Buddhism

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03fa11c3.gif"> <div> <IMG SRC="08490e80.jpg" border=0 width="144" height="232" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" >White Tara  is associated with the use of the clairvoyant third eye which is shown on her forehead. </FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" >She offers protection to beings who are crossing the ocean of existence.  She is said to be white and radiant as a thousand full moons. She is often depicted as the consort of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="5cf80b70.jpg" border=0 width="128" height="183" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Buddhism was introduced into China in the reign of Han Ming (c. 50 AD).  The emperor dreamed of a Golden Man in the West who flew  into his palace.  He sent emissaries from Loyang along the Silk Road and they met  two Buddhist monks:  Dharmaraksa and Matanga.  The monks arrived carrying their manuscripts of the sutras (teachings of Buddha) and their religious articles on a white horse.  The King built a temple to honor this and the temple was thus named:  </div> <bR> <div> THE WHITE HORSE TEMPLE</div> <div> <IMG SRC="2c9966f0.gif" border=0 width="150" height="111" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="72566960.jpg" border=0 width="102" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Five Buddhas</div> <div> Mandalas exist on the earth for each of the 5 Buddhas.  One such mandala, the dwelling of the Buddha Manjushri, is in the northwest of China near the Kunlun Shan. His color is yellow.  His tantric consort may be related to the cult of Li, prominent in the secret societies of The Yellow Turbans and The Temple of the Golden Flower.  This theme of the sun goddess was probably exported to Japan and becomes the Shinto </div> <div>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" >Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, a principal deity of Shinto</FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="72e80700.gif" border=0 width="128" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Neolithic sun goddess picture (China)</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="7716d960.jpg" border=0 width="109" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Buddha of the Duhung Caves on the Silk Road</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#99CC00" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Online Journal of the I Ching, Yi Jing</B></FONT>     <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CCCC66" FACE="Arial" >|   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Online Journal of the I Ching, Yi Ji"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="want_to_be_an_i_ching_diviner_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Diviners Page"><U>Diviner's Page</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Diviners Code of Ethics"><U>Diviner's Code of Ethics</U></A>   |   <B>Buddhism</B>   |   <A HREF="taoism.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Taoism"><U>Taoism</U></A>   |   <A HREF="alchemy.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Alchemy"><U>Alchemy</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Five Element Theory"><U>Five Element Theory</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id14.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Eight Immortals"><U>The Eight Immortals</U></A>   |   <A HREF="page_of_dragons.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Letters to the Editor"><U>Letters to the Editor</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tampa Bay Album"><U>Tampa Bay Album</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="03ef4010.gif" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Buddhism</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2548caa0.gif" border=0 width="140" height="170" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div>      The "Time Machine Buddha" is a prophesy that the Buddha will appear as the emanation of what the unenlightened perceive as the flow of time, a concept which is probably difficult for <I>aficionado</I>s of the <I>Book of Changes</I> to grasp.  Buddha adopts such a form to show his commitment to the enlightenment of all beings.  The "Time Machine Buddha," it is believed,  will appear when the enlightened and mystical realm of Shambala manifests from behind the invisible barrier.  The picture above illustrates that a Buddha may take any form necessary to help others.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="66c9bc50.gif" border=0 width="155" height="197" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Princess Wen Cheng Brings Buddhism to Tibet</B></FONT><B>  </B> </div> <bR> <bR> <div>        </div> <div>         <IMG SRC="4697fa90.jpg" border=0 width="127" height="169" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" >Princess Wen Cheng, also known as Hun-shin Kun-ju,  of the T'ang Dynasty  married the Tibetan King Songsten Gambo in  635 A. D. She, along with Atisha  is credited with bringing Buddhism and Taoism to Tibet.  There is some evidence that Buddhist teaching had arrived earlier but were stamped out by the adherents of the ancient Tibetan Bon religion.   Princess Wen Cheng, a devout Buddhist, is deified as White Tara but not much is known about her contributions to Tibetan Buddhism   During her reign the Tibetan government began to disarm and form a priestly society and develop an ethic of nonviolence.  Her bringing Tantric Buddhism to Tibet resulted in the elevation of the status of women and their deification in many forms.  