Vajrayāna Buddhism (Devanagari: वज्रयान) is also known as
Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna,
Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra,
Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond
Vehicle. The period of Vajrayana Buddhism has been classified
as the fifth[1]
or final[2]
period of Indian
Buddhism.
Vajrayana is a complex and multifaceted system which evolved
over
several centuries and reveals much inconsistency and a variety
of
opinions.[2]
Vajrayana probably came into existence in the 6th or 7th century
CE[1],
while the term Vajrayana first came into evidence in the 8th century
CE[2].
Its scriptures are called the Tantras.[2]
The distinctive feature of Vajrayana Buddhism is ritual, which is used as a substitute or
alternative for the earlier abstract meditations.[3][4]
The term "vajra" denoted the thunderbolt, a legendary weapon and
divine attribute that was made from an adamantine, or indestructible, substance
and which could therefore pierce and penetrate any obstacle or obfuscation.
As a secondary meaning, "vajra" refers to this indestructible
substance, and so is sometimes translated as "adamantine" or
"diamond".
So the Vajrayana is sometimes rendered in English as "The
Adamantine
Vehicle" or "The Diamond Vehicle".
A vajra is also a scepter-like ritual object, which has a
sphere (and sometimes a gankyil) at its centre, and a variable
number of spokes (depending on the sadhana), enfolding either end of the rod.
The vajra is often traditionally employed in tantric rituals in
combination with the bell or ghanta;
symbolically, the vajra may represent method as well as great bliss and the bell
stands for wisdom, specifically the
wisdom realizing emptiness or lack of
inherent existence.
“Tantric Buddhism” . . . is not the
transcription of a native term,
but a rather modern coinage, if not totally occidental. For
the
equivalent Sanskrit tāntrika is found, but not in
Buddhist texts. Tāntrika
is a term denoting someone who follows the teachings of
scriptures
known as Tantras, but only in Saivism, not Buddhism (although cf.
the
single known occurrence in a copper-plate inscription from Nālandā
made
in the name of the Javanese king Devapāla in the ninth century AD:,
tāntrikabodhisattvaganasya;
SIRCAR 1983:II .37-38; ref. provided by Sanderson). Indeed,
Alexis
Sanderson has noted that it is usually used of followers of
another
tradition, by proponents of the Trika of practitioners of the
Bhairava
tantras, for example, and thus with a slightly pejorative tone,
unlike
the simple noun tantra (personal communication).
Tantric
Buddhism is a name for a phenomenon which calls itself, in
Sanskrit,
Mantranaya, Vajrayāna, Mantrayāna or Mantramahāyāna (and
apparently
never Tantrayāna). Its practitioners are known as
mantrins, yogis, or
sādhakas.
Thus, our use of the anglicised adjective “Tantric” for the
Buddhist
religion taught in Tantras is not native to the tradition, but is
a
borrowed term which serves its purpose.[5]
[edit]Difficulties of
the academic study of Vajrayana
Serious academic study of Vajrayana is still in its early
stages, because of a number of problems that make research
difficult:[6]
Although
a large number of Tantric scriptures are extant, they have not been put
into any kind of order.
Because Vajrayana was influenced by Hinduism, further research into Hinduism
is necessary.
Ritual as well as doctrine need to be investigated.
The literature of Vajrayana is absent from the oldest Buddhist
literature of the Pali Canon and the
Agamas.
Vajrayana claims that its teachings were first expounded by
the
Buddha 16 years after his enlightenment. Historians have identified
an
early stage of Mantrayana beginning in the 4th century CE, and
claim
that assigning the teachings to the historical Buddha is
'patently
absurd'[7].
Only
from 7th[7]
or the beginning of the 8th century CE, tantric techniques and
approaches increasingly dominated Buddhist practice in India.[8]
The
first tantric (Vajrayana Buddhist) texts appeared in the 3rd century
CE, and continued to appear until the 12th century CE.[9]
[edit]Vajrayana
as evolved from the local conditions of Medieval
India
Although the Vajrayana claims to be as ancient and authentic as
any
other Buddhist school, it evidently grew up gradually in an
environment
with previously existing texts such as the mahasannipata and the ratnaketudharani[10].
The basic position of Vajrayana is still the same as the early Buddhist position of not-self: there is nothing which is
eternal[11].
The
changes that took place agreed with the changing society of
medieval India: the presentation has changed, the techniques of the
way
to enlightenment have changed, the outward appearance of Buddhism
came
to be dominated by ritualism and the array of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas
and gods and goddesses.[12]
[edit]Classification
based on Vajrayana scriptures and commentaries
The tantric scriptures and its commentaries provide three
strategies to discuss the theoretical nature of Vajrayana
Buddhism:[2]
According to this schema, Indian Mahayana revealed two vehicles
(yana) or methods for attaining enlightenment: the
method of the perfections (Paramitayana) and the
method of mantra (Mantrayana).[13]
The Paramitayana consists of the six or ten
paramitas,
of which the scriptures say that it takes three incalculable aeons
to lead one to Buddhahood. The tantra literature, however, claims that
the Mantrayana leads one to Buddhahood in one single
life.[14]
According to the literature, the mantra is an easy path without the
difficulties innate to the Paramitanaya.[15]Mantrayana is sometimes portrayed as a method for
those of inferior abilities.[16]
However the practitioner of the mantra still has to adhere to the vows
of the Bodhisattva.[17]
When
viewed as a subset of Mahayana, it is one of two paths of practice: the
Sutrayana method of perfecting good qualities and
the Vajrayāna method of taking the intended outcome
of Buddhahood as the path.
Vajrayana techniques are aimed at making it possible
to experience Buddha-nature prior to full enlightenment. In order
to transmit these experiences, a body of esoteric knowledge has been accumulated
by Buddhist tantricyogis
and is passed via lineages of transmission. In
order to access this knowledge, the practitioner requires initiation from a skilled spiritual
teacher or guru.[18]
According to the Vajrayana theory, Vajrayana refers to one of
the three routes to enlightenment, the other
two being Hinayana and Mahayana. According to this view, there
were three "turnings of the wheel of dharma":[7]
In
the first turning Shakyamuni Buddha
taught the Four Noble Truths at Varanasi in the 5th century BC, which led
to the founding of Buddhism and the later early Buddhist schools. Details of the
first turning are described in the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta.
The oldest scriptures do not mention any further turnings other than
this first turning.
The Mahayana tradition claims that there was a second turning
in which the Perfection of
Wisdom sutras were taught at Vulture's Peak, which led to the
Mahayana schools. Generally, scholars
conclude that the Mahayana scriptures (including the Perfection
of Wisdom Sutras) were composed from the first century CE
onwards.[19]
According
to the Vajrayana tradition, there was a third turning which took place
at Dhanyakataka
sixteen years after the Buddha's enlightenment. Scholars have strongly
denied that Vajrayana appeared at that time,[7]
and
placed it at a much later time. The first tantric (Vajrayana
Buddhist) texts appeared in the 3rd century CE, and they continued
to
appear until the 12th century CE.[20]
Harunaga Isaacson, a leading scholar of Vajrayana Buddhism,
remarks:
"though we do not know precisely at present
just how many Indian
tantric Buddhist texts survive today in the language in which they
were
written, their number is certainly over one thousand five hundred;
I
suspect indeed over two thousand. A large part of this body of
texts
has also been translated into Tibetan, and a smaller part into
Chinese.
Aside from these, there are perhaps another two thousand or more
works
that are known today only from such translations. We can be certain
as
well that many others are lost to us forever, in whatever form. Of
the
texts that survive a very small proportion has been published;
an
almost insignificant percentage has been edited or translated
reliably."[22]
Isaacson
notes that Vajrayana texts exhibit a wide range of literary
characteristics--usually a mix of verse and prose, almost always in
a
Sanskrit that "transgresses frequently against classical norms
of
grammar and usage," although also occasionally in various Middle
Indic
dialects or elegant classical Sanskrit.
The distinctive feature of Vajrayana Buddhism is ritual, which is used as a substitute or
alternative for the earlier abstract meditations.[26][4]
For Vajrayana Tibetan death rituals, see phowa.
The goal of spiritual practice within the Mahayana and
Vajrayana traditions is to become a bodhisattva, whereas the goal for Theravada
practice is not specific to which type of enlightened being to
become.
As with the Mahayana, motivation is a vital component of
Vajrayana
practice, and Vajrayana teaches that all practices are to be
undertaken
with the motivation to achieve Buddhahood for the benefit of
all
sentient beings.
The Vajrayana is based on the concept of "skillful means"
(Sanskrit: upaya) as formulated in Mahayana
Buddhism. It is a system of lineages, whereby those who
successfully receive an initiation (permission to practice) are seen to
share in the mindstream of the realisation of a
particular skillful means of the vajra Master. In the
Vajrayana these skillful means mainly relate to tantric, Mahamudra or Dzogchen practices. Vajrayana teaches that
the Vajrayana techniques provide an accelerated path to enlightenment.[citation
needed]
Vajrayana subscribes to the two truths doctrine of conventional and
ultimate truths, which is present in all Buddhist tenet systems. [27][28]
The
two truths doctrine is a central concept in the Vajrayana path
of
practice and is the philosophical basis for its methods. The two
truths
identifies conventional a.k.a. relative - and absolute a.k.a.
nirvana.
Conventional truth is the truth of consensus reality, common-sense notions of what does and does not
exist. Ultimate truth is reality as viewed by an awakened, or enlightened
mind.
In the Sutrayana practice, a path of Mahayana, the "path of the cause" is
taken, whereby a practitioner starts with his or her potential Buddha-nature and nurtures it to
produce the fruit of Buddhahood.
In the Vajrayana the "path of the fruit" is taken whereby the
practitioner takes his or her innate Buddha-nature as the means
of
practice. The premise is that since we innately have an
enlightened
mind, practicing seeing the world in terms of ultimate truth can
help
us to attain our full Buddha-nature.[29]
Experiencing
ultimate truth is said to be the purpose of all the various tantric techniques
practiced in the Vajrayana. Apart from the advanced meditation practices
such as Dzogchen and Mahamudra, which aim to experience the
empty
nature of the enlightened mind that can see ultimate truth,
all
practices are aimed in some way at purifying the impure perception
of
the practitioner to allow ultimate truth to be seen. These may be
ngondro, or
preliminary practices, or the more advanced techniques of the tantricsadhana.
In general, practitioners of the Vajrayana need to abide by
various tantric vows or samaya of behaviour. These are
extensions of the rules of the Pratimoksha vows and Bodhisattva vows for the lower levels of tantra, and
are taken during initiations into the empowerment for a
particular Anuttarayoga
tantra. The special tantric vows vary depending on the
specific mandala practice for which the initiation
is received, and also depending on the level of initiation.
A tantric guru, or teacher, is expected to keep his or
her samaya
vows in the same way as his students. Proper conduct is
considered
especially necessary for a qualified Vajrayana guru. For example, the
Ornament for the Essence of Manjushrikirti
states:[30]
Distance yourself from Vajra
Masters who are not keeping the three vows
who keep on with a root downfall, who are miserly with the
Dharma,
and who engage in actions that should be forsaken.
Those who worship them go to hell and so on as a result.
Vajrayana Buddhism is esoteric, in the sense that the
transmission of certain teachings only occurs directly from teacher to
student during an initiation or empowerment
and cannot be simply learned from a book. Many techniques are
also
commonly said to be secret, but some Vajrayana teachers have
responded
that secrecy itself is not important and only a side-effect of
the
reality that the techniques have no validity outside the
teacher-student lineage.[31]
In order to engage in Vajrayana practice, a student should have
received such an initiation or permission.
Reginald Ray writes that "If these techniques are not
practiced
properly, practitioners may harm themselves physically and mentally.
In
order to avoid these dangers, the practice is kept "secret" outside
the
teacher/student relationship. Secrecy and the commitment of the
student
to the vajra guru are aspects of the samaya (Tib.
damtsig), or "sacred bond", that protects both the
practitioner and the integrity of the teachings."[21]
The
teachings may also be considered "self-secret", meaning that
even if they were to be told directly to a person, that person
would
not necessarily understand the teachings without proper context.
In
this way the teachings are "secret" to the minds of those who are
not
following the path with more than a simple sense of curiosity.[32][33]
The
esoteric transmission framework can take varying forms. The Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism uses a method called Dzogchen. The Tibetan Kagyu school and the Shingon school in Japan use an
alternative method called Mahamudra.
Although there is historical evidence for Vajrayana Buddhism in
Southeast Asia and elsewhere (see History of Vajrayana below), today the
Vajrayana exists primarily in the form of two major sub-schools, with
one minor subschool.
Vajrayana Buddhism was established in Tibet in the 8th Century
when Śāntarakṣita was brought to Tibet from India at the instigation of the Dharma King
Trisong Detsen, some time before 767 CE. He
established the basis of what later came to be known as the Nyingma school. As a TantricMahasiddha
Padmasambhava's contribution ensured that Tibetan Buddhism became
part
of the Vajrayana tradition. While Vajrayana Buddhism is a part of Tibetan Buddhism in that it forms a core part of
every major Tibetan Buddhist school, it is not identical with it.
Buddhist scholar Alexander Berzin refers
to "the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism".[34]
Training in the "common paths" of Sutra (including Lamrim) are said to be the foundation for
the "uncommon path" of Vajrayana.[35]
The Vajrayana techniques add 'skillful means' to the general Mahayana teachings for advanced students.
The 'skillful means' of the Vajrayana in Tibetan Buddhism refers to tantra techniques,
Dzogchen
(Tibetan:maha-ati) and Mahamudra
(Tibetan:Chagchen).
Founded 1300 years ago in Japan by the ascetic Enno Ozuno, and
based on the Queen's Peacocks Sutra,
it is considered as the foundation of Vajrayana in Japan. Vajrayana
of
Shugendo (shugen mikkyo) is a Dharma teaching wherein the mountain
is
considered as the "supernatural mandala."
