Thor bu - Curiosia Indo-Tibetica

Textual and visual odds and ends from India, Tibet, and around.

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Guhyasamājamaṇḍalavidhi online


Follow the link in the title for an input of this extremely important text. And why not repay the CTS's generosity with the Tibetan translation. (warning: not proofread and verse-numbering may not match)

Update: It has been brought to my attention by Dr. Carmen Meinert that she was unable to download the text. Everything seems to be alright from my side, so please let me know if you meet with the same difficulty.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Aghori - Living with the dead

I remember seeing this movie about 13 years ago and I was fascinated by it. I still find it enjoyable. Just follow the link in the title; for the continuation see 'related videos' on the right. Some of the files might be damaged.

The comments - if you have the patience to go through them - reflect the way in which Kāpālikas still shock and awe surrounding society even today. Nothing new under the sun they say.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Forts


This has been bugging me for quite some time now. As one leaves Old Dingri and just before the climb to the mThong la starts there are these ... things in the way. For lack of a better word I call them 'forts' (cf. rDzong) but I'm not really sure what they are. They look ancient and are imposing even in their ruins - just too big to have functioned as a simple house. Furthermore, they seem to have been placed in strategic places as vantage points, and sometimes under a larger cliff to offer protection from the strong winds. But there is just too many of them to be militarily viable. You never lose sight of one before the next comes into view.






Note the care with which these walls were constructed. About three feet apart there is always a layer of stones. The only reason apparent to me is that since the region is prone to tectonic movement, these layers offer some kind of pliancy to the wall - it literally jiggles with the movement of the earth but it doesn't come down.










For the full view where these details are taken from go to the link above. And if you know anything on these strange walls, a bibliographical entry, learned guesses, anything - please do not hesitate to share it.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Forbidden photos

Taken with a shaky hand from the pungent smell of cheap Chinese liquor, these photos are from the chapel of the former state-oracle, Nechung (gNas chung). Just outside of Lhasa and 200m away from Drepung ('Bras spungs), this is a formidable temple with baffling murals around the courtyard. It is being restored at the moment and as far as I could tell they are not doing a good job.


But it is the chapel on the left side of the main temple that concerns us now. There was no sign that taking pictures is forbidden, but the officiating monk waved after the first move. He did not want me to erase them however, and thanks to him an interesting point can be illustrated here.


As you may or may not know the encased gentleman, Dorje Drakden (rDo rje Drag ldan) takes alcoholic offerings, and Tibetans are happy to give it to him - in barrels.


This is my clumsy attempt to show that the two bodhisattvas in the back (my guess from this distance would be Avalokiteśvara and Mañjuśrī) are not too happy about all this alcohol flowing freely and hence they are blindfolded. Specialists of Nepal could tell you that this practice is observed there as well.

Bhūtasaṃkhyā

There is probably no need to stress the importance of "word numerals" for those working with Tantric texts. Here is a very convenient list from B.V. Subharayappa and K.V. Sarma, Indian Astronomy, A Sourcebook, Nehru Centre, Bombay 1985. Appendix V.

Bhūtasaṃkhyā - Word numerals used in Indian Mathematical texts

[0]
ananta, antarikṣa, abhra, ambara, ākāśa, kha, gagana, jaladharapatha, nabha, pūrṇa, bindu, randhra, viyat, viṣṇupada, vyoma, śūnya; all synonyms of 'Sky'.

[1]
abja, ādi, indu, ilā, urvarā, kalādhara, ku, kṣapākara, kṣiti, kṣmā, go, candra, jagati, tanu, dharaṇi, dharā, nāyaka, pitāmaha, pṛthvī, prāleyāṃśu, bhū, mahī, mṛgāṅka, rajanīkara, rūpa, vasudhā, vasundharā, vidhu, śaśadhara, śaśāṅka, śaśī, śītakara, śītaraśmi, śītāṃśu, śveta, sudhāṃśu, soma, himakara, himagu, himāṃśu; all synonyms of 'Earth' and 'Moon'.

[2]
akṣi, ambaka, ayana, aśvin, īkṣaṇa, oṣṭha, kara, karṇa, kuca, kuṭumba, gulpha, cakṣu, jaṅghā, jānu, dasra, dṛṣṭi, dvandva, dvaya, naya, nayana, nāsatya, netra, pakṣa, bāhu, bhuja, yama, yamala, yugala, yugma, ravicandrau, raviputra, locana; all synonyms of 'Eye' and 'Hand'.