In Tibetan myth,  Buddha Lokeshvara and his two female consorts, seeing that the time was right for bringing Buddhism to Tibet sent streaks of light from their hearts into the wombs of the queen of the Tang Dynasty.  Nine months later Princess Wen Cheng was born.  She brought Buddhism to Tibet about 300 years before Atisha (982-1054 AD).   (Tibetan lineages trace the beginning of Buddhism in Tibet to the Princess and Atisha .) </FONT></div> <div>       </div> <div>         It is likely thatthe retinues ofthe princess had highly realized Buddhist and Taoist teachers. Another great Buddhist adept, Nagarjuna is said to have visited China from India about 500 years before the Princess'  birth.   Nagarjuna's  teachings on the quick path to enlightenment by the practice of compassion, such as  the text found in the <I>Precious Garland of Advice for the King</I> electrified the ancient world and developed a large following in China.   Interestingly, the practice of compassion was revealed to Nagarjuna by the sacred snakes with human faces, the "nagas," who are said to be found in Shang-gri-la which itself is found in the Kunlun Shan <A HREF="the_page_of_li__the_middle_daughter_la.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hexagram 30"><U>Mountains</U></A>.   It may be that Nagarjuna's teachings also arrived with the Princess.</div> <div>        The basic training consisted of developing in one's heart a spontaneous compassion for all living beings. This quick path to enlightenment could be possible in only one lifetime and is the basis of Mahayana or "Greater Vehicle"  Buddhism ( "the quick path").  </div> <bR> <div>               "Compassion is the mother of all Buddhas (enlightened beings)</div> <div>                Compassion is the most precious treasure of Bodhisattvas,</div> <div>                Compassion is the unseen friend of migrators,</div> <div>                May I be protected by great compassion!"</div> <bR> <div>      The use of the <I>Book of Changes </I> had declined with the flowering of Buddhism but the I Ching became an underground part of Taoist thought. Talismans of the I Ching symbol were popular among the common folk and a secret brotherhood existed to keep the I Ching  and other Taoist arts alive. Although divination is widely practiced in all branches of Tibetan Buddhism, the Book of Changes has not been found  and thus remains one of "history's mysteries."  This is true even though in myth a magic golden tortoise appeared to the Buddha Manjurshri with the pa kau on its back, a variation of the Fu Hsi myth.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="4af807d0.jpg" border=0 width="128" height="125" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <div>                                              </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Tara Meditation:  Projecting the Illusory Body</B></I></div> <div> <I><B> Into A Thousand Moons</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tantric Meditation</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="4ae63630.jpg" border=0 width="99" height="99" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Visualizing the Countless Moons</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>     </B>There are countless round pools of clear and beautiful still water where ferns overhang the sides and the breezes are gentle.  There are also countless lakes with far horizons, and delicate air.  There are smoothly flowing light green-color waters that gently flow through the woodlands and villages.  Finally, there is vast sea which stretches further than the eye can see.  On a clear night one can see just one full moon, yet on this night, each of the bodies of water (pond, lake, stream, ocean ) reflect a moon.  So on this night there are countless moons. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Magnifying Into the Many Bodies</B></div> <bR> <div>  By the visual practice of seeing one full moon emanate into countless ponds, lakes,  rivers and the vast sea, one is able to visually  project one's own body into countless bodies.  In advanced practice, the illusory body, when one knows how to project it, is thus magnified one thousand or ten thousand times depending on the skill of the meditator.  Beginners may be content just to imagine these things. </div> <div>       The many bodies are useful in offering holy mandalas (see below) and the practice of  generating great bliss because the meditator imagines herself becoming 1,000 selves.  In this way the meditator magnifies the influences she is projecting into the cosmos.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Guatemala" > Arya Tara is associated with this practice and she herself is said to radiate 1,000 full moons .  Each individual manifestation of this boddhisattva represent her luminous and exquisite compassion for all sentient life.</FONT></div> <div> <B>                                    </B></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="4af807d0.jpg" border=0 width="128" height="125" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div>    <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CCCC66" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="48ea3eb0.gif" border=0 width="163" height="235" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></FONT>    "<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF33FF" FACE="Arial" >Green Tara" refers to the Buddhist Princess Bhirkuti from Nepal who also was married to King Songsten Gambo.  As Green Tara, Princess Bhirkuti is the protectoress of all Tibet but especially young girls and wives seeking to conceive. All emanations of Tara, whether green or white, are mother-protector figures in Tibetan mythology.  Arya Tara manifests herself in countless emanations in every walk of life to help humans in every way possible.