The Shingon school is found in Japan and includes practices, known in Japan
as Mikkyo,
which are similar in concept to those in Tibetan Vajrayana
Buddhism.
The lineage for Shingon Buddhism differs from that of Tibetan
Vajrayana, having emerged from India and Central Asia (via China) and is based on earlier versions of
the Indian texts than the Tibetan lineage. Shingon shares material with
Tibetan Buddhism–-such as the
esoteric sutras (called Tantras in Tibetan Buddhism) and mandalas – but the actual practices are not
related. The primary texts of Shingon Buddhism are the Mahavairocana
Sutra and Vajrasekhara Sutra.
The founder of Shingon Buddhism was Kukai, a Japanese monk who studied in
China in the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty
and brought back Vajrayana scriptures, techniques and mandalas
then
popular in China. The school mostly died out or was merged into
other
schools in China towards the end of the Tang Dynasty but flourished in Japan. Shingon is
one of the few remaining branches of Buddhism in the world that
continues to use the siddham script of the Sanskrit language.
Although the Tendai
school in China and Japan does employ some esoteric practices,
these
rituals came to be considered of equal importance with the
exoteric
teachings of the Lotus Sutra. By chanting mantras, maintaining mudras, or practicing certain forms of
meditation, Tendai
maintains that one is able to understand sense experiences as taught
by
the Buddha, have faith that one is innately an enlightened being,
and
that one can attain enlightenment within the current lifetime.
Newar Buddhism is practiced by Newars in Nepal. This is the
only
form of Vajrayana Buddhism in which the scriptures are written
in
Sanskrit. Its priests do not follow celibacy and are called Vajracharyas.
According to the Vajrayana tradition,[36]
at certain times the bodymind[37]
is in a very subtle state which can be used by advanced practitioners
to transform the mindstream. Such liminal times are known in Tibetan Buddhism as Bardo states and include such transitional
states as during meditation, dreaming, sex and death.
Deity yoga (Tibetan: lha'i rnal 'byor;
Sanskrit: Devata) is the fundamental
Vajrayana practice, often involving a sadhana liturgy and form, in
which practitioners visualize themselves as the meditation Buddha or
yidam. The purpose of Deity yoga is to bring the meditator to
the realization that the deity and the practitioner are in essence the
same, and non-dual.
By visualizing oneself and one's environment entirely as a
projection
of mind, it helps the practitioner to become familiar with the
mind's
ability and habit of projecting conceptual layers over all
experience.
This experience undermines a habitual belief that views of reality
and
self are solid and fixed. Deity yoga enables the practitioner
to
release, or 'purify' him or herself from spiritual
obscurations
(Sanskrit: klesha) and to
practice compassion and wisdom simultaneously.
Deity Yoga employs highly refined
techniques of creative
imagination, visualisation, and photism in order to self-identify
with
the divine form and qualities of a particular deity as the union
of
method or skilful means and wisdom. As His Holiness the Dalai
Lama
says, "In brief, the body of a Buddha is attained through meditating
on
it".
The realization of Deity yoga is attained as a result of
pure
concentration on bringing the three bodies into the path, in which
the
practitioner mentally generates themselves as a Tantric Deity
(Sanskrit: Yidam) and
their surroundings as the Deity's mandala.
The purpose of doing this is to overcome ordinary appearances
and
conceptions which, according to Vajrayana, are the obstructions to nirvana and omniscience.[39]
Recent
studies indicate that Deity yoga yields quantifiable
improvements in the practitioner's ability to process
visuospatial
information, specifically those involved in working
visuospatial
memory. [40]
Four Purities (Tibetan: yongs su
dag pa bzhi; yongs dag bzhi)[41]
In defining Vajrayana, Yuthok et al.
identify the "Four Purities" which define the principal
Tantric
methodology of Deity Yoga that distinguishes it from the rest
of
Buddhism:[42]
Vajrayana...is a subdivision of
Mahayana, which may be divided
into Sutrayana and Vajrayana (or Tantrayana). Vajrayana is regarded
as
a swifter path and is considered superior to Sutrayana.
Whereas
Sutrayana focuses on the causal method, Vajrayana teaches the
Resultant
method [sic] because it includes the 'four purities': (1) purity
of
environment (2) purity of body (3) purity of resources and (4)
purity
of deeds.
Tantra is defined as an inner realization
that functions to prevent
ordinary appearances and conceptions and to accomplish the
four
complete purities... The four complete purities are the pure
environment, body, enjoyments and activities of a Buddha.[43]
Kalachakranet
identifies and defines the "Four Purities" in a complementary though
different fashion:[44]
The main tantric practices can be summarised in the "Four
Purities":
1. Seeing one's body as the body of the deity
2. Seeing one's environment as the pure
land or mandala of the deity
3. Perceiving one's enjoyments as bliss of the deity, free
from attachment
4. Performing one's actions only for the benefit of others
(bodhichitta motivation, altruism)[45]
Imagery
and ritual in deity yoga: representations of the deity, such
as a statues (murti), paintings (thangka), or mandala, are often employed as an aid to
visualization, in Deity yoga.
Mandalas are sacred enclosures, sacred architecture that house and contain
the uncontainable essence of a yidam. In the book
The World of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama
describes mandalas thus: "This is the celestial mansion, the pure
residence of the deity."
In the same context, all ritual in Vajrayana practice can be
seen as
aiding in this process of visualization and identification.
The
practitioner can use various hand implements such as a
vajra, bell, hand-drum (damaru) or a ritual dagger
(phurba), but
also ritual hand gestures (mudras)
can be made, special chanting techniques can be used, and in
elaborate
offering rituals or initiations, many more ritual implements and
tools
are used, each with an elaborate symbolic meaning to create a
special
environment for practice. Vajrayana has thus become a major
inspiration
in traditional Tibetan art.
Guru yoga (or teacher practice) (Tibetan: bla ma'i
rnal 'byor)[46]
is
a practice that has many variations, but may be understood as
a
tantric devotional process whereby the practitioners unite their mindstream with the mindstream of the
guru. The guru is engaged as yidam, as a nirmanakaya manifestation of a
Buddha. The
process of guru yoga might entail visualization of an entire lineage of
masters (refuge tree)
as an invocation of the lineage. It usually involves visualization
of
the guru above or in front of the practitioner. Guru yoga may entail a
liturgy or mantra such as the
Prayer in Seven Lines. (Tibetan: tshig bdun
gsol 'debs)[47]
The
Guru or spiritual teacher is essential as a guide during
tantric
practice, as without their example, blessings and grace,
genuine
progress is held to be impossible for all but the most keen and
gifted.
Many tantric texts qualify the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and
Sangha thus: "The Guru is Buddha, the Guru is Dharma, the Guru is also
Sangha"[48]
to
reflect their importance for the disciple. The guru is
considered
even more compassionate and more potent than the Buddha because we
can
have a direct relationship with the guru. The guru therefore
appears
with the yidam and
dakini in the Three Roots refuge formulation of the three factors
essential for tantric attainments.
Death yoga (or "bringing the three bodies into the path of
death, intermediate state (bardo) and rebirth"[49])
is
another important aspect of Tantra techniques. Although it is
sometimes called "death yoga," it is mainly practiced during life,
in
meditation. It can be practiced first according to generation stage, and then according to completion stage.
The accumulation of meditative practice helps to prepare the
practitioner for what they need to do at the time of death. At the
time
of death the mind is in a subtle state (clear light) that can open
the
mind to enlightenment if it is skilfully used to meditate on emptiness
(shunyata).
During completion stage meditation it is possible to manifest a
similar
clear light mind and to use it to meditate on emptiness. This
meditation causes dualistic appearances to subside into emptiness
and
enables the practitioner to destroy their ignorance and the imprints
of
ignorance that are the obstructions to omniscience. It is said
that
masters like Lama Tsong
Khapa
used these techniques to achieve enlightenment during the
death
process. Actually, there are three stages at which it is possible to
do
this: at the end of the death process, during the bardo
(or 'in between period') and during the process of rebirth.
During
these stages, the mind is in a very subtle state, and an
advanced
practitioner can use these natural states to make significant
progress
on the spiritual path. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is an important commentary
for this kind of traditional practice.
This death yoga should not be confused with the
non-Tantric
meditation on impermanence and death, which is a common practice
within
Buddhist traditions used to overcome desirous attachment.
Another Tibetan ritual practice related to death is
phowa (transference of one's
consciousness), which can be done by oneself at the moment of death or
by ritual specialists, phowa-lamas, on behalf of the
dead. For the Anuttarayoga Tantras (Tib.
rnal-’byor bla-med-kyi-rgyud),
transfering one’s consciousness constitutes one of the two ways
to
separate the coarse and subtle bodies through meditation. Daniel
Cozort
explains that ’pho-ba (phowa)
merely separates the coarse and subtle bodies without leading to the
attainment of an “illusory body” (Tib. sgyu-lus). On
the other hand, during the perfection type meditation, known as the
“final mental isolation” (Tibetan: sems-dben) because
it necessitates the presence of an “actual consort” (Tib.
las-rgya), “the winds are totally dissolved in the
indestructible drop” and “the fundamental wind naturally rises into an
illusory body”[50]
[edit]Generation
and completion stage practice in the annutarayoga
tantras
In the highest class of tantra, two stages of practice
are
distinguished. In the first stage of generation, one practices
oneself
in the identification with the meditational Buddha (yidam),
generally until one can meditate single-pointedly on 'being' the
deity
(see above, deity yoga). In the next stage of completion, one
engages
in practices with the subtle energy system of the body (chakras
and energy channels etc.) to actualize the physical and mental
transformation into the meditation Buddha. (Similar practices are
also
found in Hindu
tantra and yoga.) In some Buddhist tantras, both stages can be
practiced simultaneously, whereas in others, one first actualizes
the
generation stage before continuing with the completion stage
practices.
Details of these practices are normally only explained
to
practitioners by their teachers after receiving an initiation
or
'permission to practice'.
The scholar J.M. Kitagawa says that Tantrayana may be divided
into three main types of tantra[7]:
Vajrayana
- established the symbolic terminology and the liturgy that would
characterize all forms of the tradition.[7]
Sahajayana - was dominated by long-haired,
wandering siddhas who openly challenged and ridiculed
the Buddhist establishment.[7]
Kalachakra Tantra - is
farthest removed from the earlier Buddhist traditions, and incorporates
concepts of messianism and astrology not present elsewhere in
Buddhist literature.[7]
There are differing views as to where in the Indian
sub-continent Vajrayana began. Some believe it originated in Bengal,[51]
now divided between the Republic of India and Bangladesh, with others claiming it
began in Uddiyana, located by some scholars in
the modern day Swat Valley in Pakistan, or in South India. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition,
it is claimed that the historical Shakyamuni Buddha taught tantra, but that since these are 'secret'
teachings, confined to the guru/disciple relationship, they were
generally written down long after the Buddha's other teachings, the
Pali Canon and the Mahayana sutras.
The earliest texts appeared around the early 4th century. Nalanda
University
in eastern India became a center for the development of
Vajrayana
theory, although it is likely that the university followed, rather
than
led, the early Tantric
movement. India would continue as the source of leading-edge
Vajrayana
practices up until the 11th century producing many renowned Mahasiddha.
(Vajrayana) Buddhism had mostly died out in India
by the 13th century, and tantric religions of Buddhism and
Hinduism
were also experiencing pressure from invading Islamic armies. By
that
time, the vast majority of the practices were also available in
Tibet,
where they were preserved until recently.
In the second half of the 20th century a sizable number of
Tibetan exiles fled the oppressive, anti-religious rule of the Communist Chinese to
establish Tibetan Buddhist communities in northern India, particularly
around Dharamsala. They remain the primary
practitioners of Tantric Buddhism in India and the entire
world.
Indrabhuti, the oldest known king of Sambalpur founded
vajrayana, while his sister, who was married to
yuvaraja
Jalendra of Lankapuri (Suvarnapur), founded Sahajayana. These
new
Tantric cults of Buddhism introduced Mantra, Mudra and Mandala
along
with six Tantric Abhicharas (practices) such as
Marana, Stambhana, Sammohana, Vidvesan, Uchchatana and Vajikarana.
The Tantric Buddhist sects made efforts to raise the dignity of
the
lowest of the low of the society to a higher plane. It revived
primitive beliefs and practices, a simpler and less formal approach
to
the personal god, a liberal and respectful attitude towards women,
and
a denial of the caste sytem.
From the seventh century A.D. onwards, many popular
religious
elements of heterogenous nature were incorporated into
Mahayana
Buddhism which finally resulted in the origin of Vajrayana,
Kalachakrayana and Sahajayana Tantric Buddhism. Tantric Buddhism
first
developed in Uddiyana, a country which was divided into two
kingdoms,
Sambhala and Lankapuri.Sambhala has been identified with Sambalpur
and
Lankapuri with Suvarnapura (Sonepur).
Many celebrated Vajrayana Acharyas like
Sarah, Hadipa, Dombi,
Heruka, Tantipa and Luipa came from the so-called "despised
classes."
The cult exerted a tremendous influence over the tribal and
despised
classes of people of Sambalpur Bolangir region. It was in the
9th/10th
century A.D. that there appeared seven famous Tantric maidens at
Patna
(Patnagarh) region which was then called Kuanri-Patana. These
maidens
are popularly known as Satvaheni (Seven sisters), namely,
Gyanadei
Maluni, Luhakuti, Luhuruni, Nitei Dhobani, Sukuti Chamaruni,
Patrapindhi Savaruni, Gangi Gauduni and sua Teluni. They hailed
from
the so-called low castes of society and were followers of
Lakshminkara.
Because of their miraculous power and feats, they were later on
deified
and worshipped by the folk people.
A systematic analysis of the trend of religious development of
the
period under review, and circumstantial evidence, reveals that
Chakra
Sambar Tantricism of Tantric Buddhism gained popularity in the
Gandhagiri region. The chief deity of Chakra Sambara Tantra is
Buddha
Sambara, the deity whose worship is still popular in China and
Tibet.
