Aum Gung Ganapathaye NamahNamo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa

Homage to The Blessed One, Accomplished and Fully EnlightenedIn the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Paul BruntonA Collection of Articles, Notes and References

References(Revised: Thursday, May 24, 2007)

References Edited byAn Indian Yogi

What’s in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet.

- William ShakespeareCopyright © 2002-2010 An Indian Yogi

The following educational writings are STRICTLY for academic research purposes ONLY.

Should NOT be used for commercial, political or any other purposes.(The following notes are subject to update and revision)

For free distribution only.You may print copies of this work for free distribution.

You may re-format and redistribute this work for use on computers and computer networks, provided that you charge no fees for its distribution or use.

Otherwise, all rights reserved.8 "... Freely you received, freely give”.

- Matthew 10:8 :: New American Standard Bible (NASB)

1 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.”

- 2 Timothy 3:1-9 :: New International Version (NIV)

6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

- Hebrews 5:6 :: King James Version (KJV)

Therefore, I say: Know your enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle.

-- Sun Tzu, The Art of War, c. 500bc

There are two ends not to be served by a wanderer. What are these two? The pursuit of desires and of the pleasure which springs from desire, which is base, common, leading to rebirth, ignoble, and unprofitable; and the pursuit of pain and hardship, which is grievous, ignoble, and unprofitable.

- The Blessed One, Lord Buddha

ContentsColor CodeA Brief Word on CopyrightReferencesEducational Copy of Some of the References

Color CodeXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXColor Code Identification

Main Title Color: PinkSub Title Color: RoseMinor Title Color: Gray – 50%

Collected Article Author Color: LimeDate of Article Color: Light OrangeCollected Article Color: Sea GreenCollected Sub-notes Color: Indigo

Personal Notes Color: BlackPersonal Comments Color: BrownPersonal Sub-notes Color: Blue - Gray

Collected Article Highlight Color: OrangeCollected Article Highlight Color: LavenderCollected Article Highlight Color: AquaCollected Article Highlight Color: Pale Blue

Personal Notes Highlight Color: GoldPersonal Notes Highlight Color: Tan

HTML Color: BlueVocabulary Color: VioletXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A Brief Word on CopyrightMany of the articles whose educational copies are given below are copyrighted by their respective authors as well as the respective publishers. Some contain messages of warning, as follows:Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibitedwithout the written consent of “so and so”.According to the concept of “fair use” in US copyright Law,The reproduction, redistribution and/or exploitation of any materials and/or content (data, text, images, marks or logos) for personal or commercial gain is not permitted. Provided the source is cited, personal, educational and non-commercial use (as defined by fair use in US copyright law) is permitted.Moreover,

This is a religious educational website. o In the name of the Lord, with the invisible Lord as the witness.

No commercial/business/political use of the following material. Just like student notes for research purposes, the writings of the

other children of the Lord, are given as it is, with student highlights and coloring. Proper respects and due referencing are attributed to the relevant authors/publishers.

I believe that satisfies the conditions for copyright and non-plagiarism. Also, from observation, any material published on the internet

naturally gets read/copied even if conditions are maintained. If somebody is too strict with copyright and hold on to knowledge, then it is better not to publish “openly” onto the internet or put the article under “pay to refer” scheme.

I came across the articles “freely”. So I publish them freely with added student notes and review with due referencing to the parent link, without any personal monetary gain. My purpose is only to educate other children of the Lord on certain concepts, which I believe are beneficial for “Oneness”.

ReferencesSome of the links may not be active (de-activated) due to various reasons, like removal of the concerned information from the source database. So an educational copy is also provided, along with the link. If the link is active, do cross-check/validate/confirm the educational copy of the article provided along.

1. If the link is not active, then try to procure a hard copy of the article, if possible, based on the reference citation provided, from a nearest library or where-ever, for cross-checking/validation/confirmation.

ReferencesBrunton, Paul. (1985) A Message From Arunachala. (1/e) New Delhi, India: B.I. Publications Private Limited/London, UK: Messrs Riders & Co.Brunton, Paul. (1991) A Search in Secret India. (1/e) New Delhi, India: B.I. Publications Private Limited/York Beach, ME, USA: Weiser/London, UK: Messrs Riders & Co.Brunton, Paul. (1962) A Search in Secret Egypt. (17th Impression) London, UK: Rider & Company.Brunton, Paul. (1988) The Quest of the Overself. London, UK: Rider & Company.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXEducational Copy of Some of the ReferencesFOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLYXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXReferenceBrunton, Paul. (1985) A Message From Arunachala. (1/e) New Delhi, India: B.I. Publications Private Limited/London, UK: Messrs Riders & Co.

Page 65Any jerry-built villa can be more sacred to you than Jerusalem, provided you think sacred thoughts when you live in it. True holiness is within ourselves, not in stone walls and timbered roofs.

Page 66Five different religions are simply five different ways of talking about the same God.

Page 68It never occurs to most priests and most clergymen that the mystic may be much more

engaged on God’s work than they are - even though he be creedless, churchless and sermonless.

Page 73Although we may foresee the necessity of religion taking an intellectual incarnation if it is to appeal to present-day needs, this is not to say that we are therefore to continue with the present exaggerated worship of intellect. The latter, too, has its painful limitations and suffers from the same blindness in refusing to see those limitations. In fact, the reverence for intellect becomes farcical when pushed to extremes: if Christ came today He would be expected to bear the M.A. and B.Litt.

farcicaladjbroadly or extravagantly humorous; "the wild farcical exuberance of a clown"

Page 92...Carlyle once defined genius as the capacity for taking infinite pains. ...

Page 100Although I work harder than the average man, I have a great sympathy for a man who was observed to sit for hours on a log of timber in Florida. When asked for his occupation, he calmly answered that he could spare no time for work! Was he busy communing with his Overself? Who knows what rich reward he gained from his silent soliloquies?

Soliloquy the act of talking to oneself

Page 114It may be impossible to imagine such an event, but a time will certainly come in the ripening of the soul when we shall recognize that sorrow has not come a day too soon, and that failure is sometimes better than success. Such is the mystery of suffering, life’s master paradox.

Page 115We make frantic efforts to clutch at the phantom pleasures of this world, but realize through bitter-tasting after-fruits how fleeting they are.

Page 126If disaster threatens you, do not pray to be saved; pray rather for more strength, more faith, more courage. Save yourself, and let the gods of destiny do what they will with your body. Thus you attract the help of unseen forces.

Worry is spiritual short sight. Its cure is intelligent faith.

Page 127Life, looked upon as an education in wisdom, seems to have some sense in it after all.

Page 141Were the world’s leaders and the masses who follow them ready to accept the better way, to have the faith and the daring to try the Golden Rule, their problems would melt down, all Nature would co-operate and the hidden powers would come to their aid. Were they ready to accept spiritual values as a worth-while standard, they might see their dreams of happy, prosperous and peaceful lands come true. Were they courageous enough to challenge the gods in

this striking manner, they would not, they could not, be disappointed.But the dead hand of the past drags them back. Yesterday has gone but not for them. Why not let the dead bury their dead, and follow a new sun and begin anew? The ancient Mayas of Central America carried this to the point of burning all their personal effects at intervals. There is some sense even in this apparently senseless custom. We can always make fresh starts, always turn with hope to the infinite that brought us into being and really reared us.

Effects movable property: Goods <personal effects>

The world is in the throes of a new birth. We experience the agony of it all right, but the joy of deliverance must follow. Meanwhile it is well that we realize that this planet, whereon we are camped for a time, is not our true home. We are errant wanderers and there is no rest for us until we return repentantly to the Overself.

Errant1: travelling or given to travelling <an errant knight>2 a: straying outside the proper path or bounds <an errant calf> b: moving about aimlessly or irregularly <an errant breeze> c: deviating from a standard (as of truth or propriety) <an errant child>

Page 143And I thought how Nature is not sentimental over transient human life. When whole groups of peoples defile her body and descend into

monstrous wickedness, she has not hesitated to destroy them with awful cataclysms. It is no superstition. If we can accord a mind and intelligence to the self in our own bodies, why should we not accord a mind and intelligence to the self in the Earth, whence our bodies derive and whither they must return? It is not less rational to think that a Directing Mind, a Planetary Soul, inhabits our Earth, than it is to think that a directing mind inhabits our own bodies, for flesh and dust are merely two different forms of Matter.

Defile: to make unclean or impure: as a : to corrupt the purity or perfection of : DEBASE <the countryside defiled by billboards> b: to violate the chastity of : DEFLOWER c: to make physically unclean especially with something unpleasant or contaminating <boots defiled with blood> d: to violate the sanctity of : DESECRATE <defile a sanctuary> e: SULLY, DISHONORsynonym see CONTAMINATE

Cataclysm 1: FLOOD, DELUGE2: CATASTROPHE 3a3: a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition; broadly : an event that brings great changes

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXReferenceBrunton, Paul. (1991) A Search in Secret India. (1/e) New Delhi, India: B.I. Publications Private Limited/York Beach, ME, USA: Weiser/London, UK: Messrs Riders & Co.

Page 21-34

Chapter VI The Yoga Which Conquers Death...Page 93Does it not recall to memory the idle dreams of our European alchemists of medieval times, dreamers who sought an elixir of life, but who succumbed to the sickle of death one by one? But if Brama is not self-deceived, why should he seek to deceive me. He has not sought my company and he makes no effort to acquire disciples.

A strange fear touches my brain. What if he is merely mad? No – he seems so sensible and rational in other matters. Would it not be better to regard him as mistaken? Yet something in me doubts even that conclusion. I am bewildered.

“Can I not convince you?” He speaks again. “Have you not heard the story of the faqueer who was buried by Ranjeet Singh in a vault at Lahore? The burial of the faqueer took place in the presence of English army officers, while the last of the Sikh kings watched it himself. The living tomb was guarded by soldiers for six weeks, but the faqueer emerged healthy and alive. Enquire into this story, for I have been told that it is written somewhere in the records of your Government. This faqueer had brought his breathing under great mastery and could stop it at will without danger of dying. Yet he was not even an adept in Yoga, for I have heard from an old man who knew him when he was alive that his character was not good. His name was Haridas and he lived in the North. If this man could live in an airless space for such a long time without breathing, how much more can be done by the true masters of Yoga, who practise in secret and will not perform these marvels for gold?”¹

A pregnant silence follows our conversation.

¹ I have since verified this reference and find that the actual episode occurred in 1837 at Lahore. The faqueer was buried in the presence of King Ranjit Singh, Sir Claude Wade, Dr. Honigberger and others. A guard of Sikh soldiers watched the grave day and night to prevent fraud. The faqueer was dug up alive forty days later. Fuller particulars can be found in the archives at Calcutta.

Page 93-94“There exist other strange powers which can be acquired by the way of our Yoga, but who, in these degenerate days, will pay the heavy price to obtain them?”

Page 94There is another pause.

“We who live and work in the everyday world have sufficient to do without seeking such powers,” I venture, in defence of my epoch.

“Yes,” agrees Brama, “this path of Body Control is only for the few. Therefore the teachers of our science have kept it a silent secret through the centuries. It is not often that they seek after pupils; pupils must seek after them.”

The next time we meet, Brama visits my quarters. It is evening and we soon adjourn for dinner. After the meal and a short rest, we go out on the moonlit veranda where I plant myself in a deck chair, while the Yogi finds a mat on the floor more comfortable.

For several minutes we silently enjoy the bright radiance of the full moon.

As I have not forgotten the astonishing events of our last meeting, it is not long before I broach anew this incredible matter of men who snap their fingers at death.

“Why not?” Brama asks his favourite question. “There is an adept in our Yoga of Body Control who is hidden among the Neilgherry Hills, here in the South. He never stirs from his retreat. In the North, there lives another whose home is a cave upon the snowy Himalayas. These men you cannot meet, for they disdain this world, yet their existence is a tradition among us and we are told that they have extended their lives to hundreds of years.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceThe Nilgiris Districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nilgiris_District

The Nilgiris DistrictFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nilgiris District is in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri (Tamil : நீலகிரி) or Blue Mountains are also the name given to a range of mountains panning across the states of Tamilnadu and Kerala and are part of a larger mountain chain known as the Western Ghats. The highest point is the mountain of Doddabetta, with a height of 2,637 m. The district is mainly contained within this mountain range. It had a population of 762,141 as of 2001 and is 59.65% urbanised. [1]

Contents1 Main features 2 Tribes 3 Ecoregions 4 History

5 Transport 6 See also 7 External links

Main featuresTea is grown at elevations of 1,000 to above 2,500 metres. The area also produces eucalyptus oil and temperate zone vegetables. Parts of many Indian movies are filmed in the Nilgiris.

