Yin-Yang (dualism) is one of the dominant concepts shared by different schools throughout history of Chinese philosophy. The most enduring interpretation is related to the concept of Qi (Chi=vital energy).
According to this interpretation, Yin-Yang is seen as Qi operating in the universe.
The earliest characters for Yin-Yang (dualism) are found in inscriptions made on oracle skeletal remains of various animals used in ancient China at least as early as the 14th BC. In this inscriptions, Yin-Yang are descriptions of natural phenomena such as weather conditions, and the movements of the sun. The sunlight during the day is Yang and lack of sunlight at night is Yin. Yang refers to height, brightness and the South side of a Mountain, and Yin refers to a closed door, darkness and the South bank of a River and the North side of a Mountain. This sun-based daily pattern led to a conceptual claim: Yang is movement (Dong) and Yin is rest (Ji'Ing).
It was believed that there were 6 heavenly influences (Qi), which upon descending produced the 5 tastes, going forth in the 5 colors, and were verified in the 5 notes; but when they were in excess, they produced the 6 diseases. Those 6 influences were denominated: Yin, Yang, Wind, Rain, Darkness, and Brightness. In their separation, they formed the 4 seasons; in their order, they formed the 5 elements, When any of them were in excess, they ensured calamity. An excess of the Yin (negative) led to diseases of cold; and excess of the Yang (positive), to diseases of heat.
Despite the differences in the interpretation, application, and appropriation of Yin-Yang (dualism), three basic themes underlie the concept: 1)Yin-Yang as the coherent fabric of nature and mind, exhibited in all existence, 2) Yin-Yang as interaction (Ji'Ao) between the waxing and waning of the cosmic and human realms, and 3) Yin-Yang as a process of harmonization ensuring a constant, dynamic balance of all things.
Yin in its highest form is freezing while Yang in its highest form is boiling. The chilliness comes from heaven while the warmness comes from the earth. The interaction of these two opposites establishes harmony, so it gives birth to things.
Yin-Yang is complementary, emblematic of valuable equality rooted in the unified, dynamic, and harmonized structure of the cosmos.
Yin-Yang schools of teaching existed already during the "Spring and Autumn" (770-481BC) and "Warring States"(403-221BC) periods. Alongside with this Yin-Yang school, 5 others known from the same periods (Kong-Fusian, Mohist, Legalist, Fatalist, and Daoist) defines the theory of the study as "the investigation of the art (Shu) of Yin-Yang." The study focused on omens of luck and explored the patterns of the 4 seasons, and methods of prediction and astronomy. Just as the Confucians (Ru-Jia) arose from the ranks of Ru-Shi (scholar-gentlemen) who excelled at ritual and music), those of the Yin-Yang school came from the Fang-Shi (recipe-gentleman) who specialized in various numerological disciplines known as Shu-Shu (number-arts). This discipline included astronomy (Tian'Wen), calendar-keeping (Li-Pu), Five Faces correlative theory (Wu'Xing), Tortoise-shell interpretation (Zhu-Guai), fortune-telling (Za'Zha) and face-reading (Xing'Fa).
By the Han dynasty (202BC-220CE), Yin-Yang (dualism) was associated with"Five Faces"(Wu'Xing) correlative cosmology. According to the "Great Plan,"a chapter of the "Classic of Documents" (Shu'Jing), Wu'Xing refers to material substances that have certain functional attributes: Water is said to soak and descend; Fire is said to blaze and ascend; Wood is said to curve or be straight; Metal is said to obey and change; Earth is said to take seeds and give crops. Wu'Xing is used as a set of numerological classifiers and explains the configuration of change on various scales. The Yin-Yang/ Wu'Xing teaching -an early Chinese attempt in the direction of working out metaphysics and cosmology- was a fusion of these two conceptual schemes applied to astronomy and the mantic arts.
In the Tai Xuan (The Great Dark Mystery), writen by Yan Xion, his chief philosophical writing, the term Xuan describes dark, black, mysterious, profound, abstruse or hidden. The writer, however, used the term Xuan to refer to the hidden fountainhead or initial state, out of which things emerge and the mysterious process through which they unfold. The Tai Xuan, then, is based on an evolving sequence of figures that, when taken together, map out the cycles of transformation underlying all things. Each figure-image- circumstance is articulated through an evolving series of statements that describes and appraises the unfolding of the situation and the meaning of the image.