According to Sadhanamala, god Buddha Sambara is
one-faced and
two-armed. He appears terrible with his garment of tiger-skin,
garland
of heads, a string of skulls round the head, three eyes and in
Âlidhamudrâ, he tramples upon
kalaratri. A number of texts relating to the
procedures of worship of god Buddha Sambara have been composed by
siddhacharyas like Darikapa, Santideva, Jayadratha
and others. King Indrabhuti of Shambala (Sambalpur) composed the Chakra
Sambara Stotra, Chakra Sambara Anubandha
Samgraha, Chakra Sambara Tantraraga, the
Chakra Sambara Samuchchaya Nama Brutti,
and others. The philosopher-king Indrabhuti became the source
and
inspiration for the adherents of Tantric Buddhist cults in
Western
Orissa, including in the Gandhagiri region.
Indrabhuti and Laksminkara, the two royal Buddhist
Acharyas,
attracted a mass of followers to their cults. In the 9th-10th
century
A.D., the worship and Sadhana of Buddha Sambara, the presiding deity
of
Chakra Sambara Tantra, gained popularity in the Gandhagiri region.
In
Gandhagiri which also contains a large number of caves and
rock-shelters, apparently of the Vajrayanists and Sahajayanists,
the
adherents of the cults used to live in seclusion and practice
Kaya
Sadhana or Yogic practices, along with worshipping god Buddha
Sambara.
In 747 the Indian master Padmasambhava traveled from Afghanistan to bring Vajrayana Buddhism
to Tibet and Bhutan, at the request of the king of Tibet.
This was the original transmission which anchors the lineage of the
Nyingma school. During the 11th century and
early 12th century a second important transmission occurred with the
lineages of Atisa, Marpa and Brogmi,
giving rise to the other schools of Tibetan Buddhism, namely Kadam, Kagyu, Sakya, and Geluk (the school of the Dalai Lama).
During the Tang Dynasty
in China, when esoteric Buddhist practices reached their peak,
Japan
was actively importing Buddhism, its texts and teachings, by
sending
monks on risky missions across the sea to stay in China for two
years
or more. Depending on where the monk stay and trained, they might
bring
esoteric Buddhist material and training back to Japan, or not.
In 804, monk Saicho came back from
China with teachings from the Tiantai sect, but was also trained in
esoteric lineages. When he later founded the Japanese Tendai
sect, esoteric practices were integrated with the larger
Tendai
teachings, but Tendai is not an exclusively esoteric sect.
Subsequent
disciples of Saicho also returned from China in later years
with
further esoteric training, which helped to flesh out the lineage
in
Japan.
On the same mission in 804, Emperor Kammu also sent monk Kūkai to the Tang Dynasty capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an).
Kūkai absorbed the Vajrayana thinking from eminent Indian and
Chinese
Vajrayana teachers at the time, and synthesized a version of which
he
took back with him to Japan, where he founded the Shingon school of Buddhism, a school
which continues to this day. Unlike Tendai, Shingon is a purely esoteric
sect.
The empire of Srivijaya in southeast Sumatra was
already a center of Vajrayana learning when the monk I-Tsing resided there for six months in
671 CE, long before Padmasambhava brought the method to
Tibet. In the 11th century CE, Atisha studied in Srivijaya under Serlingpa, an eminent Buddhist scholar
and a prince of the Srivijayan ruling house.
Through early economic relationships with the Srivijaya Empire,
the Philippines came under the influence of Vajrayana.[citation
needed] Vajrayana Buddhism also
influenced the construction of Borobudur, a three-dimensional mandala, in central Java circa 800
CE.
In the 13th century CE the Tibetan Buddhist teachers of
the Sakya school, led by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen took part in a
religious debate with Christians and Muslims before the Mongolian royal court. As a result the
Mongolian Prince
Godan adopted Tibetan Buddhism as his personal religion,
although not requiring it of his subjects. Drogön Chögyal Phagpa, Sakya
Pandita's nephew, eventually converted Kublai Khan to Buddhism. Since the Khan conquered
China and established the Yuan Dynasty which lasted from 1271 to 1368, this
led to the renewal in China
of the Tantric practices which had died out there many years
earlier.
Vajrayana practice declined in China and Mongolia with the fall of the
Yuan Dynasty, although Mongolia saw another
revival of Vajrayana in the 17th century, with the establishment of ties
between the Dalai Lama in Tibet
and the Mongolian princedoms. This revived the historic pattern of
the
spiritual leaders of Tibet acting as priests to the rulers of the Mongol empire. Having survived
suppression by the Communists, Buddhism in Mongolia is today primarily of
the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and is being
re-invigorated following the fall of the Communist
government.
^Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004, page
875.
^Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004, page
875.
^Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004, page
875.
^Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004, page
875.
^Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004, page
875.
^
Hawkins, Bradley K. Buddhism, p. 25. Routledge,
1999. ISBN
041521162X
^Large numbers of Mahayana sutras were being composed in the
period between the beginning of the common era and the fifth
century. MacMillan Encyclopedia of
Buddhism, 2004, page 494
^
Paul Williams and Anthony Tribe, Buddhist Thought: A complete
introduction to the Indian tradition, Routledge, 2000. ISBN 0203185935 pg
194.
^ ab
Ray, Reginald A. Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric
Buddhism of Tibet. Shambhala Publications, Boston:
2001
^
Tantric
Buddhism in India (from c. A.D. 800 to c. A.D. 1200). In:
Buddhismus in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Band II. Hamburg.
pp.23–49.
(Internal publication of Hamburg University.) pg 3[1]
^
Skilling, Mahasutras, volume I, parts I &
II, 1997, Pali Text Society, page 78, speaks of the tantra divisions of
some editions of the Kangyur as including Sravakayana, Mahayana
and Vajrayana texts
^
Peter Skilling, Mahasutras, volume I, 1994, Pali Text Society[2], Lancaster, page xxiv
^
Williams, Paul. Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious
Studies, p. 315. Routledge, 2006. ISBN
0415332265
^
Berzin, Alexander (2007). The Two Truths in Vaibhashika and
Sautrantika. March 2001; revised September 2002 and July 2006.
Source: [3] (accessed:
January 2, 2008).
^Palmo, Tenzin (2002). Reflections on a
Mountain Lake:Teachings on Practical Buddhism. Snow Lion Publications.
pp. 224–5. ISBN1-55939-175-8.
^
Tsongkhapa , Tantric Ethics: An Explanation of the Precepts
for Buddhist Vajrayana PracticeISBN 0-86171-290-0, page
46.
^
Dhammasaavaka. The Buddhism Primer: An Introduction to
Buddhism, p. 79. ISBN
1411663349
^
Morreale, Don (1998) The Complete Guide to Buddhist
AmericaISBN 1-57062-270-1
p.215
^
Trungpa, Chögyam and Chödzin, Sherab (1992) The Lion's Roar:
An Introduction to TantraISBN 0-87773-654-5 p.
144.
^
Arpaia, Joseph & D. Lobsang Rapgay (2004). Tibetan
Wisdom for Modern Life. Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN
81-208-1955-1.
^
Beer, Robert (2004). The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and
Motifs. Serindia Publications, Inc. ISBN 1932476105. p.142.
Source: [4] (accessed:
January 9, 2008)
^
Yuthok, Choedak (1997) p.27. Lamdre: Dawn of
Enlightenment.
(Transcribed and edited by Pauline Westwood with valued assistance
from
Ot Rastsaphong, Rob Small, Brett Wagland and Whitethorn. Cover
Design:
Rob Small) Canberra, Australia: Gorum Publications. ISBN 0 9587085 0 9.
Source: [6] (accessed:
January 3, 2008)
^Guide to Dakini Land: The Highest Yoga Tantra
Practice of Buddha Vajrayogini, page 148ff Tharpa Publications (2nd.
ed., 1996) ISBN
978-0-948006-39-5
^Rinpoche, Patrul (author); Brown, Kerry (ed.);
and Sharma, Sima (ed.)(1994). The Words of My Perfect
Teacher (Tibetan title: kunzang lama'i
shelung).
Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. With a forward by
the
Dalai Lama. San Francisco, California, USA:
HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 0-06-066449-5
(cloth: alk. paper). P.416
^Rinpoche, Patrul (author); Brown, Kerry (ed.);
and Sharma, Sima (ed.)(1994). The Words of My Perfect
Teacher (Tibetan title: kunzang lama'i
shelung).
Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. With a forward by
the
Dalai Lama. San Francisco, California, USA:
HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 0-06-066449-5
(cloth: alk. paper). P.442
^Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen,
Offering to the Spiritual Guide (Tib. Lama Chopa),
Tharpa Publications, p. 12
^Guide to Dakini Land, pages 109-119, Tharpa
Publications (2nd. ed., 1996) ISBN
978-0-948006-39-5
^Highest Yoga Tantra: An Introduction to the Esoteric Buddhism
of Tibet. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1986: p. 98.
^
Banerjee, S. C. Tantra in Bengal: A Study in Its Origin,
Development and Influence. Manohar. ISBN
8185425639.
Tantric Ethics: An Explanation of the Precepts for
Buddhist Vajrayana Practice by Tson-Kha-Pa, ISBN
0-86171-290-0
Perfect Conduct: Ascertaining the Three
Vows by Ngari Panchen, Dudjom Rinpoche, ISBN
0-86171-083-5
Buddhist Ethics (Treasury of Knowledge) by
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, ISBN
1-55939-191-X
Āryadeva's Lamp that Integrates the
Practices
(Caryāmelāpakapradīpa): The Gradual Path of Vajrayāna Buddhism
according to the Esoteric Community Noble Tradition, ed. and
trans by Christian K. Wedemeyer (New York: AIBS/Columbia Univ. Press,
2007). ISBN
978-0-9753734-5-3
Astrology goes back to the times of the Sumerians, who settled in
Mesopotamia around 4000 BC. This marks the first example of a people who
worshipped the sun, moon, and Venus. They considered these heavenly
bodies gods, or the homes of gods. The priests of the time who
communicated with the gods were the first rulers. There were High
Priests and lesser priests - much like the way things were in Atlantis.
They carried the teachings with them from one civilization to another.
The Time of Ptolemy
Ptolemy
worked
from the data of past astrologers to map over one thousand stars. He
compiled a list of 48 constellations, and, for the most part, described
the longitude and latitude lines of the earth. He was a believer that
the earth was the center of the universe and worked to advance this
theory. His effort in this area was in his thirteen volume work called
the Almagest.
The Ptolemaic system is explained why some planets seemed to move
backwards for periods of time in their orbit aroundearth. He theorized
that each planet also revolved in a smaller circle as well as a larger
one. This was called the "epicycle." This theory would survive for 1400
years, until it was finally accepted that the earth was itself another
planet in orbit around the sun.
The first book defined Ptolemy's reasoning for practicing Astrology as
well as astronomy, for by this time, there were many who opposed
astrology. He said that it should not be abandoned merely because there
are a few people who abuse it. This book also deals with the various
alignments of planets, the moon, and the sun. Ptolemy describes in
detail which positions are favorable and which are not. He also
explained the signs, when they begin, and why they begin there.
The second book of the Tetrabiblos describes
astrology as it
relates to
countries. Ptolemy makes the point that astrological events of countries
and race
supersede those of the individual. He details which planets rule over
which
country, and makes the distinction between human signs and animal signs.
He
notes that human signs cause things to happen to humans and animal signs
affect
animals. Finally, Ptolemy explains how the planets affect earth. For
example, Saturn
was thought to cause cold, floods, poverty, and death. Mars caused war
and
drought. Comets and shooting stars were thought to also affect the
weather.
The third book dealt with the individual. The
Tetrabiblos
examined conception and
birth, saying that it was better to work with the conception date and
that this
date should be known by observation. Several key factors were involved
with this
aspect of astrology. The sign that was rising at the time of conception,
the
moon's phase, and the movements of the planets were all taken into
consideration. The father's influence was shown through the sun and
Saturn, while
the mother's was shown through the moon and Venus.
Finally, the forth book of the Tetrabiblos handled
matters of
occupation, marriage,
children, travel, and 'houses' of the zodiac. The particular angles of
various
planets were used to calculate these things.
The Tetrabiblos compiled almost all of the
astrological works up
to that point. Only very few modifications have been made since then,
and most of what we know as astrology comes from this work. Critics
claim that it is "tedious and dry" to read, and that there are some
contradictions in Ptolemy's ideas.
Furthermore, he did not take into account the precession of the
equinoxes. He undoubtedly knew about this phenomenon, an overlapping
between signs and constellations that gets larger over time (about 5
degrees per three hundred years), but why he did not examine or explain
this is a mystery and one of the biggest flaws of his work.
There were also problems with his correlation between astrology and the
seasons. His belief that the conception time was preferable to birth
time is a
misguided one, as conception time for an individual is actually rather
difficult to
calculate. There were other errors in his work, mostly dealing with
beliefs of the
time and misinformation about astronomy; however, for the most part,
the
Tetrabiblos has proved invaluable to this day.
Ptolemy may never have actually practiced astrology, as there has not
been a single horoscope
found that was created by him. Some say that his writing almost
reflects an
embarrassment about astrology, and suggest that perhaps he might not
have
been a scholar of the art, but more a reporter of it.
Probably the most disturbing accusation against Ptolemy is that his
figures were
intentionally skewed and doctored to fit his hypotheses. A study of
Ptolemy's
figures was done in 1977, and the findings were that most of his data
was
fraudulent. For more on this subject, one should refer to the book by R.
Newton,
The Crime of Claudius Ptolemy. It is hard to hold
this against
Ptolemy; he was, of
course, working in ancient times. However, had he used correct numbers
in his
work, it might not have taken future scholars 1400 more years to correct
wrong
ideas concerning the universe.
In his defense, he was living during a time when 'politically incorrect'
beliefs could
be grounds for punishment. It actually may not have been safe for him to
expose
the truth; instead he may have been forced to make his numbers fit into
incorrect
theories. He knew enough about the truth...the precession of the
equinoxes and
the theories that postulated that the earth, in fact, revolved around
the sun.