The altitude of the Nilgiris results in a much cooler wetter climate than the surrounding plains, and so the area is popular as a retreat from the summer heat. The rolling hills of the Downs look very similar to the Downs in Southern England, and were used for similar activities such as hunting.

The principal town of the area is Ootacamund, or Udagamandalam. In the town there are many buildings which look very "British", in particular the Churches. There is even a road junction known as Charing Cross.

The other main towns in the Nilgiris are Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudalur and Aruvankadu. The famous tourist spot in Coonoor are Lamesrock and Sims park. In Sims park, every year they conducting "Fruit Show" function during summer season. All the varieties of fruit are shown during that time. This park is situated on the way of Kotagiri.

Tribes

PictureHut of Toda tribe in the Nilgiris

There are several tribes living in the Nilgiris, whose origins are uncertain. The best known of these are the Toda people, whose culture is based upon cattle, and whose red, black and white

embroidered shawls, and silver jewelry is much sought after.

There is a railway running from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam via Coonoor, which is a great tourist attraction. It was used in the film A Passage to India as the railway to the caves. It is a rack railway as far as Coonoor.

EcoregionsTwo ecoregions cover portions of the Nilgiris. The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests lie between 250 and 1000 meters elevation. These moist deciduous forests extend south along the Western Ghats range to the southern tip of India. These forests are dominated by a diverse assemblage of trees, many of whom are deciduous during the winter and spring dry season. These forests are home to the largest herd of Asian Elephants in India, who range from the Nilgiris across to the Eastern Ghats. The Nilgiris and the South Western Ghats is also one of the most important tiger habitats left in India.

The South Western Ghats montane rain forests ecoregion covers the portion of the range above 1000 meters elevation. These evergreen rain forests are among the most diverse on the planet. Above 1500 meters elevation, the evergreen forests begin to give way to stunted forests, called sholas, which are interspersed with open grassland. These grasslands are the home to the endangered Nilgiri tahr, which resembles a stocky goat with curved horns. The Nilgiri tahrs are found only in the montane grasslands of the South Western Ghats, and number only about 2000 individuals.

Much of the native forest has been cleared for grazing cattle, or for plantations of tea, Eucalyptus and Acacia. Two national parks protect

portions of the Nilgiris. Mudumalai National Park lies in the northern part of the range where Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu meet, and covers an area of 321 km². Mukurthi National Park lies in the southwest of the range, in Kerala, and covers an area of 78.5 km², which includes intact shola-grassland mosaic, habitat for the Nilgiri tahr. The entire range, together with portions of the Western Ghats to the northwest and southwest, was included in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in 1986, India's first biosphere reserve.

The region has given its name to a number of bird species, including the Nilgiri Pipit, Nilgiri Woodpigeon and Nilgiri Blackbird.

HistoryThe Nilgiri hills have a history going back a good many centuries. It is not known why they were called the Blue Mountains. Several sources cite the reason as the smoky haze enveloping the area, while other sources say it is because of the kurunji flower, which blooms every twelve years giving the slopes a bluish tinge.

It was originally tribal land and was occupied by the Todas around what is now the Ooty area and the Kotas around what is now the Kotagiri area. The Badagas appeared here much later from the Mysore Plateau, the unconfirmed date being 1550. Although the Nilgiri hills are mentioned in the Ramayana of Valmiki (estimated by Western scholars to have been recorded in the second century B.C.E.), they remained all but undiscovered by Europeans until 1602. This was when the first European set foot into the jungles. A Portuguese priest going by the name of Ferreiri resolved to explore the hills and succeeded. He came upon a community of people calling themselves the "Toda." This priest seems to have been the only European to have explored this

area. The Europeans in India more or less seem to have ignored the ghats for some two hundred or more years.

It was only around the beginning of the 1800s that the English unsuccessfully considered surveying this area. Around 1810 or so the East India Company deceided to delve into the jungles here. An Englishman Francis Buchanan made a failed expedition. John Sullivan who was then the Collector of Coimbatore, just south of the Nilgiris, sent two surveyors to make a comprehensive study of the hills. They went as far as the lower level of Ooty, but failed to see the complete valley. The two men were Keys and Macmohan (their first names seem to be lost to the annals of history)and their mission was significant because they were the first Englishmen to set foot in the Nilgiri hills which soon led to the complete opening up of the area.

The original discovery however,is attributed to J.C.Whish and N.W.Kindersley, working for the Madras Civil Service, who made a journey in 1819 and who reported back to their superiors that they had discovered "the existence of a tableland possessing a European climate."

The first European resident of the hills was John Sullivan, the Collector of Coimbatore, who went up the same year and built himself a home. He also reported to the Madras Government the appropriateness of the climate; Europeans soon started settling down here or using the valley for summer stays. The complete valley became a summer resort. Later on the practice of moving the government to the hills during summer months also started.

By the end of the 19th century, the Nilgiri hills were completely accessible with the laying of roads and the railway line.

TransportThe Nilgiri Ghat Roads link the district with the nearest cities in Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This services many of the populated areas of the district including Coonoor, Wellington, Aruvankadu, Ketti, Lovedale and Ooty.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“You really believe this?” I exclaim in deferential doubt.

“Without a doubt! Have I not the visible example of my own master?”

A question which has been on my mind for many days, presses itself to the fore again. Hitherto I have hesitated in voicing it, but now that our friendship has come so close I decide to give the query a bold outlet. I look earnestly at the Yogi and ask him:

“Brama, who is your master?”

For a while he returns my gaze, but yields no answer. He looks at me hesitatingly.

Page 95When he speaks, his voice is slow and grave:

“He is known to his Southern disciples as Yerumbu Swami, meaning The Ant Teacher.”

“What a curious name!” I exclaim involuntarily.

“My master always carries a bag of rice powder from which he feeds the ants wherever he may be. But in the North and among the Himalayan villages where he sometimes stays, he bears another name.”

“Is he, then, perfect in your Yoga of Body Control?”

“Even so.”

“And you believe that he has lived ____?”

“I believe that he is over four hundred years old!” Brama quietly finishes the sentence for me.

There is a tense pause.

I stare at him in bewilderment.

“Many a time he has described to me what happened during the reigns of the Moghul Emperors,” supplements the Yogi. “And he has told me stories of the days when your English India Company first came to Madras.”

Sceptical Western ears are unable to accept these statements.

“But any child who has read a history book could tell you such things,” I counter.

Brama ignores my remark. He goes on:

“My master remembers clearly the first battle of Panipat¹ and he has not forgotten the days of the battle of Plassey². I recollect how he once referred to a brother disciple, one Beshudananda, as a mere child of eighty years!”

In the clear moonlight I notice that Brama’s swarthy, broad-nosed countenance remains peculiarly unmoved while he utters these strange words. How can my brain, nurtured in the strict methods of inquiry which modern science has called forth, entertain such assertions? After all, Brama is a Hindu and must possess some of the legend-swallowing ability of his people. It is useless to contend with him: I shall remain silent.

¹ In 1526, the invading army of Baber, a descendant of the ruthless Tamerlane, and the forces of the King of Agra met in conflict at Panipat.

² This famous battle, which opened the British path to power in India, occurred in 1757.

Page 95-96The Yogi continues:

“For more than eleven years my master was spiritual adviser to one of the old Maharajahs of Nepal, the State which lies between India and Tibet. There he is known and loved by some of the village people, who dwell among the Himalayan mountains. They revere him as a god when he visits them, yet he talks to them in a kindly way, in the manner of a father talking to his children. He gives no heed to caste rules, and he eats neither fish nor meat.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross Reference28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

- Matthew 28:19 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Page 96“How is it possible for a man to live so long?” My thoughts involuntarily voice themselves again.

Brama looks away, seems to forget my presence.

“There are three ways in which this is possible. The first is to practise all the postures, all the breathing exercises and all the secret exercises which comprise our system of Body Control. This practice must take place until one is perfect, which can be done only under a proper master who can show you in his own body what he teaches. The second way is to partake regularly of some rare herbs which are known only to the adepts who have studied this matter. These adepts carry the herbs secretly, or hide them in their robes when travelling. When time arrives for the final disappearance of such an adept, he selects a worthy disciple, makes the secret known to him, and presents him with the herbs. To none else are they given. The third way is not easy to explain.” Brama stops abruptly.

“Will you not try?” I urge.

“It is possible that you will laugh at my words.”

I assure him that, on the contrary, I shall treat his explanation with due respect.

Page 96-97“Very well. There exists a tiny hole inside the brain of man.¹ Within this hole dwells the soul. There is also a kind of valve which protects this hole. At the bottom of the spine there comes into being the unseeable life-current which I have mentioned to you more than once. The constant loss of this current causes the body to grow old, but its control fills the flesh with new life and perpetuates it. When a man has conquered himself, he can begin to get this control by certain practices which are known only to advanced Yogis of

our school. And when he can withdraw this life-current up his spine, he may then try to concentrate it into the hole in the brain. But, unless he finds a master who will assist him to open the protecting valve, he cannot succeed. If he finds a master who is willing to do this, then the unseeable current will enter the hole and turn into the Nectar of Longevity, as we name it. It is no easy task, for ruin waits in ambush for the man who attempts it alone. But the man who succeeds can induce a condition similar to death whenever he pleases, and so obtains the victor’s power when real death seeks him out. In fact, he can choose the exact moment of his death at any time, and to the severest examination he will appear to have died naturally. One who has all these three methods at his command can live for many hundred years. So have I been taught. Even when he dies, the worms will refrain from attacking his body. A century later his flesh will still be free from decay.”

¹ It is possible that Brama refers to the cavity caused by the four inter-communicating ventricles of the brain, but I am not sure.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceBhishmahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhishma

BhishmaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bhishma (Sanskrit: भीष्म, bhīshma) born as Devavrata (देवव्रत, dévavrata), is one of the major characters of the Mahabharata.

Contents1 Early life 2 Bhishma's vow

3 In the Mahabharata War 4 External links

Early lifeBhishma was the eldest son of Shantanu by his first wife Ganga (the holy River). Shantanu was the third king after Dushyanta and Bharata, though the vansh (family or progeny) is said to have started with Bharata the great. Bhishma learnt political science from Brihaspati, the guru of the Devas, Vedas and Vedangas from rishi Vasishta, and archery from Parashurama, also known as Bhargava. He was known as 'Bhishma Pitamaha' (i.e., Bhishma, the grandfather or grandsire) among the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Bhishma is considered to be one of the greatest examples of a dutibound officer.

Bhishma's vow'Bhishma' means 'He of the terrible oath', referring to his vow of life-long celibacy. Devavrata became known as Bhishma because he took the bhishan pratigya — the vow of life-long celibacy and of service to whoever sat on the throne of his father (the throne of Hastinapura). This was because when his father Shantanu wanted to marry a fisherwoman Satyavati, her father refused, saying that his daughter's children would never be rulers because Shantanu already had a son (i,e., Devavrata). This made Shantanu despondent. To placate Satyavati's father, Devavrata promised that he would never stake a claim to the throne, implying that the child born of Shantanu and Satyavati would become the ruler after Shantanu. At this, Satyavati's father retorted that even if Devavrata gave up his claim to the throne, it was still possible that his (Devavrata's) children would claim the throne. At this, Devavrata, to make his father happy, took the terrible vow, thus sacrificing his crown-prince title, and denying himself the pleasures of intercourse. This gave him

immediate recognition among the gods. His father granted him the boon of Ichcha Mrityu (control over his own death — he could choose the time of his death, but not, as may be suggested, one of immortality).

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross Reference28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

- Matthew 28:19 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bhishma was a great archer and a warrior of peerless valour and courage. In the process of finding a bride for the young king Vichitravirya for whom he was the regent, Bhishma challenged the assembled suitors at the swayamvara of the Kashi princesses Amba, Ambika and Ambalika and defeated all of them. Unknown to Bhishma, Salya, the ruler of Saubala is in love with Amba the eldest princess who reciprocates his feelings. While on the way to Hastinapura with the princesses, Bhishma is confronted by Salya who challenges him to a battle for the hand of Amba in marriage. After a hard fight, Salya is vanquished and admits defeat. Upon reaching Hastinapura Amba confides in Bhishma that she wished to wed Salya and no other. When Bhishma sends her to Salya, the vanquished ruler turns her down in shame of losing the combat. Upon being turned down by Vichitravirya too, as a maiden who had loved another man, Amba is incensed at Bhishma, whose interference she perceives as the root cause of her troubles. She performs penance to Shiva, and obtains the boon to one day be instrumental in Bhishma's death. Amba would be born as a Panchala princess in the house of King Drupada, who as a consequence of another boon would be transformed into Shikhandi and be the root cause of Bhishma's death.

In the Mahabharata WarHe is the one who witnessed the Mahabharata completely from the beginning since the rule of the Shantanu.

