The significance of Nicolo de Conti's contributions are best seen in the light of the maps of the world preceding his revelations.
Comparison of medieval mappa mundi. Pietro Vesconte's World Maps, 1321, from Marino Sanudo's Liber secretorum fidelium crusis; Andrea Bianco's World Map, 1432; Giovanni Leardo, Mapa Mondi Figura Mondi, 1442; Catalan-Estense Map, 1450-60; Fra Mauro's Map, 1459.
Fra Mauro's map, 1459
The comparison of maps above show the level of the art up until Poggio Bracciolini relayed de Conti's travels in 1447. The Catalan and Fra Mauro maps do not appear to have used de Conti as a source at least with reference to the globular shape of the earth.
It was not until Toscanelli as shown earlier in his reconstructed chart that we see the changes as suggested by de Conti. For the first time, we begin to see the world portrayed graphically as a globe rather than in the medieval scheme of a flat circular earth surrounded by Oceanus. The Behaim and Laon globes first give the idea that it is possible to reach the East by traveling toward the West.
We know that Austronesians were aware of the curvature of the earth. Generally speaking they conceived of the earth as having the same shape as the sky. Indeed, one Proto-Austronesian word *banua "earth, land, world" often has the derived meaning "sky, heaven, sidereal year." Polynesian myth describes the earth as a shell or a dome. In the Philippines, there are myths that the Creator dropped a floating stone into a great sea in creating the world.
De Conti sharpened the image of Asia dramatically. Why Cipangu is portrayed as one massive island though is puzzling. Was this an attempt to make it appear as a larger and safer target?
Columbus apparently thought that Cipangu, his El Dorado, lie at about 19 degrees North latitude while Magellan was headed for his land of gold at 13 degrees North.
About a century earlier, Zheng He was preparing for his great treasure voyages but not before trying to subdue the kingdom of Lusung to the southeast. As mentioned earlier, a large eruption occured at Pinatubo around the year 1450, not long after de Conti had left the region of the East Indies.
Lusung and its kings, who had long before resorted to Machiavellian practices, was approaching the final stages of descent.
The Achenese and Malay empires had expanded Islam over most of the area to the south and had begun to infiltrate Lusung society itself through royal intermarriages. The old spirituality had long been in decline. The anti-materialists were themselves not immune to the temptations of wealth, which they had accrued to a spectacular degree at the height of the Sanfotsi/Zabag empire.
The Japanese of the 15th century linked the kingdom of Lusung (Rusun) with those of Taiwan and the unidentified island of Amakawa. The three islands were known collectively as Mishima. During these desperate times, the Dragon and Bird Clan resorted to something their ancestors apparently had never dared.
They began marketing one of the most sacred items their land had to offer -- the sacred jars of the cosmic mountain.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Streicher, Friedrich, "Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli" in Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14786a.htm.
Tafur, Pero, Travels and Adventures: I435-I439, http://www.corvalliscommunitypages.com/Europe/iberianonislam/pero.htm.
Route of Columbus upon reaching "New World"
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Voyage to Cipangu
Marco Polo's confusion of Japan and the easternmost Indies had a lasting effect on European geographers up until the time of Columbus' voyages.
Mapmakers tended to show Cipangu as a vast island covering sometimes more than 30 degrees of latitude from near the equator to 35 degrees north or more. In other words, Cipangu included most of Taiwan, the Philippines and the Moluccas. That this was the case is evident in the fact that many maps including the Behaim Globe show locations known as the Nutmeg Forest and the Pepper Forest in the extreme south of Cipangu. Neither of these spices, or the gold or pearls the island was famous for were abundant, if existent at all, in Japan.
Furthermore Cipangu was shown always in the "Indian Ocean" usually off the coast of Champa, or off the coast between Champa and Manzi.
The world according to Paolo Toscanelli, 1474, reconstructed by Hapgood.
A reconstruction from the Laon Globe of 1493
A section from the Waldseemüller map showing the southern end of Cipangu at about 5 degrees North with the north end at about 35 degrees North.
Toscanelli recreated by Hapgood showing how close Europe thought Cipangu was from the West
As one can see from the last map, European geographers of the time thought the East Indies were much closer to the West than was actually the case. This was due in large part to the incorrect distance assigned to a degree of longitude. As noted earlier, this fault extends back to Marinus and Ptolemy. According to my theory, it would have been in the interests of the Dragon and Bird Clan to allow this error to persist.
Columbus is said to have corresponded with Paolo Toscanelli, and he carried a globe with him during his journeys. The two surviving globes from the period just prior to his journey -- the Laon and Behaim globes -- both show Cipangu in very much the same position as Toscanelli.
Apparently, Columbus also believed that Cipangu was the ancient source of spices like nutmeg, cloves, cassia and Indonesian cinnamon. He expressly stated that he was destined for that island in search of these types of aromatics.
The expedition first made landfall in the New World while cruising at 24 degrees North longitude. Columbus then sailed southwest in his search for Cipangu. He believed that the fabled golden kingdom was that of Cibao, located in the modern nation of the Dominican Republic at about 19 1/2 degrees North latitude. This shows quite clearly that the explorer believed Cipangu was located in the tropics although he greatly underestimated its distance to the West. As you may remember, navigators at this time could accurately determine latitude but not longitude.
There is one important thing we must note regarding Columbus' explorations. Paolo Toscanelli is said to have been the first person to suggest a westward voyage to the Indies and Cipangu. The first documentation of this is a letter by Toscanelli to the confessor Canon Ferdam Martins of Lisbon, which Columbus had read. This started a correspondence between the two geographers.
The important link here is the man generally known as one of Toscanelli's main informants -- Nicolo de Conti. This Venetian traveler had spent many years traveling throughout the East including the island regions of Southeast Asia. Most importantly, de Conti claimed to have had a close personal relationship with Prester John of the Indies!
Pero Tafur, a Spanish traveler met de Conti along the Red Sea near the Sinai during one of his journeys. The Venetian nobleman explained how he had gotten lost in India and finally ended up in the court of Prester John in India Major (Greater India):
Unfortunately, de Conti does not give any specific details on just where in Greater India Prester John was located. However, he does provide some details of his kingdom:
Notice that the number of kings under Prester John is reduced from the 72 monarchs claimed in his 1165 letter.
De Conti also tells Tafur that the king had a great interest in the Chrisitan kingdoms of Europe and that he had twice witnessed emissaries sent to "Christian princes" but was unaware if they had ever completed their mission:
Many of the items related by Tafur are confirmed by accounts given to Poggio Bracciolini, the papal secretary. Pope Eugenius IV had ordered de Conti to furnish his history in penance for his renunciation of Christianity during his wanderings.
As for de Conti as a source his accounts are generally considered the best journals of the East during the entire 15th century. He was the first person in Europe to clearly distinguish Sri Lanka from Sumatra. He also was known to have suggested traveling to the East by sailing around Africa. While there is no direct evidence that de Conti ever suggested a westward voyage, the connection with Toscanelli leaves this as an irresistable possibility.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Mapmakers tended to show Cipangu as a vast island covering sometimes more than 30 degrees of latitude from near the equator to 35 degrees north or more. In other words, Cipangu included most of Taiwan, the Philippines and the Moluccas. That this was the case is evident in the fact that many maps including the Behaim Globe show locations known as the Nutmeg Forest and the Pepper Forest in the extreme south of Cipangu. Neither of these spices, or the gold or pearls the island was famous for were abundant, if existent at all, in Japan.
Furthermore Cipangu was shown always in the "Indian Ocean" usually off the coast of Champa, or off the coast between Champa and Manzi.
The world according to Paolo Toscanelli, 1474, reconstructed by Hapgood.
A reconstruction from the Laon Globe of 1493
A section from the Waldseemüller map showing the southern end of Cipangu at about 5 degrees North with the north end at about 35 degrees North.
Toscanelli recreated by Hapgood showing how close Europe thought Cipangu was from the West
As one can see from the last map, European geographers of the time thought the East Indies were much closer to the West than was actually the case. This was due in large part to the incorrect distance assigned to a degree of longitude. As noted earlier, this fault extends back to Marinus and Ptolemy. According to my theory, it would have been in the interests of the Dragon and Bird Clan to allow this error to persist.
Columbus is said to have corresponded with Paolo Toscanelli, and he carried a globe with him during his journeys. The two surviving globes from the period just prior to his journey -- the Laon and Behaim globes -- both show Cipangu in very much the same position as Toscanelli.
Apparently, Columbus also believed that Cipangu was the ancient source of spices like nutmeg, cloves, cassia and Indonesian cinnamon. He expressly stated that he was destined for that island in search of these types of aromatics.
The expedition first made landfall in the New World while cruising at 24 degrees North longitude. Columbus then sailed southwest in his search for Cipangu. He believed that the fabled golden kingdom was that of Cibao, located in the modern nation of the Dominican Republic at about 19 1/2 degrees North latitude. This shows quite clearly that the explorer believed Cipangu was located in the tropics although he greatly underestimated its distance to the West. As you may remember, navigators at this time could accurately determine latitude but not longitude.
There is one important thing we must note regarding Columbus' explorations. Paolo Toscanelli is said to have been the first person to suggest a westward voyage to the Indies and Cipangu. The first documentation of this is a letter by Toscanelli to the confessor Canon Ferdam Martins of Lisbon, which Columbus had read. This started a correspondence between the two geographers.
The important link here is the man generally known as one of Toscanelli's main informants -- Nicolo de Conti. This Venetian traveler had spent many years traveling throughout the East including the island regions of Southeast Asia. Most importantly, de Conti claimed to have had a close personal relationship with Prester John of the Indies!
Pero Tafur, a Spanish traveler met de Conti along the Red Sea near the Sinai during one of his journeys. The Venetian nobleman explained how he had gotten lost in India and finally ended up in the court of Prester John in India Major (Greater India):
When I arrived in India I was taken to see Prester John, who received me very graciously and showed me many favours, and married me to the woman I now have with me, and she bore me these children.
Unfortunately, de Conti does not give any specific details on just where in Greater India Prester John was located. However, he does provide some details of his kingdom:
I asked him concerning Prester John' and his authority, and he told me that he was a great lord, and that he had twenty-five kings in his service, although they were not great rulers, and also that many people who live without law, but follow heathen rites, are in subjection to him.
Notice that the number of kings under Prester John is reduced from the 72 monarchs claimed in his 1165 letter.
De Conti also tells Tafur that the king had a great interest in the Chrisitan kingdoms of Europe and that he had twice witnessed emissaries sent to "Christian princes" but was unaware if they had ever completed their mission:
I learnt from Nicolo de' Conti that Prester John kept him continuously at his court, enquiring of him as to the Christian world, and concerning the princes and their estates, and the wars they were waging, and while he was there he saw Prester John on two occasions dispatch ambassadors to Christian princes, but he did not hear whether any news of them had been received
Many of the items related by Tafur are confirmed by accounts given to Poggio Bracciolini, the papal secretary. Pope Eugenius IV had ordered de Conti to furnish his history in penance for his renunciation of Christianity during his wanderings.
As for de Conti as a source his accounts are generally considered the best journals of the East during the entire 15th century. He was the first person in Europe to clearly distinguish Sri Lanka from Sumatra. He also was known to have suggested traveling to the East by sailing around Africa. While there is no direct evidence that de Conti ever suggested a westward voyage, the connection with Toscanelli leaves this as an irresistable possibility.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Letters of Prester John
Over a period of several centuries, some 100 manuscripts have been linked with Prester John. These include letters that were taken very seriously by Popes, emperors and kings. Even into the 16th century, some such letters were still taken as authentic in Europe.
Was this really the greatest hoax ever perpetrated, or was there real substance to these letters?
Some scholars claim the letters were forgeries made by Nestorian Christians and Cochin Jews from Malabar in India.
How easy would it have been to fool Popes and emperors at that time? One has to think that no simple ruse could have worked. Even in those times, leaders had sufficient resources at their disposal to verify claims of these types. Merchants, travelers and spies did manage to make their way to the East and certainly would have been consulted for independent confirmation.
After the Mongol invasions, three main theories regarding Prester John arose in Europe as travelers began bringing back tales from faraway places. These were the original one of Prester John of the Indies, an Ethiopian version and a Central Asian one.
Marco Polo and Friar Odoric were among those who claimed that Prester John was a Central Asian Kereit khan who had adopted the Nestorian religion. Jordanus was the first to claim that the kingdom lie in Ethiopia.
In the 15th century, an emissary of the Negus of Ethiopia proclaimed that the emperor was Prester John motivating the navigators of Portugal to explore Africa. In the following century though, we again hear of letters from Prester John of the Indies, some written in the Hebrew language.
The book Igeret Orhot Olam, written by Abraham Farissol in the early 16th century claimed that Prester John's kingdom lied somewhere "beyond Kalicut" a port in South India.
If you remember, Malabar was the beginning of India Major, one the three "Indias" according to medieval European geographers. It was to here that the Portuguese explorers came on their way to the East Indies, establishing the colony of Goa located in the present-day state of Kerala.
Europeans eventually found the islands of spices and the gold islands that they had heard about, but never quite resolved the mystery of Prester John. Maybe part of the problem is that the closer they came to the actual kingdom, the smaller and more isolated the latter became. By the time full-fledged expeditions had reached the actual location, the ancient empire for the most part had vanished, and only legends existed.
Even up to the time preceding Magellan's 16th century voyage, tales of a mysterious kingdom in the Indies persisted. Mendes Pinto, writing about a decade earlier, tells of the kingdom of the Lequios, the Liu-Kiu of the Chinese, located between the coast of China and Mindanao to the south. He gives a latitude of 9N20 for this kingdom and strongly suggests that the kings of Europe make an expedition there.
When Magellan neared the Philippines he had set his course a bit further north at 13N heading for "Gaticara" according to Pigafetta and Albo.
The Chinese Liu-Kiu was probably the same location described by the Japanese as Mishima "Three Islands." It included Taiwan, Luzon and another island of unsure location. The neighboring region was called Pi-she-yet by the Chinese, which may be a corruption of Bisaya, the central Philippines region.
Duarte Barbosa wrote of the Lequios/Liu-Kiu:
Barbosa thought the Lequios were inhabited by "white men" who resembled Europeans, a belief possibly generated by the medieval romances.
I would suggest that the letters of Prester John were part of an overall campaign by the empire of Sanfotsi/Zabag to arrest intrusions on its trade routes. Not that Prester John penned these himself, as the letters suggest he had others in his service including westerners who could have composed them with his instruction.
Starting as early as the late 10th century, Sanfotsi began requesting assistance from the Sung emperors against their neighbors and competitors to the south. At the same time, they began strenghtening their relations with kingdoms in eastern India and Tibet. These kingdoms were on the edge of the Islamic expansion. They may have hoped here not only to gain allies but to strengthen the resolve of the nations to resist the Muslim juggernaut.