Apparently, fear for his own life is the reason why he did not act on
his
knowledge.
After Ptolemy, many astrologers followed. Some notable Egyptians in the
field
were Paul of Alexandria, Hephaestion of Thebes, and Palchus, though
little other
than their names are known about these people. Ptolemy's work was
continued
and commented on by the Alexandrian mathematician Pappus, the
mathematician/astronomer Theon of Alexandria, and the Greek
mathematician
Proclus, who wrote a paraphrase of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos.
Most of our understanding of Egyptian astrology is contained within the
Cairo
Calendar, which consists of a listing of all the days of an Egyptian
year. The listings
within the calendar all take the same form and can be broken up into
three parts:
the type of day (favorable, unfavorable
etc)
a mythological event which may make a particular
day more
favorable or unfavorable
a prescribed behavior associated with that day.
Unlike modern astrology as found within newspapers, where one can
choose whether to follow the advice there in or not, the Egyptians
strictly adhered to
what an astrologer would advise. As is evidenced by the papyrus of the
Cairo
Calendar, on days where there were adverse or favorable conditions, if
the
astrologers told a person not to go outside, not to bathe, or to eat
fish on a
particular day, such advice was taken very literally and seriously.
Some of the most interesting and misunderstood information about the
Ancient Egyptians concerns their calendarical and astrological system.
Of the greatest fallacy about Ancient Egypt and it's belief in astrology
concerns the supposed worship of animals.
The Egyptians did not worship animals, rather the Egyptians according to
an animals astrological significance, behaved in certain ritualistic
ways toward certain animals on certain days. For example, as is
evidenced by the papyrus Cairo Calendar, during the season of Emergence,
it was the advisement of the Seers (within the priestly caste), and the
omens of certain animals they saw, which devised whether a specific
date would be favorable or unfavorable.
The basis for deciding whether a date was favorable or unfavorable was
based upon a belief in possession of good or evil spirits, and upon a
mythological ascription to the gods. Simply, an animal was not ritually
revered because it was an animal, but rather because it had the ability
to become possessed, and therefore could cause harm or help to any
individual near them. It was also conceived of that certain gods could
on specific days take the form of specific animals. Hence on certain
days, it was more likely for a specific type of animal to become
possessed by a spirit or god than on other days.
The rituals that the Egyptians partook of to keep away evil spirits from
possessing an animal consisted of sacrifice to magic, however, it was
the seers and the astrologers who guided many of the Egyptians and their
daily routines. Hence, the origin of Egyptians worshipping animals, has
more to do with the rituals to displace evil spirits, and their
astrological system, more so than it does to actually worshipping
animals.
The pyramids have long fascinated Robert Bauval.
He
is Egyptian, born in Al-Iskandariyya (Alexandria) to Belgian parents,
and has spent most of his life living and working in the Middle East.
For many years he had pondered over the significance of Sah, the
constellation of Orion, and its link to the pyramids. One night, while
working in Saudi Arabia, he took his family and a friend's family up
into the sand dunes of the Arabian desert for a camping expedition.
Bauval knew that the seemingly inconsistent layout of the three Fourth
Dynasty pyramids at Giza was no accident, and had applied his own
engineer's mind, and those of many friends to the problem. Most agreed
that the alignment, though unusual, was no accident, given the precise
mathematical knowledge that the Egyptians had.
His friend, a keen amateur astronomer, pointed out Orion, and
mentioned, in passing, that Mintaka, the smaller more easterly of the
stars making up Orion's belt was offset slightly from the others.
Immediately Bauval saw the answer -- the three Belt Stars were aligned
in exactly the same way as the three pyramids.
Bauval checked the alignment in 2,450 BCE by precessing the three Belt
Stars back, and found that, due to their close proximity in space, great
distance from Earth, and negligible proper motion, they looked exactly
the same then as they do today. Of course, they had changed in
declination -- then they were just below the celestial equator, at about
-1 degree declination.
The pyramids were a mirror image, the Earthly representation of the
Belt of Orion, the destination of the dead King! The Egyptians were
dualists -- everything they thought and believed was a duality.
Everything had its counterpart, cause and effect, left and right, East
and West, death and rebirth -- nothing was ever seen in isolation. They
had constructed at Giza an exact replica of the Duat [underworld]
destination of the King. Far from being a tomb, the pyramid was the
starting point of the King's journey back to the stars from whence he
came, back to the First Time.
Bauval initially made use of the astronomy program Skyglobe 3.5. Though
too inaccurate for serious work -- it does not take proper motion,
rotation, refraction, for example, into account -- it was sufficient to
clarify Bauval's mind as to the value of his discovery. Giza is West of
the Nile -- putting the plane of our galaxy into the equation showed
that Orion is "West" of the Milky Way, in proportion to Giza and the
Nile.
Robert
Temple
wrote a book called The Sirius Mystery - which deals
with Earth's
connection to the Sirius
star system.
To Egypt, the 23rd of July, when Sirius starts to rise the waters of the
Nile begin to flood. Then it meant fertility, that is one reason, for
she was Isis. Sirius, Isis, the great mother of the gods. Even the Swiss
celebration day, is the 1st of August. This is a Sirius relative.
Our solar system is born in from the womb of Isis. Sirius B, which is
Isis , is made
of iron (radio astronomy has shown). The iron of Sirius b, is the same
as the iron
in our blood and the iron of Earth and of our solar system. Sirius is
our blood. We
resonate to her. She is older than our solar system, which is a
combination of
interstellar debris, including the gas clouds, our sperm of
Osiris/Orion. The iron in
our blood comes from Sirius, its position in the sky, could thus be
considered to
resonate to Sirius's position of influence. Iron is the only true
magnetic element.
Sirius has a unique relationship to us. The difference between the mass
of our
sun and the mass of Sirius is a harmonic and universal miracle. Sirius B
has a ratio
mass difference to our sun of 1.053. This becomes significant when we
look at
the Giza plateau. When comparing the mean base side of the Cheops Great
Pyramid to the Mean base side of the Khephren pyramid, the larger
Cheops
measurement is 1.067 that of the Khephren's.
When this is then compared to the equation of Sirius B and our sun, the
Great
Pyramid being Sirius, and the Khephren pyramid our sun, as the Egyptian
Book
Of The Dead indicates (in fact the hieroglyph for Sirius is the
Hieroglyph of the
pyramid) they share a difference 0,01, which is very precise,
scientifically.
However, there is an extra digit 0.014, that doesn't sound so perfect
anymore).
But this turns out to be an essential key in harmonic theory, the
phenomenon of resonance itself. For 0.014 is actually the Pythagorean
comma. The Pythagoreans were those 'mystic' mathematicians, who loved
mathematics as the mystery of the ages. But what is the Pythagorean
comma?
It is the difference between the mathematics of the octave and the 5th.
0.0136
is that precise discrepancy between the mathematics of the fifth and
the
octave, and it is rounded off as 0.014, and as Sir Arthur Eddington
relates: there
is 136° of freedom of the electron. theory is 0,.036. And furthermore
136 + 1
equals the Fine structure Constant of physics, the universal natural
constant.
Fractal harmonics, in the resonance of the Sun Sirius Pyramids
equation, or
interstellar neuron holography.
This is also evidenced, historically as having been implicated in the
ancient "Mystery Schools" within the Archaic Esoteric Arkana of the
Arcane Wisdom, as a precise wisdom, or the Isis Mysteries, and her
mathematics. The astronomer and mathematician Macrobius, at the end of
the fourth century mentioned the sacred fraction 256/243 which is 0.053
(Sirius b mass to Sun), and describes its use in harmonic theory by
peoples which already to him were "ancients".
This harmony of the Sphere is accurate within
3 decimals of each other, and it is also the difference between perfect
mathematics (the ones that work theoretically) and the actual
mathematics of
the universe, 0,014. What that means is that Sirius is no coincidence.
It is really
resonating to our sun. It is connected to our sun like a neuron, because
they
have this major mathematical relation in size to each other, harmonic
resonance,
that is likened to holography, a kind of Virtual Neuron Internal Net, as
we may call
it, or as Astronomer Royal, Robert Temple, has dubbed it: "The Anubis
Cell".
Since
such a long distance resonance is now demonstrated to
occur between Sirius B and our sun 8.7 light years from each other,
these are
two solar systems whom are inhabiting the same cell of space, which
enacts the
"Complexity theorem" which has "instantaneous communication" occurs in
such
cells as a form of ordered self regulation. Instant communication
harbored in this
macro region of space, which acts as if the elements are not separated
by any
temporal distance. It is a macro region cell that turns disorder into
order, called a
"dissipative structure". Such an onset of "complexity", according to
Nobel prize
winner Professor Ilya Prigogine, can result in the instantaneous
extension of
long-range order by a magnitude of more than 10 million. That is like a
fifth of the
people of France speak the same sentence at the same time.
So
Sirius is Sirius business in terms of resonance. No
wonder the Egyptians placed so much significance on it. It is the iron
in the blood,
it is the Earth's iron, it is in the same holographic virtual neuron of
order. What
happens there, instantly is mirrored in equivalence, here, by harmonic
resonance,
that utilizes "complexity theory", yielding "instantaneous
communication", without
subscribing to a speed of light limit. Do you imagine that the alignment
of our solar system at 90°
to the galactic plane is not noticed in the resonance of Time and Space
of Sirius. This is a cross to a cross.
Furthermore, Sirius C, has now been detected, as
relate by
astronomers Daniel
Benese and J.L. Duvent in Astronomy and Astrophysics magazine in 1995.
When
Sirius C is mapped by the pyramid capstone, and its mass is 0.005 of our
sun,
the capstone was 0.00643 of the Great pyramid. Hence 0.001° of accuracy.
August the 11th, 12th and 13th are the Isis days,
that are very
important to us.
Isis sings in our blood at a high point then. That is why it has been so
much used
by Napoleon, the magicians and the "time travelers".
August the 13th is also the day when Quetzalcoatl
was
born, ruling
the serpent of illumination, the fusion of bird with serpent, Horus
with Set's Sata snake, Gurudas with Nagas. It is also the higher Venus
cycles, the top of the pentagrams cycle of the order of Venus in our
skies during one year. So August the 13th has a Venus-Sirius
connection. The cycle of Sirius B is exactly 49 years cycle,
alternating to 50 years. That is the Jubilee, so there is a Sirius/Isis
Jubilee now.
The alignment of the Holy Cross happens every 12,901 years. The whole
zodiac,
from Aquarius to Aquarius, Ptah to Ptah (the Water Bearer and Phoenix) -
it just
happens two times. Only at one time it happens in-between Zodiacal
Alpha and Omega.
For the Egyptians Aquarius was the water bearer Ptah, the first man. So
we are
coming in the age of the first man, NeferAtum, again, the water bearer.
The
interesting thing is, that it is always before the water bearer, that
we have this
alignment of the Holy Cross. In between the age of Leo (the Sphinx) has
that
alignment, about 12,901 years ago.
The Egyptians, like the Greeks and Vedic astrologers, had Aquarius apart
from being Ptah (the water bearer), as the ">Phoenix. And the
Phoenix has the same
hieroglyph as the Pyramid, and Sirius. In that sense we could say that
this cross
is doubled up as a double cross, in that we are entering the age of the
Phoenix,
which is Sirius, by a 90° cross.
The same Hieroglyph is also used for the Pyramidion, the capstone, and
the
vehicle of ascensions. The first sperm of Atum Ra, of the NTR gods. This
sperm
of the gods, was also eaten as the Spirit and the Bread Of Light. Made
from
super conducting elements, found in meteorites, which are rich in
Iridium and
Rhodium, and which were processed at Mount Serabit, Sinai, where the
White
Powder, the Sperm of the Gods, was discovered. The Stone from the stars,
Bija,
was also a meteorite to the ancient Egyptians: Sperm = Bijah; Meteorite;
Bread;
Pyramidion. Which in turn equals: Sirius, Pyramid, Phoenix from the
Iridium Ashes,
and Water Bearer of the Aqua Vitae, the Arcanum of Immortality.
This alignment is important and does not happen very
often. We
have this
massive, enormous rotation. When one spins a bicycle wheel and holds it,
the
faster it spins the heavier it gets and the more it pulls you.
When you have a solar system, it is like an enormous
gyroscope of
inertia. That is
an enormous rotation that affects everything, and you have a galaxy.
Imagine a
gyroscope galactic wide, making a cross to one that is solar system
wide. A 90
degree angle is an ortho plane, that is a way that information exchange
and
translation, and compression of one holographic continuum into another,
galaxy
into solar system, into Earth, and solar system into galaxy.
But what this also means is that the two planes in
their middle,
have a still point.
From June/July to May 2000 there is this stillpoint of focus,
gravitational vortex
compression, with potential magnetic coherent implosion. That is why our
colleague Daniel Winter dubbed it a burp: the compression of planes, and
then
the expression of the digested gravitational bubble into a new creation,
in
anticipation of the 2012 galactic full conjunction and maximum
concrescence of
novelty.
The "Anubis Cell" (which Emmanuel called Oversoul Sun), as Dr Robert
Temple
has suggested, is stating that there is such a major resonance relative
of Sirius
and our sun, that perhaps what ever happens on Sirius effects us in a
mathematical sense. So that we are maybe even a part of a holographic
show
designed at Sirius. Horus is shown pictographically as a crocodile with a
falcon
head and a dog on its tale, illustrating the knowledge of coherent
holography
between the two systems.
Sirius rises just before the Sun once a year. In fact, it was the herald
of the new year for the early Egyptians and also marked the time of
the annual flooding of the Nile.
Sirius has an "invisible twin" which is a highly compacted "white
dwarf" with an unimaginable density. An African myth (The Dogon) holds
that there is a third partner, however, no third body has yet to be
discovered. I suspect that the "third component" is what we call a
"black hole" because the Orion Constellation is a virtual nursery when
it comes to producing stars.