In the great battle at Kurukshetra, Bhishma, bound by his oath to serve the ruler of Hastinapura, fought very reluctantly on the side of the Kauravas; nevertheless, he gave it his best effort. At one stage, his impeccable military prowess, combined with Arjuna's disinclination to fight him, almost made Lord Krishna break His vow of not actually fighting in the war. Krishna charged at Bhishma to kill him with his Sudarshana Chakra and was welcomed with folded hands by the grandsire. Then Arjuna pleaded with Krishna to stop and promised him that he would fight his best. Satisfied with Arjuna's promise, and also realizing his own error, Krishna stopped short.

Bhishma was finally grievously wounded on the tenth day of the battle by Arjuna, who hid behind another warrior Shikhandi, and rained arrows on the grandsire. Bhishma knew that Shikhandi was born a woman and to strike a woman he deemed unworthy of the chivalrous. Thus, the warrior did not resist but merely remarked to Dushasana, "These are Arjuna's arrows, they cannot be Shikhandi's because they tear my flesh as a crab's young ones tear their mother's body." Of all of Duryodhana's commander-in-chiefs, Bhishma had held off the inevitable defeat the longest. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces for ten days compared to Drona's five, Karna's two and Salya on the final day. Bhishma fell, his entire body a pincushion of Arjuna's arrows. After that Drona become the commannder in chief of kaurav army. After his demise Karna replaced him. Soon after this, Karna, who in the face of Bhishma's criticism

had sworn his vow to keep out of the Kurukshetra till the withdrawal of Bhishma, approached the grandsire to seek his blessing. Bhishma reveals to Karna that he always knew the truth of the latter's parentage and implored him to persuade Duryodhana (at this point he also told Karna that he had not allowed to fight him under his command as he did not wanted the real brothers to fight with each other)to end the carnage that had already resulted in such great slaughter. Upon Karna's refusal and insistence to remain true to Duryodhana, he nevertheless received the grandsire's blessing. He lay on the 'bed of arrows' till the end of the battle, and chose to die only after learning that the Pandavas had won, as he was now assured that the throne of Hastinapura was in safe hands. In his last days before he ascended to heaven, he recited to Yudhisthira the famous hymn to Vishnu, the Vishnu sahasranama.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceSteven Lee Myers. (Tuesday, October 1, 2002) A Russian Lama's Body, and His Faith, Defy Time. New York, USA: Ivolginsk Journal, The New York Times Company.http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln260/Russian%20lama.htm

October 1, 2002

IVOLGINSK JOURNAL

A Russian Lama's Body, and His Faith, Defy TimeBy STEVEN LEE MYERS

PictureJames Hill for The New York Times A young Buddhist monk at the Involginsk Monastery in Buryatia.

Picture

The New York Times To Buddhists in Russia, Ivolginsk is what Lhasa is to Tibetans.

VOLGINSK, Russia — A miracle has occurred here in Siberia. Or it may be a hoax. Others believe science can explain it. It is a question, it seems, of faith.

The story begins in 1927, when a spiritual leader of Russia's Buddhists gathered his students and announced his plans to die. The leader, Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, the 12th Pandito Hambo Lama, then 75 and retired, instructed those gathered around him to "visit and look at my body" in 30 years. He crossed his legs into the lotus position, began to meditate and, chanting a prayer for the dead, died.

The years that followed were difficult for all faiths in Russia, including the Buddhists here in Buryatia, a rugged, impoverished Siberian region on the Mongolian border. The Soviet Union, under Stalin, repressed most manifestations of religion, executing hundreds of lamas and destroying 46 Buddhist temples and monasteries.

After World War II, Stalin relented somewhat and allowed the Buddhists to rebuild their monastery outside Ivolginsk, along a low, desolate valley 22 miles from Buryatia's capital, Ulan-Ude. But religious practice remained tightly restricted.

When the 30 years had passed — it might have been 28; the details are murky — Itigilov's followers did what he had asked, exhuming his remains from a cemetery in Khukhe-Zurkhen. What they found, as the story goes, was Itigilov's body, still in the lotus position, still perfectly intact, having defied nature's imperative to decay.

Stalin was dead, but Soviet power remained absolute, and so the Buddhists reburied Itigilov — and the secret — in an unmarked grave, packing his wooden coffin with salt. (That may be important, or not.) "Nobody could talk about it then," said the current Pandito Hambo Lama, the 25th, Damba Ayusheyev. "To bring him back to the temple — it was forbidden, impossible. So he was put back."

Unlike supreme Tibetan lamas, who are considered reincarnations of previous lamas and are enthroned for life, Pandito Hambo Lamas are elected by other lamas, serve relatively short terms and are free to step down.

The story might have ended with the reburial had not a young lama, Bimba Dorzhiyev, turned his curiosity for history into a quest to resolve the mystery of Itigilov. He found an 88-year-old believer, Amgalan Dabayev, whose father-in-law had been there when the coffin had been opened and who himself had seen Itigilov. He led them to the grave.

On Sept. 11, 75 years after Itigilov's death, the body was once again lifted from the earth. This time there was a record of the event: a dozen witnesses, including two forensic experts and a photographer. The lamas who opened the coffin wore surgical masks, but they need not have. Itigilov's body remained preserved.

The current Hambo Lama ordered the body brought to Ivolginsk, where it was greeted with fanfare, ringing bells and lulling chants. He ordered the body placed on the second floor of one of the monastery's four temples, where it remains today, secreted behind heavy curtains and locked doors. The monastery's 150 students keep a vigil on the

first floor, praying around the clock, though only the lamas may see the body.

"To me it is the greatest miracle in life," said Hambo Lama Ayusheyev, the spiritual leader since 1995. "It turns out there are things on which time has no power."

The 12th Hambo Lama was born in 1852 in Czarist Russia and orphaned early, according to the Buddhists' history. At 16 he studied to become a lama and served in several monasteries in Buryatia. In 1911 he was nominated along with nine other candidates to become the Hambo Lama and he was ultimately appointed by the czar's governor in Irkutsk. During his time as Hambo Lama, Itigilov is said to have strengthened the faith, especially among the Buryats, a nomadic people of Mongol descent who have lived in the region for more than 30 centuries. He published religious tracts and teachings and united many of the religion's factions.

Most of Russia's Buddhists — estimated today at one million — adhere to the "yellow hat" sect that is predominant in Tibet. The Dalai Lama is their highest spiritual leader.

In the years since the Soviet collapse, Buryatia has remained a republic of the Russian Federation. Across Russia the Buddhists have begun to thrive again, rebuilding lost temples, opening schools and attracting new followers, even among ethnic Russians.

The Ivolginsk monastery is Russia's Lhasa, attracting hundreds of believers a day to its temples and monuments. Hambo Lama Ayusheyev said he had not yet decided what to do with Itigilov's

body, but others say it will become a relic that will attract still more visitors.

In Moscow, Vladislav L. Kozeltsev, an expert at the Center for Biomedical Technologies, the institute that keeps the body of Lenin — who died in 1924 — in state on Red Square, said the salt in the coffin might have slowed the decay but could not alone explain the preservation of the lama's body. Other factors may include the soil and the condition of the coffin. More likely, Mr. Kozeltsev said, Itigilov suffered from a defect in the gene that hastens the decomposition of the body's cellular structure after death. He added, "You cannot rule out some secret process of embalming."

Hambo Lama Ayusheyev says the body was preserved because Itigilov achieved a heightened state of existence through meditation known as shunyata, or emptiness. He acknowledged that there would be skepticism. When greeted with it, he relented on his own order and led a visitor into the temple, up a flight of narrow wooden stairs, past a locked door and into the darkened chamber where Itigilov sits atop a simple table, surrounded by candles and metal bowls holding oils.

The lamas have dressed his body in a golden robe, with a blue sash laid across his lap. His eyes are closed, his features blurred, though the shape of his face and his nose certainly resemble the 1913 photograph. His hands remain flexible, his nails perfectly trimmed. His skin is leathery but soft. His head is still covered in short-trimmed hair.

"Many people don't see what's obvious," Hambo Lama Ayusheyev said. "Many people won't understand even if they see him."xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceDashi-Dorzho Itigilov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itigilov

Dashi-Dorzho ItigilovFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia(Redirected from Itigilov)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Itigelov.jpg/175px-Itigelov.jpgDashi-Dorzho Itigilov (1852-1927)

Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov (Russian: Даши-Доржо Итигэлов) (1852–1927) was a Buryat Buddhist lama of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, best known for the lifelike state of his body, which is not exposed to decay.

BiographyItigilov was born in 1852 and began his religious education at the age of 16. He studied at the Anninsky Datsan (a Buddhist university in Buryatia, of which only ruins remain), earning diplomas in medicine and philosophy (the so-called "nature of emptiness"). At that time he wrote an encyclopedia of pharmacology.

In 1911, he was appointed the 12th Pandido Khambo Lama (as the head of Russian Buddhists is styled), at which post he inaugurated the period of a Buddhist revival among Buryats. Between 1913 and 1917, Itigilov was prominent in the spiritual life of Imperial Russia. He took part in the Tercentenary celebrations of the House of Romanov and opened the Gunzechoyney datsan, the first Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg and indeed in Europe. The tsar had him invested with the Order of St. Stanislas on 19 March 1917.

During the First World War Itigilov presided over the society of "Buryat brothers", an organization helping the Russian army with money, provisions,

clothes, and medicaments. He also helped set up a number of hospitals, with lama doctors helping wounded soldiers. For his charitable activities Itigilov was awarded the Order of St. Anna.

In 1926 Itigilov advised the Buddhist monks to leave Russia, since "the red teaching was coming to land", himself choosing to remain in the country. A year later, aged 75, he asked other lamas to begin meditation ceremonies and funeral rites, since he said he was about to die. Lamas did not want to perform this meditation because Itigilov was still alive. As a result, Itigilov began to meditate alone until other lamas joined him and soon his body ceased to breathe.

Life after deathItigilov left a testament asking to be buried as he was at the time of his death, sitting in lotus posture. According to his wishes, his body was put into a pine box and interred at a bumkhan (a graveyard for the lama burials) in the locality of Khukhe-Zurkhen (Dark-blue Heart in Buryat language). One of the testament clauses stipulated that his body should be exhumed by other monks within several years. This clause is interpreted by enthusiasts to demonstrate Itigilov's precognisance of his body's incorruptibility.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Itigelov_preserved.jpgThe exhumed body of Itigilov

In 1955 and in 1973, Itigilov's body was examined by Buddhist monks, who were astonished to observe no signs of physical decay. They were too reluctant to divulge their finding to the atheistic authorities of Communist Russia and the body remained in situ until 2002.

On 11 September 2002 Itigilov's body was eventually exhumed in the presence of the leaders of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia. The body was transferred to Ivolginsky datsan (a residence of today’s Hambo Lama) where it was closely examined by monks and also by scientists and pathologists. The official statement was issued about the body – it was "in the condition of someone who had died 36 hours ago", very well preserved, without any signs of decay, with whole muscles and inner tissue, soft joints and skin [1].

Although Itigilov's body was never embalmed or mummified, it is said that his corpse still bleeds if punctured. The Buddhist monks approach him as a living person and shake hands with him. Some devotees even claim that Itigilov is still alive, only immersed in a hibernation- or nirvana-like state. "Buddhists say that only the most advanced masters can fall into some particular condition before death and purify themselves so that his dead body could not decay" [2]. Some scientists explain the state of Itigilov's body by abnormal quantities of bromine discovered in tissues and muscles.

On 23 April 2003, the Buddhist conference recognized the body of Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov as one of the sacred Buddhist objects of Russia. At that time, they laid the foundation stone for a temple entitled Itigel Khambyn ordon and consecrated to Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov. As of 2005, Itigilov's body was kept outdoors, in contact with other people, without preserving any temperature or humidity regimens.

External links and references(English) Hambo Lama Itigilov (English) Hambo Lama Itigilov at the Buddhist Channel

(English) Mortals and saints can remain physically immortal after death (Russian) Itigilov at the site of the Ivolginsky datsan (Russian) "Izvestiya" attempts to explain scientific background of the Itigilov phenomenon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Page 97I thank Brama for his explanation, but I wonder. I am profoundly interested, but I am not convinced. Anatomy does not know this current of which he talks, and it has certainly never known his Nectar. Are these stories of physiological marvels mere superstitious misunderstandings? With them one returns to the age of fable, the ancient days of long-lived wizards and magicians who hold the elixir of life. Yet the demonstrations of breath and blood control which Brama has given me provide some assurance that Yogic powers are not mere chimeras, that these powers can undoubtedly be responsible for the performance of feats which must appear fabulous to the uninitiated. Beyond this point I find it difficult to walk with him.¹

I remain respectfully silent, careful not to allow my intellectual struggles betray themselves on my face.