The Tibetans knew of the Shambhala king and his great palace where nearby was located a "park called Malaya where sandalwood trees grow...with the scent of camphor, which seems, so one feels, to remove all the sufferings of existence."
About a century after the Kalacakra Tantra, with its battle machine recommendations, reaches Tibet, we begin to hear of eastern contacts with the Christian world. These culminate in the famous letters of Prester John in the middle of the 12th century.
But as time rolls on the priest-king loses much of his hand, and he must resort to bluffing more and more as the empire decreases. Although the letters took a life of their own, it's difficult not to see historical reality behind them.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Bar-Ilan, Meir, Prester John: Fiction and History, http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/presjohn.html
Bernbaum, Edwin, The Way to Shambhala, Boston: Shambhala Publications Inc., 2001.
Was this really the greatest hoax ever perpetrated, or was there real substance to these letters?
Some scholars claim the letters were forgeries made by Nestorian Christians and Cochin Jews from Malabar in India.
How easy would it have been to fool Popes and emperors at that time? One has to think that no simple ruse could have worked. Even in those times, leaders had sufficient resources at their disposal to verify claims of these types. Merchants, travelers and spies did manage to make their way to the East and certainly would have been consulted for independent confirmation.
After the Mongol invasions, three main theories regarding Prester John arose in Europe as travelers began bringing back tales from faraway places. These were the original one of Prester John of the Indies, an Ethiopian version and a Central Asian one.
Marco Polo and Friar Odoric were among those who claimed that Prester John was a Central Asian Kereit khan who had adopted the Nestorian religion. Jordanus was the first to claim that the kingdom lie in Ethiopia.
In the 15th century, an emissary of the Negus of Ethiopia proclaimed that the emperor was Prester John motivating the navigators of Portugal to explore Africa. In the following century though, we again hear of letters from Prester John of the Indies, some written in the Hebrew language.
The book Igeret Orhot Olam, written by Abraham Farissol in the early 16th century claimed that Prester John's kingdom lied somewhere "beyond Kalicut" a port in South India.
If you remember, Malabar was the beginning of India Major, one the three "Indias" according to medieval European geographers. It was to here that the Portuguese explorers came on their way to the East Indies, establishing the colony of Goa located in the present-day state of Kerala.
Europeans eventually found the islands of spices and the gold islands that they had heard about, but never quite resolved the mystery of Prester John. Maybe part of the problem is that the closer they came to the actual kingdom, the smaller and more isolated the latter became. By the time full-fledged expeditions had reached the actual location, the ancient empire for the most part had vanished, and only legends existed.
Even up to the time preceding Magellan's 16th century voyage, tales of a mysterious kingdom in the Indies persisted. Mendes Pinto, writing about a decade earlier, tells of the kingdom of the Lequios, the Liu-Kiu of the Chinese, located between the coast of China and Mindanao to the south. He gives a latitude of 9N20 for this kingdom and strongly suggests that the kings of Europe make an expedition there.
When Magellan neared the Philippines he had set his course a bit further north at 13N heading for "Gaticara" according to Pigafetta and Albo.
The Chinese Liu-Kiu was probably the same location described by the Japanese as Mishima "Three Islands." It included Taiwan, Luzon and another island of unsure location. The neighboring region was called Pi-she-yet by the Chinese, which may be a corruption of Bisaya, the central Philippines region.
Duarte Barbosa wrote of the Lequios/Liu-Kiu:
From Malaca they take the same goods as the Chins [Chinese] take. These islands are called Lequios. The Malaca people say they are better men, and richer and more eminent merchants than the Chins. Of these folk we as yet know but little, as they have not yet come to Malaca since it has been under the King our Lord.
Barbosa thought the Lequios were inhabited by "white men" who resembled Europeans, a belief possibly generated by the medieval romances.
I would suggest that the letters of Prester John were part of an overall campaign by the empire of Sanfotsi/Zabag to arrest intrusions on its trade routes. Not that Prester John penned these himself, as the letters suggest he had others in his service including westerners who could have composed them with his instruction.
Starting as early as the late 10th century, Sanfotsi began requesting assistance from the Sung emperors against their neighbors and competitors to the south. At the same time, they began strenghtening their relations with kingdoms in eastern India and Tibet. These kingdoms were on the edge of the Islamic expansion. They may have hoped here not only to gain allies but to strengthen the resolve of the nations to resist the Muslim juggernaut.
The Tibetans knew of the Shambhala king and his great palace where nearby was located a "park called Malaya where sandalwood trees grow...with the scent of camphor, which seems, so one feels, to remove all the sufferings of existence."
About a century after the Kalacakra Tantra, with its battle machine recommendations, reaches Tibet, we begin to hear of eastern contacts with the Christian world. These culminate in the famous letters of Prester John in the middle of the 12th century.
But as time rolls on the priest-king loses much of his hand, and he must resort to bluffing more and more as the empire decreases. Although the letters took a life of their own, it's difficult not to see historical reality behind them.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Bar-Ilan, Meir, Prester John: Fiction and History, http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/presjohn.html
Bernbaum, Edwin, The Way to Shambhala, Boston: Shambhala Publications Inc., 2001.
Friday, February 11, 2005
The Holy Grail IV
The palaces of Prester John and the Rigden of Shambhala share a number of similarities. Although the details differ both palaces were constructed with costly materials.
The Shambhala palace was said to be built of gold, silver, turquoise, coral, pearl, emerald, moon crystal, and other precious stones. This is similiar also to the description of Kai Khusraw's palace in Kang-Dêz which had seven walls of gold, silver, steel, bronze, iron, crystal and precious stones. Prester John's palace was equally rich but with more of a wood construction described in his letter of 1165:
The description above is apparently copied to a great extent by John of Mandeville who adds some additional details:
One of the startling similarities between the palaces of Prester John and the Rigden of Shambhala are mirrors or lenses that allow the ruler to see everything that happens in the kingdom. Those in Shambhala were described as light-giving crystals with lenses. The following comes from the 1165 letter of Prester John:
Although many aspects of the great palace were probably fantastic, the notice of such a great structure persists into latter times. In many ways, the fabulous palace matches descriptions of the New Jerusalem in Revelations. Also it appears the structure is transferred to the West in Parzival where it is found as the Castle of Wonders in Montsalvat. This castle has sort of an animistic spirit and helps the seekers in their search for the Grail.
One interesting note of a great palace comes from Marco Polo in his description of Cipangu during the 13th century. Although Cipangu was the name for Japan, the Italian traveler apparently mixes up descriptions of two different places.
First of all he describes Cipangu at the beginning of his relation of the "isles of India." He also places the island in the 'Sea of Manzi,' that is the sea off the coast of southern China which was known to Europeans as Manzi as compared to northern China which was known as Cathay.
Manzi comes from the Chinese words meaning "Southern Barbarian," while Cathay is derived from the Kara-Khitai empire, a Turko-Mongol kingdom that ruled northern China prior to the Mongol invasion.
He also says the island is very rich in gold and pearls, none of which is true of Japan. On the other hand, he describes the Mongol invasion of Japan in his description of Cipangu.
Thus, it's not entirely sure whether the Cipangu palace Polo describes is in Japan or in the Indies location, but it is of interest nonetheless:
Prester John and the Rigden were also associated with special gardens -- the Garden of Eden and Malaya, respectively. Malaya is described as a "pleasure grove" erected by Rigden Sucandra, while Eden is the garden planted by God.
During the time of Prester John's early letters and the work of Wolfram von Eschenbach, the Garden of Eden was squarely placed in the extreme East, in India (the Indies).
Here is a table of correspondences showing how both kingdoms closely resemble contemporary descriptions given of Sanfotsi and Zabag.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
The Shambhala palace was said to be built of gold, silver, turquoise, coral, pearl, emerald, moon crystal, and other precious stones. This is similiar also to the description of Kai Khusraw's palace in Kang-Dêz which had seven walls of gold, silver, steel, bronze, iron, crystal and precious stones. Prester John's palace was equally rich but with more of a wood construction described in his letter of 1165:
The palace in which our Superemincency resides is built after the pattern of the castle built by the apostle Thomas [Judas the Twin] for the Indian king Gundoforus. Celings joists, and architrave are of Sethym wood, the roof ebony, which can never catch fire. Over the gable of the palace are, at the extremities, two golden apples, in each of which are two carbuncles, so that the gold may shine by day and the carbuncles by night. The greater gates of the palace are of sardius with the horn of the horned snake inwrought so that no one can bring poison within. The other portals are of ebony; the windows are of crystal; the tables are partly of gold, partly of amethyst; the columns supporting the tables are partly of ivory, partly of amethyst. The court in which we watch the jousting is floored with onyx in order to increase the courage of the combatants. In the palace at night, nothing is burned for light, but wicks supplied with balsam.
The description above is apparently copied to a great extent by John of Mandeville who adds some additional details:
And above the chief tower of the palace be two round pommels of gold, and in everych of them be two carbuncles great and large, that shine full bright upon the night. And the principal gates of his palace be of precious stone that men clepe sardonyx, and the border and the bars be of ivory. And the windows of the halls and chambers be of crystal. And the tables whereon men eat, some be of emeralds, some of amethyst, and some of gold, full of precious stones; and the pillars that bear up the tables be of the same precious stones. And the degrees to go up to his throne, where he sitteth at the meat, one is of onyx, another is of crystal, and another of jasper green, another of amethyst, another of sardine, another of cornelian, and the seventh, that he setteth on his feet, is of chrysolite. And all these degrees be bordered with fine gold, with the tother precious stones, set with great pearls orient. And the sides of the siege of his throne be of emeralds, and bordered with gold full nobly, and dubbed with other precious stones and great pearls. And all the pillars in his chamber be of fine gold with precious stones, and with many carbuncles, that give great light upon the night to all people. And albeit that the carbuncles give light right enough, natheles, at all times burneth a vessel of crystal full of balm, for to give good smell and odour to the emperor, and to void away all wicked airs and corruptions.
One of the startling similarities between the palaces of Prester John and the Rigden of Shambhala are mirrors or lenses that allow the ruler to see everything that happens in the kingdom. Those in Shambhala were described as light-giving crystals with lenses. The following comes from the 1165 letter of Prester John:
Before our palace stands a mirror, the ascent to which consists of five and twenty steps of porpyry and serpintine ... This mirror is guarded day and night by three thousand men. We look therein and behold all that is taking place in every province and region subject to our sceptre.
Although many aspects of the great palace were probably fantastic, the notice of such a great structure persists into latter times. In many ways, the fabulous palace matches descriptions of the New Jerusalem in Revelations. Also it appears the structure is transferred to the West in Parzival where it is found as the Castle of Wonders in Montsalvat. This castle has sort of an animistic spirit and helps the seekers in their search for the Grail.
One interesting note of a great palace comes from Marco Polo in his description of Cipangu during the 13th century. Although Cipangu was the name for Japan, the Italian traveler apparently mixes up descriptions of two different places.
First of all he describes Cipangu at the beginning of his relation of the "isles of India." He also places the island in the 'Sea of Manzi,' that is the sea off the coast of southern China which was known to Europeans as Manzi as compared to northern China which was known as Cathay.
Manzi comes from the Chinese words meaning "Southern Barbarian," while Cathay is derived from the Kara-Khitai empire, a Turko-Mongol kingdom that ruled northern China prior to the Mongol invasion.
He also says the island is very rich in gold and pearls, none of which is true of Japan. On the other hand, he describes the Mongol invasion of Japan in his description of Cipangu.
Thus, it's not entirely sure whether the Cipangu palace Polo describes is in Japan or in the Indies location, but it is of interest nonetheless:
I will tell you a wonderful thing about the palace of the lord of that island. You must know that he has a great palace which is entirely roofed with fine gold, just as our churches are roofed with lead, insomuch that it would scarcely be possible to estimate its value. Moreover, all the pavement of the palace, and the floors of its chambers, are entirely of gold, in plates like slabs of stone, a good two fingers thick; and the windows also are of gold, so that altogether the richness of this palace is past all bounds and all belief.
Prester John and the Rigden were also associated with special gardens -- the Garden of Eden and Malaya, respectively. Malaya is described as a "pleasure grove" erected by Rigden Sucandra, while Eden is the garden planted by God.
During the time of Prester John's early letters and the work of Wolfram von Eschenbach, the Garden of Eden was squarely placed in the extreme East, in India (the Indies).
Here is a table of correspondences showing how both kingdoms closely resemble contemporary descriptions given of Sanfotsi and Zabag.
| Description | Prester John's kingdom | Shambhala | Sanfotsi/ Zabag |
| Located in the "Indies" during the same general period | | ||
| Pygmies | |||
| Cannibals are present | |||
| Brahmins included among their subjects | |||
| The use of fire-proof clothing | |||
| Subterranean zone | |||
| Extensive empires | |||
| Fabulous natural wealth | |||
| Tamed elephants | |||
| Giant eagle-like bird | |||
| Phoenix | |||
| Adultery is strictly prohibited. | |||
| Amazonian tradition | |||
| Priest-king | |||
| Apocalyptic battle | |||
| Volcano | |||
| Kings had great knowledge | |||
| Kingdoms existed during same general time | |||
| Royal succession not by primogeniture | |||
| Land of Gold |
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
The Holy Grail III
Many theories have been put forward on the origin of the Grail. Links to Manicheanism, Mandeanism and pre-Christian European religions among others have been suggested.
However, we must remember that Wolfram connects the Grail firmly with the Far East and "India." That is the region where it originated and returned, and from which those most knowing of the relic, particularly Cundrie, have come. Certainly other influences abound in the work.
Cundrie, for example, not only speaks the language of far-off Tribalibot, but is fluent in Arabic and knows the names of the stars in that language.
One interesting study by Henry and Renee Kahane, in collaboration with Angelina Pietrangeli, links the Grail with the Krater of the Corpus Hermeticum. The Hermetic texts are said to be ancient Egyptian works translated into Alexandrian Greek.
The word "krater" from which we get English crater can refer either to a stone mixing bowl, or to the mouth of a volcano. Kahane et al., stress the mixing bowl but the text they use from the Hermetic literature suggests something more like Plato's vulcanic krater which was said to contain the light of the Sun. The following is a conversation between Tat (Thoth) and Hermes taken from the Hermetic texts:
The Krater as something one would take a dip in reminds one of a lake formed in the caldera of a volcano. It is also obviously a location that one must strive to reach:
As on Heaven, so on Earth and within the Body. The Krater of the volcano represents the alchemical ideal as found on Earth where the elixir is created. To journey to the Krater, and to bathe in its waters, is to self-identify with the Earthly model of what one desires to create within. It is the same type of self-identification that the Tantric practitioner and shaman strive to achieve.
The same purpose would be served by the grail, cintamani, anting-anting or mutya (pearl) in that the object represents the acquisition of the inner goal or desire.