The Great Pyramid (like Sirius) too has an "invisible twin"! The height
of the Great Pyramid is exactly one half
pi (22/7) in relationship to the sum of the sides of its base! The 1/2
pi gives "the big clue" regarding the
pyramid's "other half".
The Great Pyramid is the bottom pyramid representing "dense earth" (the
lower portion of Orion) and its "etheric twin" is the inverted pyramid
on top. Together they represent Pi. This juxtaposition is also a
"representation" of Orion with Orion's Belt at the exact spot where the
two pyramids meet. The place where the physical meets the spiritual is
at the "capstone" of The Great Pyramid or at Orion's Belt which divides
his upper nature and lower nature.
There have been no recorded attempts to climb Mount Kailash; it
is
considered off limits to climbers in deference to Buddhist and Hindu
beliefs. It is the most significant peak in the world that has not seen
any known climbing attempts.[1]
The word Kailāśā means "crystal" in Sanskrit. The Tibetan name for the
mountain is Gangs Rin-po-che, meaning "precious jewel
of snows". Another local name for the mountain is
Tisé (Tibetan: ཏི་སེ་) mountain, which derives
from ti tse in the Zhang-Zhung language, meaning
"water peak" or "river peak". In the Jain tradition, the mountain is referred to
as Ashtapada.
Chandra (1902: p.32) in his dictionary identifies the entry for
'kai la sha' (Tibetan: ཀཻ་ལ་ཤ; Wylie: kai la sha)
which is a loan word from
Sanskrit 'kailāsa' (Devanagari: कैलास).[2]
An illustration of the Hindu significance of Mount Kailash, depicting
the holy family of Shiva, consisting of Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and
Muruga (Kartikeya)
According to Hinduism, Shiva, the destroyer of evil and sorrow,
resides at the summit of a legendary mountain named
Kailāśā, where he sits in a state of perpetual
meditation along with his wife Pārvatī, the daughter of Himalaya. Kubera, the god of wealth was
also said to have his abode on or near the mountain.[citation
needed]
This Kailāśā is regarded in many sects of Hinduism as the
ultimate destination of souls and the spiritual center of the
world.[citation
needed]
According to one description in the Vishnu Purana, Mount Kailash is the center of the world, its four faces are made of
crystal, ruby,
gold, and lapis lazuli.
It is the pillar of the world; is the center of the world mandala; and
is located at the heart of six mountain ranges symbolizing a lotus. The
four rivers flowing from Kailash then flow to the four quarters of the
world and divide the world into four regions.[3]
The
largest and most important rock-cut temple, Kailash Temple at Ellora, Maharashtra
is named after Mount Kailash. Many of its sculptures and reliefs depict
episodes relating to Shiva and Parvati, including Ravana's tale.
(Ravana was a devotee of Lord Siva, just like Lord Ram. Ramayana does
not document Ravan shaking Kailasa mountain.) Ravana's mother had
fallen ill, as they were great Shiva devotees, he had attempted to
carry the temple on his back to bring it closer to his mother. Shiva
being stunned by his bravoure, had blessed him with immortality as
Ravana had passed Lord Shiva's test on devotion. [4]
There are numerous sites in the region associated with Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), whose
tantric
practices in holy sites around Tibet are credited with finally
establishing Buddhism as the main religion of the country in the
7th-8th century CE.[6]
Stupas under Mount Kailash
It is said that Milarepa (c. 1052-c. 1135 CE), champion of
Tantric Buddhism, arrived in Tibet to challenge Naro Bön-chung,
champion of the Bön
religion of Tibet. The two magicians engaged in a terrifying sorcerers'
battle, but neither was able to gain a decisive advantage. Finally, it
was agreed that whoever could reach the summit of Kailash most rapidly
would be the victor. While Naro Bön-chung sat on a magic drum
and soared up the slope, Milarepa's followers were dumbfounded to see
him sitting still and meditating. Yet when Naro Bön-chung was nearly at
the top, Milarepa suddenly moved into action and overtook him by riding
on the rays of the sun,
thus winning the contest. He did, however, fling a handful of snow on
to the top of a nearby mountain, since known as Bönri, bequeathing it
to the Bönpo and thereby ensuring continued Bönpo connections with the
region.[7]
The Jains, who refer to Kailash as Mount
Ashtapāda, believe the founder of their faith, Rishabhadeva attained Moksha or Nirvana (spiritual liberation) at this
place.[8][9]
The Bön, a religion which predates Buddhism in
Tibet, maintain that the entire mystical region and the nine-story Swastika Mountain are the seat of all spiritual power.
Guru Nanak Dev, is one of the few
people believed to have ascended the mountain peak.[10]
It
is widely believed that Guru Nanak conversed with the Nath Yogi's
who meditated on the slopes of Kailash concerning their spiritual
beliefs and meditation techniques.[1]
Satellite view of Mount Kailash with lakes Manasarowar (right) and Rakshastal in the foreground
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a
tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims
of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on
foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination
is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of
the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a
counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is
52 km (32 mi) long.
Some pilgrims believe that the entire walk around Kailash
should be
made in a single day. This is not easy. A person in good shape walking
fast would take perhaps 15 hours to complete the 52 km trek.
Some of
the devout do accomplish this feat, little daunted by the uneven
terrain, altitude sickness
and harsh conditions faced in the process. Indeed, other pilgrims
venture a much more demanding regimen, performing body-length prostrations
over the entire length of the circumambulation: The pilgrim bends down,
kneels, prostrates full-length, makes a mark with his fingers, rises to
his knees, prays, and then crawls forward on hands and knees to the
mark made by his/her fingers before repeating the process. It requires
at least four weeks of physical endurance to perform the
circumambulation while following this regimen. The mountain is located
in a particularly remote and inhospitable area of the Tibetan
Himalayas. A few modern amenities, such as benches, resting places and
refreshment kiosks, exist to aid the pilgrims in their devotions.
According to all religions that revere the mountain, setting foot on
its slopes is a dire sin. It is claimed that many people who ventured
to defy the taboo have died in the process.
Location of Mt Kailash
Following the Chinese army entering Tibet in 1950, and
political and
border disturbances across the Chinese-Indian boundary, pilgrimage to
the legendary abode of Lord Shiva was stopped from 1959 to 1980.
Thereafter, a limited number of Indian pilgrims have been allowed to
visit the place, under the supervision of the Chinese and Indian
governments either by a lengthy and hazardous trek over the Himalayan
terrain, travel by land from Kathmandu or from Lhasa
where flights from Kathmandu are available to Tibet and thereafter
travel over the great Tibetan plateau by car. The journey takes four
night stops, finally arriving at Darchen
at elevation of 4,600 m (15,000 ft), small outpost
that swells with
pilgrims at certain times of year. Despite its minimal infrastructure,
modest guest houses are available for foreign pilgrims, whereas Tibetan
pilgrims generally sleep in their own tents. A small regional medical
center serving far-western Tibet and funded by the Swiss Ngari Korsum
Foundation was built here in 1997.
Walking around the holy mountain—a part of its official park—has to be
done on foot, pony or yak,
taking some three days of trekking starting from a height of around
15,000 ft (4,600 m) past the Tarboche (flagpole) to
cross the Drölma
pass 18,200 ft (5,500 m), and encamping for two nights
en route. First,
near the meadow of Dirapuk gompa, some 2 to 3 km (1.2 to
1.9 mi) before
the pass and second, after crossing the pass and going downhill as far
as possible (viewing Gauri Kund in the distance).
^
ab
However, sources say Guru Nanak was able to reach on the
peak to meet Yogis meditating there.
Other notable peaks that are now closed due to religious concerns,
include Machhapuchhare
and Gangkhar Puensum.
^
Sarat Chandra Das (1902). Tibetan-English Dictionary with
Sanskrit Synonyms. Calcutta, India: Bengal Secretariat Book
Depot.
^
Allen, Charles. (1982). A Mountain in Tibet, pp.
21-22. André Deutsch. Reprint: 1991. Futura Publications, London. ISBN
0-7088-2411-0.
^
.Snelling, John. (1990). The Sacred Mountain: The Complete
Guide to Tibet's Mount Kailas.
1st edition 1983. Revised and enlarged edition, including:
Kailas-Manasarovar Travellers' Guide. Forwards by H.H. the Dalai Lama
of Tibet and Christmas Humphreys, pp. 22-25. East-West Publications,
London and The Hague. ISBN
0-85692-173-4.
^
Snelling, John. The Sacred Mountain, pp. 39, 33, 35,
225, 280, 353, 362-363, 377-378, . (1990) East-West Publications.
London and The Hague. ISBN
0-85692-173-4.
^
Snelling, John. The Sacred Mountain, pp. 31, 33, 35.
(1990) East-West Publications. London and The Hague. ISBN
0-85692-173-4.
^
The World's Most Mysterious Places Published by Reader's Digest ISBN 0 276 42217 1
pg.85
^
.Snelling, John. (1990). The Sacred Mountain: The Complete
Guide to Tibet's Mount Kailas.
1st edition 1983. Revised and enlarged edition, including:
Kailas-Manasarovar Travellers' Guide. Forwards by H.H. the Dalai Lama
of Tibet and Christmas Humphreys, pp. 25-26. East-West Publications,
London and The Hague. ISBN
0-85692-173-4.
^
The earliest known Janamsakhi (now referred to as the Bhai
Bala Janamsakhi for identification purposes) records this
event.
Thurman, Robert and Tad Wise, Circling
the Sacred Mountain: A Spiritual Adventure Through the
Himalayas. New York: Bantam, 1999. ISBN 0-553-37850-3 —
Tells the story of a Western Buddhist making the trek around Mount
Kailash.
Snelling, John. (1990). The Sacred
Mountain: The Complete Guide to Tibet's Mount Kailas.
1st edition 1983. Revised and enlarged edition, including:
Kailas-Manasarovar Travellers' Guide. Forwards by H.H. the Dalai Lama
of Tibet and Christmas Humphreys. East-West Publications, London and
The Hague. ISBN
0-85692-173-4.
(Elevation) Chinese Snow
Map "Kangrinboqe", published by the Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology,
Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Allen, Charles. (1999). The Search for
Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan
History. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London.
2000. ISBN
0-349-111421.
"A Tibetan Guide for
Pilgrimage to Ti-se (Mount Kailas) and mTsho Ma-pham (Lake Manasarovar)." Toni Huber and Tsepak
Rigzin. In: Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places In Tibetan
Culture: A Collection of Essays. (1999) Edited by Toni Huber,
pp. 125–153. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala,
H.P., India. ISBN
81-86470-22-0.
Stein, R. A. (1961).
Les tribus anciennes des marches Sino-Tibétaines: légends,
classifications et histoire. Presses Universitaires de France,
Paris. (In French)
Johnson, Russell, and Moran,
Kerry. (1989). "The Sacred Mountain of
Tibet: On Pilgrimage to Kailas." Park Street Press, Rochester, Vermont.
ISBN
0-89281-325-3.
Govinda, Lama Anagarika.
(1966). "The Way of the White Clouds: A
Buddhist Pilgrim in Tibet." Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder,
Colorado. Reprint with foreword by Peter Matthiessen: Shambhala
Publications, Inc. Boston, Massachusetts. 1988. ISBN
0-87773-007-5
Yoga around Kailash
Video and still images illustrating the Pilgrimage route around Mt.
Kailash and parts of Lake Manasarovar including the Saga Dawa "full
moon festival" celebrating the life of the
Buddha.
Baalbek (Arabic: بعلبك) is a town in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, altitude 1,170 metres
(3,800 ft), situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely
detailed yet monumentally scaled templeruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, known as
Heliopolis
was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Empire. It is
Lebanon's
greatest Roman treasure, and it can be counted among the wonders of
the ancient world. The largest and most noble Roman
temples ever built, they are also among the best preserved.
Towering high above the Beqaa plain,
their monumental proportions
proclaimed the power and wealth of Imperial Rome. The gods
worshipped
here, the Triad of Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus, were grafted onto
the
indigenous deities of Hadad, Atargatis and a young male god of
fertility. Local influences are also seen in the planning and layout
of
the temples, which vary from the classic Roman design.
Baalbek is home to the annual Baalbeck International
Festival. The town is located about 85 km
(53 mi) north east of Beirut, and about 75 km
(47 mi) north of Damascus. It has a population of
approximately 72,000.
The history settlement in the area of
Ballbek dates back
approximately 9000 years, with almost continual settlement of the
tell
under the Temple of Jupiter.[1]
19th century Bible archaeologists wanted to connect
Baalbek to the "Baalgad" mentioned in
Joshua 11:17, but the assertion has not been taken up
in modern times. In fact, this minor Phoenician city, named for the
"Lord (Baal)
of the Beqaa valley" lacked enough commercial or strategic
importance
to rate a mention in Assyrian or Egyptian records so far
uncovered,
according to Hélène Sader, professor of archaeology at the
American
University of Beirut.
After Alexander the Great conquered the Near
East in 334 BC, the existing settlement was named
Heliopolis, Helios Greek for sun and Polis Greek for city. The city
retained its religious function during Greco-Roman times, when the sanctuary
of the Heliopolitan Jupiter-Baal was a pilgrimage site. Trajan's biographer records that the Emperor
consulted the oracle there. Trajan inquired of the
Heliopolitan Jupiter whether he would return alive from his wars against
the Parthians. In reply, the god presented him
with a vine shoot cut into pieces. Theodosius
Macrobius, a Latin grammarian of the 5th century AD, mentioned Zeus Heliopolitanus and
the temple, a place of oracular divination. Starting in the last quarter
of the 1st century BC
and over a period of two centuries, the Romans had built a
temple
complex in Baalbek consisting of three temples: Jupiter, Bacchus
and
Venus. On a nearby hill, they built a fourth temple dedicated
to
Mercury.
The city, then known as Heliopolis
(there was another Heliopolis in Egypt), was made
a colonia by the Roman Empire in 15
BC and a legion was stationed there[citation
needed]. Work on the religious complex
there lasted over a century and a half and was never completed[citation
needed].