“Such powers as these would be much desired by men who are nearing the grave,” Brama resumes, “but forget not that the way to them is full of danger. Can you wonder that our masters say of these exercises: ‘Keep them as secret as you would keep a box of diamonds.’”

“So you are unlikely to reveal them to me?”

“Those who wish to become adepts should first learn to walk before they try to run?” he replies, with a faint smile.

“A last question, Brama.”

The Yogi nods.

“Where is your master now living?”

“He has entered a temple retreat in the mountains of Nepal, on the yonder side of the Terai jungle.”

¹ The entire conversation, with its amazing statements and cool assertions, now seems like a fantastic dream. My attempt to transfer it to paper is a task which, more than once, makes me contemplate omitting it completely from this book as I have perforce to omit many other conversations. I do not doubt but that it will cause many superior European lips to curl in contempt of Asiatic superstition. If I finally let it pass into publication, it is at the bidding of other judgments than mine.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceMadheshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhesh

MadheshFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PictureA Madheshi woman from eastern Madhesh

Madhesh (ne:मधेश), also known as Terai or Tarai, is the flat southern region of Nepal which stretches from east to west. It is a part of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It occupies about 17% of the total land and is home to almost 50% of the total population of Nepal.

The Madhesh is a 20 to 30 km wide broad belt of flat and fertile land stretching from east to west of Nepal. Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal are in the south and Sivalik/Chure Range is in the north of Madhesh.

Contrary to the frequent image of Nepal as mountainous country with snow-covered Himalayas and Mongoloid people, the region is a flat, fertile piece of land with people and culture mostly resembling to that of northern India. The major languages in the region are Maithili, Bhojpuri, Nepali and Hindi .

The eastern part of Madhesh was a part of the ancient kingdon Mithila with Janakpur as its capital.

Contents1 Origin of Word Madhesh and Variants 2 Geography 3 Climate 4 People 5 Politics 6 Economy 7 Tourism 8 Important Localities 9 See Also 10 External links

Origin of Word Madhesh and VariantsTerai is used to refer to all the Indo-Gangetic Plain region of northern India and southern Nepal. The word Terai or Tarai is assumed to be derived from Persian, which means 'damp' or 'moist land' in that language.

In Nepal, the Terai is also referred as Madhesh. The word 'Madhesh' is said to be derived from 'Madhya Desh' meaning 'country in the middle'. Some

scholars show its origin in 'Matsya Desh' meaning 'country of fish', tracing its origin to the country described in the Hindu scripture the Mahabharata.

There are a number of dialectical forms and Western spellings in use which refer to the population of the Madhesh: Madheshi, Madhesi, Madesi, Mahadhesi.

GeographyMadhesh goes along the northern edge of the Gangetic plain. The Gangetic plain goes far into India and end at the Chure Hills (called the Siwalik Hills in India), where it goes up to 1000m immediately. It is never more than 40km wide.

The Terai of Nepal includes several valleys (dun), such as the Surkhet and Dang valleys in western Nepal, and the Rapti Valley (Chitwan) in central Nepal, and also referred as Inner Madhesh.

The Terai makes up 17% of the area in Nepal. The soil is generally fertile and there is good rain, which accounts for good crops.

ClimateThe Terai has a subtropical climate and it can often be humid. The best weather is from November to February, when day temperatures are from the mid 20º to the high 20º and it is cool, sometimes cold at night. It very seldom rains at this time.

From late April to the beginning of September the weather is mild, often going over 40ºC. The monsoon goes from mid-June to mid-September, and this not a good time to visit. Most areas in the Terai get over 1500mm of rain in a year.

People

PictureJanaki Mandir of Janakpur, Nepal, is an icon of Madhesh.

The people in the region are mostly Indo-Aryan, whose culture background and ethnicity can be traced with the people in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in India. However, after eradication of malaria, there have immigrations from the mountain regions of Nepal. Among the several aborigines of Madhesh are Tharus.

The people in Madhesh traditionally wear Dhoti and Kurta. The main religion is Hinduism.

PoliticsIn January of 2007 there were protests by the population in the Madhesh region demanding greater autonomy within Nepal, and greater representation in the national parliament.

In response, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula stated that additional electoral constituencies would be added for elections to be held before June 2007, and that "in principle we have agreed to establish a federal state of government but the new constitution to be formed by the constituent assembly will decide on the structure"[1].

EconomyEconomically Madhesh is the most productive region of Nepal. Most of the major industries of in the country are established in the region.

Agriculture is the main economic stake of the region. Main crops are paddy, wheat, pulses, moong, sugarcane, jute, tobacco, and maize. Many agro-based industries like jute factories, sugar mills, rice mills and tobacco factories are established throughout the region.

TourismThe main places to visit in Madhesh are Royal Chitwan National Park; Lumbini, the birth place of Buddha; and pleasant interesting Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita and where she married Rama, from the Ramayana.

The main east–west road through Nepal is the Mahendra Highway, which goes from the Karnali River at the western border of Bardia National Park to Kakarbhitta on the eastern border of Nepal in the east.

Important LocalitiesBiratnagar Rajbiraj Janakpur Birganj Siddhartanagar Lumbini Nepalgunj Mahendranagar Butwal Mechinagar Lahan Dhangadhi Dharan Ithahari

See AlsoNepal Geography of Nepal Janaki Mandir

External linksTerai pictures at Flickr.com Butwal Today, a daily newspaper from Madhesh Dharan Municipality News, Discussions and Library of Madhesh

Nepal Tourism Board Government of Nepal BBC Nepali Service Kantipur Online Conference on Tarai Association of Nepali Teraian in America Nepalgunj Business and Information Portalxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Page 98“Is he likely to return to the plains again?”

“Who can foretell his movements? He may remain in Nepal for many years, or he may begin his travels again. He likes Nepal best because our school of Yoga flourishes better there than in India. You see, even the teaching of Body Control differs with different schools. And ours is the Tantra school, which is better understood in the atmosphere of Nepal than among the Hindus.”

Brama reverts to silence. I guess that he is dwelling in devoted thought upon this enigmatic figure of his master. Ah! if these things I have heard to-night are more real than legendary, then, indeed, one may catch a glimpse of what is around the corner – Man, Ageless and Immortal!

If I do not hurry my pen, this chapter will never be brought to a close. Therefore I shall endeavour to transfix the last memorable scene of my association with the Yogi of the five names.

The Indian night comes quickly on the heels of evening; there are no lingering sunsets as in Europe. And as the swift dusk begins to descend on his garden hut, Brama lights an oil lantern and suspends it by a cord from the roof. We settle down anew.

The old widow discreetly slips away and leaves me alone with the Yogi and the student-teacher who translates our words. The odour of burning incense touches the room with a mystical atmosphere.

This evening sad thoughts of parting steal over me. I try to brush them off, but fail. I cannot clearly tell this man, through the irritating barrier of speaking through a third person, what is in my heart. How far the novel facts and strange theories he has put forward are correct, I am little able to say, but I have appreciated his readiness to let me enter his solitary existence; I have felt at times that our hearts have drawn sympathetically near to each other; and I know now what it has meant to him to break his habitual reserve.

To-night I have made a last attempt, under the shadow of impending departure, to induce him to reveal his deeper secrets.

“Are you ready to abandon the life of cities and to retire into a solitary place in the hills or the jungle for some years?” he asks me, searchingly.

Page 99“I must first think this out, Brama.”

“Are you ready to give up all other activities, all your work, renounce your pleasures and put your whole time into the exercises of our system – and that not merely for a few months, but for several years?”

“I do not think so. No – I am not ready. One day, perhaps ____”

“Then I can take you no farther. This Yoga of Body Control is too serious to become the mere sport of a man’s leisure hours.”

I see my chances of becoming a Yogi fade swiftly into nothing. I regretfully realize that the full system, with its many years of difficult training, its rigorous and austere discipline, is not for me. But there is something else which is closer to my heart than strange powers of the flesh. I confide in the anchorite.

“Brama, these powers – they are wonderfully fascinating. One day I would really like to go more deeply into your training, yet, after all, how much lasting happiness do they bring? Is there not something finer still in Yoga? Perhaps I do not make myself clear?”

Brama nods his head and says:

“I understand.”

We both smile.

“Our texts say that the wise man will follow up his practice of the Yoga of Body Control with the Yoga of Mind Control,” he remarks, slowly. “It can be said that the first prepares the way for the second. When our ancient masters received the principles of our system from the god Shiva, they were told that the final goal was not to be purely material. They understood that the conquest of the body was to be looked upon as a step towards the conquest of the mind, and this again as a way to becoming spiritually perfect. So you see that our system deals with things close at hand, indeed, with the body, but only as an indirect means of penetrating to the spirit. Therefore, my own master has taught me: ‘First run your course in Body Control; then you can take to the kingly science, the Mind Control.’ Remember that a body which is mastered ceases to distract the mind; only a few

can plunge straight into the path of holding the thoughts. Yet if a man feels strongly drawn to the way of Mind Control we do not interfere; for that, then, is his path.”

“And that is a purely mental Yoga?”

Page 99-100“Even so. It is a training to make the mind like a steady light, and then that light is turned on to the abode of the spirit.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceSteven Lee Myers. (Tuesday, October 1, 2002) A Russian Lama's Body, and His Faith, Defy Time. New York, USA: Ivolginsk Journal, The New York Times Company.http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln260/Russian%20lama.htm

...Hambo Lama Ayusheyev says the body was preserved because Itigilov achieved a heightened state of existence through meditation known as shunyata, or emptiness....xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Page 100“How can one start such training?”

“For that again, it is necessary to find a master.”

“Where?”

Brama shrugs his shoulders.

“Brother, people who are hungry look eagerly for food; those who are starving, however, will search like madmen. When you want a master as much as a

starving man wants to eat, you will surely find one. Those who search sincerely will most assuredly be led towards him at the appointed hour.”

“You believe that there is a destiny about the matter?”

“You speak truly.”

“I have seen some books ___”

The Yogi shakes his head.

“Without a master, your books are mere pieces of paper. Our word for him, guru, means: ‘One who dispels darkness.’ The man whose efforts and destiny favour him sufficiently to find a real teacher, steps quickly into a state of light, for the master uses his own higher gifts to benefit the disciple.”

Brama moves away to his bench of littered papers and presently returns with a large document, which he hands to me. It is covered with an orderly arrangement of cabbalistic signs, peculiar symbols and Tamil characters drawn in red, green and black inks. The top of the sheet is adorned with a large hieroglyphic symbol patterned like a scroll, in which I recognize representations of the sun, moon and the human eyes. All the sketches and writings fall around a central blank space.

“Last night, I spent some hours preparing this,” says Brama. “When you get back, paste one of my photographs in the centre.”

He informs me that if I will concentrate my mind upon this queer but not inartistic document for five minutes before going to sleep at night, I shall dream clearly and vividly of him.

“Even if five thousand miles separate our bodies, place your thoughts upon this paper and our spirits shall meet at night,” he asserts confidently. And he explains that these dream meetings will be as actual and as real as our physical meetings have been so far.

This brings me to mention that my trunks are all but packed, and that I shall soon be off; I am doubtful when and where I may see him again.

Page 101He replies that he does not doubt that whatever destiny has been allotted us, must be fulfilled. And then he confides in me:

“I leave this place in the spring, when I shall go to the Tanjore district, where two students await me. As for what will happen thereafter, who can say, for, as you know, I hope one day to receive the call from my master.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceTanjorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanjore

ThanjavurFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PictureThanjavurState Tamil Nadu - District(s) - Thanjavur Coordinates 10.8° N 79.15° E Area 36 km² - Elevation - 2 m Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) Population (2001) 215,725 - Density - app. 7700/km²

Municipal Chairperson Thenmozhi Jayabalan[1] Codes - Postal - 613 001 till 009 - Telephone - +914362 - Vehicle - TN 49

"Tanjore" redirects here. For other uses, see Tanjore (disambiguation).Thanjavur (தஞ்சாவூர் in Tamil), also known by its anglicised name Tanjore, is a city and a municipality in Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is also the capital of the Thanjavur District. The city lies on the south bank of the Kaveri River

Thanjavur was the capital of Cholas whey they were at the peak of their power. Since then, Thanjavur has been one of the chief political, cultural and religious centres of South India. Thanjavur is home to the famous Brihadeeswara Temple, one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Thanjavur derives its name from Tanjan-an asura (demon) who according to local legend caused devastation and was killed by Sri Anandavalli Amman and Sri Neelamegapperumal. Tanjan's last request that the city might be named after him was granted.

Contents1 History 1.1 Under the Cholas 1.2 After the Cholas 2 Geography 3 Places of interest 4 Culture 5 Demographics 6 Employment 7 Education 8 Top Government Officials 9 References

10 External links

HistoryThe city was once the stronghold of the historic Chola dynasty and was later ruled by the nayaks of Vijayanagara and Maratha rajas. Thanjavur contains over 90 temples, as it was favored by the Cholas rulers between the 1-th and 12th centuries, the Nayakas in the 16th century, and the Marathas in the 17th and 18th centuries.[2]

Under the CholasPictureBrihadeeswara Temple built by Rajaraja Chola I.