Yang Xiong, a prolific yet reclusive court poet, his writings and tragic life spanned the collapse of the Han dynasty (202BC-9CE) and the brief and catastrophic usurpation of the throne by the imperial regent Wang Mang (9-23CE). He is best known for his assertion that human nature originally is neither good nor depraved but rather comes into existence as a mixture of both. As a social critic and classical scholar, he is considered to be the chief representative of the Old Text School of Kong-Zi'anism.
Another book of the same author is "Words to Live By"(Fa Yan). The Fa Yan focus on the perennial Kong-Zi (Confucian) theme of self-cultivation while emphasizing the importance of learning, friendship, role models, rites and music, the natural tendencies, the human virtues, the value of the classics, the princely person, the sage, ruling, filial responsibility, and so forth. Also we can find discussion of concepts and themes usually associated with the way (Dao), potency (De), spontaneity (Zi'Ran), non-coercive action (Wu'Wei), minimizing desire, the vanity of the desires of wealth, office and renown, and the challenges of surviving and maintaining one's integrity in a time of disorder.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
THE TEMPLE OF CONFUCIUS.
Qufu city is best known as the birthplace and place of residence of Confucius (Kong-Fusi, or Kong-Zi). He founded Confucianism, a way of life propagated by him in the 6th-5th BC and followed by the Chinese people for more than millennia. Although transformed over time, it is still the substance of learning, the source of values, and the social code of the Chinese.
Qufu (Chu-Fou), conventional Ku-Fow city, is in the Northern coastal province Shan-Dong of China, lying across the Yellow Sea from the Korean peninsula.
Shan-Dong is China's second most populous province. The name Shan-Dong, meaning "East of Mountains," was first officially used during the Jin dynasty in the 12th century. Jinan, its capital city, lies in the Northern foothills of the Mount Tai massif, on the high ground just South of the Yellow River (Huang He). Well-watered from natural springs, the area was settled in early times. From the 8th BC it was the site of Li'Xia, a major city of the state of Qi, which flourished in the Zhou period (1046-256BC). Later, in the 2nd century BC, the town became the seat of Li'Cheng county in the commandering of Jinan. The Chinese name Jinan (South of the Ji) came from the Ji River, which formerly flowed along what is now the lower course of the Yellow River (Huang He). The seat of the commandery was shifted to the present city at the beginning of the 4th CE. Jinan remained an important centre of administration during the next 2 centuries under various names and also a major religious centre. When the Ming dynasty (1368-1644CE) created Shandong province, Jinan became its capital. Nearby Mount Tai, to the South, has long been one of China's greatest holy mountains, and from the 4th to the 7th CE many Buddhist cave temples were built in the hills South of the city capital.
Mount Tai, originally known as Dai-Zong or Dai-Shan is a well known mountain mass with several peaks along a South'West-North'East axis to the North of the city of Tai-An, also in the Shan-Dong province. Since Qin times (221-207 BC) it has also being known as Dong-Yue (Eastern Mountain), one of the 5 holy mountains of China, and has usually ranked as the first among them. The other 4 are: Mount Heng in Hunan province (South), Mount Hua in Shaan'Xi province (West), Mount Heng in Shanxi province (North), and Mount Song in Henan province (central).
Mount Tai was the site of historically important official state rituals. Two of the most spectacular of all ceremonies were: one called Feng, held on top of the Tai (offerings to heaven); and the other, called Chan, held on a lower hill (offerings to earth). The rituals were believed to ensure a dynasty's fortunes. They were carried out at strange intervals -during the Xi (Western) Han dynasty (206BC-25CE) in 110, 106, 102, and 98BC; then by the Dong (East) Han dynasty (25-220CE) in 56CE; and by emperors of the Tang dynasty (618-907CE) in 666 and 725.