</FONT></div> <bR> <div>     <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="7e6544b0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="75" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></FONT>   For more on Tibetan Buddhism and Nagajurjuna's teachings of compassion, visit the New Kadampa Tradition which has centers throughout the world and many informative books.  By clicking this link you may read passages of the book<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.tharpa.com " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tharpa.com "><U><I>Universal Compassion</I></U></A>.  </FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Lao Tzu Shows the Way to Immortality </B></div> <bR> <div> The picture (below) shows <B>Lao Erh</B> or <B>Lao Tze</B> after he has taken the family name of Li and achieving immortality by partaking from the fruit of the Li tree. The fruit is called "erh" meaning "plum."  The fruit represents immortality and also his ancestral lineage.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>The eye of the deer shows that the eye is sacred to Li (hexagram 30) and is the path to higher attainments.</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B> </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" > The mountain the stream are a pictorial representation of the<I> </I><I><B>Pao P'u Tzu</B></I>, a sacred text dealing with the attainment of immortality. </FONT> This picture from the 14th Century probably came to Tibet as a part of the dowry of the Princess. <IMG SRC="183e1390.gif" border=0 width="225" height="313" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> This picture  represents immortality and longevity and is used in sacred Tibetan rituals "O<I>fferings to the Spiritual Guide</I>."  The picture  does not do justice to the original in which the eyes of both deer as especially prominent . </div> <div>  <A NAME="the_eye_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="4f020200.gif" border=0 width="32" height="32" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The <B>eye</B> is a symbol of the clairvoyant or third eye and represents high spiritual attainment and the method for achieving it</FONT>.  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF33FF" FACE="Arial" >The deer is the foremost Taoist emblem of beauty and longevity. The deer is said to be the only animal that can find the holy linghzi funguses of immortality. The deer is also the secret symbol of Li, Hexagram 30.  Many woman adepts will first "travel" via dreams into the body of a deer and will then accept the deer as their totem.   Deer masks were commonly worn at sacred ceremonies. </FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>The deer show the way to the sacred mountain and the stream of the elixir or life.</B></FONT>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF33FF" FACE="Arial" > The crane is not only a symbol of longevity but is the preferred vehicle of travel for Immortals using the clairvoyant techniques suggested by the Eye</FONT>. <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF33FF" FACE="Arial" ><I>Lao Tzu is shown here as one who has achieved immortality. </I></FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>His clan (the diviners of Hexagram 30) is represented by the tree and the fruit on the tree.</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF33FF" FACE="Arial" >For more on the <A HREF="the_page_of_li__the_middle_daughter_people.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hexagram 30"><U>P'ao P'o Tzu</U></A>, the Taoist way to immortality or enlightenment, follow this link.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Lao Erh  or Lao Tze sitting under the tree of his <A HREF="the_clan_of_fu_hsi__many_fu__anyang_fruit_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Crack Bones and Turtle Shells"><U>clan</U></A>, the Erh.</div> <div>  (ancient Tibetan picture)        </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Bodhidharma Blends Taoism with Buddhism</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>    </B> <IMG SRC="4877c980.jpg" border=0 width="124" height="152" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Bodhidharma, the blue-eyed monk, lived in China c. 515 AD. Originally he came from India as a Buddhist missionary.   He challenged his Chinese followers to leave behind the narrow secretarian dogmas,  the ponderous scriptures, and privileged hierarchies of organized religion. He founded the school of Chan Buddhism which mostly which was especially popular during the  Southern Sung Dynasty</div> <div> (1127-1279 AD).  Zen continued into the Ming Dynasty (c.1368-1643 AD) when it began to lose popularity in favor of the "Pure Land" Sects.</div> <div>  He was called "the wall gazer" for his long sitting and rigorous meditation practices (<I>zazen)</I>.  He preached for a return to "The Way," the fundamental mystical axis around which Chinese thought revolves.   According to legend, Bodhidharma later sailed in a tiny reed boat bringing the dharma to Japan.  Thereafter, Chan Buddhism found a home in Japanese thought as Zen.  Japan had already been profoundly affected by Buddhist teachings that arrived in Japan from China (c. 700 AD).  However, Chan Buddhism or Zen found a true home in Japanese thought.  Zen, with its sparsity and aesthetic simplicity, focused on nature in order to bring forth the shining mind of Tao.   In  Zen, progress along the path to enlightenment by the student-disciple was gauged by his mastery of  the Zen Arts:  Poetry, painting, calligraphy, the Zen garden, to name a few.