The herald appointed to proclaim the Krater, I would say, is none other than Prester John himself. He is descended from Manalastas "the herald" of rooster totem on his father's side. The way he proclaims it though may be a bit more subdued and subtle than a rooster announcing the rising Sun.
The sacred bath or dip in a lake, river or ocean is a common theme found in examples like the Kumbha Mela of India and the Bayung Danum of Apung Iru. The specific idea of a herald calling people to take a sacred dip reminds us of John the Baptist. We saw that two persons named John from the Indies appear after the start of the Crusades -- one named Patriarch John and the other Prester (Priest) John.
In addition to the explanation given by Mandeville, there were other ideas on how Prester John acquired his name. These include theories connecting him with John the Baptist or the St. John who wrote Revelations.
The idea of the ageless John may also be behind the name of the "Wandering Jew" - John Butta Deus. However, Prester John may have been like the Baptist in other ways. He mentions in his famous letter of 1165 some fantastic sacred water-spots connected with his kingdom:
Another location near "Mt. Olympus" is a fountain of youth, and stones that restore sight:
And yet another site is linked with a mysterious underground cave system and also special precious stones:
The fantastic nature of the claims is rather common in writing of the times, however, we might deduce from Prester John's letter is that he is creating a great desire to visit his kingdom. All the classic temptations to venture to the East are included. Was this a strategic move on the part of the "King of the Three Indias?"
It is also worth noting that the Templars were accused of worshipping John the Baptist. Some claimed the skull known as Baphomet and allegedly revered by the Templars, was believed by them to be that of the Baptist.
The Johannites and Mandeans openly worshipped the Baptist placing him higher than Christ. These two groups have been linked by some with the Qumram community that existed a few centuries before Christ and practiced a ritual baptism of initiation. It may be that Prester John related his own position as priest-king of the holy Krater, as Apung Iru, with that of the Baptist.
The connection of the Christian baptism with the Biblical flood ((I Pet. 3:19-20) reminds us of the Bayung Danum festival celebrated during the yearly flood season. The flooding waters renew the earth for the New Year, and, through self-identification, the waters of the river renew the individual also.
The Krater
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Badia, Leonard F., The Qumran baptism and John the Baptist's baptism, Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1980.
Kahane, Henry and Renée. The Krater and the Grail: Hermetic Sources of the Parzival, University of Illinois Press, 1984.
However, we must remember that Wolfram connects the Grail firmly with the Far East and "India." That is the region where it originated and returned, and from which those most knowing of the relic, particularly Cundrie, have come. Certainly other influences abound in the work.
Cundrie, for example, not only speaks the language of far-off Tribalibot, but is fluent in Arabic and knows the names of the stars in that language.
One interesting study by Henry and Renee Kahane, in collaboration with Angelina Pietrangeli, links the Grail with the Krater of the Corpus Hermeticum. The Hermetic texts are said to be ancient Egyptian works translated into Alexandrian Greek.
The word "krater" from which we get English crater can refer either to a stone mixing bowl, or to the mouth of a volcano. Kahane et al., stress the mixing bowl but the text they use from the Hermetic literature suggests something more like Plato's vulcanic krater which was said to contain the light of the Sun. The following is a conversation between Tat (Thoth) and Hermes taken from the Hermetic texts:
Tat: Tell me then, father, why did God not impart intellect to all men?
Hermes: It was his will, my son, that intellect should be placed in the midst as a prize that human souls may win.
Tat: And where did he place it?
Hermes: He filled a great Krater with intellect, and sent it down to earth; and he appointed a herald, and bade him make proclamation to the hearts of man: "Dip yourself in this Krater, you who are able; you who believe that you will ascend to Him who sent this Krater down; you who know for what purpose you have been born." Now they who have heed to the proclamation and were baptized in intellect, those men got a share of gnosis, and they became perfect men because they received intellect. But those who failed to heed the proclamation, those are they who possess the gift of communication and reasoning, to be sure, but not more, since they have not received intellect and know not for what purpose they have been made, nor by whom they have been made. The sensations of these men are very close to those of beasts without reason, and since their temper is in a state of passion and anger, they do not admire the things worthy of contemplation; they give heed only to bodily pleasures and desires, and believe that man has been born for such things as these. But as many as have partaken of the gift which God has sent, these, O Tat ... they see the Good ... Such, O Tat, is the science of the intellect, which provides an abundant possession of things divine and the comprehension of God, for the Krater is divine.
The Krater as something one would take a dip in reminds one of a lake formed in the caldera of a volcano. It is also obviously a location that one must strive to reach:
Hermes: "...Do you see, my son, through how many bodies we have to make our way, and through how many troops of demons, through which continuous succession, and through how many courses of stars, in order to press on to the One-and-Only?"
As on Heaven, so on Earth and within the Body. The Krater of the volcano represents the alchemical ideal as found on Earth where the elixir is created. To journey to the Krater, and to bathe in its waters, is to self-identify with the Earthly model of what one desires to create within. It is the same type of self-identification that the Tantric practitioner and shaman strive to achieve.
The same purpose would be served by the grail, cintamani, anting-anting or mutya (pearl) in that the object represents the acquisition of the inner goal or desire.
The herald appointed to proclaim the Krater, I would say, is none other than Prester John himself. He is descended from Manalastas "the herald" of rooster totem on his father's side. The way he proclaims it though may be a bit more subdued and subtle than a rooster announcing the rising Sun.
The sacred bath or dip in a lake, river or ocean is a common theme found in examples like the Kumbha Mela of India and the Bayung Danum of Apung Iru. The specific idea of a herald calling people to take a sacred dip reminds us of John the Baptist. We saw that two persons named John from the Indies appear after the start of the Crusades -- one named Patriarch John and the other Prester (Priest) John.
In addition to the explanation given by Mandeville, there were other ideas on how Prester John acquired his name. These include theories connecting him with John the Baptist or the St. John who wrote Revelations.
It's said that not long after the Crucifixion
a man who had never seen death made his way to Asia
where he founded a huge and puissant Christian kingdom.
Some people believe this man was John the Baptist
while others say he was Our Lord's favorite disciple.
All we know is that someplace in Asia he still reigns,
untouched by age, and calls himself Prester John;
and most of us would surrender everything we possess
for the priviledge of entering his settlement.
-- Evan S. Connell, Points for a Compass Rose
The idea of the ageless John may also be behind the name of the "Wandering Jew" - John Butta Deus. However, Prester John may have been like the Baptist in other ways. He mentions in his famous letter of 1165 some fantastic sacred water-spots connected with his kingdom:
Between the sandy sea and the said mountians, in a certain plain, is a fountain of singular virtue which purges Christians and would-be Christians from all transgressions. The water stands four inches high in a hollow stone shaped like a mussel-shell. Two saintly old men watch by it and ask the comers whether they are Christians or are about to become Christians, then whether they desire healing with all their hearts. If they have answered well, they are bidden to lay aside their clothes and to step into the mussel. If what they said be true, then the water begins to rise and gush over their heads. Thrice does the water thus lift itself, and everyone who has entered the mussel leaves it cured of every complaint.
Another location near "Mt. Olympus" is a fountain of youth, and stones that restore sight:
At the foot of Mount Olympus bubbles up a spring which changes its flavor hour by hour, night and day, and the spring is scarcely three days' journey from Paradise, out of which Adam was driven. If anyone has tasted thrice of the fountain, from that day he will feel no fatigue, but will, as long as he lives, be as a man of thirty years. Here are found the small stones called Nudiosi which, if borne about the body, prevent the sight from waxing feeble and restore it where it is lost. The more the stone is looked at, the keener becomes the sight.
And yet another site is linked with a mysterious underground cave system and also special precious stones:
Near the wilderness trickles between barren mountians a subterranean rill which can only by chance be reached, for only occassionally the earth gapes, and he who would descend must do it with precipitation, ere the earth closes again. All that is gathered under the ground there is gem and precious stone. The brook pours into another river and the inhabitants of the neighborhood obtain thence abundance of precious stones. Yet they never venture to sell them without having first offered them to us for our private use. Should we decline them, they are at liberty to dispose of them to strangers. Boys there are trained to remain three of four days under the water, diving after the stones.
The fantastic nature of the claims is rather common in writing of the times, however, we might deduce from Prester John's letter is that he is creating a great desire to visit his kingdom. All the classic temptations to venture to the East are included. Was this a strategic move on the part of the "King of the Three Indias?"
It is also worth noting that the Templars were accused of worshipping John the Baptist. Some claimed the skull known as Baphomet and allegedly revered by the Templars, was believed by them to be that of the Baptist.
The Johannites and Mandeans openly worshipped the Baptist placing him higher than Christ. These two groups have been linked by some with the Qumram community that existed a few centuries before Christ and practiced a ritual baptism of initiation. It may be that Prester John related his own position as priest-king of the holy Krater, as Apung Iru, with that of the Baptist.
The connection of the Christian baptism with the Biblical flood ((I Pet. 3:19-20) reminds us of the Bayung Danum festival celebrated during the yearly flood season. The flooding waters renew the earth for the New Year, and, through self-identification, the waters of the river renew the individual also.
The Krater
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Badia, Leonard F., The Qumran baptism and John the Baptist's baptism, Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1980.
Kahane, Henry and Renée. The Krater and the Grail: Hermetic Sources of the Parzival, University of Illinois Press, 1984.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
The Holy Grail II
While the historicity of the romances is certainly open to question, a sober look at works like Parzival reveal an easy link to better-documented historical events.
For example, if Gahmuret is indeed Geoffrey "the Fair" Plantagenet, he is said not to have been heir to a throne, but to have risen to power only through marriage to a widowed emperor. This, of course, was true of Geoffrey who, although a count, claimed a throne only through his marriage to Maud of England, widow of the Holy Roman emperor.
The early romance literature tends to agree in stating that the Grail resided in the West only for a short time -- two or three generations depending on whether the Fisher King is the son or grandson of Titurel. Then it is returned back to the uttermost East. The duration was similar to that of the House of Anjou in Jeruslam, which has been interpreted by many as the Montsalvat or "Mount of Salvation" in Parzival.
That such stories about the Grail and Templars could have circulated so widely -- and the romances were very popular -- at a time when the Templars were still in existence is telling.
Whatever the form of the Holy Grail, in all cases it becomes the object of the quest. Wolfram describes it as a stone that has fallen from heaven -- lapis exilis -- reputedly the emerald that fell from Lucifer's crown during the war in Heaven.
In Kalacakra Buddhism, this reminds us of the Cintamani, the wish-fulfilling fire pearl. The Cintamani is mentioned in Hindu texts as arising out of sea during the Churning of the Milky Ocean. The word "mani" here means "pearl" while "cinta" is "desire, love."
In Tibetan, Mongolian and Korean tradition, the Cintamani is often thought of as a stone that falls or is dropped from Heaven. It is the state jewel of Shambhala in Kalacakra belief, and it is carried out of that realm on the back of a horse known as the "Wind Horse" or the "Best of Horses." The pearl is engulfed in flames representing the inner desires the stone fulfills.
The Tibetan story of 'Indrabhuti and the Wish-fulfilling Gem' has many similarities to the Grail story. Here the "wounded king" is blind and infertile. The infertility extends to the entire kingdom. As his doman sinks into poverty, Indrabhuti makes a decision:
The king sets sail for the "Isle of Jewels," apparently another reference to Shambhala, and after many hardships receives the Cintamani from the "Azure Lady." His infertility and blindness are cured and further yet he is able to see a divine child known as Padmasambhava hidden in a lotus, whom he adopts and makes heir to the throne.
Like the Cintamani, the Grail is credited with giving sight. Not everyone can see and touch the Grail, only those who have reached a certain spiritual level. The Cintamani and Grail fulfill the inner desire (cinta) of the quester but only after they have suffered the necessary trials and learned the important lessons. Simply reaching the destination is not enough.
However the sacred object and the sacred destination are important in their own right as they, like Tantra, provide a "shortcut" to enlightenment. By seeking them one burns through to the inner core to discover what is truly important, and the reality of one's inner desire. At a much earlier period, Gilgamesh also ventures to the bottom of the sea in Dilmun to obtain the flower of immortality but only after a long spiritually and physically ardous journey.
For the Dragon and Bird Clan, in crisis after having reached their pinnacle, the quest also offers a form of political propaganda to help with the geopolitical situation they faced. It was a way of attracting the military/religious elements eastward to head off the Islamic advance.
The relationship between the Grail and the Templars appears inextricably linked with the House of Anjou (Angevins) according to Wolfram. Kyot appears to have had no problem accessing an Angevin genealogy that conflicted with the "official" one and placed the family's origin in the fairy-land of Feimurgân.
The Angevins and the offshoot Plantagenet line were always considered a bit suspect among the high nobility of Europe. Legend says that one of the counts of Anjou had married a half-dragon woman known as Melusine. Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the rule of the Templars, was quoted as saying at the birth of Geoffrey the Fair "From the Devil he has come, to the Devil he'll return."
The existence of the heathen calf-worshipping Flegatanis in formerly Muslim Toledo is equally telling. It was from him that Kyot claimed to have learned about the Grail, but he had to confirm some things in the heathen manuscript by consulting the chronicles of Anjou and other kingdoms.
One is forced to conclude that the fairy descent of the Plantagenets is somehow linked to the their close relationship with the lineage of Prester John as found in the romances, and it is at least partly through Anjou that the Grail and other "treasures" come to the Templars.
If the Plantagenets were a bit offbeat, the Templars followed their example well. While the latter were undoubtedly subject to many false accusations, it's hard not to conclude that they absorbed many more "heresies" than other military orders.
In the 1120s, the order had no major sponsors in Europe until Fulk IV "the Rude" came to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. This was the start of the relationship between Anjou and the Templars. He promised to raise funds for them on an annual basis, and became an associate member. He may have also been responsible for the first major land grant -- the Castle of Baghras between Syria and Asia Minor, an important fortification near the city of Antioch.
In 1128, after the Council of Troyes granted papal approval for the order, the first grandmaster Hugh de Payens visited Fulk from April to May. The council's ruling was the beginning of the extraordinary growth of the Templars.
Recruits and donations poured in at an extraordinary rate. In 1131, Fulk became King of Jerusalem through his marriage with Melisende and was brought closer to the eastern Templar activities.
There is no agreement as to why Philipp IV of France and Pope Clement V decided to eventually destroy the Templars some 200 years after their birth. The other major orders -- the Hospitalers and the Teutonic Knights -- survived to present times. While the official explanation was that the Templars were heretics, other suggestions range from fear of their growing power to the debt owned the order by Philipp.
As noted earlier, the order was cleared of charges in Portugal and their name changed to the Knights of Christ. Here they became deeply involved in maritime exploration. Henry the Navigator became grandmaster of the order, and Vasco de Gama was an ordained knight.
