Iranian Azerbaijan). The name "Atropates" itself is the Greek transliteration of an Old Iranian, probably Median, compounded name with the meaning "Protected by the (Holy) Fire" or "The Land of the (Holy) Fire"…..Darmesteter, James (2004). "Frawardin Yasht". Avesta Khorda Avesta: Book Of Common Prayer (reprint ed.). Kessinger Publishing. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-4191-0852-5.

"The Saka (Old Persian Sakā; Sanskrit शाक Śāka; Greek Σάκαι; Latin Sacae; Old Chinese: *Sək) were a Scythian tribe or group of tribes of Iranian origin…..Greek and Latin texts suggest that the term Scythians referred to Iranian tribes from the much more extensive region of Scythia, which included parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia."

Moon and Sun faith temples….."All history sources provide extensive information about Alban temples in a settlement on the Ganikh river on the border with Iberia. In ancient times, local residents worshipped the Moon and the Sun….With its 9-meter internal columns, the temple is a 5th century Caucasian Albania monument. There are crosses of diffe­rent forms on external and internal walls of the temple. The cross was a symbol fire-worshippers engraved on tombsto­nes and temples. Following Islam, anci­ent Albanians remained committed to their religion for a long time and led sec­luded life in remote places. Such temples served as shelters for dervishes who led ascetic lifestyle. ….http://discoverazerbaijan.az/en/balaken/

Iberia….."An ancient region of Transcaucasia roughly equivalent to the present-day Republic of Georgia. Iberia was allied to Rome and later ruled by a Persian dynasty. It became a Byzantine province in the sixth century a.d.

Ojag….."Shrines are known as “Ojag” in the wes­tern zone and water sources near them are said to have miraculous power. The biggest Ojag is the Hachagaya. People from all surrounding districts visit the place. There are many sanctuaries known as Ojag (fire). Some signs and rituals of fire-worshipping have been preserved up to now. Local people say “I swear to fire”, which is evidence of how ancient traditions are preserved. It is surprising that people remain committed to some rituals although they run counter to Is­lamic beliefs. Ancient Huns, Assyrians and the Oghuz considered the family sacred and referred to it as “Ojag” while the head of the family was called “pir” (sacred)."…. hearth – also called ojag in Azerbaijan – has very important meaning. In Azerbaijan, ojag basically stands for, not just for fire, but it’s also where you will feel warm. Or, in another words, family house. It is very important to have for each family their own ojag. This why Azerbaijan called “land of fire.” Before Muslim religion this country people worshipped fire......http://discoverazerbaijan.az/en/tovuz/

"…various Saka groups, Saka being a general term, inhabit the northern plains that stretch from the Dahae lands that lie to the east of the Caspian Sea all the way to Aria (today's Herat Afghanistan), and that between these Saka and the southern kingdoms of Hyrcania (Varkana/Gorgan), Nesaea (Nisa), the plains of the Parthians (plains just north of the Kopet Dag, Bactria (Northern Afghanistan) and Aria lies a great desert that some of the northern predatory Saka tribes crossed by long marches to raid the kingdom along the south of the desert and particularly Varkana, Nisa, and the Parthian plains. The Saka who lived beyond the Jaxartes River (Syr Darya) coincides with Saka Para-Darya, the 'Saka across the river'. The name Aparni* (see above) is found in the Middle Persian Zoroastrian text, the Bundahishn as Aparnak, one of the six male children of the legendary Saka king, paladin and champion of Iran-shahr, Sam, Rustam's grandfather. Aparnak was given over-lordship of the land of Aparshahr derived from Aparnak-shahr. The Aparni were apparently a royal house of the Dahi. "……http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/saka/

Sacred mountains…..
Mount Babadagh - Babadagh (Grandfather Mountain) is the fourth highest peak in the Caucasus in Azerbaijan at 3,629 meters. It is located north of Ismayilli. At the top is a "pir" (sacred place).
Mountain Avey - Avey Mountain is one of the peaks and a white-greyish ridge in the Small Caucasus Mountains located between Georgia and Gazakh district. It is 12 km away from the village of Dash Salahli. Avey means "house of the moon".
Mount Goyazan - is a mountain in northwestern Qazakh Rayon of Azerbaijan. According to ancient local beliefs mountain named because of its loneliness and being directed to sky. Goyazan means "Skycrusher".
Khinalug - is a mountain where Khinalig people live. Before Islam they were pagan and worshipping "their own fire god".

Temples….
Kilsedagh church - was a temple dedicated to Mithra, paintings of Mithra can still be seen inside….
Anahit church - was a temple dedicated to Armenian goddess Anahit.….
Chaparly church - archeologic excavations proved that there were pagan temple. In burial site, a human skeleton discovered which buried with his/her own customs, which is unusual to Christian practice.….
Kurmuk church - Church built on old pagan temple during Russian invasion of İlisu.….
Lakit church - Church built on old pagan temple.….
Mamrukh church - Church built on temples belong to Moon and Sun.….
Mingachevir Church Complex - Church complex built on Fire temple. Mostly ruined, but still have pagan symbols. One of them is World tree between two peafowl gravings.….