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The Way of the Zen Garden</B></div> <bR> <div>      </div> <div>       <IMG SRC="69550640.gif" border=0 width="80" height="100" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  Monastic  Zen gardens, faithfully attended by generations of monks, were masterpieces of the fusion of nature, Japanese aesthetics, and Buddhist concepts of emptiness.  Every Zen monastery is surrounded by and part of such a garden . The garden symbolizes the mastery of things that are best not put into words: Emptiness, no-self, spontaneity, beauty, and harmony with the cardinal directions that is seamlessly interfaced with the natural elements of the land sculpted by wind and rain.  It the most ancient of Zen gardens, the space that was to be their sacred garden was left to the elements for a hundred years or more to allow  the pattern of Tao to carve itself into the land, the rocks, trees, and stones.  The sacred Zen garden rose to a peak of perfection that by itself it has explained these subtle and profound Buddhist concepts.  When  looking at a Zen garden these thoughts appear spontaneously:  Emptiness, no-self,  beauty, and harmony with nature.  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The Way of the Poet:  Basho</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div>    <A HREF="http://softseek.zdnet.com/Desktop_Enhancements/Fun_Stuff/Review_23410_index.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://softseek.zdnet.com/Desktop_Enhanc"><U><IMG SRC="6e0963e0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="62" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>    In his birthplace in the city of Ueno (c. 1690 AD) when  the cherry trees were nearly in full blossom, one can imagine, <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF33FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Basho,</B></FONT> the haiku master sitting quietly reading the words of the Chinese philosopher, Chaung Tzu, a book he said he was never without. Throughout his life's journey, Basho embodied the Taoist ideals of spontaneity and immediacy of experience expressed through the medium of poetry.  Basho, a devout Buddhist, sought always to be at one with nature and the four seasons, each poem expressing a sudden vivid awareness that comes from this harmony with Tao.     </div> <div>       Early Zen poets of Japan, such as Basho, wrote their poems in the Chinese language because they felt that Chinese expressed greater nuance and meaning so necessary in this subtle art form.  Later, he was able to express his "heart-mind" through his native Japanese tongue. </div> <div>       Much of his life this great poet traveled as a simple monk teaching haiku to support himself. He said of his wandering: </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> The moon and sun are eternal travelers.  Even the years</div> <div> wander on.  A lifetime adrift in a boat or in old age leading</div> <div> a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the</div> <div> journey itself is home.  </div> <bR> <div>       He lamented once that the road was a tough place for the empty-handed wanderer but he was anything but empty-handed; his legacy is some of the most revered poetry in the world.  </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> All along this road</div> <div> not a single soul - only</div> <div> autumn evening</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="3b659590.gif" border=0 width="89" height="89" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Whenever winds blow</div> <div> the butterfly finds a new place</div> <div> on the willow tree</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="76b3eaa0.jpg" border=0 width="318" height="170" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> In the season's rain</div> <div> the crane's long legs</div> <div> have suddenly shortened</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://softseek.zdnet.com/Desktop_Enhancements/Fun_Stuff/Review_23410_index.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://softseek.zdnet.com/Desktop_Enhanc"><U><IMG SRC="76c963e0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="62" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> To blossoming cherries,</div> <div> we recite Buddha's blessings</div> <div> most gratefully</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>           </div> <bR> <div> <B>Don't Cling; Don't Seek</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div>        Another famous teaching of Boddhidharma  was "Don't cling; don't' seek."  The idea is that the more one consciously attempts to find Tao, it is ever more elusive.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> The perfect Tao is without difficulty,</div> <div>  Save that it avoids picking and choosing.</div> <div> Follow your nature and be in accord with Tao; </div> <div> Don't be antagonistic to the world of the senses.   </div> <div> When you are not antagonistic to it, </div> <div> It turns out to be the same as complete Awakening.</div> <div> The wise person does not strive (<I>wu wei</I>).</div> <div> If you work on your mind with your mind, </div> <div> How can you avoid an immense confusion?</div> <bR> <div>      Zen has always emphasized sudden enlightenment or <I>satori.</I>  He was famous for teaching that the true teachings of Buddha were beyond words, thoughts, and expressions.   Impatient with self-serving piety he said:   "If you see the Buddha on the road, kill him."  He taught that all aspects of  life were sacred and each moment of time a luminous moment of perfection.</div> <bR> <div> <B>                                        "How wondrous, how mysterious!</B></div> <div> <B>                                          I carry fuel, I draw water!"