Mount Tai was believed to be home to powerful spirits for whom the rituals were performed in spring for a good harvest and in autumn to give thanks for a harvest completed. Since Tai was the chief ceremonial place for Eastern China, rites were also performed to seek protection from natural disasters.
Tai was also considered to be the centre of the Yang (male) principle, the source of life and that the spirits determined all human destiny and after death the souls of people returned to the mountain for judgment.
Confucius (Kong-Fusi, or Kong-Zi), born in Qufu, state of Lu, in 551BC, was China's most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, whose ideas have influenced the civilization of East Asia. His father Kong He was an elderly commandant of the local Lu garrison. His grandfather had migrated the family from Song to Lu. The area was notionally controlled by the kings of Zhou but effectively independent under the local lords of Lu. His father died when he was 3 years old, and he was raised by his mother Yan Zheng-Zai in poverty. Later his mother died and at the age of 19 he married Qi'Guan, and a year later the couple had their first child, Kong Li. Later they had two daughters, one of them is thought to have died as a child. He was educated at schools for commoners, where he studied and learned the Six Arts: Rites, Music, Archery, Chariot-teering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics. Whoever excelled in these 6 arts were thought to have reached a state of perfection, a perfect gentleman.
The emphasis on Six Arts bred Confucian gentlemen who knew more than just canonical scholarship.
The classical interest practical scholarship invigorated Chinese mathematics, astronomy, and science. This tradition receded after the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), when neo-Confucianism underscore the importance of the 4 Books "Analects" over the other arts and technical fields. At the schools for the sons of the state (Guozijian), law, math, caligraphy, equestrianism and archery were emphasized by the Ming Hong'Wu Emperor in addition to Confucian classics and also required in the Imperial level.
By the Qing dynasty, the Chinese specialists were not able to manage the lunar calendar accurately and the calendar was going out of phase with nature. This was a great embarrassment to the Chinese court, as the adherence to the lunar calendar by the vassal states was a recognition of the sovereignty of the Chinese court over them. Western astronomical expertise then was welcomed as an aftermath of Chinese interest in astronomy and mathematics, partially formulated in the classical 6 Arts agenda.
Confucius, in the later part of his life, forsook his previous wanderings and returned to live at his birth place, Qufu, writing, editing, and teaching numerous disciples there until his death in 479BC.
The great Temple of Confucius in the Qufu town was built in 1724CE. Inside the large ceremonial hall of the temple is a large statue of him, surrounded by statues of his disciples. The temple itself stands within a larger oblong walled enclosure that covers about 49 acres (20 hectares), and around it the town expanded. Inside the enclosure is an extensive complex of temples, shrines, monuments, and pavilions.
The enclosure also contains a house that stands on the site of the one Confucius lived in, an ancient tree said to have been planted by him, and a well of water from which he drank.
Outside the temple enclosure is an elaborate complex of buildings that was the residence of Confucius's descendants, the Kong family. Through the centuries the Kong family were the guardians of the temple complex and the administrators of the town of Qufu. The 76th lineal descendant of Confucius lived in the town before World War II. Lying outside the North Gate of the temple enclosure is the Kong's family cemetery which contains the tomb of Confucius.
Qufu (Chu-Fou), conventional Ku-Fow city, is in the Northern coastal province Shan-Dong of China, lying across the Yellow Sea from the Korean peninsula.
Shan-Dong is China's second most populous province. The name Shan-Dong, meaning "East of Mountains," was first officially used during the Jin dynasty in the 12th century. Jinan, its capital city, lies in the Northern foothills of the Mount Tai massif, on the high ground just South of the Yellow River (Huang He). Well-watered from natural springs, the area was settled in early times. From the 8th BC it was the site of Li'Xia, a major city of the state of Qi, which flourished in the Zhou period (1046-256BC). Later, in the 2nd century BC, the town became the seat of Li'Cheng county in the commandering of Jinan. The Chinese name Jinan (South of the Ji) came from the Ji River, which formerly flowed along what is now the lower course of the Yellow River (Huang He). The seat of the commandery was shifted to the present city at the beginning of the 4th CE. Jinan remained an important centre of administration during the next 2 centuries under various names and also a major religious centre. When the Ming dynasty (1368-1644CE) created Shandong province, Jinan became its capital. Nearby Mount Tai, to the South, has long been one of China's greatest holy mountains, and from the 4th to the 7th CE many Buddhist cave temples were built in the hills South of the city capital.