When Columbus sailed to America his three ships displayed the red pattee cross of the Templars, which also could have been interpreted as an emblem of the Bird Clan.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
For example, if Gahmuret is indeed Geoffrey "the Fair" Plantagenet, he is said not to have been heir to a throne, but to have risen to power only through marriage to a widowed emperor. This, of course, was true of Geoffrey who, although a count, claimed a throne only through his marriage to Maud of England, widow of the Holy Roman emperor.
The early romance literature tends to agree in stating that the Grail resided in the West only for a short time -- two or three generations depending on whether the Fisher King is the son or grandson of Titurel. Then it is returned back to the uttermost East. The duration was similar to that of the House of Anjou in Jeruslam, which has been interpreted by many as the Montsalvat or "Mount of Salvation" in Parzival.
That such stories about the Grail and Templars could have circulated so widely -- and the romances were very popular -- at a time when the Templars were still in existence is telling.
Whatever the form of the Holy Grail, in all cases it becomes the object of the quest. Wolfram describes it as a stone that has fallen from heaven -- lapis exilis -- reputedly the emerald that fell from Lucifer's crown during the war in Heaven.
In Kalacakra Buddhism, this reminds us of the Cintamani, the wish-fulfilling fire pearl. The Cintamani is mentioned in Hindu texts as arising out of sea during the Churning of the Milky Ocean. The word "mani" here means "pearl" while "cinta" is "desire, love."
In Tibetan, Mongolian and Korean tradition, the Cintamani is often thought of as a stone that falls or is dropped from Heaven. It is the state jewel of Shambhala in Kalacakra belief, and it is carried out of that realm on the back of a horse known as the "Wind Horse" or the "Best of Horses." The pearl is engulfed in flames representing the inner desires the stone fulfills.
The Tibetan story of 'Indrabhuti and the Wish-fulfilling Gem' has many similarities to the Grail story. Here the "wounded king" is blind and infertile. The infertility extends to the entire kingdom. As his doman sinks into poverty, Indrabhuti makes a decision:
Rather than adopt any policy not in accord with the precepts of the Dharma, the King decided to risk his own life for the good of his people and obtain from the Nagas, who dwelt beneath the waters of the ocean, a wondrous wish-granting gem.
The king sets sail for the "Isle of Jewels," apparently another reference to Shambhala, and after many hardships receives the Cintamani from the "Azure Lady." His infertility and blindness are cured and further yet he is able to see a divine child known as Padmasambhava hidden in a lotus, whom he adopts and makes heir to the throne.
Like the Cintamani, the Grail is credited with giving sight. Not everyone can see and touch the Grail, only those who have reached a certain spiritual level. The Cintamani and Grail fulfill the inner desire (cinta) of the quester but only after they have suffered the necessary trials and learned the important lessons. Simply reaching the destination is not enough.
However the sacred object and the sacred destination are important in their own right as they, like Tantra, provide a "shortcut" to enlightenment. By seeking them one burns through to the inner core to discover what is truly important, and the reality of one's inner desire. At a much earlier period, Gilgamesh also ventures to the bottom of the sea in Dilmun to obtain the flower of immortality but only after a long spiritually and physically ardous journey.
For the Dragon and Bird Clan, in crisis after having reached their pinnacle, the quest also offers a form of political propaganda to help with the geopolitical situation they faced. It was a way of attracting the military/religious elements eastward to head off the Islamic advance.
The relationship between the Grail and the Templars appears inextricably linked with the House of Anjou (Angevins) according to Wolfram. Kyot appears to have had no problem accessing an Angevin genealogy that conflicted with the "official" one and placed the family's origin in the fairy-land of Feimurgân.
The Angevins and the offshoot Plantagenet line were always considered a bit suspect among the high nobility of Europe. Legend says that one of the counts of Anjou had married a half-dragon woman known as Melusine. Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the rule of the Templars, was quoted as saying at the birth of Geoffrey the Fair "From the Devil he has come, to the Devil he'll return."
The existence of the heathen calf-worshipping Flegatanis in formerly Muslim Toledo is equally telling. It was from him that Kyot claimed to have learned about the Grail, but he had to confirm some things in the heathen manuscript by consulting the chronicles of Anjou and other kingdoms.
One is forced to conclude that the fairy descent of the Plantagenets is somehow linked to the their close relationship with the lineage of Prester John as found in the romances, and it is at least partly through Anjou that the Grail and other "treasures" come to the Templars.
If the Plantagenets were a bit offbeat, the Templars followed their example well. While the latter were undoubtedly subject to many false accusations, it's hard not to conclude that they absorbed many more "heresies" than other military orders.
In the 1120s, the order had no major sponsors in Europe until Fulk IV "the Rude" came to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. This was the start of the relationship between Anjou and the Templars. He promised to raise funds for them on an annual basis, and became an associate member. He may have also been responsible for the first major land grant -- the Castle of Baghras between Syria and Asia Minor, an important fortification near the city of Antioch.
In 1128, after the Council of Troyes granted papal approval for the order, the first grandmaster Hugh de Payens visited Fulk from April to May. The council's ruling was the beginning of the extraordinary growth of the Templars.
Recruits and donations poured in at an extraordinary rate. In 1131, Fulk became King of Jerusalem through his marriage with Melisende and was brought closer to the eastern Templar activities.
There is no agreement as to why Philipp IV of France and Pope Clement V decided to eventually destroy the Templars some 200 years after their birth. The other major orders -- the Hospitalers and the Teutonic Knights -- survived to present times. While the official explanation was that the Templars were heretics, other suggestions range from fear of their growing power to the debt owned the order by Philipp.
As noted earlier, the order was cleared of charges in Portugal and their name changed to the Knights of Christ. Here they became deeply involved in maritime exploration. Henry the Navigator became grandmaster of the order, and Vasco de Gama was an ordained knight.
When Columbus sailed to America his three ships displayed the red pattee cross of the Templars, which also could have been interpreted as an emblem of the Bird Clan.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Monday, February 07, 2005
The Holy Grail
In medieval tradition, Prester John ruled over the Garden of Eden, which was not so much a mythical place as a mythologized one. Europeans linked aromatics such as aloeswood, cinnamon, cassia and ginger with Eden. It was also viewed as a type of El Dorado, a tradition going back to the Old Testament:
A few centuries after the introduction of the Kalacakra into Tibet possibly by the Shambhala king himself, Prester John sends messengers to the emperors and Pope. At this time, the situation of European Christendom was grave. The expanding Seljuk Turks had administered a crushing defeat to the Byzantime Empire and had even captured Emperor Diogenes in 1091 who was released in an act of magnaminity.
From 1144 to 1187, one Crusader state after the next fell and until Jerusalem, which had been recaptured by the Crusaders, fell in 1187.
Prester John's appearance at this time may have been designed to create hope since that king promised to bring relief to the Christian kings by invading from the East. He claimed to have been Christian, and maybe he was in a syncretic way of thinking. However, Sanfotsi/Zabag had its hands full taking care of things in its own region and was in no position to offer any real assistance.
However, sometimes hope is all that is needed to continue the struggle. In the end, help did come in the form of the great Mongol eruption from Central Asia.
Prester John appears to have created something else designed to psychologically spur the Christian warriors into action. In the romance literature that arose after the letters of the eastern king, we hear of the relic known as the Holy Grail.
Whatever the Holy Grail was, and the literature gives divergent views, it was located somewhere in the farthest Indies. If the Garden of Eden was not enough, surely the Holy Grail could lure the brave soul past Saracen armies to the mysterious East.
Wolfram von Eschenbach, in the early 13th century, first suggested that Titurel, the grandfather of Parzival, had brought the grail back from somewhere "near the Ganges" and founded an order of knights to guard the relic. These knights were known as Templars according to von Eschenbach. In order to make Prester John more palatable to European audiences, he makes that king none other than the nephew of Parzival.
In the same way, other romances sought to Europeanize Prester John. In Jungere Titurel, Parzival becomes the spiritual son of Prester John and assumes his name and throne. In the Dutch Lancelot, Prester John is the son of Parzival. In the Carolingian cycle, Ogier the Dane becomes the linear ancestor of Prester John through is marriage with the local fairy princess.
These traditions show that it in addition to being Christian, Prester John had to be genetically European, or at least partly so to gain acceptance into the literature.
However, von Eschenbach in particular gives us some of the first examples of medieval European forays into a "multicultural" society. Feirefiz, the half-brother of Parzival and father of Prester John in his version is multi-ethnic and said to be of 'polka dot' complexion.
Three "Indians" figure in the story -- the lovely Queen Secundille of Tribalibot and the dark-skinned siblings Cundrie la sorcière and her brother Malcreatiure. Both of the latter are spoken of usually in unflattering terms for their physical appearance.
In some cases, especially with reference to Malcreatiure the obsession with appearance is startling and von Eschenbach feels need to give an explanation for the two emissaries of Secundille. He states that in Tribalibot there are "a great many of these people with distorted faces, and they bore strange, wild marks."
Despite her uncomeliness, Cundrie plays an important role in the work as prophetess, astrologer and healer. Even Malcreatiure is called "the kinsman of the herb and the stars." The two visitors from Tribalibot have valuable knowledge to give regarding the Grail. One fascinating point is that Richard Wagner, a confirmed Indophile, transforms Cundrie into a beautiful enchantress who even tempts the Fisher King centuries later in his opera Parsifal.
The early romances generally agree in placing the Holy Grail in India or the Indies. It is not until the early 14th century that it is first suggested Prester John might be located in Africa.
Von Eschenbach places the Grail in Tribalibot from which it comes for a time to Montsalvat, only to return again to the Indies with Feirefiz and his wife Repanse de Schoye, the sister of the Fisher King. In Titurel, Parzival together with his knights return the Grail and the other holy treasures back to the Indies.
King Arthur together with the whole Grail chivalry take the relic back to the Indies in the farthest "Orient" in Lohengrin, the "Knight of the Swan."
While the Kalacakra Tantra contained instructions on the "art of war," von Eschenbach states that the Templars resided with and guarded the Grail. Was this simply a device of the author or was there some reason for him to have made this statement?
Wolfram von Eschenbach states that his main source was a Provencal bard named Kyot rather than Chretien de Troyes who composed a similar romance, but with major differences, at around 1180. He was said to have been illiterate and to have dictated the story to a transcriber. It was from the mysterious Kyot, thought by some to a fictional device, that Wolfram claimed to have learned the Grail mysteries, which he states were acquired by Kyot in Toledo.
In Toledo, Jews, Christians and Muslims had lived peacefully for centuries. It was here at the great library that many ancient Greek and Roman works were protected from the Inquisition. The city was captured by Alfonso VI in the 11th century and according to Wolfram, Kyot obtained a manuscript in "heathen writing" there which was the source of his knowledge of the Grail.
The manuscript was said to be written by a "heathen" name Flegetanis. On his father's side, he was said to be descended from a heathen "who worshipped a calf." He was also said to have descent from King Solomon of Israel. Wolfram describes him as a skilled astrologer.
Kyot has been identified by many as Guiot de Provins, a troubadour, Cluniac monk and Templar advocate. Wolfram states that after obtaining the heathen manuscript, Kyot found in the chronicles of Anjou the complete story of the family of "Mazadan." It was from these two sources that he composed his song of Parzival.
Mazadan marries a fairy named Terdelaschoye in the land of Feimurgân and they have two sons, Lazaliez and Brickus. The latter becomes the father of Arthur and the elder, the grandfather of Gandin of Anjou, the grandfather of Parzival.
The name Mazadan is mysterious and suggestions of links from Ahura Mazda to Masada have been made. The land of Feimurgân also known as Fêmurgân diu rîche, Fâmorgân and Fata Morgana has the same name as Morgan La Fay of the Arthurian cycles and has been identified with Avalon.
Comparing this to the "orthodox" royal genealogy of the House of Anjou, we have to go to Fulk IV Rechin who admitted he knew nothing of his ancestors. The 12th century is known to have been a time when many noble or newly-noble families concocted hoary lineages for themselves. If we consider Fulk IV as the first count of Anjou, his son Fulk V who became King of Jerusalem through marriage would be the father of Gahmuret i.e., Geoffrey the founder of the Plantagenet dynasty.
This makes sense since Gahmuret, the father of Parzival, is said to have married the childless widow of the emperor, and indeed Geoffrey's wife was Matilda (Maud Augustus) the childless widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.
However, Titurel, the founder of the Knights Templar, would have to be Baldwin II, the father of Geoffrey's stepmother rather than a relative of Matilda (Herzoloyde). Baldwin II accepted the services of the newly-formed Templars in 1118.
So there was a strong connection between the House of Anjou and the Templars. Three generations ruled Jerusalem until the house went extinct and the city passed by marriage to the House of Lusignan. Von Eschenbach's tale is easily related to the historical events and the few inconsistencies may have been inserted to protect him from any accusations.
The lands of Zabag, and the rest of the Indies for that matter, had been cut off from the Christian world within a century of the rise of Islam. However, as the Muslim literature readily attests, the Islamic kingdoms had frequent intercourse with these eastern realms. When the Crusaders managed to capture regions of Palestine and Syria, lines of communication reopened that had been lost for centuries.
We first hear of formal contacts from the east when a certain Patriarch John of India in 1122 visited Rome. Magister Philippus, the papal doctor, encountered emissaries of Prester John while on a trip to the "East." When the Pope sent him back with a letter for the King of the Indies, Philippus was last seen in Palestine in 1177.
One interesting account that comes out in the 14th century is that of the so-called Sir John of Mandeville. The text is thought to be a collection of stories from travelers to the East after the opening of the trade routes by the Mongols.
Mandeville mentions priests of "Ind" (India) in the city of Jerusalem along the Via Dolorosa:
He mentions merchants from India that came by sea to Damascus, but most interesting is what he has to say about Prester John "Emperor of Ind" regarding the origin of his name:
So like the Shambhala king Sripala, Prester John is also said to have ventured abroad personally, and I would say for the cause of the clan! Mandeville states this happened before the Muslim invasion of Egypt, so maybe it is not particularly relevant to the Templars. But notice that according to this work, Prester John also had apparently Western Christian knights in Mandeville's time. This would agree with the letters of Prester John that state the king had Templars in his service.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads.
The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
-- Genesis 2
A few centuries after the introduction of the Kalacakra into Tibet possibly by the Shambhala king himself, Prester John sends messengers to the emperors and Pope. At this time, the situation of European Christendom was grave. The expanding Seljuk Turks had administered a crushing defeat to the Byzantime Empire and had even captured Emperor Diogenes in 1091 who was released in an act of magnaminity.
From 1144 to 1187, one Crusader state after the next fell and until Jerusalem, which had been recaptured by the Crusaders, fell in 1187.