</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Further Reading</B></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="7e6544b0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="75" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></FONT> <I>Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind </I> and spiritual journeys: <I>The Snow Leopard  </I>by<I> </I>Peter Matthiessen  and on artistic expression, <I>Writing Down the Bones, </I>by Natalie Goldberg.    The introductory book on Zen that is good  for beginners is <I>The Way of Zen, </I>by Alan Watts.  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><IMG SRC="2902d2d0.gif" border=0 width="45" height="45" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B> </B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Mandalas and Chakras</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="72780800.jpg" border=0 width="128" height="128" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Mandala of the 5 Chakras </div> <bR> <bR> <div> A mandala showing the Taoist model of the chakra or main energy centers of the human body.  The chakras have different colors which reflect the energy field or color of each energy.  The chakras resonate from the bottom up to "do're'mi'fa'so'la'ti'do.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="45880a40.gif" border=0 width="128" height="164" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div>        Each chakra controls all those below it.  So sexual energy must be controlled before the seeker may go on to higher levels of consciousness.  Buddhist Tantric and Hindu Kundalini adepts combine the energies of the second chakra (bliss) with the energies of the heart chakra (great compassion) to obtain enlightenment.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="76f96960.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="150" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A mandala is also the dwelling place of a deity.  There are outer and inner areas to the mandala  to which the seeker must gain entry.  In traditional Tibetan sects, only the lineage holder may grant the empowerment of entry into the mandala.  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Offering the Mandala:  Devotional Practice</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="76295710.gif" border=0 width="149" height="113" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The Tibetan Buddhist mudra (sacred hand gesture) for offering a mandala is shown here.  The fingers and hands represent the "Great Mountain (the two raised fingers represent the mountain), the rest represent the " four lands, sun, and moon."  When doing this one says "I offer this mandala to you...please accept with compassion for migrating beings and after having accepted, please grant me your blessings."</div> <bR> <div>                                                    </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="76465960.jpg" border=0 width="101" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Mantra or Prayer of White Tara</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1be44610.gif" border=0 width="68" height="97" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Tibetan prayer wheel spinning, repeating the famous mantra,</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>"<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Guatemala" >Om Mani Padme Hum</FONT>"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Guatemala" >    The mantra is pronounced  </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Guatemala" ><I>Aum  Ma-ni  Pay-may  Hung</I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I>The mantra may be translated thus:  </I></div> <bR> <div> <I>"</I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Guatemala" ><I><B>Om</B></I></FONT><I>" </I><I> </I>The jewel is in the heart of the lotus.  The sound of "Om" reverberates throughout the Universe, deep and resonate yet is also represents the Void and Utter Stillness.  The vibration of this word invokes "all that is inexpressible."</div> <bR> <div> "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Guatemala" ><B>Mani</B></FONT>"  The diamond of pure being, the indestructible essence of pure being that can neither be created or destroyed.  The Void.</div> <bR> <div> "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Guatemala" ><B>Padme</B></FONT>"  The lotus that represents our world of delusions, the world of samsara.  The lotus unfolds to reveal the <I>"Mani"</I> the jewel in the lotus.  The jewel of Nirvana which has surpassed the world of samsara and delusions.  The opening of the lotus represents the process of achieving enlightenment.  If you look closely at most representations of Buddha's, they stand in the middle of the petals of a lotus which represents their enlightenment.</div> <bR> <div> "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Guatemala" ><B>Hum</B></FONT>"  The word has no real meaning in words.  Its rhythmic chant completes the mantra and declares "God Is-I Am!"  All that IS exists in this moment. <I>NOW   </I>This ending of the mantra emphasizes one's enlightenment and is similar to the gesture of Buddha touching the ground upon the moment of his enlightenment.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="65d7d7d0.gif" border=0 width="125" height="125" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="taoism.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Taoism"><U><B>Next</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="midaughter_s_i_ching.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Online Journal of the I Ching"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>