Mount Tai, originally known as Dai-Zong or Dai-Shan is a well known mountain mass with several peaks along a South'West-North'East axis to the North of the city of Tai-An, also in the Shan-Dong province. Since Qin times (221-207 BC) it has also being known as Dong-Yue (Eastern Mountain), one of the 5 holy mountains of China, and has usually ranked as the first among them. The other 4 are: Mount Heng in Hunan province (South), Mount Hua in Shaan'Xi province (West), Mount Heng in Shanxi province (North), and Mount Song in Henan province (central).
Mount Tai was the site of historically important official state rituals. Two of the most spectacular of all ceremonies were: one called Feng, held on top of the Tai (offerings to heaven); and the other, called Chan, held on a lower hill (offerings to earth). The rituals were believed to ensure a dynasty's fortunes. They were carried out at strange intervals -during the Xi (Western) Han dynasty (206BC-25CE) in 110, 106, 102, and 98BC; then by the Dong (East) Han dynasty (25-220CE) in 56CE; and by emperors of the Tang dynasty (618-907CE) in 666 and 725.
Mount Tai was believed to be home to powerful spirits for whom the rituals were performed in spring for a good harvest and in autumn to give thanks for a harvest completed. Since Tai was the chief ceremonial place for Eastern China, rites were also performed to seek protection from natural disasters.
Tai was also considered to be the centre of the Yang (male) principle, the source of life and that the spirits determined all human destiny and after death the souls of people returned to the mountain for judgment.
Confucius (Kong-Fusi, or Kong-Zi), born in Qufu, state of Lu, in 551BC, was China's most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, whose ideas have influenced the civilization of East Asia. His father Kong He was an elderly commandant of the local Lu garrison. His grandfather had migrated the family from Song to Lu. The area was notionally controlled by the kings of Zhou but effectively independent under the local lords of Lu. His father died when he was 3 years old, and he was raised by his mother Yan Zheng-Zai in poverty. Later his mother died and at the age of 19 he married Qi'Guan, and a year later the couple had their first child, Kong Li. Later they had two daughters, one of them is thought to have died as a child. He was educated at schools for commoners, where he studied and learned the Six Arts: Rites, Music, Archery, Chariot-teering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics. Whoever excelled in these 6 arts were thought to have reached a state of perfection, a perfect gentleman.
The emphasis on Six Arts bred Confucian gentlemen who knew more than just canonical scholarship.
The classical interest practical scholarship invigorated Chinese mathematics, astronomy, and science. This tradition receded after the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), when neo-Confucianism underscore the importance of the 4 Books "Analects" over the other arts and technical fields. At the schools for the sons of the state (Guozijian), law, math, caligraphy, equestrianism and archery were emphasized by the Ming Hong'Wu Emperor in addition to Confucian classics and also required in the Imperial level.
By the Qing dynasty, the Chinese specialists were not able to manage the lunar calendar accurately and the calendar was going out of phase with nature. This was a great embarrassment to the Chinese court, as the adherence to the lunar calendar by the vassal states was a recognition of the sovereignty of the Chinese court over them. Western astronomical expertise then was welcomed as an aftermath of Chinese interest in astronomy and mathematics, partially formulated in the classical 6 Arts agenda.
Confucius, in the later part of his life, forsook his previous wanderings and returned to live at his birth place, Qufu, writing, editing, and teaching numerous disciples there until his death in 479BC.
The great Temple of Confucius in the Qufu town was built in 1724CE. Inside the large ceremonial hall of the temple is a large statue of him, surrounded by statues of his disciples. The temple itself stands within a larger oblong walled enclosure that covers about 49 acres (20 hectares), and around it the town expanded. Inside the enclosure is an extensive complex of temples, shrines, monuments, and pavilions.
The enclosure also contains a house that stands on the site of the one Confucius lived in, an ancient tree said to have been planted by him, and a well of water from which he drank.