The dedication of the present temple ruins, the largest
religious
building in the entire Roman empire, dates from the reign of Septimus Severus, whose coins
first show the two temples[citation
needed]. The great courts of approach
were not finished before the reigns of Caracalla and Philip[citation
needed]. In commemoration, no doubt, of
the dedication of the new sanctuaries, Severus conferred the rights of
the ius Italicum on the city.
Today, only six Corinthian columns remain standing. Eight more were
disassembled and shipped to Constantinople under Justinian's
orders, for his basilica of Hagia Sophia.
The greatest of the three temples was
sacred to Jupiter Baal,
("Heliopolitan Zeus"), identified here with the sun, and was
constructed during the first century AD.[2]
At the time it was the largest temple in the empire[citation
needed]. With it were associated a
temple to Venus and a
lesser temple in honor of Bacchus (though it was traditionally
referred to as the "Temple of the Sun" by Neoclassical visitors, who saw
it as the best-preserved Roman temple
in the world - it is surrounded by forty-two columns nearly 20
meters
in height). Thus three Eastern deities were worshipped in Roman
guise:
thundering Jove, the god of storms, stood in for Baal-Hadad, Venus for ‘Ashtart (known in English as Astarte) and Bacchus for Anatolian
Dionysus.
The original number of Jupiter columns was 54 columns. In the
early
20th century an earthquake reduced the 9 remaining columns to six. The
architrave
blocks weigh up to 60 tons each, and the corner blocks over 100
tons,
all of them raised to a height of ca. 19m above the ground.[3]
This was thought to have been done using Roman cranes.
Roman cranes were not capable of lifting stones this heavy; however,
by
combining multiple cranes they may have been able to lift them to
this
height. If necessary they may have used the cranes to lever one side
up
a little at a time and use shims to hold it while they did the
other
side.
The Roman construction was built on
top of earlier ruins and
involved the creation of an immense raised plaza onto which the
actual
buildings were placed. The sloping terrain necessitated the creation
of retaining walls
on the north, south and west sides of the plaza. These walls are
built
of about 24 monoliths at their lowest level each weighing
approximately
300 tons. The western, tallest retaining wall has a second course
of
monoliths containg the famous "trilithon": a row of three stones,
estimated to weigh over 750 tons each.[4]
A
fourth, still larger stone called "the stone of the south" (Hajar
el
Gouble) or "the stone of the pregnant woman" (Hajar el Hibla)
lies
unused in a nearby quarry about 1 mile from the town (see image
below).[5]
- its weight, often exaggerated, is estimated at 970 tonnes.[6]
An
even larger stone, weighing approximately 1,200 tonnes, lies in
the
second quarry across the road (see image below). Another of the
Roman
ruins, the Great Court, has six 20m tall stone columns surviving,
out
of an original 128.
Jupiter-Baal was represented locally
(on coinage) as a beardless god in long scaly drapery, holding a whip in his right hand and thunderbolts and ears of wheat in his
left. Two bulls supported him. In this guise he passed into European
worship in the 3rd century and 4th century AD. The icon of Helipolitan Zeus (in
A.B. Cook, Zeus, i:570-576) bore busts of the seven
planetary powers on the front of the pillarlike term in which he was encased. A bronze
statuette of this Heliopolitan Zeus was discovered at Tortosa, Spain;
another was found at Byblos in Phoenicia. A comparable iconic
image is the Lady of Ephesus (see
illustration) (Robert Graves, The Greek
Myths I.4).
Other Emperors enriched the sanctuary
of Heliopolitan Jupiter each in turn. Nero (54-68 AD) built the
tower-altar opposite the Temple of Jupiter, Trajan added the forecourt to
the Temple of Jupiter, with porticos of pink
granite brought from Aswan in Egypt. Antoninus Pius built the Temple of Bacchus,
the best preserved of the sanctuary's structures, for it was
protected
by the very rubble of the site's ruins. It is enriched with
refined
reliefs and sculpture. Septimus Severus added a pentagonal Temple
of
Venus, who as Aphrodite had enjoyed an early Syrian
role with her consort Adonis ("Lord", the Aramaic translation of
"Baal."). Emperor Philip the Arab (244-249) was the last to add a
monument at Heliopolis: the hexagonal forecourt. When he was finished
Heliopolis and Praeneste in Italy
were the two largest sanctuaries in the Western world.
The extreme licence of the
Heliopolitan worship of Aphrodite was
often commented upon by early Christian writers, who competed with
one
another to execrate her worship. Eusebius of Caesarea,
down the coast, averred that 'men and women vie with one another
to
honour their shameless goddess; husbands and fathers let their
wives
and daughters publicly prostitute themselves to please Astarte'. Constantine, making an effort to curb
the Venus cult, built a basilica in Heliopolis. Theodosius I
erected another, with a western apse, occupying the main court of
the
Jupiter temple, as was Christian practice everywhere. The vast
stone
blocks of its walls were taken from the temple itself. Today nothing
of
the Theodosian basilica remains.
[edit]Theories about
the Trilithon and other megaliths
Roger Hopkins and Vince Lee have
both[citation
needed] theorized about how the
megalithic stones were moved. They were both consulted about various
megalithic moves around the world.
Roger Hopkins is a stone mason
and sculptor who was consulted to do experiments in the movement
of
megaliths in Egypt (with Mark Lehrner) and other locations. He
has
suggested that the trilithon stones and 300 ton blocks were all
moved
with wooden rollers, demonstrating how this could be done by
using
steel rollers and levers to move a five to six thousand pound stone
on
a concrete platform by himself. He also participated in other
experiments with larger stones, including some that may have been
over
10 tons. These experiments required many more people. For 2 ton
stones
he was able to tow them with as few as 10 people at times and
for
faster results up to 20 people. Most experiments which have been
done
by Roger Hopkins and others to move stones 10 tons or more
required
well over 100 people.[7]
Vince Lee is an architect, explorer and
author. He has suggested
that these stones were moved by flipping them with levers. According
to
this hypothesis a row of people would use 20 levers to pry up
the
trilithon blocks a little at a time. Each time they pried it up
someone
would put additional shims under the megalithic stones. After this
was
repeated enough times the stone would flip over on the next side.
There
would be a log on the other side that the stone would fall onto so
that
one side would already be lifted off the ground each time making
it
easier for the next flip. This would require over 300 flips for each
of
the trilithon stones and even more for the smaller 300 ton stones
to
cover the 1 mile distance from the quarry. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also experimented with this technique
on a smaller scale in Egypt during a NOVA pyramid
building experiment.
They found that they could flip stones up to about 3/4 of a ton
with
only 4 or 5 men, and they successfully flipped stones at least 2 and
a
1/2 tons with more men; however, they found this was too slow
to
explain how the pyramids were built in so short a time.[8]
Both Roger Hopkins and Vince Lee[citation
needed]
agreed that an earthen ramp would have been used to get the
megaliths
up the hill to the temple. They also agreed that the final
placement
would have involved flipping the megaliths and lowering it slowly
by
using sand to cushion the fall. The sand would have been placed
where
the trilithon stones were to be set, and when the stones were
flipped
into place the sand would be slowly removed.[9]
Additional experiments moving megaliths with ancient technology were
done at other locations some of which are listed here.
It should be noted none of these
techniques demonstrated only on a
small-scale, have been done with stones the size of the Baalbek
stones.
In 637 A.D Muslim army under Abu Ubaida ibn
al-Jarrah captured Baalbek after defeating the Byzantine army at Battle of Yarmouk,
it was still an opulent city and yielded rich booty. It became a
bone
of contention between the various Syrian dynasties and the
caliphs
first of Damascus, then of Egypt. The place was fortified and took on
the name al-Qala‘ ("fortress"; see Alcala) but in 748 was sacked again
with great slaughter. The Byzantine emperorJohn Tzimisces sacked the
city in 975. In 1090 it passed to the Seljuks and in 1134 to Zengi; but after 1145 it remained attached to
Damascus and was captured by Saladin in 1175. The Crusaders raided its valley more than
once, but never took the city. Three times shaken by earthquakes in the
12th century,
it was dismantled by 1260. But it revived, and most of its fine
mosque
and fortress architecture, still extant, belongs to the reign of
Sultan Qalawun (1282) and the succeeding century,
during which Abulfeda describes it
as a very strong place. In 1400 Timur pillaged it.
In 1517 it passed, with the rest of
Syria, to the Ottoman Empire. But Ottoman
jurisdiction was merely nominal in the Lebanon. Baalbek, badly shaken in
an earthquake in the Near East earthquake of
1759 was really in the hands of the Metawali (see Lebanon),
who retained it against other Lebanese tribes. The colossal
and
picturesque ruins attracted particularly intrepid Westerners since
the
18th century. The English visitor, Robert Wood, with Dawson was
not simply a tourist: his carefully measured drawings were engraved for
The Ruins of Baalbek (1757), which provided some
excellent new detail in the Corinthian order that British and European Neoclassical architects added to
their vocabulary. Robert Adam, for example, based a
bed[10]
and one of the ceilings at Osterley House on the ceiling of
the Temple of Bacchus, and the portico of St George's,
Bloomsbury is based on that temple's portico.[11]
Even after Jezzar
Pasha, the rebel governor of Acre province,
broke the power of the Metawali in the last half of the 18th
century,
Baalbek was no destination for the traveller unaccompanied by an
armed
guard. The anarchy that succeeded his death in 1804
was ended only by the Egyptian occupation (1832). With the treaty
of London (1840) Baalbek became really Ottoman,
the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911) reported, and
since about 1864 had attracted great numbers of tourists. In November
1898, the German Emperor Wilhelm
II
on his way to Jerusalem, and passing by Baalbek was equally struck
by
the magnificence of the ruins projecting from the rubble, and
the
dreary condition. Within a month, the German archaeological team
he
dispatched was at work on the site. The campaign produced
meticulously
presented and illustrated series of volumes.
"Baalbek, with its colossal
structures, is one of the finest examples of Imperial Roman architecture
at its apogee", UNESCO reported in making Baalbek a World Heritage Site
in 1984. When the Committee inscribed the site, it expressed the
wish
that the protected area include the entire town within the Arab
walls,
as well as the south-western extramural quarter
between Bastan-al-Khan, the Roman site and the Mameluk mosque
of
Ras-al-Ain. Lebanon's representative gave assurances that the
Committee's wish would be honored.
On August 4, 2006, Israeli helicopter-borne soldiers supported
by bombs from aircraft entered the Hikmeh Hospital in Baalbek to capture
senior members of Hezbollah who were considered to be
responsible for the kidnapping of the two Israeli IDF
soldiers on July 13, 2006 and who were believed to be residing in
the
building. The fighting between the fighters and Israeli forces
caused
minor damage to the hospital. Several gunmen were killed and
weapons
and ammunition were seized from inside the hospital building.
No
patients were hospitalized at the time.[12][13]
It
has been reported that during the conflict, vibrations caused
by
bombs damaged the ruins. UNESCO offered help to coordinate
restoration
efforts.[14]
^
German Archaeological Institute The urban planning and
historical development of the Roman sanctuary of Baalbek[1]
^
Rowland Jr, Benjamin "The Vine-Scroll in Gandhāra", Artibus
Asaie
Vol. 19, No. 3/4 (1956), pp. 353-361 "It is apparent from a graffito
on
one of the columns of the Temple of Jupiter that that building
was
nearing completion in 60 A.D."
^
J. J. Coulton, “Lifting in Early Greek Architecture,” The Journal of
Hellenic Studies, Vol. 94. (1974) p 16
^
Isler, Martin Sticks, Stones and Shadows University
of Oklahoma Press (31 Dec 2001)ISBN 978-0806133423 p.
236 [2]
^
Alouf, Michael M., 1944: History of Baalbek. American Press. p.
139
^
Adam, Jean-Pierre; Anthony Mathews Roman Building
Routledge 1999 ISBN 978-0415208666
p.128 [3]
As we search for clues to our ancient past, one that is linked to
creation from an external source, we search for visitors who may have
come here millennia ago, to that end. We also wonder how glyphs, found
in one part of the planet, credited to a specific civilization of that
region, have turned up half way around the world created in the same
timeline. Did the ancients have flying ships? Did the ships belong to
their gods? In the inserts of our reality program and and all things are
possible, as we await explanation of our creation and where it is all
going. Today many people see UFO's of different descriptions, and most
believe aliens exist and in same way interact in our program, if only
for biogenetic experiments, mirroring the Nazi Program of WW II, which
ended as the alien grey program
began. We still search for proof and disclosure, which we sense is not
far away.
Images on the ceiling beams of a 3000-year old New Kingdom Temple,
located several hundred miles south of Cairo and the Giza
Plateau, at Abydos.
I took these images while visiting Egypt in December 2000.
From this images we see many craft that resemble modern day flying
machines.
Helicopters
Submarine (1940) - or UFO?
Glider
Zeppelin - Hindenburg - 1940 -
UFO?
Vimanas
A vimana is a mythological flying machine, described in the ancient
mythology of India. References to these flying machines are commonplace
in ancient Indian texts, even describing their use in warfare. As well
as being able to fly within Earth's atmosphere, vimanas were also said
to be able to travel into space and travel submerged underwater.
Descriptions in the Vedas and later Indian literature detail vimanas of
various shapes and sizes:
In the Vedas: the Sun and Indra and several other Vedic deities are
transported by flying wheeled chariots pulled by animals, usually horses
(but the Vedic god Pusan's chariot is pulled by goats).
The "http://www.crystalinks.com/agnihotra-vimana" with two
engines. (Agni means fire in Sanskrit.)
The "http://www.crystalinks.com/gaja-vimana" with more
engines. (Gaja means elephant in Sanskrit.)
Other types named after the kingfisher, ibis, and other
animals.
The word comes from Sanskrit and seems to be vi-mana = 'apart'
or 'having been measured". The word also means a part of a Hindu temple.
The meaning of the word likely changed in this sequence:
An area of land measured out and set apart to be used for
sacred purposes.
Temple
A god's palace
In the Ramayana: the demon-lord Ravana's flying palace called
Pushpaka.