Thanjavur, or Tanjapuri as it was called in the ancient times was chosen by Vijayalaya Chola as the seat of his new kingdom in 848 CE. He built a temple for his favourite goddess Nisumbhasudani in the city. Although during subsequent emperors, Kanchipuram also became a subsidiary capital, Thanjavur maintained its position as the chief city. The great Brihadisvara Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I was completed around 1010 CE. It remained the centre of the Chola administration for many years channelling the state revenue into a number of civic projects. It also acted as a repository of the empire's records as the great Rajaraja had its walls covered with numerous inscriptions recording his conquests and his endowments to various charities. The impression we get from the inscription is of a wealthy progressive city although totally dominated by the temple

The inscriptions tell us about a number of royal palaces in the city and of the districts where palace servants lived. We also learn of the names of a number of streets: the big street of Virasola and the big market of Tribhuvanamadeviyar. During

the reign of Rajaraja we learn that the city was divided into two parts: Ullalai (inner) and Purambadi (outer) city. Purambadi could have been an extension to the city built during Rajaraja's reign. Among the new streets built by Rajaraja were two running east to west in front of the Brihadisvara Temple and called Northern and Southern Talichcheries. People who worked in the temple occupied these streets. There were other temples in existence such as the Jayabhima temple and Tanjai Mamani found in the inscriptions, which do not exist anymore. There was also a public hospital attached to a Vishnu temple named after Sundara Chola called Sundarachola Vinnagara Salai which was endowed by Kundavai, the sister of Rajaraja Chola.

The influence of Thanjavur began to diminish when Rajendra Chola I built a new city named Gangaikonda Cholapuram and moved his capital there.

After the CholasPictureA Mighty Cannon of forge-welded Iron. This cannon was built during the reign of Raghunatha Nayak (1600 - 1645 CE), and it was located at the defense barricade at the Eastern entrance to the city.

After the Cholas the Pandyas conquered the Chola country. Madurai was the Pandya capital and Thanjavur remained in the background, as a province of Vijaynagar empire.

Later in 1535,the Vijaynagar king installed a nayak king hence the era of Tanjore Nayaks which lasted till mid-17th century, until attacked by the Madurai Nayaks. Later slipped into the hands of Marathas.

Tanjore was conquered by the Marathas in 1674 under Venkaji, the half-brother of Shivaji the Great; his successors ruled as rajas of Tanjore. The British first came into contact with Tanjore by their expedition in 1749 with a view to the restoration of a deposed raja of Tanjore Nayak lineage. In this they failed, and a subsequent expedition was bought off. The Maratha rajas held Tanjore until 1799. A Protestant mission at Tanjore was founded in 1778 by the Reverend Christian Friedrich Schwarz. His church dates from 1779.

In October of that year the district was ceded to the British East India Company in absolute sovereignty by Raja Serfoji II, a pupil of the missionary Schwartz. The raja retained only the capital and a small tract of country round. He died in 1833 and was succeeded by his son Sivaji, on whose death in 1855 without an heir the house became extinct.

GeographyThanjavur is located at 10.8° N 79.15° E[3]. It has an average elevation of 2 metres (6 feet). The city lies on the south bank of the Kaveri River, 200 miles south of Chennai.

The city is primarily divided into two parts separated by a flyover. The Downtown [known as Old Town or simply Town] is the business district. The other side of the flyover is the residential area which is a relatively new neighborhood. The various neighborhoods are Palliagraharam, Karanthai, Old Town, Vilar, Nanjikottai Road, Manabuchavadi, Pookkara Street, New Town, Medical College, Old Housing Unit, New Housing Unit and Srinivasapuram.

The extension areas include Mariamman Koil, Gnanam Nagar, Kattuthottam, Nanjikottai, Madhakottai, Pillaiyarpatti and Nilagirivattam. The total

population of the composite city touches 500,000 (unofficial figure). For all purposes the city extends from Vallam to Mariamman Koil (west - east) and Vayalur to Nanjikottai (north-south) for an area of 100 km².

Places of interestPictureEntrance of the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur PictureBell Tower

Thanjavur is famous for the Brahadeeswara Temple(also called as Brihadeeswara temple) built by Rajaraja Chola, the first sailor king of India. The Brahadeeswara Temple also known as the Big Temple is one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The temple is enclosed in two courts, surmounted by a lofty tower and including the exquisitely decorated shrine of Subrahmanya. Among the other historic buildings is the Vijayanagara fort, which contains a palace that was expanded by the Maratha king Serfoji II with an armoury, a Bell Tower and the Saraswathi Mahal Library, which contains over 30,000 Indian and European manuscripts written on palm leaf and paper.

CultureThanjavur is one of the chief political, literary and religious centres of southern India, known for its contribution to Carnatic music, it has produced many classical musicians and Bharathanatyam dancers. Tiruvaiyaru, which is close to Thanjavur, is the place where the great musician Saint Tyagaraja lived. It is also well known for its unique painting style called Tanjore Painting, a percussion instrument called the Thavil, a divine classical string instrument Veenai and the Thanjavur Dolls.

DemographicsThe city is the 8th largest in the state of Tamil Nadu with a census population of around 225,000 (est. 2005). It has an area of 36 km². Ethnically most of the people are Tamils. There is also a large Telugu population along with Saurashtrians and Thanjavur Marathi people. As of 2001 India census GRIndia, Thanjavur had a population of 215,725. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Thanjavur has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 76%. In Thanjavur, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

EmploymentMost of the people in Thanjavur District are farmers. In the city of Thanjavur there are a large number of doctors due to the presence of a 50-year old medical college. The first M.B.B.S. doctor of this city was the late Dr. N. Ramanathan, who served as a general practitioner of medicine from 1938 to 1988. Even today, there is a bus stop on his name, near his hospital. Also there are a large number of professors working in the various professional and arts colleges around the city.

EducationThanjavur is renowned for its culture of education. It is home to the famous Saraswati Mahal library which dates back to the end of the 16th century and contains over 30,000 rare manuscripts. It has now been fully computerized. St. Peter's, founded in the 18th century by Schwartz, is a renowned school. Currently, Thanjavur has two universities, viz., the Tamil University and the SASTRA Deemed University, and several colleges including the renowned Thanjavur Medical College. This city also has many research centres like the Paddy Processing

Research Centre, Soil and Water Research Centre, etc.

Thanjavur has more number of Software Engineering Professionals, Doctors, Engineers, Teachers etc.

List of Universities:1. Tamil University. 2. SASTRA Deemed University (Formerly Shanmugha Engineering College. SASTRA has a very well developed sprawling campus on a 200 acre site and is an accredited Research and Development Centre under the President's Technology Mission - TIFFAC CORE. SASTRA has collaborations and exchange Programs with many reputed Universities abroad.

List of Autonomous colleges:1. A.V.V.M SRI Pushapam College(Autonomous) poondi, Thanjavur Dt.(A.Veeraiya Vandaiyar Memorial Sri Pushpam College was established in 1956 in a village Poondi, 12 km from Thanjavur on the way to Nagapattinam in Tamilnadu state in India on the National High Way 74. The College is having a vast campus of 85 acres, NAAC accreditation with status of four stars.

List of Colleges:Medical and Paramedical1. Thanjavur Medical College. 2. Mannai Narayanasamy College. 3. Arasu Paramedical College. 4. Konagarnadu College of Nursing.

Engineering1. Periyar Maniyammai College of Technology for Women. 2. Anjalaiammal Mahalingam Engineering College. 3. P R Engineering College. 4. King's College of Engineering.

Arts, Science and Management1. Rajah Serfoji Government Arts College, Thanjavur. 2. Kundhavai Nachiar Government Arts College. 3. Tamilvel Umamaheshwaranar Karanthai Arts College. 4. A.V.V.M Sri Pushpam College 5. Na. Mu. Venkatasamy Nattar College. 6. Nalli Kuppusamy College 7. Bharath College of Science and Management. 8. Marudhupandiar College. 9. Madha Sami Arul College. 10. Adaikala Matha College. 11. Bon Secours College. 12. Ponnaiah Ramajayam College. 13. Abi & Abi College of Arts and Science 14. Adikalamatha Institute of Management. 15. P. R. Institute of Managemnet.

Polytechnics1. Periyar Centenary Polytechnic. 2. Vandayar Polytechnic. 3. CCMR Polytechnic. 4. P R Polytechnic.

Top Government Officials1. Deputy Inspector General of Police.. Mr Abhash Kumar IPS 2. District Collector.. Mr C Vijayraj Kumar IAS

ReferencesThis article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. 1. The Hindu dated 29 October 2006 2. Brahadeshvara Temple. Retrieved on 2006-09-14. 3. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Thanjavur

External links

1. Online poojas to Thanjavur and surrounding Temples 2. Sri Vishnu Temples in India 3. Thanjavur Weather 4. Thanjavur District 5. Thanjavur.com 6. Thanjavur - Brihadeeshwara Temple 7. Brihadeeswarar Temple photos 8. http://www.mayiladuthuraionline.com 9. SASTRA UNIVERSITY 10. A.V.V.M SRI PUSHPAM COLLEGE(autonomous)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There is a long silence, which Brama eventually breaks by addressing me in a voice which is lowered to a hushed whisper. I turn to the student-teacher, preparing myself to receive some new revelation.

“Last night my master appeared to me. He spoke to me about yourself. He said: ‘Your friend, the sahib, is eager for knowledge. In his last birth he was among us. He followed Yoga practices, but they were not of our school. To-day he has come again to Hindustan, but in a white skin. What he knew then, has now been forgotten; yet he can forget for a while only. Until a master bestows his grace upon him he cannot become aware of this former knowledge. The master’s touch is needed to help him recover that knowledge in this body. Tell him that soon he shall meet a master. Thereafter, light will come to him of its own accord. This is certain. Bid him cease his anxiety. Our land shall not be left by him until this happens. It is the writing of fate that he may not leave us with empty hands.’”

I draw back, astounded.

The lamp throws its beams of light upon the little assembly. My young interpreter’s face seems stricken with awe in that yellowish glare.

“Did you not tell me that your teacher was in distant Nepal?” I demand reproachfully.

“Indeed, he remains there still!”

“Then how on earth can he travel twelve hundred miles in a single night?”

Brama smiles cryptically.

“My master is ever present to me, though India’s span lies between our bodies. I receive his message without letter or bearer. His thought speeds through the air. It reaches me and I understand.”

“Telepathy?”

“If you wish!”

Page 101-102I rise, for it is time to go. We wander out on our last moonlight walk together, and pass the ancient walls of the temple which stands not far from Brama’s house. The moon filigrees through the many-branched trees as we halt at a lovely group of palms which borders the road.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceAdyar (Tamil Nadu)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adyar_%28Tamil_Nadu%29

Adyar (Tamil Nadu)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about locality in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. For other uses, see Adyar.

Adyar or Adayar is a large neighborhood south of Chennai (previously Madras). It is located on the southern banks of the Adyar river. It is bounded by

the Buckingham Canal to the west, Tiruvanmiyur to the south, and Besant Nagar to the east. Adyar includes various sub-localities like Gandhi Nagar, Kasturibai Nagar, Nehru Nagar, Indira Nagar, Padmanabha Nagar, Parameshwari Nagar, Jeevaratnam Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Karpagam Garden, etc. Adyar is one of the poshest areas in Chennai.

The literacy rate in Adyar is very high. The residents includes IT professionals, Business persons, Engineers, HighCourt Judges and Advocates, Tamil Cinema Stars, Professors and etc.

The migration of IT profesionals to Adyar is because of the emergence of IT Highway which became the place for almost all International Software Companes and many number of Engineering Colleges.

Adyar is situated on a flat coastal plain, near Adyar river as can be seen in this Landsat 7 map. Adyar is noted for housing the Theosophical Society, which provides a calm environment along the south bank of the river for quiet contemplation on comparative religion. The Elliot's beach in nearby Besant Nagar is the nearest point to the sea, and a popular recreation spot. IIT Madras, one of the top technical institutes in the world, Anna University ,one of the best universities in India is situated near Adyar. Adyar is also home to the Central Leather Research Institute, the world's largest leather research institute.

The main entrance of IIT Madras, showing its logo and its motto. The locality has developed significantly through the late 1970s and early 1980s as a residential area to accommodate Chennai's sprawl. Since the late 1990s, it has become part of the IT corridor, the name given to the part of southeast Chennai where several IT companies have set up base. It is also home to many

birds which primarily flock the Adyar estuary close to the Theosophical Society.