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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The Kingdom of Balhara & Mount Imeon

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"Kingdom of Balhara is a 'fringe theory' of some Bulgarian scientists (for example: Georgi Bakalov, Petar Dobrev, Ian Mladjov) to have been the earliest known state of the ancient Bulgars, situated in the upper course of Oxus River (present Amu Darya), and the foothills and valleys of Hindu Kush and Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon). Historian Peter Dobrev, places the date of the kingdom around the 12th century BC, while others (from Ashharatsuyts) place the date 7/6th century BC."…..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Balhara

"In Sanskrit, "Bal" means "strength" and "hara" means "the possessor", thus, "Balhara" means "the possessor of strength" ….. another theory is that "Balh" refers to the city of Balkh (Balhara's capital) and that "ar" means "man of", so Bal-hara could mean "man of Balh/Balkh"; consequently "Bulg-ar" could then mean "man of Balkh". The name "Balkan" (mountains) could also come from this connection, instead of the Turkish word for mountain (this is an alternative theory)."….http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Balhara

Kingdom of Balhara and Mount Imeon….Peter Dobrev

Tirich Mer (7,708 m or 25,289 ft) in Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan…..A source of the Oxus River and an important sacred mountain (mer.u) to the Oxus River Civilization.

"According to the Brockhaus Bilder-Conversations-Lexikon….The Bulhi contributed to the ethnogenesis of the present Tajiks in both Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan, and possibly the homonymous ethnic group of Balhara in India. According to some people, the Armenian geographical atlas ‘Ashharatsuyts’ described the Bulgars as such: The inhabitants of Balhara were called Bulh in the 5th-7th century Armenian geographical atlas ‘Ashharatsuyts’. The atlas describes them as an old settled, artisan and trading nation rather than nomadic tribe, inhabiting the area centered around the ancient major city of Balh (Balkh)(which was the capital of Balhara - it was very old - the Arabs called it the "mother of all cities") that comprised roughly present northern Afghanistan and most of Tajikistan."…..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Balhara

"Another possible connection between Balhara and the Bulgars is the words by Nasir Khosrow Qubadyani, the famous Persian poet of 11th century, who was born in Qubadyan, a village near Balkh in Afghanistan, says:
"Doshvar shavad bange to az khaneh be dehliz Va asan shavad avaze vey az Balkh be Bulgar
Your voice hardly reaches the corridor from the room But his song (poem) easily reaches from Balkh to Bulgar"…..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Balhara

Sanskrit Dictionary: बल …bala …strength, force, power,stamina , strength, robust

Balkh (Balhara's capital)…."According to mythology, these people descended from Sardar Ranjit Singh of Punjab, who possessed a lot of strength….Balhara Jats were the rulers in Sindh from 8th to 10th century. This was the early period of Balhara Jat rulers in Sindh. Balharas ruled the area, which can be remembered as Bal Division. The area from Khambhat to Simari was under their rule and Manafir was their capital. Manafir was probably Mandore or Mandwagarh. It is likely that after Nagas it was ruled by Balharas. The rule transferred from Balharas to Mauryas to Pawars to Chauhans to Parihars to Rathores."….

"Mount Imeon is an ancient name for the Central Asian complex of mountain ranges comprising the present Hindu Kush, Pamir and Tian Shan, extending from the Zagros Mountains in the southwest to the Altay Mountains in the northeast, and linked to the Kunlun, Karakoram and Himalayas to the southeast….The mountain system was crossed by a segment of the Silk Road leading westwards from Yarkand to the Stone Tower in eastern Pamir (mentioned by Ptolemy, and shown on the Ashharatsuyts map too), then through the Wakhan Corridor and Badakhshan to reach the ancient major city of Balh (Balkh)….Mount Imeon was famous for its lapis lazuli deposits in western Badakhshan, indicated on Shirakatsi’s map. The mines at Sar-e-Sang have been producing lapis lazuli for millennia now, supplying the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and Rome, and still yielding the world’s finest lapis…. The Venetian adventurer Marco Polo visited the mines in 1271 during his famous journey to China, following the Silk Road to cross the mountains by way of Wakhan…."

"The Bulgar calendar was a calendar system used by the Bulgars, a seminomadic people, originally from Central Asia, who from the 2nd century onwards dwelled in the Eurasian steppes north of the Caucasus and around the banks of river Volga. The main source of information used for its reconstruction is a short 15th century transcript in Russian language called Nominalia of the Bulgarian Khans, which contains 10 pairs of calendar terms. …According to the reconstructed calendar, the Bulgars used a 12-year cyclic calendar similar to the one adopted by Turkic peoples from the Chinese calendar, with names and numbers that are deciphered as in Bulgar language….Peter Dobrev, who supports a "Iranian" fringe theory about the origin of the Bulgars, argues the Turkic names of the animals show that the Turkic peoples had borrowed these words from the Iranian Bulgars…..The 12 Animals are…Mouse , Ox, Tiger / Wolf , Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar ."…. Inscriptions and Alphabet of the Proto-Bulgarians, by Peter Dobrev

"… the linguistic impact of the Iranian world on the Turkic Bulgars is undisputable. For instance the name of the founder of Danubian Bulgaria was Asparukh, which is old Iranian in origin: "The Huns, Rome and the Birth of Europe", Hyun Jin Kim, Cambridge University Press, 2013,

Balhara according to Suren Eremian's reconstruction of the original map of Central Asia from the Armenian geographical atlas 'Ashharatsuyts'

"Bakalov cites Byzantine historian Zacharias Rhetor as saying that the Burgars (presumably also identical to the Bulgars), had towns in the valleys of Northern Caucasus. They had also the territory along the north coast of Black Sea east of Axiacus River (Southern Bug) (Latin: Bulensii)[citation needed]. He concludes that they had migrated to that region from Balhara. In Bakalov's view, the Bulgars established their first state there in 165 AD, a date he arrives at by summing the years of life or reign of all rulers listed in the Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans."….