[3]
agni, anala, kāla, kṛśānu, guṇa, gṛha, jvalana, tapana, trikāla, trigata, triguṇa, trijagat, trinetra, dahana, pāvaka, pura, bhuvana, ratna, rāma, loka, vaiśvānara, vahni, sahodarāḥ, śikhin, haranetra, hutabhuk, hutabhuj, hutāśa, hutāśana, hotṛ; all synonyms of 'Fire' and 'Worlds'.

[4]
abdhi, ambudhi, ambhodha, ambhodhi, ambhonidhi, arṇava, āya, āśrama, udadhi, kaṣāya, kṛta, kendra, koṣṭha, gati, ghana, caraṇa, jala, jaladhi, jalanidhi, turya, diś, payodhi, payonidhi, praṇimnageśa, bandhu, yuga, lavaṇoda, varṇa, vāridhi, viṣanidhi, veda, śruti, samudra, salilākara, sāgara, sukha; all synonyms of 'Ocean'.

[5]
akṣa, artha, indriya, iṣu, karaṇīya, tattva, parva, pavana, pāṇḍava, prāṇa, bāṇa, bhāva, bhūta, mahābhūta, rāga, ratna, viṣaya, vrata, śara, śastra, sāyaka; all synonyms of 'Arrow'.

[6]
aṅga, ari, ṛtu, kāya, kāraka, kumāravadana, khara, tarka, darśana, dravya, māsārdha, rasa, rāga, lekhya, ṣaṇmukha, śāstra.

[7]
aga, acala, atri, adri, aśva, ṛṣi, kalatra, giri, graha, chandaḥ, tattva, turaga, dvipa, dhātu, dhī, naga, pannaga, parvata, bhaya, bhūbhṛt, mātṛka, muni, yati, vāji, vāra, vyasana, śaila, svara, haya; all synonyms of 'Horse' and 'Mountain'.

[8]
anīka, anuṣṭubha, ahi, ibha, karman, kuñjara, gaja, takṣa, tanu, danti, dik, diggaja, durita, dvīpa, dvirada, dhī, nāga, puṣkarin, bhūti, maṅgala, mada, mātaṅga, mati, vasu, sarpa, siddhi, sindhura, hastin; all synonyms of 'Elephant' and 'Serpent'.

[9]
aṅka, anilāhva, upendra, keśava, gīr, go, graha, chidra, tārkṣyadhvaj, durgā, dvāra, nanda, nidhi, padārtha, randhra, labdha, labdhi.

[10]
avatāra, aṅgulī, āśā, kakubh, karman, dik, diś, diśā, paṅkti, rāvaṇaśira.

[11]
akṣauhiṇī, īśa, īśvara, bharga, bhava, mahādeva, mṛḍa, rudra, śaṅkara, śiva, śūlin, svargeśa, hara; all synonyms of god 'Śiva'.

[12]
arka, āditya, ina, tīkṣṇāṃśu, dinanātha, dinapa, divākara, dyumaṇi, bhānu, bhāskara, maṇḍala, mārtaṇḍa, māsa, ravi, rāśi, vyaya, sūrya; all synonyms of 'Sun'.

[13]
aghoṣa, atijagatī, karaṇa, kāma, viśva, viśvedevāḥ.

[14]
indra, manu, loka, vidyā, śakra, śarva; all synonyms of 'Indra'.

[15]
ahan, ghasra, tithi, dina, pakṣa.

[16]
aṣṭi, kalā, nṛpa, bhūpa, bhūpati.

[17]
atyaṣṭi.

[18]
dhṛti, purāṇa, vidyā.

[19]
atidhṛti.

[20]
kṛti, nakha.

[21]
utkṛti, prakṛti, mūrchanā, svarga.

[22]
kṛti, jāti.

[23]
vikṛti.

[24]
arhat, gāyatrī, jina, siddha.

[25]
tattva.

[26]
utkṛti.

[27]
uḍu, nakṣatra, bha; all synonyms of 'Star' and 'Asterism'.

[32]
danta, rada; all synonyms of 'Teeth'.

[33]
amara, tridaśa, deva, sura, surādhipa; all synonyms of 'Gods'.

[40]
naraka.

[48]
jagati.

[49]
tāna.


PS: with many thanks to Prof. Sanderson.

Favourite pictures from Gyantse (rGyal rtse)

Please quote the source if you are going to use these.


On the less travelled road to Gyantse.


View of the Fort (rDzong) from the village.


Outside the Kumbu (sKu 'bum).


The Śamvara maṇḍala on the top floor of the temple.


The Kāyastha Gayadhara, arguably the greatest translator ever to pose as Advayavajra (sitting on the left side of the maṇḍala).


What is there to add? Kāṇhu bhaïla kabālī... (singing dohās behind the maṇḍala)