Prester John's appearance at this time may have been designed to create hope since that king promised to bring relief to the Christian kings by invading from the East. He claimed to have been Christian, and maybe he was in a syncretic way of thinking. However, Sanfotsi/Zabag had its hands full taking care of things in its own region and was in no position to offer any real assistance.
However, sometimes hope is all that is needed to continue the struggle. In the end, help did come in the form of the great Mongol eruption from Central Asia.
Prester John appears to have created something else designed to psychologically spur the Christian warriors into action. In the romance literature that arose after the letters of the eastern king, we hear of the relic known as the Holy Grail.
Whatever the Holy Grail was, and the literature gives divergent views, it was located somewhere in the farthest Indies. If the Garden of Eden was not enough, surely the Holy Grail could lure the brave soul past Saracen armies to the mysterious East.
Wolfram von Eschenbach, in the early 13th century, first suggested that Titurel, the grandfather of Parzival, had brought the grail back from somewhere "near the Ganges" and founded an order of knights to guard the relic. These knights were known as Templars according to von Eschenbach. In order to make Prester John more palatable to European audiences, he makes that king none other than the nephew of Parzival.
In the same way, other romances sought to Europeanize Prester John. In Jungere Titurel, Parzival becomes the spiritual son of Prester John and assumes his name and throne. In the Dutch Lancelot, Prester John is the son of Parzival. In the Carolingian cycle, Ogier the Dane becomes the linear ancestor of Prester John through is marriage with the local fairy princess.
These traditions show that it in addition to being Christian, Prester John had to be genetically European, or at least partly so to gain acceptance into the literature.
However, von Eschenbach in particular gives us some of the first examples of medieval European forays into a "multicultural" society. Feirefiz, the half-brother of Parzival and father of Prester John in his version is multi-ethnic and said to be of 'polka dot' complexion.
Three "Indians" figure in the story -- the lovely Queen Secundille of Tribalibot and the dark-skinned siblings Cundrie la sorcière and her brother Malcreatiure. Both of the latter are spoken of usually in unflattering terms for their physical appearance.
In some cases, especially with reference to Malcreatiure the obsession with appearance is startling and von Eschenbach feels need to give an explanation for the two emissaries of Secundille. He states that in Tribalibot there are "a great many of these people with distorted faces, and they bore strange, wild marks."
Our father Adam received from God the art of giving names to all things, both the wild and the tame. He knew the nature of each, and the revolutions of the stars as well, and what forces the seven planets had; and he also knew the virtues of all herbs and what the nature of each one was. When his daughters had acquired the power of years and might bear human offspring, he counseled them against intemperance. Whenever one of his daughters bore a child, he warned her repeatedly and rarely spared the admonition, to avoid eating many herbs which would spoil the human fruit and bring shame on his race: "Other than God appointed when He sat at work over me," as he said, "my beloved daughters, be not blinded as to your salvation."
Despite her uncomeliness, Cundrie plays an important role in the work as prophetess, astrologer and healer. Even Malcreatiure is called "the kinsman of the herb and the stars." The two visitors from Tribalibot have valuable knowledge to give regarding the Grail. One fascinating point is that Richard Wagner, a confirmed Indophile, transforms Cundrie into a beautiful enchantress who even tempts the Fisher King centuries later in his opera Parsifal.
The early romances generally agree in placing the Holy Grail in India or the Indies. It is not until the early 14th century that it is first suggested Prester John might be located in Africa.
Von Eschenbach places the Grail in Tribalibot from which it comes for a time to Montsalvat, only to return again to the Indies with Feirefiz and his wife Repanse de Schoye, the sister of the Fisher King. In Titurel, Parzival together with his knights return the Grail and the other holy treasures back to the Indies.
King Arthur together with the whole Grail chivalry take the relic back to the Indies in the farthest "Orient" in Lohengrin, the "Knight of the Swan."
While the Kalacakra Tantra contained instructions on the "art of war," von Eschenbach states that the Templars resided with and guarded the Grail. Was this simply a device of the author or was there some reason for him to have made this statement?
Wolfram von Eschenbach states that his main source was a Provencal bard named Kyot rather than Chretien de Troyes who composed a similar romance, but with major differences, at around 1180. He was said to have been illiterate and to have dictated the story to a transcriber. It was from the mysterious Kyot, thought by some to a fictional device, that Wolfram claimed to have learned the Grail mysteries, which he states were acquired by Kyot in Toledo.
In Toledo, Jews, Christians and Muslims had lived peacefully for centuries. It was here at the great library that many ancient Greek and Roman works were protected from the Inquisition. The city was captured by Alfonso VI in the 11th century and according to Wolfram, Kyot obtained a manuscript in "heathen writing" there which was the source of his knowledge of the Grail.
The manuscript was said to be written by a "heathen" name Flegetanis. On his father's side, he was said to be descended from a heathen "who worshipped a calf." He was also said to have descent from King Solomon of Israel. Wolfram describes him as a skilled astrologer.
Kyot has been identified by many as Guiot de Provins, a troubadour, Cluniac monk and Templar advocate. Wolfram states that after obtaining the heathen manuscript, Kyot found in the chronicles of Anjou the complete story of the family of "Mazadan." It was from these two sources that he composed his song of Parzival.
Mazadan marries a fairy named Terdelaschoye in the land of Feimurgân and they have two sons, Lazaliez and Brickus. The latter becomes the father of Arthur and the elder, the grandfather of Gandin of Anjou, the grandfather of Parzival.
The name Mazadan is mysterious and suggestions of links from Ahura Mazda to Masada have been made. The land of Feimurgân also known as Fêmurgân diu rîche, Fâmorgân and Fata Morgana has the same name as Morgan La Fay of the Arthurian cycles and has been identified with Avalon.
Comparing this to the "orthodox" royal genealogy of the House of Anjou, we have to go to Fulk IV Rechin who admitted he knew nothing of his ancestors. The 12th century is known to have been a time when many noble or newly-noble families concocted hoary lineages for themselves. If we consider Fulk IV as the first count of Anjou, his son Fulk V who became King of Jerusalem through marriage would be the father of Gahmuret i.e., Geoffrey the founder of the Plantagenet dynasty.
This makes sense since Gahmuret, the father of Parzival, is said to have married the childless widow of the emperor, and indeed Geoffrey's wife was Matilda (Maud Augustus) the childless widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.
However, Titurel, the founder of the Knights Templar, would have to be Baldwin II, the father of Geoffrey's stepmother rather than a relative of Matilda (Herzoloyde). Baldwin II accepted the services of the newly-formed Templars in 1118.
So there was a strong connection between the House of Anjou and the Templars. Three generations ruled Jerusalem until the house went extinct and the city passed by marriage to the House of Lusignan. Von Eschenbach's tale is easily related to the historical events and the few inconsistencies may have been inserted to protect him from any accusations.
The lands of Zabag, and the rest of the Indies for that matter, had been cut off from the Christian world within a century of the rise of Islam. However, as the Muslim literature readily attests, the Islamic kingdoms had frequent intercourse with these eastern realms. When the Crusaders managed to capture regions of Palestine and Syria, lines of communication reopened that had been lost for centuries.
We first hear of formal contacts from the east when a certain Patriarch John of India in 1122 visited Rome. Magister Philippus, the papal doctor, encountered emissaries of Prester John while on a trip to the "East." When the Pope sent him back with a letter for the King of the Indies, Philippus was last seen in Palestine in 1177.
One interesting account that comes out in the 14th century is that of the so-called Sir John of Mandeville. The text is thought to be a collection of stories from travelers to the East after the opening of the trade routes by the Mongols.
Mandeville mentions priests of "Ind" (India) in the city of Jerusalem along the Via Dolorosa:
And on these grees went our Lord when he bare the cross on his shoulder. And under these grees is a chapel, and in that chapel sing priests, Indians, that is to say, priests of Ind, not after our law, but after theirs; and alway they make their sacrament of the altar, saying, PATER NOSTER and other prayers therewith; with the which prayers they say the words that the sacrament is made of, for they ne know not the additions that many popes have made; but they sing with good devotion.
He mentions merchants from India that came by sea to Damascus, but most interesting is what he has to say about Prester John "Emperor of Ind" regarding the origin of his name:
It was sometime an emperor there, that was a worthy and a full noble prince, that had Christian knights in his company, as he hath that is now. So it befell, that he had great list for to see the service in the church among Christian men. And then dured Christendom beyond the sea, all Turkey, Syria, Tartary, Jerusalem, Palestine, Arabia, Aleppo and all the land of Egypt. And so it befell that this emperor came with a Christian knight with him into a church in Egypt. And it was the Saturday in Whitsun-week. And the bishop made orders. And he beheld, and listened the service full tentively. And he asked the Christian knight what men of degree they should be that the prelate had before him. And the knight answered and said that they should be priests. And then the emperor said that he would no longer be clept king ne emperor, but priest, and that he would have the name of the first priest that went out of the church, and his name was John. And so ever-more sithens, he is clept Prester John.
So like the Shambhala king Sripala, Prester John is also said to have ventured abroad personally, and I would say for the cause of the clan! Mandeville states this happened before the Muslim invasion of Egypt, so maybe it is not particularly relevant to the Templars. But notice that according to this work, Prester John also had apparently Western Christian knights in Mandeville's time. This would agree with the letters of Prester John that state the king had Templars in his service.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Kalacakra III
The art of war as taught in the Kalacakra Tantra may have been too late for India where Buddhism eventually vanished. The doctrine though passed on quickly to Buddhist Tibet, a land whose ruggedness presented difficulties to any potential invader.
The passages in the text doubtless refer only to defensive war. Buddhism generally got along well with other religions including those in India and East, Central and Southeast Asia. However, the situation with the Lalos was seen as different.
In particular, the level of violence used by these cultures was addressed.
The lack of compassion of the Lalos was seen particularly in their treatment of animals and in their diet which was described of consisting mostly of nearly raw, bloody meat.
The text describes a situation in which the Lalos conquer all the lands "south of the River Sita." Only Shambhala north of the river is spared although its borders are breached.
After the Kalacakra Tantra reached Tibet, that country had good and active relations with Shambhala despite the ongoing threat of the Lalos. Students and pilgrims are said to have traveled from Tibet to Shambhala, and maybe more importantly, also from Shambhala to Tibet, dispelling doubt that the former was simply a mythical kingdom.
However, only a few decades after the Kalacakra reaches Tibet, the mighty Samudera empire had established itself in insular Southeast Asia. Even a few centuries earlier the smaller Peureulak kingdom had arisen in the region of Aceh. Gradually, Shambhala becomes less of a reality and more of a myth as travel for Buddhist travelers becomes more difficult.
Despite the grim outlook, the text offers hope in the form of a future savior from Shambhala. In the view of the Dragon and Bird Clan, I submit, the cycles in the clan war witness a regular ebb and flow of fortunes with each major decline reversed by the arising of a dynamic clan king. In the great cycle, when in their view the final victory over the materialists must be achieved, a king of equal proportions must arise.
In the Hindu world, this king is known as Kalki who comes from the village of Sambhala on a white horse. In the Kalacakra it is Raudracakrin of Shambhala who also rides a white horse.
The horse may be linked with the Milky Ocean and also with the submarine fire in the shape of a mare's head found in Hindu belief. It would stand for the powers of the Earth, particularly the fiery volcanic energy found under the ocean and the world. In other words, this is the king connected with the great volcanic world mountain.
Such views also made their way into the beliefs of the Zoroastrians of India and Iran. The Bahman Yact speaks of the savior king Kai Bahrám Varjávand who comes from the "eastern quarter" in the direction of "Chinistan" (China) or Hind (South India and the East Indies). The king's exploits are mentioned in several Pahlavi and New Persian texts.
In the Shahnamah, the chronicles of the kings, Kai Khusraw, the eighth and last king in the Kayanian line, journeys to the mysterious subterranean fortess of Kang-Dêz in the East. To reach Kang-dez, he first must travel through Khotan and China before embarking on a seven month sea voyage to the paradisical fortress.
Like Shambhala, the actual directions to Kang-Dêz are somewhat obscured and maybe purposefully so. It is said to lie within the cosmic Mount Qaf, the axis mundi, where the three worlds -- the sky-world, the terrestrial-world and the underworld -- meet and provide access to one another. The inhabitants are classic "Happy Islanders" who live long, carefree and pious lives.
The great kings go to rest in Kang-Dêz to await the final age when the future Saoshyant comes to transform the world into a Golden Age. As with Shambhala, it is not entirely clear whether the final battle of "good" versus "evil" is fought on a spiritual or mundane level. Some say it occurs on both planes but mostly on the former.
The description of Kang-Dêz fits that of the classic mandala. The castle is surrounded by seven walls made of different metals, and by an enclosure of 14 mountains and seven rivers. The lush description matches that of the utopian "Emerald Isle" of the Hidden Imam in Shi'ite belief. The journey to Kang-Dêz is a spirtual one and like most pilgrimages, including that of Gilgamesh to the East, it involves a spiritual recapitulation.
The cosmic cycle is recreated by the pilgrim as in the walking of the Via Dolorosa or the circumambulation of the Patala Palace in Lhasa. However, this does not mean that Kang-Dêz was not a real geographical reality in the Zoroastrian mind. The description of travel over real localities like Khotan and China suggest strongly that they did envision a geographical location from which the "King of the East" would come.
For the Dragon and Bird Clan, the knowledge (or myth) of a future savior created hope to keep up the struggle. We will see this also in the form of Prester John, the "Christian" king who was expected to save Christendom from Islamic invaders.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
The passages in the text doubtless refer only to defensive war. Buddhism generally got along well with other religions including those in India and East, Central and Southeast Asia. However, the situation with the Lalos was seen as different.
In particular, the level of violence used by these cultures was addressed.
As for the behavior of the Lalos, whatever country in the world they are in, they have asura (demonic) aspects or proclivities or are of that family, the party of Maara (God of Evil). Dwelling on having power and violent action, without kindness toward sentient beings is the Lalo form or way.
-- Kalacakra Tantra
The lack of compassion of the Lalos was seen particularly in their treatment of animals and in their diet which was described of consisting mostly of nearly raw, bloody meat.
The text describes a situation in which the Lalos conquer all the lands "south of the River Sita." Only Shambhala north of the river is spared although its borders are breached.
After the Kalacakra Tantra reached Tibet, that country had good and active relations with Shambhala despite the ongoing threat of the Lalos. Students and pilgrims are said to have traveled from Tibet to Shambhala, and maybe more importantly, also from Shambhala to Tibet, dispelling doubt that the former was simply a mythical kingdom.
However, only a few decades after the Kalacakra reaches Tibet, the mighty Samudera empire had established itself in insular Southeast Asia. Even a few centuries earlier the smaller Peureulak kingdom had arisen in the region of Aceh. Gradually, Shambhala becomes less of a reality and more of a myth as travel for Buddhist travelers becomes more difficult.