"Balkh (Persian: بلخ - Balḫ), also known as Bactra, was once a major world city but was destroyed entirely by the Mongols. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, northern Afghanistan, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some 74 km (46 miles) sou…..The ancient city of Balkh, in today's Afghanistan, is associated with the Vedic name Bhakri, which the Greeks later named Bactra, giving its name to Bactria. It was mostly known as the centre and capital of Bactria or Takharistan. Balkh is now for the most part a mass of ruins, situated some 12 km from the right bank of the seasonally-flowing Balkh River, at an elevation of about 365 m (1,200 ft)….Balkh is one of the oldest cities of the region and is considered to be the first city to which the Indo-Iranian tribes moved from the North of Amu Darya, approximately between 2000 - 1500 BCE. The Arabs called it Umm Al-Belaad or Mother of Cities due to its antiquity……The changing climate has led to desertification since antiquity, when the region was very fertile. The city's long history and former importance are recognized by the native population, who speak of it as the Mother of Cities and the birth place of Zoroaster at Balkh and also believed by Zoroastrians that he is buried there. Its foundation is mythically ascribed to Keyumars, the first king of the world in Persian legend; and it is at least certain that, at a very early date, it was the rival of Ecbatana, Nineve….No professional archaeologist had ever been able to work at Balkh until 2003…. Kingdom of Balhara comprised territories in the west foothills of Mount Imeon centered around the city of Balkh."...……http://www.flixya.com/blog/2054073/What-you-know-about-ancient-Bulgaria

Shirakatsi, Anania, The Geography of Ananias of Sirak (Asxarhacoyc): The Long and the Short Recensions. Introduction, Translation and Commentary by Robert H. Hewsen. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 1992.

Dimitrov, Bozhidar. Bulgarians and Alexander of Macedon. Sofia: Tangra Publishers, 2001.

Dobrev, Petar. Unknown Ancient Bulgaria. Sofia: Ivan Vazov Publishers, 2001

Shirakatsi, Anania. Geography Guide (7th Century AD).

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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Mandala of the Sun, Solar Essence, Solar Rays

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"Lopon Tenzin Namdak told me that Meditation Commentary: Mandala of the Sun includes the Commentary of Base and Path. He is not sure about the Commentary of the Fruit since it does not exist (Lopon Tenzin Namdak, telephone conversation, August 1998). Martin made clear to me that: "when I say "Meditation Commentary" in this context, I mean nothing more than the historical preface …. (D. Martin, electronic correspondences, November 1998). But as seen in ft. 136, Martin affirms that the title 'properly' encompasses "a much larger collection of texts than just the preface."…….Lopon Tenzin Namdak, personal communication, Kathmandu, June 1997. Also see J. Reynolds, "The Mandala of the Sun," p. 34. Here the idea of people not being yet ripe to hear the teachings is seen within the Bon context. This could be linked with the study of treasure discoveries in both traditions, as suggested in an earlier footnote. Reynolds adds that there was one other yogi by the name of Bucni (Bu ci) that Guru Nontse considered ready for this teaching (J. Reynolds, "The Mandala of the Sun," p. 34)….http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/ACollectionOfStudiesOnBon.pdf

" The Secret Mother Tantra text, like many of such discoveries, was discovered by "accident."….Guru Nontse, who was a hunter and a potter, had hunted an antelope in the mountain, and was chopping its bones on a rock when suddenly the rock broke apart. To his amazement inside the rock he found a white silk cloth written on both sides and wrapped on a stick. The story goes that Zhonu, who was from Kham (East Tibet), had a dream where the skygoers prophesied that he was to receive an important text. Some time later, he was in fact handed the Secret Mother Tantra silk cloth directly from Guru Nontse. He told Zhonu that he had already transcribed many texts, and "since you have transferred from a divine status, your thoughts are pure and you are very quiet and relaxed. So copy the texts without anyone seeing them." Then Zhonu went to Kham and copied the texts, but some time later Guru Nontse appeared unexpectedly and asked for the silk cloth, alleging that the skygoers wanted the cloth to be returned….The silk cloth was never found again, consequently the Meditation Commentary: Mandala of the Sun is the only extant commentary."
"All versions coincide in that the silk roll which Guru Nontse gave to Zhonu contained the three Root Tantras together with the three sets of Commentaries: the Meaning Commentary: Solar Essence (don 'grel nyi ma 'i snying po), which is the abridged commentary; the Meditation Commentary: Mandala of the Sun (sgom 'grel nyi ma'i dkyil 'khor), which is the intermediate length commentary; and the Explanation Commentary: Solar Rays.(bshad 'grel nyi ma'i 'od zer), which is the extended commentary, containing word by word explanation of the three root texts of the Secret Mother Tantra. Martin agrees with Karmay in thinking that even when it is stated that Milu Samlek composed all three commentaries, it is not very dear which one we are dealing with. The commentary in hand, the Secret Mother Tantra: Root Commentary of the Three Buddhahood Tantras (ma rgyud sangs rgyas rgyud gsum rtsa 'grel)] states at the beginning (p. 207) that it is the Meditation Commentary: The Solar Essence, but on p. 208 it indicates that it is the Meditation Commentary: The Mandala of the Sun."………….http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/ACollectionOfStudiesOnBon.pdf…..(Page 51)