The land rates have gone up tremendously in a short period. The center of the city runs along Main Road, between Gandhinagar and Kasturbainagar, and is by far the heart of the expensive housing in the town. The modern area of Adayar includes parts of the older villages of Pallipattu, Urur and Thiruvanmiyur. The regions were annexed into the Chennai Corporation in 1977. Gandhi Nagar was planned and developed first. Later it grew to merge with the old village of Thiruvanmiyur.

Adyar has a number of good schools including The Hindu School, St.Patrick's, St.Micheal's Academy, Bala Vidya Mandir, Sri Sankara School, The School, KFI founded by J Krishnamurti, Sishya and St Johns School. NIFT (National Institite of Fashion Technology) and TamilNadu`s first IT center TIDEL PARK is very close to Adyar.

Adyar has world class hospital and restaurants. Adyar is quite near to Prathna Cinema Theatre which is the only BEACH drive in theatre in the world, Amusement parks like MGM Dizee world, Little Folks, VGP Golden Beach, Discotheques and Resorts.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Whilst he is bidding me farewell, Brama murmurs:

“You know that I have but few possessions. This is the thing I value most. Take it.”

He grasps the fourth finger of his left hand, and pulls at it. He holds forward the palm of his right hand. I see a golden ring glistening in the centre under the rays of the moon. Eight slender claws grip a round green stone, whose face is veined with reddish-brown markings. Brama puts it in my hand as we clasp in farewell. I attempt to return the

unexpected gift, but he meets my refusal by pressing it more determinedly upon me.

“One who enjoys great wisdom in Yoga gave this to me. In those days, I was travelling far and wide for knowledge. Now – I beg you to wear it.”

I thank him and enquire, half jokingly:

“Will it bring me good fortune?”

“No, it cannot do that. But there is a powerful charm within the stone, which will help you penetrate to the company of secret sages, and which will help you awaken your own mystic powers. This you will realize by experience. Wear it when you need these things.”

There is a final and friendly parting, and we go our ways.

I walk slowly away, my head filled with a strange medley of thoughts. I muse over the extraordinary message from Brama’s far-off master. It is too extraordinary for me to dispute. I remain silent before it while belief and skepticism fight a fantastic conflict in my heart.

I glance at the golden ring and ask myself, “How can a mere ring possess any efficacy in these matters?” I do not understand how or why it can influence me or others in any mental or spiritual manner. The belief savours of superstition. Yet Brama seems so confident of the reality of its fanciful properties. Is it possible? I feel almost impelled to answer: In this strange land all things may be possible! But intellect rushes to the rescue and puts up a barricade of question marks.

I fall into a fit of musing abstraction, so that I move away, startled, when I stumble against something and knock my forehead. Looking up, I behold the poetic silhouette of a palm tree and the fireflies making a myriad dancing points of light between the branches.

Page 102-103The night sky is deep blue. Venus – a point of intense brightness – seems quite close to our planet. Infinite peace broods over the road as I walk. A mysterious stillness enthrals me. Even the large bats which occasionally appear and sweep over my head, move their wings silently. The scene charms me. I stop for a moment. The moon diffuses a light which turns a man, who is approaching me, into a flitting ghost.

Page 103When I reach my quarters, I find that wakefulness lingers late this night. Close to dawn sleep comes at last, drowning my whirl of thoughts in forgetfulness.

PictureTHE YOGI’S MAGIC CHART“Paste one of my photographs in the centre. Even if five thousand miles separate our bodies, place your thoughts upon this paper and our spirits shall meet at night.”

Page 110Chapter VII The Sage Who Never Speaks

I learn that the Sage Who Never Speaks has not even one pupil. He seeks none and accepts none. He is one of those solitaries who prefer to live in isolation in order to achieve their own “spiritual liberation”. If there is any value in the latter, then their attitude is

apparently a selfish one, judged by our Western lights. And yet, when one remembers the Sage’s profound considerateness towards the drunkard and his refusal to retaliate against the young hooligans, one wonders whether he can be so very selfish after all.

Accompanied by two other persons, I make my second attempt to interview the Sage Who Never Speaks. One is my interpreter, while the second man is none other than the Yogi who has taught me so much - Brama, “the Adyar anchorite,” as I affectionately call him. Brama never cares to enter the city, but when I make known the object of my visit and desire him to accompany me, he agrees without demur.

Page 111...The attendant again admits us into the cottage, where we find the recluse sunk in the same trance-like condition which he maintained throughout my first visit.

We squat upon the floor in silence and wait patiently before the tall, majestic, black-bearded figure on the marble dais. About half-way through the second hour we perceive the first signs of returning activity in the Sage’s body. His breathing becomes deeper and then more audible. The eyelids move, the eyeballs roll alarmingly upwards until the whites glare and then come down to normal. A slight swaying movement becomes perceptible in his trunk.

Five minutes later the expression in the Sage’s eyes changes in such a way that we know he has become aware of his physical environment. He looks attentively at the interpreter, turns his head abruptly and looks at Brama and then at

the other visitor, turns it again and looks at me.

I seize the opportunity and place a pencil and a pad of paper at his feet. He hesitates awhile, takes up the pencil and writes in large flourishing Tamil characters:

Page 112“Who came here the other day and tried to take pictures?”

I am compelled to admit to this activity. As a matter of fact, the effort had been useless, for I had under-exposed the films.

He writes again:

“When you go again to Yogis who are in deep trance, never disturb them by such actions. Do not attempt to break in abruptly upon their meditations. In my own case it did not matter, but I tell you this to guide your future actions when you try to see other Yogis. Such interruption may be dangerous to them and they might put a curse upon you.”

It is evidently looked upon as a minor act of sacrilege to penetrate the solitude of such a man, so I express my regrets.

Page 115...When we emerge from the compound, Brama, the Adyar anchorite, turns to me and says, in a quiet voice:

“This Yogi has reached a high state, although not the final goal. He possesses occult gifts, but is keener to perfect his spirituality. His fine bodily condition I attribute to his long practice of the

Yoga of Body Control, though I now observe that he has advanced into the art of Mind Control. I knew him before.”

“When?”

“I discovered him some years ago near here, when he lived in the open field without a cottage. I recognized him for what he was – a practising Yogi following my path. I shall also tell you that he informed me – through writing, of course – that in early life he was a Sepoy in the army. After his period of service came to an end, he wearied of this worldly life and embraced solitude. It was then that he met the renowned faqueer Marakayar and became his disciple.”

We proceed in silence across the fields and then rejoin the dusty road. I do not mention to anyone the unexpected and inexplicable experience which came to me in the cottage. I want to muse over it while its echoes are yet sounding fresh within me.

Page 115-116I never see the Sage again. He does not wish me to intrude upon his secluded life and I must respect his wish. I leave him to his lonely meditations, wrapped in his mantle of impenetrability. He has no desire to found a school or collect a following, and his ambitions seem to stretch no farther than passing unobtrusively through life. He has nothing to add to what he has already said to me. He does not make an art of conversation for its own sake, as we do in the West.

Page 197Chapter XI The Wonder-Worker of Benares...He tells me his birthplace was in Bengal. At the age of thirteen he was bitten by a poisonous

animal. His condition became so serious that his mother despaired of his life and took him down to the Ganges to die. According to the Hindu religion, there can be no holier or happier death than beside this river. He was carried into the sacred stream while the mourning family gathered on the banks for the funeral ceremonies. He was lowered into the water. And then a miracle happened. The deeper they dipped him, the more the water sank around his body. When he was raised again, the water rose upward in harmony until it reached its normal level. Again and again he was dipped; again and again the waters sank of their own accord. In short, the Ganges refused to receive the boy as its dying guest!

A Yogi sat on the banks of the river and watched the proceedings. He got up and predicted that the boy was reserved to live and achieve greatness, and that his destiny was most fortunate, inasmuch as he would become a famous Yogi. The man then rubbed some herbs on the poisoned wound and went away. Seven days later he returned and told the parents that the boy was now quite cured, and indeed it was so. But, during the interim a strange thing had happened to the child. His entire mentality and character had changed, and instead of being content to remain at home with his parents, he thirsted to become a wandering Yogi. Henceforth he worried his mother constantly until, a few years later, she granted him permission to leave home. He went forth in quest of the Yoga adepts.

Page 197-198He made his way to Tibet, that trans-Himalayan land of mystery, in the hope of finding his destined teacher among its reputed miracle-working hermits. For it is an idea strongly inherent in the Indian mind that the aspirant must become a personal disciple of someone who has himself mastered the

mysteries of Yoga, if he is to succeed in the same quest. The young Bengalee sought for such a man among the solitary hermits who dwell in huts or caves, sometimes when the mountains were swept by howling, icy blizzards, but he returned home disappointed.

Page 198Years passed uneventfully, yet his desire found no abatement. Once more he crossed the border and wandered the bleak wastes of Southern Tibet. In a simple habitation among the mountain fastnesses he discovered a man who proved to be the long-sought teacher.

I hear, next, one of those incredible statements which might once have moved me to satiric laughter, but now actually startles me. For I am solemnly assured that this Tibetan master is no less than one thousand two hundred years old! The assertion is made as calmly as a prosaic Westerner might mention that he is forty.

This amazing legend of longevity has cropped has cropped up at least twice before. Brama, the Yogi of the Adyar river, once told me that his master in Nepal was over four hundred years old, while a holy man whom I encountered in Western India said that there was a Yogi living in an almost inaccessible mountain cave on the Himalayas who was so old – over one thousand years, was the figure given me – that the lids of his eyes actually drooped heavily with age! I had dismissed both these assertions as being too fantastic, but now I must again entertain a repetition of them, for this man before me hints at being on the track of the elixir of life.

The Tibetan teacher initiated young Vishudhananda into the principles and practices of the Yoga of Body Control. Under this rigorous training, the

disciple developed powers of the body and mind which were supernormal. He was also initiated into a strange art which he calls Solar Science. For twelve years, despite the hardships of life in a snow-bound region, he continued his pupilage at the feet of the Tibetan possessor of immortal life. His training finished, he was sent back to India. He crossed the mountain passes, descended into the plains, and in due course himself became a teacher of Yoga.

Page 205-223XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXReferenceBrunton, Paul. (1962) A Search in Secret Egypt. (17th Impression) London, UK: Rider & Company.

Page 164Abydos, as the first seat of the Osirian religion, was also the first Grand Lodge of the inner secret rites of that religion; that is of the “Mysteries,” progenitors of early Freemasonry....The whole structure, most archaic in appearance, was dug out of more than forty feet of debris. The central room was saddle-roofed and shaped like a colossal sarcophagus. The roof was delicately sculptured with carvings showing Shu, god of the air, lifting a dead Pharaoh from the earth and protecting him with his arms. I felt at once that some hidden symbolism lay in this picture.

Page 280-281“Therefore, I repeat that foreigners who for the sake of hidden treasures, or that exaggerated curiosity which often disguises itself as scientific enquiry, seek to exploit any ancient country where magic was much understood and

practised, take grave risks. There are secret tombs of the great Lamas at Lhassa, in Tibet, whose existence partly accounts for the reluctance of the Tibetans to allow foreigners to enter their country. Yet a day will come when people may be permitted to see those tombs and interfere with them, bringing consequent disasters upon themselves.

Page 281“In ancient times, Egypt was the chief centre of magical knowledge and practice. In magic, either white or black, i.e. used for good or evil purposes, Egypt excelled even India. To-day, those powerful psychic forces let loose in the past, still affect the country and its people – again either for uplifting or unfortunate results. Some of the latter, for instance, are diseases, like eczema, which are simply the consequence of evil, magical influences still persisting in the land and afflicting living Egyptians.

“Let this warning go out through your pen. Now you may understand why we have met. Even if it be scorned and ignored, my duty and yours – if you will accept it – shall have been done. Nature’s laws do not pardon ignorance; but even that excuse shall have gone.”

Thus ended Ra-Mak-Hotep’s message. I have faithfully transcribed it and have set it down here for what it is worth.

We met a few more times, the Adept and I, and then I was called away to pursue my travels farther south. At each of our meetings he stored my head with information about the tenets of the mysterious fraternity to which he belonged. It was during a reference to some experiences of mine in India, where I had met a young Yogi who claimed that his

Master was more than four hundred years old, that Ra-Mak-Hotep gravely announced the startling and incredible information that some Adepts who had lived and moved in ancient Egypt were still alive!

I shall not quickly forget the exclamations of astonishment with which I greeted his statement.

The pith of his assertions was that there are Adepts whose bodies lie in a comatose state in certain Egyptian tombs which have not yet been discovered, and which, he claimed, would never be discovered by the ordinary archaeologist.