In later Indian writings: other flying vehicles, and sometimes
as a poetic word for ordinary ground vehicles.
In some modern Indian languages, the word
vimana means ordinary real
aircraft.
The Buddhist book Vimanavatthu (Pali for "Vimana
Stories") uses the word "vimana" with a different meaning: "a small
piece of text used as the inspiration for a Buddhist sermon".
UFO
Lore
Some modern UFO enthusiasts have pointed to the Vimana as evidence for
advanced technological civilizations in the distant past, or as support
for the ancient
astronaut theory. Others have linked the flying machines to
the legend of the Nine Unknown
Men.
Alexander
the Great purportedly gave a description of "dozens of silver
disk-like objects" entering and leaving the Jaxartes River in 337 BC.
Alexander, so the story goes, then became obsessed with the craft and
spent many hours in a primitive diving bell searching for them. (Source:
History Channel "Unidentified Submarine Objects")
Mythological
Descriptions
Sanskrit texts are filled with references to gods who fought battles in
the sky using Vimanas equipped with weapons as deadly as any we can
deploy in these more enlightened times.
In the Ramayana there is a passage in the Ramayana
which reads:
"The Pushpaka chariot that resembles the Sun and belongs to my brother
was brought by the powerful Ravana; that aerial and excellent car going
everywhere at will .... that car resembling a bright cloud in the sky
... and the King [Rama] got in, and the excellent car at the command of
the Raghira, rose up into the higher atmosphere.'"
"Pushpaka" is Sanskrit for "flowery". It is the first flying vimana
mentioned in Hindu mythology (as distinct from gods' flying horse-drawn
chariots). It is also called Pushpaka Vimana.
The special characteristic of this vehicle is, "What ever may be the
number of people sitting in it, always there will be one more seat
vacant i.e., If N people sit, There will be (N+1) seats". It was
basically a vehicle that could soar the skies for long distances. It
shows that even in ancient times, people were curious about flight and
might have tried to design flying vehicles.
Pushpaka was originally made by Maya for Kubera, the God of wealth, but
was later stolen, along with Lanka, by his half-brother, the demon king
Ravana.
The core epic of the Mahabharata mentions no vimanas,
but vimanas often occur in the large amount of matter which was added
to the Mahabharata corpus later. One example is that the Asura Maya had a
Vimana measuring twelve cubits in circumference, with four strong
wheels.
The Mahabharata is a veritable gold mine of information relating to
conflicts between gods who are said to have settled their differences
apparently using weapons as lethal as those we have now. Apart from
'blazing missiles', the poem records the use of other deadly weapons.
'Indra's Dart' (Indravajra) operated via a circular 'reflector'. When
switched on, it produced a 'shaft of light' which, when focused on any
target, immediately 'consumed it with its power'.
In one exchange, the hero, Krishna, is pursuing his enemy, Salva, in the
sky, when Salva's Vimana, the Saubha, is made invisible in some way.
Undeterred, Krishna immediately fires off a special weapon: "I quickly
laid on an arrow, which killed by seeking out sound". Many other
terrible weapons are described, quite matter-of-factly, in the
Mahabharata, but the most fearsome of all is the one used against the
Vrishis. The narrative records:
"Gurkha flying in his swift and powerful Vimana hurled against the three
cities of the Vrishis and Andhakas a single projectile charged with all
the power of the Universe. An incandescent column of smoke and fire, as
brilliant as ten thousands suns, rose in all its splendour. It was the
unknown weapon, the Iron Thunderbolt, a gigantic messenger of death
which reduced to ashes the entire race of the Vrishnis and Andhakas."
It is important to note, that these kinds of records are not isolated.
They can be cross-correlated with similar reports in other ancient
civilizations. The after-affects of this Iron Thunderbolt have an
ominously recognizable ring. Apparently, those killed by it were said to
be so burnt that their corpses were unidentifiable. The survivors fared
little better, as it caused their hair and nails to fall out.
Perhaps the most disturbing and challenging, information about these
allegedly mythical Vimanas in the ancient records is that there are some
matter-of-fact records, describing how to build one. In their way, the
instructions are quite precise.
The Mahabharata also tells of the awesome destructiveness of the war:
"... (the weapon was) a single projectile charged with all the power of
the Universe. An incandescent column of smoke and flame as bright as the
thousand suns rose in all its splendour... An iron thunderbolt, a
gigantic messenger of death, which reduced to ashes the entire race of
the Vrishnis and the Andhakas.... the corpses were so burned as to be
unrecognizable. The hair and nails fell out; pottery broke without
apparent cause, and the birds turned white.... after a few hours all
foodstuffs were infected.... to escape from this fire, the soldiers
threw themselves in streams to wash themselves and their equipment..."
Some say that the Mahabharata is describing an atomic war. References
like this one are not isolated; but battles, using a fantastic array of
weapons and aerial vehicles are common in all the epic Indian books. One
even describes a Vimana-Vailix battle on the Moon! The above section
very accurately describes what an atomic explosion would look like and
the effects of the radioactivity on the population. Jumping into water
is the only respite.
In the Sanskrit Samarangana Sutradhara (Literally,
"controller of the battlefield"), it is written:
"Strong and durable must the body of the Vimana be made, like a great
flying bird of light material. Inside one must put the mercury engine
with its iron heating apparatus underneath. By means of the power latent
in the mercury which sets the driving whirlwind in motion, a man
sitting inside may travel a great distance in the sky. The movements of
the Vimana are such that it can vertically ascend, vertically descend,
move slanting forwards and backwards. With the help of the machines
human beings can fly in the air and heavenly beings can come down to
earth."
In Mesopotamian sources -- The Hakatha (Laws of the
Babylonians) states quite unambiguously:
"The privilege of operating a flying machine is great. The knowledge of
flight is among the most ancient of our inheritances. A gift from 'those
from upon high'. We received it from them as a means of saving many
lives."
More fantastic still is the information given in the ancient Chaldean
work, The Sifrala, which contains over one hundred pages of technical
details on building a flying machine. It contains words which translate
as graphite rod, copper coils, crystal indicator, vibrating spheres,
stable angles, etc.
Archaeological
Claims
Some say that when the Rishi City of Mohenjodaro was excavated
by archaeologists in the last century, they found skeletons lying in the
streets, some of them holding hands, as if some great doom had suddenly
overtaken them. These skeletons are among the most radioactive ever
found, on a par with those found at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Ancient cities whose brick and stonewalls have been vitrified, that is,
fused together, can be found in India, Ireland, Scotland, France, Turkey
and other places. Some say that there is no logical explanation for the
vitrification of stone forts and cities, except from an atomic blast;
but others say that vitrified forts arose by an enemy setting fire to a
fortification composed of a mixture of big timbers and stones.
References
The Yantra Sarvaswa of Maharshi Bharadwaja, Vimaana Chandrika of
Maharshi Narayan, Vyoma Yaana Tantra of Sounaka, and Vyoma Yaanarka of
Dandi Natha are some of them. They contained topics like Maargadhi
Karana (Navigation and control of speed during flight), Lohaadhi Karana
(alloys used for various components of the aircraft) and Saktyaadhi
Karana (production and usage of various fuels used in aircraft).
Para Sabda Grahakata is a subject of monitoring the flight tracks of
aircraft, navigatory communication system, and monitoring the
conversation of the pilots in the aircraft. Maharshi Gouthama mentioned
32 models of aircraft used in Treta Yuga; only one model among them,
called Pushpaka Vimaanam, became popular in the Ramayana. The Vaimaanika
Sastra describes Tripura Vimaanam that uses a solar powered engine to
travel at three levels - on the land, under the surface of water, and in
the air. Sakuna Vimaanam is a cross between an aircraft and a rocket - a
space shuttle.
A symposium on "Science and Technology in ancient India" was organised
in December 1990 at B.M. Birla Science Center at Hyderabad, A.P., India.
Many topics of ancient Indian aeronautics were discussed. The Vaimanika
Prakaranam in Vimana Vignana deals with instruments like Guha Garbha
Darsha Yantra which can locate objects hidden underground from an
aircraft. A semiconductor ferrite named Chumbaka radiates microwave
signals and detects hidden objects.
The B.M. Birla Scienc Center has been doing active research in finding
scientific content in Vedas and Puranas. The Center has deciphered a
number of new materials from Amsu Bodhini. These materials comprise of
glasses with special effects and metallic alloys with rare combinations -
many of them have extraordinary properties unknown to modern
technology. Unlike the modern methods which use 'inert' materials, these
materials required 'live' ingredients like herbs, tree barks, and tree
gums in addition to mineral ores. The sastras had integrated the
knowledge of many conventional disciplines like chemistry, materials
science, metallurgy and Ayurveda. These materials were widely used in
the manufacture of aircraft in ancient India. Some of them can be used
in low cost solar energy generation systems needed for India.
Dr. Roberto Pinotti, an Italian scientist, presented a paper on
'Aeronautics in ancient India' in the World Space Conference conducted
at Bangalore. He told the conference delegates that those aircraft were
similar to modern jet-propelled aeroplanes. He agreed that they
represent the most complex and sophisticated designs.
Some of them used radars and imaging technology instrumentation.
Vimana Aircraft of Ancient India and
Atlantis (Lost Science Series), David Hatcher Childress, Ivan
T. Sanderson, January 1992.
Vedic Physics: Scientific Origin of
Hinduism, Raja Ram Mohan Roy
The Secret Teachings of the Vedas, Stephen
Knapp
Ancient Indian Aircraft Technology in The
Anti-Gravity Handbook (Lost Science), David Hatcher Childress
Many researchers into the UFO enigma tend to overlook a very important
fact. While it assumed that most flying saucers are of alien, or perhaps
Governmental Military origin, another possible origin of UFOs is
ancient India and Atlantis. What we know about ancient Indian flying
vehicles comes from ancient Indian sources; written texts that have come
down to us through the centuries.
There is no doubt that most of these texts are authentic; many are the
well known ancient Indian Epics themselves, and there are literally
hundreds of them. Most of them have not even been translated into
English yet from the old Sanskrit.
Indian Emperor Ashoka started a "Secret Society of the Nine Unknown
Men"-- great Indian scientists who were supposed to catalogue the many
sciences. Ashoka kept their work secret because he was afraid that the
advanced science catalogued by these men, pulled from ancient Indian
sources, would be used for the evil purpose of war, which Ashoka was
strongly against, having been converted to Buddhism after defeating a
rival army in a bloody battle. The "Nine Unknown Men" wrote a total of
nine books, presumably one each. Book number was "The Secrets of
Gravitation!"
This book, known to historians, but not actually seen by them dealt
chiefly with "gravity control." It is presumably still around somewhere,
kept in a secret library in India, Tibet or elsewhere (perhaps even in
North America somewhere). One can certainly understand Ashoka's
reasoning for wanting to keep such knowledge a secret, assuming it
exists.
Ashoka was also aware of devastating wars using such advanced vehicles
and other "futuristic weapons" that had destroyed the ancient Indian
"Rama Empire" several thousand years before. Only a few years ago, the
Chinese discovered some Sanskrit documents in Lhasa, Tibet and sent them
to the University of Chandrigarh to be translated. Dr. Ruth Reyna of
the university said recently that the documents contain directions for
building interstellar spaceships!
Their method of propulsion, she said, was "anti-gravitational" and was
based upon a system analogous to that of "laghima," the unknown power of
the ego existing in man's physiological makeup, "a centrifugal force
strong enough to counteract all gravitational pull." According to Hindu
Yogis, it is this "laghima" which enables a person to
levitate.
Dr. Reyna said that on board these machines, which were called "Astras"
by the text, the ancient Indians could have sent a detachment of men
onto any planet, according to the document, which is thought to be
thousands of years old. The manuscripts were also said to reveal the
secret of "antima"; "the cap of invisibility" and "garima"; "how to
become as heavy as a mountain of lead."
Naturally, Indian scientists did not take the texts very seriously, but
then became more positive about the value of them when the Chinese
announced that they were including certain parts of the data for study
in their space program! This was one of the first instances of a
government admitting to be researching anti-gravity.
The manuscripts did not say definitely that interplanetary travel was
ever made but did mention, of all things, a planned trip to the Moon,
though it is not clear whether this trip was actually carried out.
However, one of the great Indian epics, the Ramayana, does have a highly
detailed story in it of a trip to the moon in a Vimana (or "Astra"),
and in fact details a battle on the moon with an "Asvin" (or Atlantean")
airship. This is but a small bit of recent evidence of anti-gravity and
aerospace technology used by Indians.
To really understand the technology, we must go much further back in
time. The so-called "Rama Empire" of Northern India and Pakistan
developed at least fifteen thousand years ago on the Indian
sub-continent and was a nation of many large, sophisticated cities, many
of which are still to be found in the deserts of Pakistan, northern,
and western India. Rama existed, apparently, parallel to the Atlantean
civilization in the mid-Atlantic Ocean, and was ruled by "enlightened
Priest-Kings" who governed the cities.
The seven greatest capital cities of Rama were known in classical Hindu
texts as "The Seven Rishi Cities." According to ancient Indian texts,
the people had flying machines which were called "Vimanas." The ancient
Indian epic describes a Vimana as a double-deck, circular aircraft with
portholes and a dome, much as we would imagine a flying saucer. It flew
with the "speed of the wind" and gave forth a "melodious sound." There
were at least four different types of Vimanas; some saucer shaped,
others like long cylinders ("cigar shaped airships"). The ancient Indian
texts on Vimanas are so numerous, it would take volumes to relate what
they had to say.
The ancient Indians, who manufactured these ships themselves, wrote
entire flight manuals on the control of the various types of Vimanas,
many of which are still in existence, and some have even been translated
into English. The Samara Sutradhara is a scientific treatise dealing
with every possible angle of air travel in a Vimana. There are 230
stanzas dealing with the construction, take-off, cruising for thousand
of miles, normal and forced landings, and even possible collisions with
birds. In 1875, the Vaimanika Sastra, a fourth century B.C. text written
by Bharadvajy the Wise, using even older texts as his source, was
rediscovered in a temple in India. It dealt with the operation of
Vimanas and included information on the steering, precautions for long
flights, protection of the airships from storms and lightning and how to
switch the drive to "solar energy" from a free energy source which
sounds like "anti-gravity."