"According to the Secret Mother Tantra texts, Milu Samlek then composed three commentaries in order to elucidate their meaning, and transmitted the teachings to his disciple Mushen Namkha Nangwa Dogchen (dMu gshen nam mkha' snang ba'i mdog can). The latter, after practicing on the slopes of Mount Kailash, bestowed the initiation and instructions to the Bon pandit Anu Tragtak (A nu 'phrag thag)f who in turn handed this teachings down to Sene Gau (Sad na ga'u) of Zhang Zhung. Sene Gau translated the teachings from Zhang zhung to Tibetan. It was during his time that the first persecution of Bon teachings and practitioners took place, under the reign of the Tibetan Buddhist king Drigum Tsenpo (Gri gum btsan po, ca. 683 B.C.E.), and therefore, "the custodianship of these texts of the ma rgyud was delivered by Sad ne ga'u into the hands of the six Dakinis of the Path, the Jarama (bya ra ma) or watchers,"….. "who served as the 'treasure protectors'."…….http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/ACollectionOfStudiesOnBon.pdf…(Page 50)

" the Secret Cycle of the Mother Tantra is known as Mother Tantra: The Tantric Cycle of the Sun of Compassion (Ma rgyud thugs rje nyi ma'i rgyud skor)…… "Chapters 7 to 10….The Empty-base of the spontaneously-manifested four [enlightened] dimensions" (Stong gzhi sku bzhi Ihun grub), where the four dimensions are explained in four different chapters in terms of channels (rtsa, nodi), vital breath (rlung, prana), [essential] sphere (thig le, bindu), and performance (spyod pa, bhoga or carya), each explained in a different chapter ."

The Ma Gyud teachings in 2012 are the second in a series that started in May 2011. After Geshe Gelek Jinpa and Lama Sangye Monlam had taught Tummo in Graz for a week in 2009, they agreed to come again and offered to give a series of Ma Gyud teachings, one week every year for five years starting in 2011. Three days before the scheduled begin in May 2011, Geshe Gelek was called off to a different job for the benefit of his monastery, and Lama Sangye Monlam graciously agreed to teach alone the full program that Geshe Gelek and he had planned."…http://yungdrung-bon.com/Lama_Sangye/

In 2011, Lama Sangye taught the Ma Gyud chapters "thar lam", the way of liberation, and "sgom 'brel nyi ma'i dkyil 'khor", the meditation according to the mandala of the sun. He taught us to recite the short and intermediate Ma Gyud sadhana, and read to us the biography of Milu Samleg, the author of the Ma Gyud….In 2007, after four years of Drenpa Sangdrub retreat, Lama Sangye was sent by Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche to Shenten Dargye Ling in France, where he is still living as a resident Lama."…..http://yungdrung-bon.com/Lama_Sangye/

Mandala of The Sun God…The Walters Art Museum……"The sun god, who is both Hindu and Buddhist, appears at the center, flanked by Dawn and Pre-Dawn; the next circle holds the planets; and the outer circle has the twelve forms of the sun. Across the top, two bodhisattvas flank the five cosmic Buddhas. On the bottom, at the left, the priest presents offerings to a fire; on the right are the patron and his family. Nepalese Buddhists carried out ceremonies intended to prevent evil influences from disturbing the sun and the moon. The sun may also be an object of meditation, paired with the moon and imagined inside one's body."……http://art.thewalters.org/detail/24952/mandala-of-the-sun-god/

Practice of the three States of Magyu…..December 2013…….Guided by Lama Sangye and/or Geshe Samten.........http://shenten.org/en/shenten-schedule/207-practice-of-the-three-states-of-magyu

Mandala Cosmogony: Human Body Good Thought and the Revelation of the Secret ...By Dan Martin

J. Reynolds, "The Threefold Practice of the Primordial State of the Mother Tantra,"

Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition……By Alejandro Chaoul

http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/ACollectionOfStudiesOnBon.pdf

http://yungdrung-bon.com/MaGyud/magyud2012.html

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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Six Yogas of Naropa & The Bon Mother Tantras

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"…. the Six Yogas of Naropa, a preeminent yogic technology system. The six practices—inner heat, illusory body, clear light, consciousness transference, forceful projection, and bardo yoga—gradually came to pervade thousands of monasteries, nunneries, and hermitages throughout Central Asia over the past five and a half centuries."…..The Six Yogas Of Naropa: Tsongkhapa's Commentary Entitled A Book Of Three Inspirations: A Treatise On The Stages Of Training In The Profound Path Of Naro's Six Dharmas Paperback by Tsong-Kha-Pa (Author) , Glenn C. Mullin (Translator)