Despite the grim outlook, the text offers hope in the form of a future savior from Shambhala. In the view of the Dragon and Bird Clan, I submit, the cycles in the clan war witness a regular ebb and flow of fortunes with each major decline reversed by the arising of a dynamic clan king. In the great cycle, when in their view the final victory over the materialists must be achieved, a king of equal proportions must arise.
In the Hindu world, this king is known as Kalki who comes from the village of Sambhala on a white horse. In the Kalacakra it is Raudracakrin of Shambhala who also rides a white horse.
The horse may be linked with the Milky Ocean and also with the submarine fire in the shape of a mare's head found in Hindu belief. It would stand for the powers of the Earth, particularly the fiery volcanic energy found under the ocean and the world. In other words, this is the king connected with the great volcanic world mountain.
Such views also made their way into the beliefs of the Zoroastrians of India and Iran. The Bahman Yact speaks of the savior king Kai Bahrám Varjávand who comes from the "eastern quarter" in the direction of "Chinistan" (China) or Hind (South India and the East Indies). The king's exploits are mentioned in several Pahlavi and New Persian texts.
In the Shahnamah, the chronicles of the kings, Kai Khusraw, the eighth and last king in the Kayanian line, journeys to the mysterious subterranean fortess of Kang-Dêz in the East. To reach Kang-dez, he first must travel through Khotan and China before embarking on a seven month sea voyage to the paradisical fortress.
Like Shambhala, the actual directions to Kang-Dêz are somewhat obscured and maybe purposefully so. It is said to lie within the cosmic Mount Qaf, the axis mundi, where the three worlds -- the sky-world, the terrestrial-world and the underworld -- meet and provide access to one another. The inhabitants are classic "Happy Islanders" who live long, carefree and pious lives.
The great kings go to rest in Kang-Dêz to await the final age when the future Saoshyant comes to transform the world into a Golden Age. As with Shambhala, it is not entirely clear whether the final battle of "good" versus "evil" is fought on a spiritual or mundane level. Some say it occurs on both planes but mostly on the former.
The description of Kang-Dêz fits that of the classic mandala. The castle is surrounded by seven walls made of different metals, and by an enclosure of 14 mountains and seven rivers. The lush description matches that of the utopian "Emerald Isle" of the Hidden Imam in Shi'ite belief. The journey to Kang-Dêz is a spirtual one and like most pilgrimages, including that of Gilgamesh to the East, it involves a spiritual recapitulation.
The cosmic cycle is recreated by the pilgrim as in the walking of the Via Dolorosa or the circumambulation of the Patala Palace in Lhasa. However, this does not mean that Kang-Dêz was not a real geographical reality in the Zoroastrian mind. The description of travel over real localities like Khotan and China suggest strongly that they did envision a geographical location from which the "King of the East" would come.
For the Dragon and Bird Clan, the knowledge (or myth) of a future savior created hope to keep up the struggle. We will see this also in the form of Prester John, the "Christian" king who was expected to save Christendom from Islamic invaders.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Kalacakra II
So when Buddhism spread into Southeast Asia it absorbed previous layers of Hinduism, mostly Siva worship mixed with local beliefs centered around sun and goddess worship particularly.
These syncretic Siva-Buddhist elements from Southeast Asia together with those from Mahacina or East Asia helped in formulating the Tantric doctrine known as Vajrayana. From the Vajrayana milieu we see the first evidence of the Kalacakra springing up associated with insular Southeast Asia.
Using the traditions and the process of elimination, it's fairly easy to deduce where the semi-legendary land of Shambhala was located. It was from there that the Kalacakra came into India at about 966 AD, and thus we have only to locate those areas where this doctrine existed before that time. In fact, the only evidence would point toward Southeast Asia. While the Kalacakra later became established in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, Nepal and Burma, all this was after the introduction into India.
Again, there is even the tradition of the Shambhala king Sripala from the "Southern Ocean" bringing the Kalacakra practice to India. All the traditions agree that it was first carried to the coastal eastern states of Orissa and Bengal which had documented close relations with Suvarnadvipa at the time including religious exchanges.
The Kalacakra was preserved to the present day mainly by peoples of Tibetan, Mongolian and Nepalese origin. It is from their texts that we have rather abundant information on the kingdom of Shambhala. The Kalacakratantra and its commentaries are among the most important of these texts.
They relate that the Kalacakra was taught by the Buddha himself to the first king of Shambhala named Sucandra. This early dynasty of Shambhala kings were known as Dharmarajas and were said to have been of the same Sakya clan as the Buddha. This may be a legendary device to trace back the lineage to the founder of Buddhism.
Possibly the more historical dynasty linked with the Kalacakra arises 600 years after the death of the Buddha and is known as the Kulika or Rigden dynasty. The names "Kulika" and "Rigden" identify the king as the holder of the clan or lineage.
This lineage was founded by the king Mañjushrikiirti who was said to have folded the four Hindu castes into a single clan (kula) and to have abolished related dining and marriage discrimination.
Interestingly this anti-caste attitude also appears in Hindu literature related to the priests of Sakadvipa.
The traditions vary as to whom was the Shambhala king when the Kalacakra was brought to India. The Dro tradition says it was the 18th Rigden Sripala (Senge) while the competing claim is that this happened during the reign of the 12th Rigden Surya (Nyima). The texts also prophesy the names of future kings of Shambhala indicating that these names were more descriptive or titulary than anything else. According to the Dro tradition we are currently in the reign of Rigden Raudracakrin (Drakpo) while in the competing view the current king is Rigden Aniruddha (Magakpa).
The Kalacakra texts have much to say about the invasions of "barbarians" known collectively as the Lalo. These texts show considerable knowledge of the expansionist wars of Muslims and Christians. They refer particularly to aberrant forms of astrology used by the Lalos.
Many of these texts originate starting only in the 10th century at a time when Muslim invasions were threatening Buddhism in India. By 1194 the great university of Nalanda in eastern India had been destroyed.
The Kalacakra Tantra contains material on who to defend against enemy invaders including instructions on how to build fortresses and various types of weapons. This may relay the importance that the Shambhala kings had placed on stopping the advance of the Lalos.
We read of different types of war machines: stone-catapults, "Naga" swords, chariots, "show-houses," circle cannons, "throwers" and 12 types of "water-leading" devices.
After giving instructions on how to build one type of catapult, the following instructions are given:
One defensive weapon consisted of a wind or water-driven wheel of hooked swords:
After describing a windmill type of device to protect fortresses, an armored machine to destroy stone walls, and a defensive system of ground-mounted crossbows with iron-piercing arrows, the text tells of a hydraulic device apparently meant to provide water for gardens during times of siege.
The detailed instructions on military weapons in the prime Kalacakra text gives us some idea of the political situation that existed at this time.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Mipham, Mi-pham on the Kālacakra tantra : a reproduction of the two volumes from the collected works of Jam-mgon Ju Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho dealing with the cycle of the Wheel of Time. Publisher Gangtok : Sonam Topgay Kazi, 1971-1972.
Newman, John Ronald, Jackson, Roder; and Sopa, Lhundup, The Wheel of Time: The Kalacakra in Context, Madison 1985.
These syncretic Siva-Buddhist elements from Southeast Asia together with those from Mahacina or East Asia helped in formulating the Tantric doctrine known as Vajrayana. From the Vajrayana milieu we see the first evidence of the Kalacakra springing up associated with insular Southeast Asia.
Using the traditions and the process of elimination, it's fairly easy to deduce where the semi-legendary land of Shambhala was located. It was from there that the Kalacakra came into India at about 966 AD, and thus we have only to locate those areas where this doctrine existed before that time. In fact, the only evidence would point toward Southeast Asia. While the Kalacakra later became established in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, Nepal and Burma, all this was after the introduction into India.
Again, there is even the tradition of the Shambhala king Sripala from the "Southern Ocean" bringing the Kalacakra practice to India. All the traditions agree that it was first carried to the coastal eastern states of Orissa and Bengal which had documented close relations with Suvarnadvipa at the time including religious exchanges.
The Kalacakra was preserved to the present day mainly by peoples of Tibetan, Mongolian and Nepalese origin. It is from their texts that we have rather abundant information on the kingdom of Shambhala. The Kalacakratantra and its commentaries are among the most important of these texts.
They relate that the Kalacakra was taught by the Buddha himself to the first king of Shambhala named Sucandra. This early dynasty of Shambhala kings were known as Dharmarajas and were said to have been of the same Sakya clan as the Buddha. This may be a legendary device to trace back the lineage to the founder of Buddhism.
Possibly the more historical dynasty linked with the Kalacakra arises 600 years after the death of the Buddha and is known as the Kulika or Rigden dynasty. The names "Kulika" and "Rigden" identify the king as the holder of the clan or lineage.
This lineage was founded by the king Mañjushrikiirti who was said to have folded the four Hindu castes into a single clan (kula) and to have abolished related dining and marriage discrimination.
Interestingly this anti-caste attitude also appears in Hindu literature related to the priests of Sakadvipa.
The traditions vary as to whom was the Shambhala king when the Kalacakra was brought to India. The Dro tradition says it was the 18th Rigden Sripala (Senge) while the competing claim is that this happened during the reign of the 12th Rigden Surya (Nyima). The texts also prophesy the names of future kings of Shambhala indicating that these names were more descriptive or titulary than anything else. According to the Dro tradition we are currently in the reign of Rigden Raudracakrin (Drakpo) while in the competing view the current king is Rigden Aniruddha (Magakpa).
The Kalacakra texts have much to say about the invasions of "barbarians" known collectively as the Lalo. These texts show considerable knowledge of the expansionist wars of Muslims and Christians. They refer particularly to aberrant forms of astrology used by the Lalos.
Many of these texts originate starting only in the 10th century at a time when Muslim invasions were threatening Buddhism in India. By 1194 the great university of Nalanda in eastern India had been destroyed.
The Kalacakra Tantra contains material on who to defend against enemy invaders including instructions on how to build fortresses and various types of weapons. This may relay the importance that the Shambhala kings had placed on stopping the advance of the Lalos.
We read of different types of war machines: stone-catapults, "Naga" swords, chariots, "show-houses," circle cannons, "throwers" and 12 types of "water-leading" devices.
After giving instructions on how to build one type of catapult, the following instructions are given:
Having strong human power those who pull it, pull the ropes and, as it shoots, suddenly they will go quickly into space, and having gone they will accurately and suddenly fall on houses, roads etc., and having struck all those things the rocks ill go below the ground, like a suddenly descending thunderbolt.
One defensive weapon consisted of a wind or water-driven wheel of hooked swords:
"...placed on the lower wheel spokes are sharp swords are put which whirl swiftly. They will cut the bodies of enemies. That machine by which it is made so that the machine's lower wheel's base turns by means of water or wind."
After describing a windmill type of device to protect fortresses, an armored machine to destroy stone walls, and a defensive system of ground-mounted crossbows with iron-piercing arrows, the text tells of a hydraulic device apparently meant to provide water for gardens during times of siege.
The detailed instructions on military weapons in the prime Kalacakra text gives us some idea of the political situation that existed at this time.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Mipham, Mi-pham on the Kālacakra tantra : a reproduction of the two volumes from the collected works of Jam-mgon Ju Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho dealing with the cycle of the Wheel of Time. Publisher Gangtok : Sonam Topgay Kazi, 1971-1972.
Newman, John Ronald, Jackson, Roder; and Sopa, Lhundup, The Wheel of Time: The Kalacakra in Context, Madison 1985.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
The Wheel of Time
Coedes referring to Austronesian practices of burying their dead:
"... in jars or dolmens and for which purpose the megalithic structures
are constructed, throughout not only the island chain but wherever
this system occurred, is characteristic. So also is the cosmological
dualism which is inherent in the system. This dualism is not only of
gods but of the spirits of mountain and sea and of species and
further of mountain and lowland peoples. This system is indelibly
stamped on the Austronesian people, probably the Chinese K'unlun or
the Sanskrit Dvipantera, 'the people of the islands'. These people
had a civilisation that penetrated it and an approximate idea of
this civilisation can still be obtained by observation of some
peoples of the mountains and back country of Indochina and Malaya."
(The Indianized States of Southeast Asia, pp. 9-10)
The dualism mentioned also plays an important role in Tantric doctrine. Tantra claims to offer a "fast track" path to enlightenment or liberation. The practitioner, by identifying with the goal, reduces the time taken to achieve that goal.
In dualistic philosophy, the ultimate reality consists of the splitting of the two cosmic principles and their subsequent interaction, until finally reuniting. This end result is the same goal as that in the minds of the Tantric practitioner, and can be viewed in ways that some might consider profane.
In Tantric Buddhism, or Vajrayana, the initiate visualizes the union of knowledge/wisdom with compassion in the form of corresponding representative deities. These are seen as polarities -- as male and female respectively. Vajrayana means "Way of the Thunderbolt" after the use of the iconic vajra "thunderbolt" in meditation and other rituals.
The vajra, as a male symbol, was used together with the bell, as a female symbol, in rituals aimed at increasing self-identification with a particular deity. In the same sense, the curved knife was used with a skull, as complimentary duals, in shamanic and exorcism rituals.
The vajra was initially in the design of a double-sided spear or javelin with variable number of prongs on each end. According to legend, the Buddha closed these prongs by fusing them to the central shaft, thus creating a "peaceful" weapon.
Vajra with closed prongs and lotuses ornamenting central shaft
Vajrayana bell
Vajrayana curved knife
The phurba dagger used in visualization to subdue demons
The practice of self-identifying with deity or the act of becoming the deity is, of course, very similar to what happens in shamanistic practices. The gods that were the objects of this self-identification are known in Tibetan Buddhism as Yidam deities.
Shamans visualize themselves as a totem, spirit, hero or god. In this visualization a battle takes place between "good" and "evil" forces. We can see from the use of ritual weapons that Tantric visualization also involves something akin to shamanic warfare.
If Tantric Buddhists see the more efficient and effective paths to enlightenment as better, the in the Tibetan world none is better than the Kalacakra "the Wheel of Time."
Time after all is the main thing that separates the disjoining of the polarities from the rejoining, or the seeker from the goal. Time is thus the all-controlling factor and is personified in the Kalacakra Deity. This god takes on the form of the Adibuddha, the "First" or "Primordial Buddha," a pantheistic being from which all things arise.
The cosmic cycles of time are also found in microcosm within one's own body according to Kalacakra principles. By identifying with these cycles and with the Kalacakra Deity one transcends time and attains enlightenment swiftly.
In Kalacakra visualization, mandala's are constructed representing the cosmos. These are forms of the cosmic mountain in the shape of a terraced pyramid viewed from the top.
Sketch of Borobodur pyramid viewed from the top looking down
The Kalacakra mandala
As noted earlier, the Kalacakra practice appears to have originated in Suvarnadvipa, the lands of the Nusantao. And what is interesting about the Kalacakra texts is that they have what has been generally interpreted as strong views against expansionist religions particularly Islam and Christianity.