Outside the temple enclosure is an elaborate complex of buildings that was the residence of Confucius's descendants, the Kong family. Through the centuries the Kong family were the guardians of the temple complex and the administrators of the town of Qufu. The 76th lineal descendant of Confucius lived in the town before World War II. Lying outside the North Gate of the temple enclosure is the Kong's family cemetery which contains the tomb of Confucius.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
THE ANCIENT ARMENIANS.
Historically the name 'Armenian' designate a group of people, and was use by neighboring countries of ancient Armenia. The earliest attestations of the name 'Armenia' date around the 6th BC.
The Behistun Inscription, in Old Persian 'Bagastana,' meaning "the place of God," authored by Darius the Great, is a multilingual inscription and a large rock relief on a cliff at Mount Behistun, in Western Iran. Darius made a referral to "Ur-Ash-Tu"(in Babylonian) as 'Ar-Mina' (in Old Persian) and Harminuta (in Elamite). The inscription was made sometime between his coronation as king of the Persian Empire in the summer of 522 BC and his death in autumn of 486 BC. It begins with a brief description of Darius, including his ancestry and lineage. Late, he provides a lengthy sequence of events stating in detail that the rebellions, which had resulted from the deaths of Cyrus the Great and his son Cambyses II, (Darius fought 19 battles in a period of one year) throughout the empire, were orchestrated by several impostors and their co-conspirators. Each of them falsely proclaimed king-hood during the upheaval. Darius proclaimed the victory attributing his success to the grace of the highest spirit of worship, The Mighty Lord.
In Greek, 'Armenians' is attested from about the same time, perhaps the earliest reference being a fragment attributed to Heca'Taeus of Miletus (476 BC). Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions, describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality in around 401 BC. He relates that the people spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the Persian's language.
Armenians call themselves 'Hay.' The name has traditionally been derived from 'Hayk,' the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-grandson of Noah, who, according to Moses of Chorene, a prominent Armenian historian, defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2,492 BC and established his nation in the Ar'Arat region. Moses also wrote that the Word 'Armenian' originated from the name 'Arm-Enak' or 'Aram (descendant of Hayk).
From 4,000 to 1,000 BC, tools and trinkets of copper, bronze and iron were commonly produced in the ancient regions of the Armenians and traded in neighboring lands where those metals were less found.
The Armenian Plateau has been called the "Epicenter of the Iron Age,"since it is the location of the first appearance of Iron metallurgy in the late 2nd millennium BC. Throughout Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the Armenian Highlands was a heavily contested territory of the Iranian Parthian Empire, Sassanid Persian Empire, Byzantine Empire, and the Arab Caliphate. From the early modern era and on, the region came directly under Safavid Iranian rule. Heavily contested for centuries between Iranian Safavids and its arch-rival the Ottoman Empire with numerous wars over the Highlands comprising Western Armenia. The area was conquered by the Ottomans in the first half of the 17th century, while Eastern Armenia, forming another major part of the Highlands, stayed in Iranian hands up to the course of the 19th century, when it was ceded to Imperial Russia. During the latter final half of the 19th CE, the Ottoman held parts of the Armenian Highlands comprising Western Armenia now formed the boundary of the Ottoman sphere of influence and the Russia sphere of influence. The Armenian extermination was executed by the Ottomans trying to erase most of the evidence that they ever lived on the great highland called Armenian Plateau, to which the perpetrators soon assigned a new name "Eastern Anatolia." The dissolution of the Ottomans after World War I, it has been the boundary region of Turkey, Iran, and Soviet Union. And, from 1991, since the dissolution of Soviet Union, it is a boundary region of Armenia, parts of Georgia, and Azeibajan.
In the Book of Genesis, the mountains of Ar'Arat is the place where Noah's Ark came to rest after the Great Flood (Genesis 8). Scholars refer it to a general region, corresponding to Ancient Assyrian Ur'Artu (Old Persian Ar'Mina) the name of the kingdom which at the time controlled the Lake Van region. The Lake Van is the largest one in Turkey, it lies in the far East in the provinces of Van and Bitlis. It is a saline and extremely alkaline body of water, with a pH value between 9-12, characterized by high concentration of sodium carbonate. It the most productive aquatic environment in the area.