"This year, Lopon and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will teach from the Bön Three Root Mother Tantras known as the Ma-rgyud Sangs-rgyas rGyud gSum (pr. Magyu Sangye Gyu Sum), the Three Buddhahood Tantras, using the commentary by Mi-lus bSam-legs ( Milu Samlek), the Prince of the region of Tazig around the 7th or 8th century….Hidden in the 8th century, these texts were rediscovered in the 10th century by Guru rNon-rtse [Guru Nontse]. These Tantras have an emphasis on practices of the Completion Stage, rDzogs-rim" ….and have six main practices, which can be said to be somewhat similar to the Six Yogas of Naropa. In the case of the Bön Mother Tantras, the six are: 1. The expedient use of Means (mainly devoted to breath control)
2. The expedient use of Dreams
3. The expedient use of Fear (the prac- tice of “cutting,” gCod , pr. chöd)
4. The expedient use of Projection (the practice of Transference, “Pho-ba” pr. phowa)
5. The expedient use of Death (teachings on the Intermediate State, “Bar-do”)
6. The expedient use of Sleep.
The retreat will take place at the Bodhi Manda Zen Center in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. It will be from the July 1 to 21, 1996.……http://www.cstone.net/~ligmin/VOCL/spring96.pdf

"The Six Yogas of Nāropa (Tib. Narö chö druk, na-ro'i-chos-drug), also called the six dharmas of Naropa…..Wisdom Activities Path Six Methods of Accomplishment), are a set of advanced Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices and a meditation sādhana compiled in and around the time of the Indian monk and mystic Nāropa (1016-1100 CE) and conveyed to his student Marpa the translator."… Evans-Wentz in Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines (1935)…..
tummo (T: གཏུམ་མོ་ gtum-mo, S: caṇḍālī) — the yoga of inner heat (or mystic heat).…..
gyulü (T: སྒྱུ་ལུས sgyu-lus, S: māyākāyā) — the yoga of the illusory body.…..
ösel (T: འོད་གསལ་ 'od-gsal, S: prabhāsvara) — the yoga of the clear light or radiant light.[…..
milam (T: རྨི་ལམ་ rmi-lam, S: svapnadarśana) — the yoga of the dream state.…..
bardo (T: བར་དོ bar-do, S: antarābhava) — the yoga of the intermediate state. This is well-known through the Bardo Thödöl. Bardo yoga as the yoga of liminality may include aspects of gyulu and milam and is therefore to be engaged as an extension of these disciplines.…..
phowa (T: འཕོ་བ་ 'pho-ba, S: saṃkrānti) — the yoga of the transference of consciousness to a pure Buddhafield.…..
… The Six Yogas of Naropa: Tsongkhapa's Commentary by Glenn H. Mullin (Editor, Translator) Snow Lion Publications: 2005.

"Naropa, known as Abhayakirti (‘jig med grags pa) Jnanasiddhi, was born in Kashmir into the Brahmin caste, according to Taranatha and other sources, who say that he was born in a place called Jambu (Shrinagar, according to Guenther) in eastern part of India. His father was Shantivarman and mother, Shrimati…..

The Bon Secret Mother Tantra is first divided into three parts: base (gzhi), path (lam), and fruit ('bras), which are subdivided into six parts each, altogether making eighteen steps that the practitioner should pursue in order to attain liberation. In the 1985 edition, the first three chapters are the three Root Tantras, and chapter four (nga), as was discussed earlier, is what Martin calls the historical preface. Then, the text is divided as follows:
The six principles of expediency are:…..
• The expedient use of Means, devoted mainly to the channels and vital breath, which corresponds to " the sphere of the Elements" (Byung ba'i thig le) (ch. 18).…..
• The expedient use of Dream (rmi lam) which corresponds to "the sphere of Self-ness" (bDag nyid thig le) (ch. 19). • The expedient use of Fear, which is the practice of cho or practice of fearful places (gnyan sa lam), which corresponds to "the sphere of Accumulation" (Tshogs gyi thig le) (ch. 20).…..
• The expedient use of Projection ('pho ba) which corresponds to "the sphere of Accomplishing" (Grub pa'i thig le) (ch. 21).…..
• The expedient use of Death which explains the after-death intermediate states (bar do) and corresponds to "the sphere of Abiding" (gNas gyi thig le). Its commentary has been missing since its re-discovery by Guru Nontse.…..
• The expedient use of Sleep (gnyid pa lam khyer) which corresponds to "the sphere of Clarity" (gSal ba'i thig le) (ch. 22).…..
Some of the six methods correspond to the ones of Naropa and others do not, cho is not part of the six dharmas of Naropa.165
….THE MOTHER TANTRAS…..by Marco Alejandro Chaoul....http://www.surajamrita.com/bon/MotherTantra.html
http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/ACollectionOfStudiesOnBon.pdf