A type of world conflict is envisioned that we will examine in more detail as we go along.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
"... in jars or dolmens and for which purpose the megalithic structures
are constructed, throughout not only the island chain but wherever
this system occurred, is characteristic. So also is the cosmological
dualism which is inherent in the system. This dualism is not only of
gods but of the spirits of mountain and sea and of species and
further of mountain and lowland peoples. This system is indelibly
stamped on the Austronesian people, probably the Chinese K'unlun or
the Sanskrit Dvipantera, 'the people of the islands'. These people
had a civilisation that penetrated it and an approximate idea of
this civilisation can still be obtained by observation of some
peoples of the mountains and back country of Indochina and Malaya."
(The Indianized States of Southeast Asia, pp. 9-10)
The dualism mentioned also plays an important role in Tantric doctrine. Tantra claims to offer a "fast track" path to enlightenment or liberation. The practitioner, by identifying with the goal, reduces the time taken to achieve that goal.
In dualistic philosophy, the ultimate reality consists of the splitting of the two cosmic principles and their subsequent interaction, until finally reuniting. This end result is the same goal as that in the minds of the Tantric practitioner, and can be viewed in ways that some might consider profane.
In Tantric Buddhism, or Vajrayana, the initiate visualizes the union of knowledge/wisdom with compassion in the form of corresponding representative deities. These are seen as polarities -- as male and female respectively. Vajrayana means "Way of the Thunderbolt" after the use of the iconic vajra "thunderbolt" in meditation and other rituals.
The vajra, as a male symbol, was used together with the bell, as a female symbol, in rituals aimed at increasing self-identification with a particular deity. In the same sense, the curved knife was used with a skull, as complimentary duals, in shamanic and exorcism rituals.
The vajra was initially in the design of a double-sided spear or javelin with variable number of prongs on each end. According to legend, the Buddha closed these prongs by fusing them to the central shaft, thus creating a "peaceful" weapon.
Vajra with closed prongs and lotuses ornamenting central shaft
Vajrayana bell
Vajrayana curved knife
The phurba dagger used in visualization to subdue demons
The practice of self-identifying with deity or the act of becoming the deity is, of course, very similar to what happens in shamanistic practices. The gods that were the objects of this self-identification are known in Tibetan Buddhism as Yidam deities.
Shamans visualize themselves as a totem, spirit, hero or god. In this visualization a battle takes place between "good" and "evil" forces. We can see from the use of ritual weapons that Tantric visualization also involves something akin to shamanic warfare.
If Tantric Buddhists see the more efficient and effective paths to enlightenment as better, the in the Tibetan world none is better than the Kalacakra "the Wheel of Time."
Time after all is the main thing that separates the disjoining of the polarities from the rejoining, or the seeker from the goal. Time is thus the all-controlling factor and is personified in the Kalacakra Deity. This god takes on the form of the Adibuddha, the "First" or "Primordial Buddha," a pantheistic being from which all things arise.
The cosmic cycles of time are also found in microcosm within one's own body according to Kalacakra principles. By identifying with these cycles and with the Kalacakra Deity one transcends time and attains enlightenment swiftly.
In Kalacakra visualization, mandala's are constructed representing the cosmos. These are forms of the cosmic mountain in the shape of a terraced pyramid viewed from the top.
Sketch of Borobodur pyramid viewed from the top looking down
The Kalacakra mandala
As noted earlier, the Kalacakra practice appears to have originated in Suvarnadvipa, the lands of the Nusantao. And what is interesting about the Kalacakra texts is that they have what has been generally interpreted as strong views against expansionist religions particularly Islam and Christianity.
A type of world conflict is envisioned that we will examine in more detail as we go along.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Friday, February 04, 2005
A brief look at the merchandise
In 1154, the Arab geographer Idrisi states: "The residents of Zabag go to the land of Sofala (near Beira, Mozambique) and export the iron from there supplying it to all the lands of India. No iron is comparable to theirs in quality and sharpness."
So in addition to tortoise shell mentioned by the Periplus, the Zabag traders were trading iron from Africa in "all the lands of India," which would include India proper and the "East Indies." As mentioned earlier, the tin mentioned in the Periplus in South Indian ports also likely came from Southeast Asia.
The Muslim texts mention among the other products traded by Zabag, at least within its own territories, were: camphor, aloeswood, sandalwood, ivory, a type of lead known as "Cabahi, "ebony," red-wood, nutmeg, mace, aloeswood, cardamom and cubeb.
The Chinese texts mention additionally as the products of Sanfotsi, which we have connected with Zabag: four varieties of gharu-wood, tortoise shell, laka-wood. cardamon and also, although not necessarily native, gold, silver, porcelain, silk, brocades, sugar, iron, samshu, rice, dried galangal and rhubarb.
Idrisi writes that in the 12th century, the Chinese often directed their trade toward Zabag especially during times of trouble (translated by Georges Coedes):
The islands of Wakwak, or Toupo as the Chinese knew them, competed fiercely with Zabag, it's close neighbor. The two were in fact described as continuous with each other with Wakwak situated to the south of Zabag.
Although the Arabic accounts vary somewhat, the reliable traditions agree in placing both Zabag and Wakwak in the "Sea of Champa" or the "Sea of China." That is in the seas directly off the east coast of Champa (southern and central Vietnam) and/or China. Here are some geographical notes on Wakwak from the Muslim texts:
Interestingly, Wakwak is often said to be ruled by a queen known as Damhara. The Chinese texts also mention a queen at one time ruling Toupo.
The Chinese chronicles mention Queen Sima of Toupo who struck fear in the heart of the "King of the Arabs."
It seems also women played a major role in Zabag as the tales of Sinbad in the One Thousand and One Nights mention a princess of Zabag who greatly assists her father in ruling over the kingdom.
Like Zabag, Wakwak was also famed for its gold and probably even more so.
When the Spanish reached the Philippines, they were surprised at the quantity of gold to be found:
The other products mentioned as coming from Wakwak/Toupo are very similar to those mentioned as coming from Zabag. Pigafetta states that at Butuan and Calagan was found the finest cinnamon in the world known as caumana. The latter word itself looks like a possible ultimate etymological source for "cinnamon" which is derived directly from the Hebrew kinamon.
In the earliest mention of Toupo in the Funan tu su luan of Kang-Tai the pronunciation is Toubak which happens to be same as the old name for the kingdom of Cotabato in the southern Philippines.
Although medieval writings up to Pigafetta describe homes and buildings decorated with gold, great cities seem to be lacking. I Ching describes Foshi, which may be the same as Sanfotsi, as a "fortified town." Muslim writers also describe the location of the Zabag king's palace as a "town." This palace though seems to have been imposing and its legend may have survived to the time of the Age of Exploration.
The king of Zabag was said to have a very heavy crown of gold and jewels, and also to have a golden image of himself for posterity. Offerings of gold vessels were made by the people to this image. This collection of gold was in the form of a shrine known as the "Mountain of Gold and Silver."
The description of the homes in Toupo given by the Chinese is positive:
When Pigafetta arrived, he found that the natives of the Philippines were still conducting long-distance trade and that Magellan's crew was conducted to "their boats where they had their merchandise, which consisted of cloves, cinnamon, pepper, nutmegs, mace, gold, and other things: and they made us understand by gestures that such articles were to be found in the islands to which they were going."
The Pandanan wreck also gives us an idea of the types of things brought back from these trade journeys. Dated at about 1410, the wreck consisted of 4,722 items stored in seven hull compartments. These were not water-tight compartments and large holes at the bottom of each bulkhead drained bilge water into the bottom of the hull.
More than 70 percent of the cargo consisted of Vietnamese ceramics. Other items included blue and white porcelain wares, celadons and iron cauldrons and gongs.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
So in addition to tortoise shell mentioned by the Periplus, the Zabag traders were trading iron from Africa in "all the lands of India," which would include India proper and the "East Indies." As mentioned earlier, the tin mentioned in the Periplus in South Indian ports also likely came from Southeast Asia.
The Muslim texts mention among the other products traded by Zabag, at least within its own territories, were: camphor, aloeswood, sandalwood, ivory, a type of lead known as "Cabahi, "ebony," red-wood, nutmeg, mace, aloeswood, cardamom and cubeb.
The Chinese texts mention additionally as the products of Sanfotsi, which we have connected with Zabag: four varieties of gharu-wood, tortoise shell, laka-wood. cardamon and also, although not necessarily native, gold, silver, porcelain, silk, brocades, sugar, iron, samshu, rice, dried galangal and rhubarb.
Idrisi writes that in the 12th century, the Chinese often directed their trade toward Zabag especially during times of trouble (translated by Georges Coedes):
It is said that when the states of affairs of China became troubled by rebellions and when tyranny and confusion became excessive in India, the inhabitants of China transferred their trade to Zabag and the other islands dependent on it, entered into relations with it, and familiarized themselves with its inhabitants bcause of their justice, the goodness of their conduct, the pleasantness fo their customs, and their facility in business. It is because of this that this island is so heavily populated and so often frequented by strangers.
The islands of Wakwak, or Toupo as the Chinese knew them, competed fiercely with Zabag, it's close neighbor. The two were in fact described as continuous with each other with Wakwak situated to the south of Zabag.
Although the Arabic accounts vary somewhat, the reliable traditions agree in placing both Zabag and Wakwak in the "Sea of Champa" or the "Sea of China." That is in the seas directly off the east coast of Champa (southern and central Vietnam) and/or China. Here are some geographical notes on Wakwak from the Muslim texts:
One goes from the sea of Champa to the land of Wakwak
-- Shahriyar
The sea of Champa which is before the China Sea, joins Wakwak
-- Shahriyar
Wakwak lies to the east of China...
-- Ibn Khurdadhbih
It is a land situated south of China
-- Yakut
The islands of Wakwak situated in the China Sea are near Zabag
-- Kazwini
They are in the extreme East
-- Ibn Sa`id
Interestingly, Wakwak is often said to be ruled by a queen known as Damhara. The Chinese texts also mention a queen at one time ruling Toupo.
The ruler of the islands of Wakwak is a woman. She sits nude on a throne, a crown of gold on her head, surrounded by four thousand young slaves also nude.
-- Kazwini and Ibn al-Wardi
The queen is called Damhara, wears a robe woven of gold and shoes of gold.
-- Ibn al-Wardi, Idrisi
The queen sits on a throne with a crown of gold on her head, surrounded by 400 young virgins.
-- Abshihi
(translated by Gabriel Ferrand)
The Chinese chronicles mention Queen Sima of Toupo who struck fear in the heart of the "King of the Arabs."
It seems also women played a major role in Zabag as the tales of Sinbad in the One Thousand and One Nights mention a princess of Zabag who greatly assists her father in ruling over the kingdom.
Like Zabag, Wakwak was also famed for its gold and probably even more so.
The horse bits, and the chains and collars of dogs are of gold
-- Shahriyar
The people make shirts woven of gold
-- Shahriyar
The chiefs have bricks made of gold with which they build fortresses and houses
-- Ibn al-Wardi, Abu Zaid Hasan
The gold is exported in ingots and as dust
-- Idrisi
When the Spanish reached the Philippines, they were surprised at the quantity of gold to be found:
"... the natives proceed more slowly in this ,and content themselves with what they already possess in jewels and gold ingots handed down from antiquity and inherited from their ancestors. This is considerable, for he must be poor and wretched who has no gold chains, calombigas, and earrings."
-- Antonio de Morga
"On the island [Butuan] where the king came to the ship, pieces of gold as large as walnuts or eggs are to be found, by sifting the earth. All the dishes of the king are of gold, and his whole house is very well set up."
-- Pigafetta
"...they possess great skill in mixing it [gold] with other metals. They give it an outside appearance so natural and perfect, and so fine a ring, that unless it is melted they can deceive all men, even the best of silversmiths."
-- Pigafetta
"According to their customs, he [Raja Siaua] was very grandly decked out, and the finest looking man we saw among those people. He wore two large golden earrings fastened in his ears. At his side hung a dagger the shaft of which was somewhat long and all in gold. He had three spots of gold on every tooth , and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold. That island of his was called Butuan and Calagan."
-- Pigafetta
The other products mentioned as coming from Wakwak/Toupo are very similar to those mentioned as coming from Zabag. Pigafetta states that at Butuan and Calagan was found the finest cinnamon in the world known as caumana. The latter word itself looks like a possible ultimate etymological source for "cinnamon" which is derived directly from the Hebrew kinamon.
In the earliest mention of Toupo in the Funan tu su luan of Kang-Tai the pronunciation is Toubak which happens to be same as the old name for the kingdom of Cotabato in the southern Philippines.
Although medieval writings up to Pigafetta describe homes and buildings decorated with gold, great cities seem to be lacking. I Ching describes Foshi, which may be the same as Sanfotsi, as a "fortified town." Muslim writers also describe the location of the Zabag king's palace as a "town." This palace though seems to have been imposing and its legend may have survived to the time of the Age of Exploration.
The king of Zabag was said to have a very heavy crown of gold and jewels, and also to have a golden image of himself for posterity. Offerings of gold vessels were made by the people to this image. This collection of gold was in the form of a shrine known as the "Mountain of Gold and Silver."
The description of the homes in Toupo given by the Chinese is positive:
The dwellings are of imposing appearance and painted in greenish tints. Traders going there are put up in visitor's lodges, where food and drink both plentiful and good (are supplied).
-- Chau Ju-Kua
When Pigafetta arrived, he found that the natives of the Philippines were still conducting long-distance trade and that Magellan's crew was conducted to "their boats where they had their merchandise, which consisted of cloves, cinnamon, pepper, nutmegs, mace, gold, and other things: and they made us understand by gestures that such articles were to be found in the islands to which they were going."
The Pandanan wreck also gives us an idea of the types of things brought back from these trade journeys. Dated at about 1410, the wreck consisted of 4,722 items stored in seven hull compartments. These were not water-tight compartments and large holes at the bottom of each bulkhead drained bilge water into the bottom of the hull.
More than 70 percent of the cargo consisted of Vietnamese ceramics. Other items included blue and white porcelain wares, celadons and iron cauldrons and gongs.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Thursday, February 03, 2005
The development of Kalacakra
In eastern Asia and various parts of India, particularly in the East and the South, Buddhism and Hinduism began to fuse through the vehicle of Tantra. The texts make clear that the flow of culture was in both directions.
From Tibet, Burma and China, probably known collectively as Mahacina we hear of substantial Tantric influence. The yab-yum philosophy of the Tibetan Bon religion and the related yin-yang doctrine of Taoism are quite evident in Tantric literature including the Mahacinatantra.
The goddess Tara, who was of utmost importance in both Buddhist and Hindu tantrism, shared many similarities to eastern Asian sea goddesses. She was herself the patron deity of seafarers in Tantric tradition.