Marco Polo (1254-1324) wrote about Noah's ark in his book, 'The Travels of Marco Polo' as follows : "In the heart of the Armenian mountain range, the mountain's peak is shaped like a cup, on which Noah's arch is said to have rested. The mountain is so broad and long that it takes more than two days to go around it. On the summit the snow lies so deep all the year round that no one can ever climb it; this snow never entirely melts, but new snow is forever falling on the old, so that the level rises.
In Armenian tradition, the specific summit where the Ark rested, is identified as Mount Masis, now known as Mount Ar'Arat, the highest peak of Armenian Highland, located in present-day Turkey.
The Armenian Highlands total area is about 400,000 square kilometers and is the central-most and highest of three land-locked plateaus, that together form the Northern sector of the Middle East.
The Highlands are reach in Water resources and most of it is in Eastern Turkey, and also includes North Western Iran, all of Armenia, Southern Georgia, and Western Azerbaijan. Its North Eastern parts are also known as Lesser Caucasus, which is a center of Armenian culture.
The Armenian Highlands have been the scene of great volcanic activity. Geologically recent volcanism on the area has resulted in large volcanic formations. A series of massifs and tectonic movement has formed the 3 largest Lakes in the Highland, Lake Sevan, Lake Van, and Lake Urmia.
Armenians have had its presence in the Armenian Highland for over 4,000 years since the time when Hayk, the legendary patriarch and founder of the first Armenian nation, led them to victory over Bel of Babylon. Today, with a population of 3.5 million, they not only constitute an overwhelming majority in Armenia, but also in the disputed region of Ar'Tsakh, under control of ethnic Armenians separatists.
The Behistun Inscription, in Old Persian 'Bagastana,' meaning "the place of God," authored by Darius the Great, is a multilingual inscription and a large rock relief on a cliff at Mount Behistun, in Western Iran. Darius made a referral to "Ur-Ash-Tu"(in Babylonian) as 'Ar-Mina' (in Old Persian) and Harminuta (in Elamite). The inscription was made sometime between his coronation as king of the Persian Empire in the summer of 522 BC and his death in autumn of 486 BC. It begins with a brief description of Darius, including his ancestry and lineage. Late, he provides a lengthy sequence of events stating in detail that the rebellions, which had resulted from the deaths of Cyrus the Great and his son Cambyses II, (Darius fought 19 battles in a period of one year) throughout the empire, were orchestrated by several impostors and their co-conspirators. Each of them falsely proclaimed king-hood during the upheaval. Darius proclaimed the victory attributing his success to the grace of the highest spirit of worship, The Mighty Lord.
In Greek, 'Armenians' is attested from about the same time, perhaps the earliest reference being a fragment attributed to Heca'Taeus of Miletus (476 BC). Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions, describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality in around 401 BC. He relates that the people spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the Persian's language.
Armenians call themselves 'Hay.' The name has traditionally been derived from 'Hayk,' the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-grandson of Noah, who, according to Moses of Chorene, a prominent Armenian historian, defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2,492 BC and established his nation in the Ar'Arat region. Moses also wrote that the Word 'Armenian' originated from the name 'Arm-Enak' or 'Aram (descendant of Hayk).
From 4,000 to 1,000 BC, tools and trinkets of copper, bronze and iron were commonly produced in the ancient regions of the Armenians and traded in neighboring lands where those metals were less found.
The Armenian Plateau has been called the "Epicenter of the Iron Age,"since it is the location of the first appearance of Iron metallurgy in the late 2nd millennium BC. Throughout Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the Armenian Highlands was a heavily contested territory of the Iranian Parthian Empire, Sassanid Persian Empire, Byzantine Empire, and the Arab Caliphate. From the early modern era and on, the region came directly under Safavid Iranian rule. Heavily contested for centuries between Iranian Safavids and its arch-rival the Ottoman Empire with numerous wars over the Highlands comprising Western Armenia. The area was conquered by the Ottomans in the first half of the 17th century, while Eastern Armenia, forming another major part of the Highlands, stayed in Iranian hands up to the course of the 19th century, when it was ceded to Imperial Russia. During the latter final half of the 19th CE, the Ottoman held parts of the Armenian Highlands comprising Western Armenia now formed the boundary of the Ottoman sphere of influence and the Russia sphere of influence. The Armenian extermination was executed by the Ottomans trying to erase most of the evidence that they ever lived on the great highland called Armenian Plateau, to which the perpetrators soon assigned a new name "Eastern Anatolia." The dissolution of the Ottomans after World War I, it has been the boundary region of Turkey, Iran, and Soviet Union. And, from 1991, since the dissolution of Soviet Union, it is a boundary region of Armenia, parts of Georgia, and Azeibajan.