Guru Nontse…"Under king Trisong Detsen (Khri srong Ide btsan, 790-848 C.E.) the Bonpos suffered a second persecution, and it was not until the twelfth century that the Secret revelation of the Mother Tantras were rediscovered by Guru Nontse (Gu ru rnon rise) in the rock of Dungpor (Dung phor bkra shis) near the village of Tanag (rTa nag) in the central province of Tsang, "[h]ence this collection of Terma became known by the name of the Dung phor ma." Guru Nontse then gave this collection of teachings to Zhonu (gZhon nu). But the Secret Mother Tantra Cycle was not the only Mother Tantra Cycle……there are three cycles of Mother Tantras: Outer, Inner, and Secret. For each, there is a root text or texts with a body of exegetical and liturgical works subordinate to the root text. " Milu Samlek wrote separate commentaries for each of the three cycles….Guru Nontse, who was the rediscoverer of the Secret Mother Tantra, "may be identified as an incarnation of one of the members of the earlier lineage." The lineage, as Martin says, is more than the mere passing down the oral tradition, but is also the "transference of the 'charisma' (byin brlabs) [or blessings] of the institutor of the lineage." This acknowledges not only an intimate connection among the lineage-holders, but also opens a window into an understanding beyond the purely historical. Guru Nontse "was known in the Buddhist histories as Aya Bonpo Lhabun (A ya bon po lha 'bum), for he discovered many Nyingma Termas as well as Bonpo ones." The Secret Mother Tantra text, like many of such discoveries, was discovered by "accident." Guru Nontse, who was a hunter and a potter, had hunted an antelope in the mountain, and was chopping its bones on a rock when suddenly the rock broke apart. To his amazement inside the rock he found a white silk cloth written on both sides and wrapped on a stick. The story goes that Zhonu, who was from Kham (East Tibet), had a dream where the skygoers prophesied that he was to receive an important text. Some time later, he was in fact handed the Secret Mother Tantra silk cloth directly from Guru Nontse. He told Zhonu that he had already transcribed many texts, and "since you have transferred from a divine status, your thoughts are pure and you are very quiet and relaxed. So copy the texts without anyone seeing them." Then Zhonu went to Kham and copied the texts, but some time later Guru Nontse appeared unexpectedly and asked for the silk cloth, alleging that the skygoers wanted the cloth to be returned. Asking Zhonu, "Did you see the five loose open-mouthed tigresses pass by at Dung phor?," Guru Nontse took the roll back."….THE MOTHER TANTRAS…..by Marco Alejandro Chaoul....http://www.surajamrita.com/bon/MotherTantra.html

" J.Reynolds, "The Threefold Practice of the Primordial State of the Mother Tantra/' p. 7. Martin adds that there is another chronology which "actually dates Lha "bum before the first rab-'byung (beginning in 1027 A.D. [C.E.]), but according to Kvaeme (in 'Chronological' no. 97), he was born in 1136 A.D." (D. Martin, Mandala Cosmogony, p. 27, lack of hyphenation is mine). The latter is also the date found in the English Preface to the 1985 edition or the Secret Mother Tantra text; while the one of the 1971 edition places Guru Nontse in some unsperific time after the texts' burial in the eighth century."…..http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/ACollectionOfStudiesOnBon.pdf

"Lopon Tenzin Namdak, personal communication, Houston, June 1996 and reiterated in Kathmandu, June 1997. It is interesting to note that many of the Bon treasures were discovered in this accidental manner, after they were hidden because of the persecutions. This differs from the Buddhist tradition were the treasures where discovered by people who were considered reincarnations of disciples of Guru Rinpoche, who had hidden those teachings because the people were not ready for them. While the Bon discoverers (gter ston) were usually ordinary, and often illiterate people, the Buddhist discoverers were considered great masters that brought forth those teachings because it was the time when people were ripe for them. In that sense the Buddhist discoveries were predetermined, i.e., who was going to discover what text, and when, were foretold by Guru Rinpoche or other great masters or deities (especially skygoers). The Bon tradition claims that many of its treasure discoveries were not predetermined but accidental—sometimes even robbers would be the discoverers. However, they too have some treasures that were discovered by great masters or people like Guru Nontse, who may be "charismatically" related to the institutors of the lineage. The topic of discovered treasures is very interesting, and the accidental (or seemingly accidental) vs. predetermined models might bring forth some further information about the similarities and differences between Bon and Buddhism."….http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/ACollectionOfStudiesOnBon.pdf

Martin, Dan, Mandala Cosmogony: Human Body Good Thought and the Revelation of the Secret Mother Tantras of Bon, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 1994.

Karmay, Samten G., The Little Luminous Boy: The Oral Tradition from the Land of Zhangzhung Depicted on two Tibetan Paintings, Bangkok: White Orchid Press, 1998.

The Six Yogas Of Naropa: Tsongkhapa's Commentary Entitled A Book Of Three Inspirations: A Treatise On The Stages Of Training In The Profound Path Of Naro's Six Dharmas Paperback…….by Tsong-Kha-Pa (Author) , Glenn C. Mullin (Translator)

Mayer, Toby (April/July 2010). "Yogic-Sufi Homologies: The Case of the "Six Principles" Yoga of Naropa and the Kubrawiyya". ….…The Muslim World Special Issue: A Special Issue on Islam and Buddhism Volume 100, Issue 2-3, pages 268–286, April/July 2010….…….http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1478-1913.2010.01320.x/abstract

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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Mother Tantras: Milu Samlek…Prince of Tazig /Persia (7th century AD)

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"Within the Bon tradition, there are three cycles of Mother Tantras: Outer, Inner, and Secret. For each, there is a root text or texts with a body of exegetical and liturgical works subordinate to the root text. Milu Samlek wrote separate commentaries for each of the three cycles……"……http://www.surajamrita.com/bon/MotherTantra.html

"According to the Secret Mother Tantra texts, Milu Samlek then composed three commentaries….."