Page 281-282“The tombs of these great Adepts are too well-guarded and will never be found by your ‘diggers’,” he explained. “Those tombs are not tombs of the dead, but of the living. They contain, not mummies, but the bodies of Adepts in a unique state which the word ‘trance’ most nearly describes. You have discovered in India that fakirs have permitted themselves to be buried for short or long periods of time whilst keeping their bodies in an entranced state.¹ The function of their breathing organs was completely suspended during the period of burial. Up to a certain point, the Egyptian Adepts are in a similar state, but their knowledge is far more profound, and they have kept their bodies entranced, yet alive, for thousands of years.

Page 282-283“Moreover, there is one vital difference between them and those Hindu fakirs. The latter fall into a totally unconscious state during their burial, and remember nothing until they awaken again – unless they are Adepts, in which case they could never be persuaded to give a public demonstration of their powers. The Egyptian Adepts, however, remain fully conscious during their interment, and although

their bodies are in coma, their spirits are free and working. In India you visited the Sage Who Never Speaks, who lives near Madras, and on the first occasion you found him in a profound trance, seemingly as though dead. Yet you must know that his mind was very much alive, because on your second visit he not only knew all about your first one, but mentioned his objection to your having attempted to take his photograph then. Such a man functions in the inner realms of being, or even on the physical realm by using an etheric body. The buried Egyptian Adepts are mentally in a similar condition while physically their bodies are, of course, much more profoundly entranced. Their spirits move and travel, their minds think in a condition of full consciousness and they have the advantage of being aware of two worlds – the material and the spirit worlds.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceMeenakshihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meenakshi...Meenakshi, according to Hindu mythology, is a deity; a Goddess who is related to two of the three Godheads - Vishnu and Shiva. She is the sister of Lord Vishnu,......Like a fish, Minakshi Devi's eyes are always open, watching over her devotees. Her eyes are fabled to bring life to the unborn.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Page 283“Their bodies are hidden in undiscoverable tombs, which await the return of their spirits. One day the latter will re-animate those comatose bodies, which will then step forth into the outer world again. The process of re-animation will have to be performed by the right persons, who possess the

necessary knowledge. Part of the ritual of awakening will consist in chanting certain secret ‘Words of Power’. It may seem curious to you, but their bodies are apparently embalmed, for they lie swathed in linen and enclosed in mummy coffins. There is, however, the vital difference that they have never had their hearts cut out as was done with real mummies. All their vital organs remain intact, except that they have collapsed stomachs, due to the fact that no food has been intaken since the beginning of their entrancement. Another difference is that the living Adepts have had their faces and bodies entirely covered with a coating of wax. This coating was applied after the state of entrancement had been induced.

Page 283-284“Their tombs are well concealed, and their number is extremely small – naturally, for only highly advanced Adepts could enter this state and not all Adepts are willing to do so. I do not like to use the word ‘trance’ in their case because it gives a wrong impression, but I know no other word which can fitly be employed. Their condition is quite different, for instance, from the trance of spiritualist mediums and hypnotic subjects. There are really profound degrees of trance which modern investigators have never traced. All such conditions which they have contacted are superficial in comparison with the profound and unique condition of the entombed Egyptian Adepts. In the repose of the latter there is really much activity; they are not really in trance states, as the world understands that word.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxReferenceWordWeb 4.5 Dictionaryhttp://wordweb.info/

repose

Lean in a comfortable resting positionxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Page 285“There is one Adept who has been in his tomb since 260 B.C.; another since more than 3000 B.C.; still another who has lain there for 10,000 years! They are all working very actively in secret for the spiritual welfare of mankind. They know what is going on in the entire world, despite the fact that their bodies are interred. They are perfect men. By that I mean that their bodies cannot be touched – not even by any insect or parasite – such is the tremendous radiation of their spiritual forces. Moreover, they are in constant telepathic communication with certain living Adepts of our time who themselves possess a functioning body. The spiritual treasures preserved by those ancient Egyptian Adepts are handed over to these living Adepts. When the time comes to awaken them, the ritual of arousal will have to be performed by one of the latter.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceMeenakshihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meenakshi...Meenakshi, according to Hindu mythology, is a deity; a Goddess who is related to two of the three Godheads - Vishnu and Shiva. She is the sister of Lord Vishnu,......Like a fish, Minakshi Devi's eyes are always open, watching over her devotees. Her eyes are fabled to bring life to the unborn.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Page 282¹ In my account of the Indian Yogis, A Search in Secret India, a reference to one of these fakirs

appears on page 93. It may be of interest to supplement that reference with the following further details, which I have taken from Sir Claude Wade’s official account.

The fakir was buried alive in a box which was placed in a cell three feet below the floor and with a guard comprising two companies of soldiers. Four sentries were furnished and relieved every two hours, night and day to guard the building from intrusion.

“On opening the box,” wrote Sir Claude, “we saw the figure enclosed in a bag of white linen fastened by a string over the head. The servant began pouring warm water over the figure – the legs and arms of the body were shrivelled and stiff, the face full, the head reclining on the shoulder like that of a corpse. I then called to the medical gentleman who was attending me to come down and inspect the body, which he did, but could discover no pulsation in the heart, temples or arm. There was, however, a heat about the region of the brain which existed in no other part of the body. The process of resuscitation including bathing with hot water, friction, the removal of wax and cotton pledgets from the nostrils and ears, the rubbing of the eyelids with clarified butter, and, what will appear most curious to many, the application of a hot wheaten cake about an inch thick to the top of the head. After the cake had been applied for the third time, the body was violently convulsed, the nostrils became inflated, the respiration ensued, and the limbs assumed a natural fullness, but the pulsation was still faintly perceptible. The tongue was then annointed with clarified butter, the eyeballs became dilated and recovered their natural colour, and the fakir recognized those present and spoke.”

I remember a very old Indian, who had witnessed a case of burying a Yogi alive for twenty-seven days. He told me that when the man had been disinterred and resuscitated, the air rushed into his lungs with a whistling noise, like that of a steam-whistle.

Page 285EpilogueAnd after I had wandered afar throughout the whole length of this hoary land of Egypt and witnessed divers more curious things, I turned my steps homeward to my good friends, who sit in eternal meditation on the edge of the Libyan Desert.

“Tell me, O wise Sphinx!” I cried, “whither I may go to rest my tired feet, which seem to have walked enow along the dusty road of life?”

And the Sphinx made response:

“Ask thy question of the One whose lonely child I am, whose womb brought me forth to endure the sorrowful buffetings of this world. For I am Man himself, and yonder is my mother, Earth. Ask her!”’

So I trod on a little farther and came to the Great Pyramid. And I went inside the dark passage and crawled down into the deep bowels of the earth, into the dismal subterranean vault itself.

And I uttered the pass-words of greeting, according to my instruction from the seventh verse of the sixty-fourth chapter of the most ancient book in all Egypt:

“Hail! Lord of the Shrine Which Standeth in the Middle of the Earth!”

Thereupon I sat down on the rocky floor and plunged my mind into its own native quietude, patiently waiting for an answer.

When at last the Great One, the Master of the Divine House, made his appearance, I begged him to lead me into the presence of She who is called “The Mistress of the Hidden Temple,” who is none other than the Living Soul of Our Earth.

And the Master yielded to my strong entreaty and conducted me through a secret door into the Temple which lieth hid hereabouts. The divine Mother received me most graciously, yet remained seated at a distance, and bade me state my request.

To her I repeated my enquiry:

“Tell me, O Mistress of the Hidden Temple, whither I may go to rest my tired feet, which seem to have walked enow along the dusty road of life?”

Page 286She gazed long and earnestly into my eyes before She spoke forth in answer:

“Seven waysº are open before thee, O Seeker. Seven steps await to be mounted by the man who would enter into my¹ secret chamber². Seven lessons must be learned by those of thy human race who would see my face unveiled³. Not till thou hast travelled all the ways, climbed all the steps, and mastered all the lessons canst thou hope to find rest for thy feet or peace for thy soul.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxº Cross Reference15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

- Revelation 15:8 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx¹ Cross ReferencePicturehttp://www.sivananda.org/madurai/images/meenakshi_full1.jpgPicturehttp://kabuki.eecs.berkeley.edu/~rsn/images/meenakshi.gifPicturehttp://www.sivananda.org/madurai/images/meenakshi_lingam1.jpgxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx² Cross ReferencePicturehttp://www.sivasakti.com/local/tantra/poza81-4.jpgPicturehttp://www.tantramag.com/tantra/poza153-1.jpgxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx² Cross ReferenceAttishttp://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Attis.html

Agdistis Agdistis, who was a demon with both male and female sexual organs, was born from the seed that Zeus once let fall upon the ground when he was asleep. But since his double sexuality frightened the gods, they cut off Agdistis' male organ. From Agdistis' amputated organ then, an almond tree grew up with its fruit ripe; and when Sangarius' daughter came along, they say, she took of the fruit and laid it in her bosom and, on doing this, the fruit disappeared and she found herself pregnant.

Castration at wedding party When some time after a boy was born she exposed him, but he was saved by a goat that nourished him. And when years later Attis became a youth of beauty more than human, he was sent by some relatives to Pessinus in central Asia Minor near Mount Dindymus,

to marry the king's daughter. However, when the wedding ceremony was being celebrated and all were singing, Agdistis made a sudden appearance, whereupon Attis, losing his mind, cut off his own genitals; and so did the king too.  Attis buried When this happened, Agdistis repented and asked Zeus to grant that Attis' body should not decay; for as they say, Agdistis was himself in love with the youth. But whatever happened to that request, Attis was buried in the vicinity of Pessinus, where a temple was built to the Mother of the Gods, whom they called Agdistis although she is often identified with Rhea 1, Cronos' wife.

Attis love for Sagaritis Others have said that Attis was a worshipper of the Mother of the Gods, and that the goddess asked him to guard her temple and keep his chastity, whereupon he promised obedience saying:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross Reference3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

- 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 :: King James Version (KJV)

6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 :: King James Version (KJV)

7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

- 1 Corinthians 7:1 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"If I lie ... may the love for which I break faith be my last love of all." [Ovid, Fasti 4.227]

And since promises are more often than not broken, Attis met the Naiad Sagaritis and turned her into his sweetheart. But the Mother of the Gods, who was well informed, by wounding the Naiad's tree destroyed Attis' sweetheart as well, since her fate was dependent on the tree's. This event, they say, and nothing else, is the reason why Attis lost his mind, imagining that his chamber's roof was falling in.

Naiadn.

1.Greek Mythology. One of the nymphs who lived in and presided over brooks, springs, and fountains.

2.Any one of a subfamily (Najades) of butterflies including the purples, the fritillaries, the peacock butterfly, etc.; -- called also naiad.

Attis goes mad So being completely mad, Attis ran to the top of Mount Dindymus, uttering such words that let understand that he was seeing the ERINYES. Then he mangled his body with a sharp stone, and trailed his hair in the dust, crying as he tortured himself that he had deserved what he was going through. Then he shouted repeatedly:

"Ah, perish the parts that were my ruin." [Ovid, Fasti 4.240]

whereupon he cut off his genitals. Then Attis turned into a pine-tree, which is why this tree is pleasing to the Mother of the Gods.

Born an eunuch and killed by a boar Still others say that Attis was son of the Phrygian Calaus and eunuch from birth. Attis became known, they say, when he, after migrating to Lydia instructed his hosts in the orgies of the Mother. But the Lydians, for loving Attis and the Mother so much, had their tillage destroyed by a boar sent by Zeus; and this animal, they tell, killed Attis in addition to some Lydians.  The Mother goes to Rome Later, at the time when Attalus was king of Phrygia, which is about 200 BC, the Mother of the Gods was brought to Rome, following the instructions of the Sibyl at Cumae and the Oracle at Delphi. It is said that when the king at first refused the favour to the Roman envoys, the voice of the goddess herself was heard saying these prophetic words:

"It was my own will that they should send for me ... let me go, it is my wish. Rome is a place meet to be the resort of every god." [Ovid, Fasti 4.269]  Successful priesthood²ºWhen the Mother of the Gods had spoken, Attalus, understanding that Rome traced its origin to Aeneas and Phrygian ancestors, let the envoys take the goddess, whose image was embarked in the Hellespont, the strait in northwestern Asia Minor, and came to the mouth of the Tiber, Rome's river, some time later. For this reason the Asian temple became famous where the Mother of the Gods was venerated. She was in Asia called Agdistis, and being the object of great devotion, the priests,

they say, achieved extraordinary prosperity, living as potentates. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx²º Cross ReferenceMartin R. De Haan II. (2005) Knowing God Through Hebrews. Discovery series. Grand Rapids, Michigan: RBC Ministries.

Page 4According to biblical scholar F. F. Bruce, Hebrews is quoted in an epistle by Clement of Rome in about AD 96 and was probably written before the destruction of the temple in AD 70 (certainly before AD 85). It was written to instruct and warn Jewish followers of Jesus who, worn out by relentless persecution, were tempted to return to the Judaism they had abandoned.