The Vaimanika Sastra (or Vymaanika-Shaastra) has eight chapters with
diagrams, describing three types of aircraft, including apparatuses that
could neither catch on fire nor break. It also mentions 31 essential
parts of these vehicles and 16 materials from which they are
constructed, which absorb light and heat; for which reason they were
considered suitable for the construction of Vimanas.
This document has been translated into English and is available by
writing the publisher: Vymaanidashaastra Aeronautics by Maharishi
Bharadwaaja, translated into English and edited, printed and published
by Mr. G. R.Josyer, Mysore, India, 1979 (sorry, no street address). Mr.
Josyer is the director of the International Academy of Sanskrit
Investigation, located in Mysore. There seems to be no doubt that
Vimanas were powered by some sort of "anti-gravity." Vimanas took off
vertically, and were capable of hovering in the sky, like a modern
helicopter or dirigible. Bharadvajy the Wise refers to no less than 70
authorities and 10 experts of air travel in antiquity.
These sources are now lost. Vimanas were kept in a Vimana
Griha, a kind of hanger, and were sometimes said to be propelled by a
yellowish-white liquid, and sometimes by some sort of mercury compound,
though writers seem confused in this matter. It is most likely that the
later writers on Vimanas, wrote as observers and from earlier texts, and
were understandably confused on the principle of their propulsion. The
"yellowish-white liquid" sounds suspiciously like gasoline, and perhaps
Vimanas had a number of different propulsion sources, including
combustion engines and even "pulse-jet" engines.
It is interesting to note, that the Nazis developed the first practical
pulse- jet engines for their V-8 rocket "buzz bombs." Hitler and the
Nazi staff were exceptionally interested in ancient India and Tibet and
sent expeditions to both these places yearly, starting in the 30's, in
order to gather esoteric evidence that they did so, and perhaps it was
from these people that the Nazis gained some of their scientific
information!
According to the Dronaparva, part of the Mahabarata, and the Ramayana,
one Vimana described was shaped like a sphere and born along at great
speed on a mighty wind generated by mercury. It moved like a UFO, going
up, down, backwards and forwards as the pilot desired. In another Indian
source, the Samar, Vimanas were "iron machines, well-knit and smooth,
with a charge of mercury that shot out of the back in the form of a
roaring flame." Another work called the Samaranganasutradhara describes
how the vehicles were constructed. It is possible that mercury did have
something to do with the propulsion, or more possibly, with the guidance
system.
Curiously, Soviet scientists have discovered what they call "age-old
instruments used in navigating cosmic vehicles" in caves in Turkestan
and the Gobi Desert. The "devices" are hemispherical objects of glass or
porcelain, ending in a cone with a drop of mercury inside. It is
evident that ancient Indians flew around in these vehicles, all over
Asia, to Atlantis presumably; and even, apparently, to South America.
Writing found at Mohenjodaro in Pakistan (presumed to be one of the
"Seven Rishi Cities of the Rama Empire") and still undeciphered, has
also been found in one other place in the world.
Writing on Easter Island, called Rongo-Rongo writing, is also
undeciphered, and is uncannily similar to the Mohenjodaro script. Was
Easter Island an air base for the Rama Empire's Vimana route? (At the
Mohenjo-Daro Vimana-drome, as the passenger walks down the concourse, he
hears the sweet, melodic sound of the announcer over the loudspeaker,
"Rama Airways flight number seven for Bali, Easter Island, Nazca, and
Atlantis is now ready for boarding. Passengers please proceed to gate
number..") in Tibet, no small distance, and speaks of the "fiery
chariot" thus: "Bhima flew along in his car, resplendent as the sun and
loud as thunder... The flying chariot shone like a flame in the night
sky of summer ... it swept by like a comet... It was as if two suns were
shining. Then the chariot rose up and all the heaven brightened."
In the Mahavira of Bhavabhuti, a Jain text of the eighth century culled
from older texts and traditions, we read: "An aerial chariot, the
Pushpaka, conveys many people to the capital of Ayodhya. The sky is full
of stupendous flying-machines, dark as night, but picked out by lights
with a yellowish glare." The Vedas, ancient Hindu poems, thought to be
the oldest of all the Indian texts, describe Vimanas of various shapes
and sizes: the "ahnihotra- vimana" with two engines, the
"elephant-vimana" with more engines, and other types named after the
kingfisher, ibis and other animals.
Unfortunately, Vimanas, like most scientific discoveries, were
ultimately used for war. Atlanteans used their flying machines,
"Vailixi," a similar type of aircraft, to literally try and subjugate
the world, it would seem, if Indian texts are to be believed. The
Atlanteans, known as "Asvins" in the Indian writings, were apparently
even more advanced technologically than the Indians, and certainly of a
more war-like temperament. Although no ancient texts on Atlantean
Vailixi are known to exist, some information has come down through
esoteric, "occult" sources which describe their flying machines.
Similar, if not identical to Vimanas, Vailixi were generally
"cigar shaped" and had the capability of maneuvering underwater as well
as in the atmosphere or even outer space. Other vehicles, like Vimanas,
were saucer shaped, and could apparently also be submerged.
According to Eklal Kueshana, author of "The Ultimate Frontier," in an
article he wrote in 1966, Vailixi were first developed in Atlantis
20,000 years ago, and the most common ones are "saucer shaped of
generally trapezoidal cross-section with three hemispherical engine pods
on the underside." "They use a mechanical antigravity device driven by
engines developing approximately 80,000 horse power." The Ramayana,
Mahabarata and other texts speak of the hideous war that took place,
some ten or twelve thousand years ago between Atlantis and Rama using
weapons of destruction that could not be imagined by readers until the
second half of this century.
The ancient Mahabharata, one of the sources on Vimanas, goes on to tell
the awesome destructiveness of the war: "...(the weapon was) a single
projectile charged with all the power of the Universe. An incandescent
column of smoke and flame as bright as the thousand suns rose in all its
splendor... An iron thunderbolt, a gigantic messenger of death, which
reduced to ashes the entire race of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas....
the corpses were so burned as to be unrecognizable. The hair and nails
fell out; pottery broke without apparent cause, and the birds turned
white.... after a few hours all foodstuffs were infected.... to escape
from this fire, the soldiers threw themselves in streams to wash
themselves and their equipment..." It would seem that the Mahabharata is
describing an atomic war! References like this one are not isolated;
but battles, using a fantastic array of weapons and aerial vehicles are
common in all the epic Indian books. One even describes a Vimana-Vailix
battle on the Moon! The above section very accurately describes what an
atomic explosion would look like and the effects of the radioactivity on
the population. Jumping into water is the only respite.
When the Rishi City of Mohenjodaro was excavated by archaeologists in
the last century, they found skeletons just lying in the streets, some
of them holding hands, as if some great doom had suddenly overtaken
them. These skeletons are among the most radioactive ever found, on a
par with those found at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ancient cities whose
brick and stonewalls have literally been vitrified, that is-fused
together, can be found in India, Ireland, Scotland, France, Turkey and
other places. There is no logical explanation for the vitrification of
stone forts and cities, except from an atomic blast.
Furthermore, at Mohenjo-Daro, a well planned city laid on a grid, with a
plumbing system superior to those used in Pakistan and India today, the
streets were littered with "black lumps of glass." These globs of glass
were discovered to be clay pots that had melted under intense heat!
With the cataclysmic sinking of Atlantis and the wiping out of Rama with
atomic weapons, the world collapsed into a "stone age" of sorts, and
modern history picks up a few thousand years later Yet, it would seem
that not all the Vimanas and Vailixi of Rama and Atlantis were gone.
Built to last for thousands of years, many of them would still be in
use, as evidenced by Ashoka's "Nine Unknown Men" and the Lhasa
manuscript.
That secret societies or "Brotherhoods" of exceptional, "enlightened"
human beings would have preserved these inventions and the knowledge of
science, history, etc., does not seem surprising. Many well known
historical personages including Jesus, Buddha, Lao
Tzu, Confucius, Krishna, Zoroaster,
Mahavira, Quetzalcoatl,
Akhenaton,
Moses,
and more recent inventors and of course many other people who will
probably remain anonymous, were probably members of such a secret
organization.
It is interesting to note that when Alexander the Great invaded India
more than two thousand years ago, his historians chronicled that at one
point they were attacked by "flying, fiery shields" that dove at his
army and frightened the cavalry. These "flying saucers" did not use any
atomic bombs or beam weapons on Alexander's army however, perhaps out of
benevolence, and Alexander went on to conquer India. It has been
suggested by many writers that these "Brotherhoods" keep some of their
Vimanas and Vailixi in secret caverns in Tibet or some other place is
Central Asia, and the Lop Nor Desert in western
China is known to be the centre of a great UFO mystery. Perhaps it is
here that many of the airships are still kept, in underground bases much
as the Americans, British and Soviets have built around the world in
the past few decades. Still, not all UFO activity can be accounted for
by old Vimanas making trips to the Moon for some reason.
Undoubtedly, some are from the Military Governments of the world, and
possibly even from other planets. Of course, many UFO sightings are
"swamp, gas, clouds, hoaxes, and hallucinations, while there is
considerable evidence that many UFO sightings, especially "kidnappings"
and the like, are the result of what is generally called "telepathic
hypnosis."
One common thread that often runs between "Alien kidnappings," "sex with
aliens," and other "close encounters of a third kind" is a buzzing in
the ears just before the encounter. According to many well informed
people, this is a sure sign of telepathic hypnosis.
In ancient Egyptian mythology and in myths derived from it, the Phoenix is a female mythical sacred firebird with beautiful gold and red plumage. Said to live for 500 or 1461 years (depending on the source), at the end of its life-cycle the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises. The new phoenix embalms the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in Heliopolis ("the city of the sun" in Greek), located in Egypt. The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible - a symbol of fire and divinity.
Originally, the phoenix was identified by the Egyptians as a stork or heron-like bird called a bennu, known from the Book of the Dead and other Egyptian texts as one of the sacred symbols of worship at Heliopolis, closely associated with the rising sun and the Egyptian sun-god Ra.
The Phoenix became popular in early Christian art, literature and Christian symbolism, as a symbol of Christ, and further, represented the resurrection, immortality, and the life-after-death of Jesus Christ.
The Greeks adapted the word bennu (and also took over its further Egyptian meaning of date palm tree), and identified it with their own word phoenix meaning the color purple-red or crimson (cf. Phoenicia). They and the Romans subsequently pictured the bird more like a peacock or an eagle. According to the Greeks the phoenix lived in Arabia next to a well. At dawn, it bathed in the water of the well, and the Greek sun-god Apollo stopped his chariot (the sun) in order to listen to its song.
One inspiration that has been suggested for the Egyptian phoenix is flamingo of East Africa. This bird nests on salt flats that are too hot for its eggs or chicks to survive; it builds a mound several inches tall and large enough to support its egg, which it lays in that marginally cooler location. The convection currents around these mounds resembles the turbulence of a flame
Chinese Mythology
T'ang dynasty gold phoenix hair ornament lent its wearer the protection
and majesty of the bird, one of the Four Sacred Creatures.
The Feng-huang or Fung; the "vermilion bird," the "substance of the flame." The Feng has the head and comb
of a pheasant and the tail of a peacock. It personifies the primordial force of the heavens.
It is one of the Four Spiritually Endowed, or Sacred, Creatures and like the dragon and ky-lin, with which it is always
associated, it is both yin and yang. When it is the male feng it becomes yang, solar, the fire bird;
but as the huang it is feminine, yin, and lunar.
When portrayed with the dragon as a symbol of
the Emperor, the phoenix becomes entirely feminine as the Empress, and together they
represent both aspects of imperial power.
Like the dragon and ky-lin, the phoenix is made up of
various elements, typifying the entire cosmos; it has the head of a cock (the sun), the back of a
swallow as the crescent moon, its wings are the wind, its tail represents trees and flowers, and
its feet are the earth; it has five colors symbolizing the five virtues; "Its color delights the eye, its
comb expresses righteousness, its tongue utters sincerity, its voice chants melody, its ear enjoys
music, its heart conforms to regulations, its breast contains the treasures of literature, and its
spurs are powerful against transgressors" (from an ancient ritual)
The Feminine aspect (huang), denotes beauty, delicacy of feeling, and peace. It is also a bridal symbol
signifying "inseparable fellowship." This is not only for the married couple but for the complete yin-yang mutual
interdependence in the universe in terms of duality.
In Indian mythology we find the Garuda. He is depicted having the beak, wings, talons, and tail of an eagle, and the body and legs of a man (sometimes having four arms). Garuda was semi-divine, as he was the mount of Vishnu. Garuda personifies the sun, as well as being the enemy of snakes.
Christian Mythology
Resurrection; Christ consumed in the fires of Passion and rising again on the third day; triumph over death;
faith; constancy; Christ's divine nature (as the Pelican was of his human nature).
In early Christian tradition the phoenix was adopted as being resurrection and immortality. Through Christian eyes, we are taught to believe in the resurrection, as Christ himself exhibited the character of the phoenix: "I have the power to lay down my life and to take it up again." Using Christ's life as an example, one can live a similar learning life of rejuvenation.
The phoenix makes a coffin and fills it with fine smelling spices, then dies where the stink of corruption is
(effaced) by (agreeable) smells.
Man may make a coffin of faith, faith being Christ, who sheathes and protects
you in days of trouble. Your good spices are your virtues-chastity, compassion, and justice, being odors of
noble deeds, sweet in life (as Christian doctrine dictates).
Depart from life with the clothing of this faith, and as St. Paul states, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith, the crown of justice is restored to me."
Thus, as with all other symbols, there is a cycle, a returning to something, as in many things of life. A symbol occurs because of its reflective association (the return) with the one viewing the symbol. It is lived through the interpretation of the viewer.