"…. the Bön Three Root Mother Tantras known as the Ma-rgyud Sangs-rgyas rGyud gSum (pr. Magyu Sangye Gyu Sum), the Three Buddhahood Tantras, using the commentary by Mi-lus bSam-legs (pronounced Milu Samlek), the Prince of the region of Tazig around the 7th or 8th century….Hidden in the 8th century, these texts were rediscovered in the 10th century by Guru rNon-rtse [pr. Guru Nontse]. These Tantras have an emphasis on practices of the Completion Stage, rDzogs-rim."….http://www.cstone.net/~ligmin/VOCL/spring96.pdf

"…. transmitted in Sanskrit to a retinue of skygoers amongst whom the principal was Zangza Ringtsun (bZang za ring btsun, "Goodwife Longexcellence"), an emanation of the great Cham Ma (Byams ma, "Loving Mother"). The Teachings of the Mother Tantra were revealed by her to three teachers who propagated the Mother Tantra in three different among the Nagas in the netherworld, and Milu Samlek (Mi lus bsant legs) among humanity on earth."….http://tsakli.org/generationstage.html

"…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

" Bactria in the north-east of Iran-shahr, the classical heartland of the Iranian-Aryan empire. Ancient Bactria was a large kingdom and the capital of not just the kingdom of Bactria, but the Iranian-Aryan empire as well. The Bactrian kingdom would have included Central Asia and what we know of today as the five countries whose names end with -stan, the Persian word for place or country."…..http://zoroastrianheritage.blogspot.com/2011/04/greek-perceptions-of-zoroaster.html

MI LUS BSAM LEGS...revealor of the Bon Mother Tantras ("Human Body Good Thought")…..Bsam Legs: Good Thought…..

"Vohu Manah (Good Mind or Good Thought) is the principal Zoroastrian archangel, and revealed the truths of Zoroastrianism to Zoroaster, the founder of the religious tradition…….Vohu Manah is the Avestan language term for a Zoroastrian concept, generally translated as "Good Purpose" or "Good Mind" (cognate with Sanskrit su-manas), referring to the good moral state of mind that enables an individual to accomplish his duties…Vohu Manah is an Amesha Spenta, one of six "divine sparks" of Ahura Mazda that each represent one facet of creation.."….http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vohu_Manah

….."Anu Thragthak the Bon pandit of Tazig…."on the slopes of Mount Meru.….Then Anu Thragthak, the Bon pandit of Tazig, received the teachings, practiced Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition. Chod practice in Tibet's indigenous Bon tradition. Chod ("Cutting Through") is a meditative practice in which the practitioner imagines offering their body in sacrifice through elaborate contemplative visualization."…….Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition by Alejandro Chaou…Snow Lion Publications...2009

"The doctrine taught by Tonpa Shenrab and recorded in these three accounts was spread by his disciples to adjacent countries such as Zhang-zhung, India, Kashmir, China, and finally reached Tibet. Its transmission was secured by siddhas and scholars who translated texts from the language of Zhang-zhung into Tibetan……Of Tonpa Shenrab's many disciples, the foremost was Mucho Demdrug (Mu cho lDem drug), who in his turn taught many students, the most important of whom were the 'Six Great Translators': Mutsha Trahe (dMu tsha Tra he) of Tazig."….http://bon-encyclopedia.wikispaces.com/Tonpa+Shenrab

"Mount Kailash of northwestern Tibet has been equated with Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring by some scholars.…. to the Bonpo …. Mount Kailash and Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring are qualitatively and essentially, different realms. Historical Bon texts state explicitly that the sacred mountain of Mount Kailash is central to the kingdom of Zhangzhung."…..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagzig_Olmo_Lung_Ring

"…..Tibet maintained a busy traffic of people, ideas, cultural and spiritual exchanges with Khotan, Drusha (Gilgit), Tagzik (Persia), and the other Uighur tribes of Drugu….Shangshung was made up of three divisons: inner, middle and outer divisions. Inner Shang-shung was at a distance of three months' journey on horseback from Kang Tise (Mount Kailash) to the places of Mesar Parsi and Bata-sha in the north. Mesar Parsi is the name for Tagzik in the old Tibetan documents and covered present-day Iran. Beta-shan used to be in the north-cast of Tagzik in the region of the Pamir Mountains range. According to Khe-pai Ga-ton (20), at the time the land between India and Tagzik was called Gur-na-la-tra where lived a Bon priest called Asha……the White Annals conjectures that most of the ancient Tibetan kings and ministers adopted the social customs of Tagzik (Persia). The turban worn by Songsten Gompo, the outer overall of brocade and the upturn shoes were all adaptations of the social customs of Tagzik. In the Chinese imperial painting depicting the Tibetan minister Gar Tongsten meeting the Chinese emperor Ta'i Tsung in the 7th century, the Tibetan minister is depicted as wearing either Muslim or Tagzik garments."…..http://www.freedomsherald.org/allied_comm/commonv-2-6.html

Avestan….. formerly also known as "Zend" or "Old Bactrian", is an East Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. Its area of composition comprised – at least – Arachosia/Sīstān, Herat, Merv and Bactria….