In the Book of Genesis, the mountains of Ar'Arat is the place where Noah's Ark came to rest after the Great Flood (Genesis 8). Scholars refer it to a general region, corresponding to Ancient Assyrian Ur'Artu (Old Persian Ar'Mina) the name of the kingdom which at the time controlled the Lake Van region. The Lake Van is the largest one in Turkey, it lies in the far East in the provinces of Van and Bitlis. It is a saline and extremely alkaline body of water, with a pH value between 9-12, characterized by high concentration of sodium carbonate. It the most productive aquatic environment in the area.
Marco Polo (1254-1324) wrote about Noah's ark in his book, 'The Travels of Marco Polo' as follows : "In the heart of the Armenian mountain range, the mountain's peak is shaped like a cup, on which Noah's arch is said to have rested. The mountain is so broad and long that it takes more than two days to go around it. On the summit the snow lies so deep all the year round that no one can ever climb it; this snow never entirely melts, but new snow is forever falling on the old, so that the level rises.
In Armenian tradition, the specific summit where the Ark rested, is identified as Mount Masis, now known as Mount Ar'Arat, the highest peak of Armenian Highland, located in present-day Turkey.
The Armenian Highlands total area is about 400,000 square kilometers and is the central-most and highest of three land-locked plateaus, that together form the Northern sector of the Middle East.
The Highlands are reach in Water resources and most of it is in Eastern Turkey, and also includes North Western Iran, all of Armenia, Southern Georgia, and Western Azerbaijan. Its North Eastern parts are also known as Lesser Caucasus, which is a center of Armenian culture.
The Armenian Highlands have been the scene of great volcanic activity. Geologically recent volcanism on the area has resulted in large volcanic formations. A series of massifs and tectonic movement has formed the 3 largest Lakes in the Highland, Lake Sevan, Lake Van, and Lake Urmia.
Armenians have had its presence in the Armenian Highland for over 4,000 years since the time when Hayk, the legendary patriarch and founder of the first Armenian nation, led them to victory over Bel of Babylon. Today, with a population of 3.5 million, they not only constitute an overwhelming majority in Armenia, but also in the disputed region of Ar'Tsakh, under control of ethnic Armenians separatists.
SALT AND THE DEAD SEA.
Salt is a necessity of life, as a mineral it was used extensively since ancient times as seasoning, preservative, disinfectant, ceremonial offerings, unit of exchange, etc.
The Scripture contains numerous references to salt. In various contexts, it is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification. All of them thought to be eternal characteristics of the spiritual heart.
The Hebrew people harvested salt by pouring salt water into pits and letting the water evaporate until only salt was left. In 2 Chronicles 13, King Abijah referred to God's Covenant Promise to David that He will not lack a man to seat on Israel's throne as a Salt Covenant -that is a Covenant that can never be broken. Salt, in this case, is a sacred blessing because of the fact that it is a necessity of life.
The fate of Lot's wife, being turned into a pillar of salt, is reflected as a punishment for disobeying the angels' warning, after she looked back at Sodom (Genesis 19). She was deemed unworthy to be saved. A pillar of salt named "Lot's wife" is located near the Dead Sea at Mount Sodom in Israel.
The main source of salt in Scriptural times was the area of the Dead Sea.
The Jordan Rift Valley also called the Syro-African Depression, is geographically, an elongated depression located in modern-day Israel, Jordan, and Palestine.