In Southeast Asia, we see the rise of important Buddhist learning centers. When I Ching visited Foshi in the seventh century, he stated that "the level of the sciences has reached such a state, that one can say all the knowledge of the world flows from this island."
The great Tantric Buddhist teacher Atisha traveled to insular Southeast Asia to study under the master guru Suvarnadvipi.
Tantric forms of Buddhism like Vajrayana and Kalacakra became strongly identified with this region known as Suvarnadvipa "the Golden Isles." This region was part of what what we have described before as Sakadvipa "the Isles of the Saka (Teak) Tree."
These islands form part of the eastern quarter of the world known as Bhadrasva in the Puranic literature. The Sita River was the great river of Bhadrasva and was said also to be one of the rivers of Sakadvipa. The kingdom of Shambhala was said to lie on the north side of this river.
The region was famed as fragrant with the scent of cloves and rich in gold and other precious metals. The The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea a first century Greek work on Indian Ocean trade mentions the commerce between the markets at the mouth of the Ganges and Chryse "the Gold Isle" the very farthest land to the East.
Among the products from Chryse was said to be the finest tortoise shell in all the Indian Ocean trade. Reports of near-by gold mines are also mentioned. The Chryse merchants apparently used "very large" ships known in the text as colandia.
The Tantric doctrine of Kalacakra will play an important role in the history of this area beginning in about the 8th or 9th century. The Kalacakra like all Tantras has strong dualistic elements combined with the predominant doctrine of cyclic time. The supreme Kalacakra Deity is, in fact, a sort of personification of time, particularly time as a destroying and hence rejuvenating factor.
In the Kalacakra doctrine we see a very strong emphasis on messianism and end-times prophecy linked specifically with the kingdom of Shambhala. This was at a time when the Dragon and Bird Clan was maybe at its highest height but also preparing to face its greatest challenge.
A Tibetan representation of the kingdom of Shambhala
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
From Tibet, Burma and China, probably known collectively as Mahacina we hear of substantial Tantric influence. The yab-yum philosophy of the Tibetan Bon religion and the related yin-yang doctrine of Taoism are quite evident in Tantric literature including the Mahacinatantra.
The goddess Tara, who was of utmost importance in both Buddhist and Hindu tantrism, shared many similarities to eastern Asian sea goddesses. She was herself the patron deity of seafarers in Tantric tradition.
In Southeast Asia, we see the rise of important Buddhist learning centers. When I Ching visited Foshi in the seventh century, he stated that "the level of the sciences has reached such a state, that one can say all the knowledge of the world flows from this island."
The great Tantric Buddhist teacher Atisha traveled to insular Southeast Asia to study under the master guru Suvarnadvipi.
Tantric forms of Buddhism like Vajrayana and Kalacakra became strongly identified with this region known as Suvarnadvipa "the Golden Isles." This region was part of what what we have described before as Sakadvipa "the Isles of the Saka (Teak) Tree."
These islands form part of the eastern quarter of the world known as Bhadrasva in the Puranic literature. The Sita River was the great river of Bhadrasva and was said also to be one of the rivers of Sakadvipa. The kingdom of Shambhala was said to lie on the north side of this river.
The region was famed as fragrant with the scent of cloves and rich in gold and other precious metals. The The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea a first century Greek work on Indian Ocean trade mentions the commerce between the markets at the mouth of the Ganges and Chryse "the Gold Isle" the very farthest land to the East.
Among the products from Chryse was said to be the finest tortoise shell in all the Indian Ocean trade. Reports of near-by gold mines are also mentioned. The Chryse merchants apparently used "very large" ships known in the text as colandia.
The Tantric doctrine of Kalacakra will play an important role in the history of this area beginning in about the 8th or 9th century. The Kalacakra like all Tantras has strong dualistic elements combined with the predominant doctrine of cyclic time. The supreme Kalacakra Deity is, in fact, a sort of personification of time, particularly time as a destroying and hence rejuvenating factor.
In the Kalacakra doctrine we see a very strong emphasis on messianism and end-times prophecy linked specifically with the kingdom of Shambhala. This was at a time when the Dragon and Bird Clan was maybe at its highest height but also preparing to face its greatest challenge.
A Tibetan representation of the kingdom of Shambhala
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Back East
We will leave Europe for now and go back east to India. It was to here, as we have mentioned, that the Nusantao merchants brought their goods for distribution to points beyond on the Clove Route.
Good relations with India would have been important especially for the Dragon and Bird Clan who mostly controlled this northern route as opposed to the southern transoceanic Cinnamon Route. The gradual migration of Indian religious influences into Southeast Asia helped foster good relations.
While it is difficult to gauge when these influences began, by the time of the Chinese traveler Fahsien in the 5th century, the influece was apparently strongly established. Fahsien mentions that in Ye-po-ti an island on the last leg of the journey from India to China, he found a form of Brahminism in practice. When I Ching traveled to India and back a few centuries later, he found at Foshi, again the last stop from India to China, that Buddhism was flourishing instead .
Indeed, there are some who believe that the syncretic forms of belief that combined Hindu worship of Siva and the Sun together with Buddhism originated in Southeast Asia and were carried back to India.
I suggest in one of my articles that the location known as Sakadvipa to the Indians was in Southeast Asia. In Hindu texts, Sakadvipa is associated strongly with Sun worship.
Indeed, in insular Southeast Asia we find that Siva is combined with local manifestations of the Sun god. Solar worship was and is widespread among indigenous religions of this region and also beyond into the Pacific. Forms of Siva such as Batara Guru and Maharaja Dewa (Mahadewa) are closely identified with the Sun in local forms of Hinduism or Kebatinan, and even in the genie lore of Muslims.
Apparently people from Sakadvipa also migrated to India forming the caste known today as the Sakadwipi brahmins. These Sakadwipis are dispersed mainly in eastern India where we also find syncreticism of Sun and Siva worship as in the Bhairava sect. Orissa on the eastern coast, in particular, becomes a center of Sun worship and pilgrims often visit to worship at Sun temples here.
One of the specific forms of solar worship was to bathe in the sea or to meditate in the forest (vana) and this was recommended especially to be done in Orissa.
The Sakadwipi brahmins became established mainly in Bihar, Bengal and Orissa, and from these places migrated to other regions. This occured during a time of significant recorded contact between East India and Suvarnadvipa (insular Southeast Asia). Specifically we know that Gauda and Varman kings of Bengal were said to have brought Sakadwipi brahmins into their courts. The Sakadwipis of today are often of the Sakta sect, which worships the goddess in the form of the spouse of Siva. They generally are held in low esteem by brahmins who claim North Indian origin (Pancha Gauda).
However, at one time they were leaders in the fields of astronomy and ayurvedic medical sciences. Even today, many are found practicing traditional astrology and healing.
The Sakadwipis are located where Siva/Sakti worship combines with Sun worship as in northern Bihar where the Chhath Sun festival is still of great importance. Here one encounters many syncretic temples combining Siva/Sakti images with those of the Sun god.
Sakadwipis were apparently very important in the astronomical circles around Magadha and latter in Avanti. The great astronomer Varahamihira was a Sakadwipi. It was during the period starting around the fifth century that we see a real flourishing of astronomy and geography in India.
One important feature of this astronomy/geography is found in the relation of the place known as Yamakoti or "Yama's peak." As mentioned previously, Yama is the Indian god of death and the Underworld. According to the astronomical text Surya Siddhanta we find from Lanka "at a quadrant of the earth's circumference eastward, in the clime Bhadrasva, is the city famed as Yamakoti, having the walls and gateways of gold."
Bhadrasva is the eastern region in the Puranas fed by the Sita, the river which also happens to be linked with both Sakadvipa and Shambhala.
Varahamihira states that when it is midnight in Yamakoti, it is sunset in Lanka and midday in Romaka, which refers either to Rome or Alexandria. If we accept Romaka as the latter, then Yamakoti would be roughly at the same meridian as Mt. Pinatubo.
Lanka is said to be on the same longitude as present-day Ujjain or at about 75° East longitude. Alexandria is at about 30° East and Pinatubo is at about 120° East, so they are both separated by about 45 degrees from Lanka.
Of course, 45 degrees is only one half of a quadrant of the earth's circumference. Rome would be much closer to a quadrant although still far off the mark.
We should note that Marinus of Tyre and Ptolemy of Alexandria tend to give similar indications in respect to longitude. If you remember, we mentioned that when Magellan landed in the Philippines he was heading for the port known as Cattigara.
In Ptolemy's Geographia, we find that Alexandria, Cattigara and the approximate location as best we can determine of Ujjain, are about proportionately equidistant from one another.
A medieval rendition of Ptolemy's world map by Girolamo Ruscelli in 1561
Marinus of Tyre states that the distance from the Fortunate Isles (Canary-Madiera Islands) to Cattigara was 230 degrees. The actual distance is about half that amount. Thus, both the Indian and Greek astronomers appear to overestimate distance in degrees by the same amount at least a these long ranges.
If Yamakoti mentioned by the Indian astronomers coincides fairly well with the Cattigara of the Greeks and Magellan, then we can see the Mt. Pinatubo would definitely be a good candidate for "Yama's Peak."
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Burgess, Rev. E.(trans), Gangooly, P.(ed.), The Surya Siddhanta: A Text-Book of Hindu Astronomy: Motilal Banarsida Publishers Private Ltd., Delhi, India, 1860 (reprinted in 1935 and 1989).
Varahamihira, Panchasiddhantika, Translated by G. Thibaut and Mahamahopadhyaya Sudhakara Dvivedi. Benares: Medical Hall Press, 1889.
Good relations with India would have been important especially for the Dragon and Bird Clan who mostly controlled this northern route as opposed to the southern transoceanic Cinnamon Route. The gradual migration of Indian religious influences into Southeast Asia helped foster good relations.
While it is difficult to gauge when these influences began, by the time of the Chinese traveler Fahsien in the 5th century, the influece was apparently strongly established. Fahsien mentions that in Ye-po-ti an island on the last leg of the journey from India to China, he found a form of Brahminism in practice. When I Ching traveled to India and back a few centuries later, he found at Foshi, again the last stop from India to China, that Buddhism was flourishing instead .
Indeed, there are some who believe that the syncretic forms of belief that combined Hindu worship of Siva and the Sun together with Buddhism originated in Southeast Asia and were carried back to India.
I suggest in one of my articles that the location known as Sakadvipa to the Indians was in Southeast Asia. In Hindu texts, Sakadvipa is associated strongly with Sun worship.
Indeed, in insular Southeast Asia we find that Siva is combined with local manifestations of the Sun god. Solar worship was and is widespread among indigenous religions of this region and also beyond into the Pacific. Forms of Siva such as Batara Guru and Maharaja Dewa (Mahadewa) are closely identified with the Sun in local forms of Hinduism or Kebatinan, and even in the genie lore of Muslims.
Apparently people from Sakadvipa also migrated to India forming the caste known today as the Sakadwipi brahmins. These Sakadwipis are dispersed mainly in eastern India where we also find syncreticism of Sun and Siva worship as in the Bhairava sect. Orissa on the eastern coast, in particular, becomes a center of Sun worship and pilgrims often visit to worship at Sun temples here.
One of the specific forms of solar worship was to bathe in the sea or to meditate in the forest (vana) and this was recommended especially to be done in Orissa.
The Sakadwipi brahmins became established mainly in Bihar, Bengal and Orissa, and from these places migrated to other regions. This occured during a time of significant recorded contact between East India and Suvarnadvipa (insular Southeast Asia). Specifically we know that Gauda and Varman kings of Bengal were said to have brought Sakadwipi brahmins into their courts. The Sakadwipis of today are often of the Sakta sect, which worships the goddess in the form of the spouse of Siva. They generally are held in low esteem by brahmins who claim North Indian origin (Pancha Gauda).
However, at one time they were leaders in the fields of astronomy and ayurvedic medical sciences. Even today, many are found practicing traditional astrology and healing.
The Sakadwipis are located where Siva/Sakti worship combines with Sun worship as in northern Bihar where the Chhath Sun festival is still of great importance. Here one encounters many syncretic temples combining Siva/Sakti images with those of the Sun god.
Sakadwipis were apparently very important in the astronomical circles around Magadha and latter in Avanti. The great astronomer Varahamihira was a Sakadwipi. It was during the period starting around the fifth century that we see a real flourishing of astronomy and geography in India.
One important feature of this astronomy/geography is found in the relation of the place known as Yamakoti or "Yama's peak." As mentioned previously, Yama is the Indian god of death and the Underworld. According to the astronomical text Surya Siddhanta we find from Lanka "at a quadrant of the earth's circumference eastward, in the clime Bhadrasva, is the city famed as Yamakoti, having the walls and gateways of gold."
Bhadrasva is the eastern region in the Puranas fed by the Sita, the river which also happens to be linked with both Sakadvipa and Shambhala.
Varahamihira states that when it is midnight in Yamakoti, it is sunset in Lanka and midday in Romaka, which refers either to Rome or Alexandria. If we accept Romaka as the latter, then Yamakoti would be roughly at the same meridian as Mt. Pinatubo.
Lanka is said to be on the same longitude as present-day Ujjain or at about 75° East longitude. Alexandria is at about 30° East and Pinatubo is at about 120° East, so they are both separated by about 45 degrees from Lanka.
Of course, 45 degrees is only one half of a quadrant of the earth's circumference. Rome would be much closer to a quadrant although still far off the mark.
We should note that Marinus of Tyre and Ptolemy of Alexandria tend to give similar indications in respect to longitude. If you remember, we mentioned that when Magellan landed in the Philippines he was heading for the port known as Cattigara.
In Ptolemy's Geographia, we find that Alexandria, Cattigara and the approximate location as best we can determine of Ujjain, are about proportionately equidistant from one another.
A medieval rendition of Ptolemy's world map by Girolamo Ruscelli in 1561
Marinus of Tyre states that the distance from the Fortunate Isles (Canary-Madiera Islands) to Cattigara was 230 degrees. The actual distance is about half that amount. Thus, both the Indian and Greek astronomers appear to overestimate distance in degrees by the same amount at least a these long ranges.
If Yamakoti mentioned by the Indian astronomers coincides fairly well with the Cattigara of the Greeks and Magellan, then we can see the Mt. Pinatubo would definitely be a good candidate for "Yama's Peak."
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
References
Burgess, Rev. E.(trans), Gangooly, P.(ed.), The Surya Siddhanta: A Text-Book of Hindu Astronomy: Motilal Banarsida Publishers Private Ltd., Delhi, India, 1860 (reprinted in 1935 and 1989).
Varahamihira, Panchasiddhantika, Translated by G. Thibaut and Mahamahopadhyaya Sudhakara Dvivedi. Benares: Medical Hall Press, 1889.
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