Marco Alejandro Chaoul…" The Mother Tantras "represent an important esoteric tradition of Bon belonging to the system of A dkar ba [the way of the white A], the seventh in the [stages of] Nine Ways of Bon (theg pa rim dgu)…….Among the Bon Tantras, the Mother, and the Father Tantras (pha rgyud) comprise the highest classes. Their method of practice is transformation (bsgyur ba), and whereas in the Father Tantras the generation stage (bskyed rim) is emphasized (including intricate visualizations of deities and their mandala), in the Mother Tantras the completion stage (rdzogsrim) is stressed.
The Mother Tantra is attributed "within the [root] texts themselves to Kuntu Zangpo (Kun tu bzang po [Samantabhadra, "Totally Good One"]), the Primordial Buddha Himself;"…. a characteristic that is shared with other Bon and Nyingma high tantra and dzogchen texts. And has the quite unique characteristic that the male aspect represents the emptiness quality and the female aspect the clarity of the Natural State, which is usually inverted in other tantric texts. Furthermore, "[t]he Mother Tantra is also unique among the Higher Tantras as a whole because, whereas it does employ the transformational process of the Kyerim [generation stage] and the Dzogrim [completion stage], its overall view is that of Dzogchen.” Dzogchen is the highest teaching in this tradition, and its method of practice is of self-liberation (rang grol) into the non-dual single essence (thig le nyaggtig).
According to the Bon tradition, the Root Texts of the Secret Mother Tantra are said to be originated in the dimension of Bon (ban sku), shared by the male and female Primordial Buddhas in the "Eternal Divine language" (gyung drung lha'i skad), then transmitted in Sanskrit to a retinue of skygoers amongst whom the principal was Zangza Ringtsun (bZang za ring btsun, "Goodwife Long excellence"), an emanation of the great Cham Ma (Byams ma, "Loving Mother"). The Teachings of the Mother Tantra were revealed by her to three teachers who propagated the Mother Tantra in three different among the Nagas in the netherworld, and Milu Samlek (Mi lus bsant legs) among humanity on earth.
According to the Secret Mother Tantra texts, Milu Samlek then composed three commentaries in order to elucidate their meaning, and transmitted the teachings to his disciple Mushen Namkha Nangwa Dogchen (dMu gshen nam mkha' snang ba'i mdog can). The latter, after practicing on the slopes of Mount Kailash, bestowed the initiation and instructions to the Bon pandit Anu Tragtak (A nu 'phrag thag)f who in turn handed this teachings down to Sene Gau (Sad na ga'u) of Zhang Zhung. Sene Gau translated the teachings from Zhang zhung to Tibetan. It was during his time that the first persecution of Bon teachings and practitioners took place, under the reign of the Tibetan Buddhist king Drigum Tsenpo (Gri gum btsan po, ca. 683 B.C.E.), and therefore, "the custodianship of these texts of the ma rgyud was delivered by Sad ne ga'u into the hands of the six Dakinis of the Path, the Jarama (bya ra ma) or watchers,"….. "who served as the 'treasure protectors'." Under king Trisong Detsen (Khri srong Ide btsan, 790-848 C.E.) the Bonpos suffered a second persecution, and it was not until the twelfth century that the Secret revelation of the Mother Tantras were rediscovered by Guru Nontse (Gu ru rnon rise) in the rock of Dungpor (Dung phor bkra shis) near the village of Tanag (rTa nag) in the central province of Tsang, "[h]ence this collection of Terma became known by the name of the Dung phor ma." OkarResearchNotes…Guru Nontse then gave this collection of teachings to Zhonu (gZhon nu). But the Secret Mother Tantra Cycle was not the only Mother Tantra Cycle."…..Marco Alejandro Chaoul - Ancient-Yogic Practices in the Bon Religion ……M. Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D., was authorized to teach meditation and Trul Khor (Magical Movement) Tibetan Yoga by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in 1995. He has also studied with Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, among others, and is a senior student and instructor at Ligmincha Institute….Chaoul-Reich is the mind-body intervention specialist at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston….Chaoul-Reich also teaches internationally in both English and Spanish.

Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition…..By Alejandro Chaou..Snow Lion Publications...2009

Magical Movements ('phrul 'khor): Ancient Yogic Practices in the Bon Religion and Contemporary Medical Perspectives Marco Alejandro Chaoul's doctoral dissertation Rice University 2006

Enlightened Rainbows: The Life and Works of Shardza Tashi Gyeltsen……By Jean-Luc Achar

Mandala Cosmogony: Human Body Good Thought and the Revelation of the Secret ...By Dan Martin

Treasury of Good Sayings: A Tibetan History of Bon….edited by Samten G. Karmey

Jean-Marc des Jardins, “The records of Tshul khrims mchog rgyal on the Black Phur pa cycle of theTibetan Bon pos”, Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines…..J.F. Marc des Jardins, Concordia Universit

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

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

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