Page 4-5Maintaining that turning back from Christ would be a terrible mistake, the author of Hebrews admonished and encouraged his readers in four ways: First, he made six claims for Jesus. Second, he explained why Jesus is superior to every created being – angelic and human. Third, he described the superiority of Jesus’ priesthood over the priesthood of Old Testament times. Fourth, he showed how Jesus provides a better hope than anyone else. Sandwiched throughout are solemn warnings that we will consider after we have looked more closely at these four main points.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx²º Cross ReferencePolygamists in the Bible: Directory http://www.biblicalpolygamy.com/polygamists/

The list of the polygamists found in the Bible. ...Abdon* Abijah Abraham Ahab Ahasuerus Ashur Belshazzar Benhadad Caleb David

Eliphaz Elkanah Esau Ezra Gideon Heman* Hosea* Ibzan* Issachar** Jacob Jair* Jehoiachin Jehoram Jerahmeel Joash Lamech Machir Manasseh Mered Moses Nahor Rehoboam Saul Shaharaim Shimei* Simeon Solomon Terah* Zedekiah Ziba* xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx³ Cross ReferenceHenry Thomas and Dana Lee Thomas.(1959) Living Biographies of Great Philosophers. London, UK: W H Allen. KANT. Page 202

Kant had come at last to the end of his philosophical quest. He had sought for God and he had discovered Man. “Man,” we are told in an Eastern legend, “lifted the veil from the goddess of Sais and beheld – himself.”xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross Reference6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

- 1 Corinthians 6:19 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I heard her mellow voice, which seemed to speak with a myriad aeons of age behind its calm tones, reverberating across the Great Hall of the Temple.

“What are those ways, O divine Mother?”

And She said:

“The Road that leadeth to Many Houses and the Track that Leadeth into the Desert, the Street that Groweth Red Flowersº; the Ascent of High Mountains and the Descent into Dark Caves¹, the Path of Ever-Wandering² and the Way of Sitting Still³.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

º Cross Reference7:1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.7:3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.7:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:7:5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.7:6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,7:7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,7:8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,7:9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:7:10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.7:11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:7:12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)7:13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,7:14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.7:15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.7:16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.7:17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.7:18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

7:19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:7:20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.7:21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.7:22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;7:23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.7:24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.7:25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.7:26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.7:27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

- Proverbs 7:1-27 :: King James Version (KJV)

5:3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:5:4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.5:6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.5:7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.5:8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:5:9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:5:10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

5:11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,5:12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;5:13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

- Proverbs 5:3-13 :: King James Version (KJV)

6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.6:20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:6:21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.6:22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:6:24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.6:25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.6:26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.6:27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?6:28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?6:29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

6:30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;6:31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.6:32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.6:33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.6:34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.6:35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

- Proverbs 6:16-35 :: King James Version (KJV)

5:20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

- Proverbs 5:20 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx¹ Cross Reference74:20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

- Psalms 74:20 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx² Cross Reference6:11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

- Proverbs 6:11 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx³ Cross Reference46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

- Psalms 46:10 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I asked:

“What are those seven steps?”

She answered:

“The first is Tears, the second Prayer, the third Work, the fourth Rest, the fifth Death, the sixth is Life, and the last is Pity.”

“And what of the seven lessons that man must learn, O Mother?”

And She made response:

“Pleasure is the first and easiest, Pain is the next, Hate is the third, Illusion the fourth, Truth the fifth, Love is sixth and Peace must be learned at the end.”

And I wondered at these things.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross Reference6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.6:20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

- Proverbs 6:16-20 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Then the Mistress of the Hidden Temple withdrew from the Great Hall and I saw that behind her there had been a great golden star, and within the star a radiant crown and two silver crescents. Below the crown there was a white cross, and around the arms of the cross were seven red roses.

And the wall behind was deep blue, and upon it there suddenly appeared many words, brilliant with light like set jewels. And of those words I was commanded to read those only which were at the end.

And those words were:

“For Egypt is the image of the things of heaven, and truly a temple of the whole world.

Page 286-287“And when Egypt shall have witnessed these things, then that Lord and Father who is the Supreme God, First in Power and Governor of the World, shall look into the hearts and deeds of men, and by His will, shall recall them to their ancient goodness, in order that the world itself may truly appear to be an adorable work of His hands.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross Reference12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

- Matthew 12:36-37 :: King James Version (KJV)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross ReferenceAnguttara Nikaya. The "Further-factored" Discourses (selected suttas)http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/anguttara/index.html

Pabhassara Sutta (AN I.49-52) -- Luminous {I,v,9-10; I,vi,1-2; A i 10} [Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans.]. The mind is inherently luminous; the unwise person can't even see that it is obscured by defilements.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCross Reference

Thanissaro Bhikkhu. (Trans.) (Revised: Sunday, May 12, 2002) Anguttara Nikaya I.49-52. Pabhassara Sutta. Luminous.http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/anguttara/an01-049.html

Anguttara Nikaya I.49-52Pabhassara SuttaLuminous

Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.For free distribution only.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Luminous, monks, is the mind.[1] And it is defiled by incoming defilements." {I,v,9}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements." {I,v,10}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn't discern that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that -- for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person -- there is no development of the mind." {I,vi,1}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that -- for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones -- there is development of the mind." {I,vi,2}

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note

1. This statement has engendered a great deal of controversy over the centuries. The commentary maintains that "mind" here refers to the bhavanga-citta, the momentary mental state between periods when the mental stream adverts to objects, but this statement raises more questions than it answers. There is no reference to the bhavanga-citta or the mental stream in any of the suttas (they appear first in an Abhidhamma treatise, the Patthana); and because the commentaries compare the bhavanga-citta to deep sleep, why is it called luminous? And why would the perception of its luminosity be a prerequisite for developing the mind? And further, if "mind" in this discourse means bhavanga-citta, what would it mean to develop the bhavanga-citta?

Another interpretation equates the luminosity of the mind with the "consciousness without feature," described as "luminous" in MN 49 and DN 11, but this interpretation also has problems. According to MN 49, that consciousness partakes of nothing in the describable world, not even the "Allness of the All," so how could it possibly be defiled? And, because it is not realized until the goal of the practice is reached, why would the perception of its luminosity be a prerequisite for developing the mind? And again, if "mind" here means consciousness without feature, how could the sutta talk of its development?

A more reasonable approach to understanding the statement can be derived from taking it in context: the luminous mind is the mind that the meditator is trying to develop. To perceive its luminosity means understanding that defilements such as greed, aversion, or delusion are not intrinsic to its nature, are not a necessary part of awareness. Without this understanding, it would be impossible to practice. With this understanding, however, one can make an effort to cut away existing

defilements, leaving the mind in the stage that MN 24 calls "purity in terms of mind." This would correspond to the luminous level of concentration described in the standard simile for the fourth jhana: "And furthermore, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress -- he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. He sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. Just as if a man were sitting covered from head to foot with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright awareness." From this state it is possible to develop the discernment that not only cuts away existing defilements but also uproots any potential for them to ever arise again. Only in the stages of Awakening that follow on those acts of discernment would "consciousness without feature" be realized.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Revised: Sun 12 May 2002 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/anguttara/an01-049.html

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXReferenceBrunton, Paul. (1988) The Quest of the Overself. London, UK: Rider & Company.

Page 33-34Archeologists excavating in Egypt have discovered a leaf of a papyrus book – that of Oxyrhynchus – containing eight sayings of Jesus. The discoverers assigned the probable date of their papyrus as about A.D. 200. Among these sayings there exists a

sentence of striking force, whose remarkable similarity to the constantly repeated message of the philosophers of antiquity is noteworthy.

Jesus said: “And the Kingdom of Heaven is within you; and whomsoever shall know himself shall find it.”

Page 37The Hindus, who have enquired deeply into these matters for many thousand years before the first Western scientist started to think, have built their doctrines generally on the tacit assumption of the existence of a universal spirit which inter-penetrates and transcends simultaneously the world and the creatures who dwell therein; they assert, therefore, that the human spirit possesses in itself the revelation it seeks.

Page 37-38Nevertheless, there always have been, there are today and there always will be some people who do attempt to swim ashore out of the drifting tide of daily events; who endeavor to find a vantage point of solid ground above the whirlpool of external things, from which to regard this mystery of life and mind. Generally, they only do this under the pressure of great sorrow, emotional crisis, or other upheavals, which temporarily drive them in upon themselves and make all the activity which centres around the “I”, the individual ego, seem futile and meaningless. Strangely enough, it is when people reach that point when “life no longer seems worth living” that they begin to become really interested in the spiritual aspect of life, whereas before they had only been interested in the material; it is at this point that they turn to religion for consolation, to philosophy for comprehension, and when these two do not attract or suffice, to strange and unorthodox cults for

heretical glimmers of light.

Page 40The reclusive yogis of India, the bland sages of China, the powerful initiate-priests of Egypt, the God-ravished Sufis of Persia, the vanished Druids of early Britain and the chief Inca priests of America, among others were custodians of psychological knowledge; they knew of a certain Way, and some among them practised it. It yielded them astonishing spiritual transformations. Their feebler descendants of today have mostly forgotten or ignored that Way and only a rare few practise it. Salvation will come to us of the West when we re-learn this method – now nearly lost in the shadows of darkening antiquity – revise it to suit our own environment, restate it in modern terms and re-embrace its regular practice.

Page 40-41This need of a modern revision is essential. Archaic accents require an interpreter. For instance, experience with many people shows that the old Indian mode of discussing and answering these questions in talk and in writing, seems too far removed from our mundane affairs, too alien and unfamiliar in tradition and temperament to be of much use and attraction to Europeans. In reality this is not so, but because external forms need to be respected, we Westerners need a more modern and practical method of presentation of the same truths as have been taught since time immemorial by bearded yogis on Ganges banks and revered Rishees in Himalayan caves. When presented in the ancient manner they seem to possess an unreal character and an utter impracticability of being applied in the teeming world which surges around the great cities of London, Paris and New York. Moreover, if we have to learn a new technique, we need not waste our time and energies in learning a new terminology.

Page 41Supreme among the ancient lores is the Indian, because it still lives when others have perished, and because India is the land which has mothered the deepest thought of man, as Egypt was the father of his most marvelous magic and Greece was the parent of his highest efforts at creating beauty....What was thus taught in private was not altogether dissimilar to what some Grecian philosophers taught in public, for the same substratum runs through the mind of the world from east to west and teaches the same ancient path to all alike: Man, Know Thyself.

For example, Socrates himself practised methods of absorbed meditation which Patanjali's doctrine of direct contemplation plainly inculcated. Both culminated in the trance state, Socrates demonstrating this personally by passing at times into a contemplative trance.

Page 41-42Once he was walking with his friend Aristodemus to a banquet. He lagged behind in a fit of abstraction, fixing the mind on himself, and Aristodemus arrived without him. A servant was sent back to look for the sage, but came and reported that Socrates stood fixed in the portico of a house and did not answer when called. “Let him alone,” said Aristodemus. “This is a way he has of retiring at times and standing wherever he may chance.” Socrates arrived later. Again, Alcibiades mentions that on one occasion, during a military campaign, Socrates was found by a soldier standing still in one place where he had been since early dawn, fixed in profound meditation. At noon attention was drawn to him and the wondering crowd thereafter watched the sun go down but Socrates still kept to his trance. There he stood all night and at break of

day he offered up a prayer to the sun and thus returned to normal activity. This is precisely the same as the Nirvikalpa Samadhi of the Hindus.

Page 42Hindus who have been following the practices of Patanjali in an unbroken line of tradition since pre-Socratic days, have had identical experiences. The writer has seen several instances of similar trances among living yogis of today.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXhttp://in.geocities.com/anindianyogi/brunton.html

Published on internet: Tuesday, November 25, 2003Revised: Thursday, May 24, 2007

Information on the web site is given in good faith about a certain spiritual way of life, irrespective of any specific religion, in the belief that the information is not misused, misjudged or misunderstood. Persons using this information for whatever purpose must rely on their own skill, intelligence and judgment in its application. The webmaster does not accept any liability for harm or damage resulting from advice given in good faith on this website.

Back to An Indian Yogi Homepage Index

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX“Thou belongest to That Which Is Undying, and not merely to time alone,” murmured the Sphinx, breaking its muteness at last. “Thou art eternal, and not merely of the vanishing flesh. The soul in man cannot be killed, cannot die. It waits, shroud-wrapped, in thy heart, as I waited, sand-wrapped, in thy world. Know thyself, O mortal! For there is One within thee, as in all men, that comes and stands at the bar and bears witness that there IS a God!”(Reference: Brunton, Paul. (1962) A Search in Secret Egypt . (17 th

Impression) London, UK: Rider & Company. Page: 35.)Amen