The region includes the entire length of the Jordan River -from its sources, through the Hula Valley, the Korazim block, the Sea of Galilee, the Lower Jordan Valley, all the way to the Dead Sea- and then continues through the Arabian depression, the Gulf of Aqaba whose shore-lines it incorporates, until finally reaching the Red Sea proper at the Straits of Tiran, the narrow sea passages between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas.
The Rift was formed many millions of years ago when the Arabian Plate moved Northward and then Eastward away from Africa. Later, the land between the Mediterranean and the Rift rose so that the sea water stopped flooding the area. Thus, the long lagoon became a landlocked Lake.
The Dead Sea now is receding at an alarming rate because of diversion of incoming water from the Jordan River to the North. Multiples canals and pipelines proposed to reduce its recession, instead of helping, it had begun causing mayor problems. The drop rate now is 1 meter / 3 feet per year. As the water level decreases, the characteristics of the Sea and surrounding region will substantially change.
The Dead Sea, a salt Lake bordered by the Jordan to the East and Israel and Palestine to the West, lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River. The face of the ridge is constantly changing as weather interacts with the rock salt,
The Lake surface and shores are 430.5 meters / 1,412 feet below sea level. Being the Earth's lowest elevation on land, the Lake is 304 meters / 997 feet deep, the deepest hyper-saline Lake in the World. And with a salinity of 342g/kg, or 34.2% (2011), it is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean and one of the World's saltiest bodies of Water. Being 50 kilometers / 31 miles long and 15 kilometers / 9 miles wide at its widest point, the Lake's salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish. The density of the water is 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating.
In Ezekiel 47, is another Scriptural example that highlights that life in the Spirit is being replaced in our bodies made of salty water in the same way Fresh Water enters into the Salty Water of the Dead Sea and gradually replaces it into Fresh Water that brings life :
The Scripture says, "The man led me back to 'the entrance of the Temple.' Water was coming out from 'under the entrance' and flowing East, the direction the Temple faced. Water was flowing down from 'under the South part' of the Temple 'past the South side of the altar.'" (Ezekiel 47: 1)
"The man then took me 'out of the Temple area' by way of the 'North Gate' and led me around 'to the Gate that faces East.' A small Stream of Water was flowing out at the 'South side of the Gate.' With his measuring rod the man measured 560 yards downstream to the East and told me to wade through the stream there. The water came only to my ankles. Then he measured another 560 yards, and the water came up to my knees. Another 560 yards farther down, the water was up to my waist. He measured 560 yards more, and there the Stream was so deep I could not wade through it. It was too deep to cross except by swimming. He said to me, "Mortal man, note all this carefully." (Ezekiel 47: 2-6)
Then the man took me back to the Riverbank, and when I got there, I saw that 'there were very many trees' on each bank. He said to me, "This Water flows through the Land 'to the East' and 'down into the Jordan Valley' and 'to the Dead Sea.' When the Water flows into the Dead Sea, it replaces the Salt Water of that sea with Fresh Water. Wherever the Stream flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish. The Stream will make the Water of the Dead Sea fresh, and wherever it flows, it will bring Life.
From the Springs of Engedi all the way to the Springs of Eneglaim, there will be fishermen on the shore of the Sea, and they will spread out their nets there to dry. There will be as many different kinds of fish there as there are in the Mediterranean Sea. But the Water in the marshes and ponds along the shore will not be made fresh. They will remain there as a Source of Salt. (Ezekiel 47: 7-11)
On each bank of the Stream all kinds of trees will grow to provide food. Their leaves will never wither, and they will never stop bearing fruit. They will have fresh fruit every month, because they are watered by the Stream that flows 'from the Temple.' The trees will provide food and their leaves will be used for healing people. (Ezekiel 47: 12)
The Scripture contains numerous references to salt. In various contexts, it is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification. All of them thought to be eternal characteristics of the spiritual heart.
The Hebrew people harvested salt by pouring salt water into pits and letting the water evaporate until only salt was left. In 2 Chronicles 13, King Abijah referred to God's Covenant Promise to David that He will not lack a man to seat on Israel's throne as a Salt Covenant -that is a Covenant that can never be broken. Salt, in this case, is a sacred blessing because of the fact that it is a necessity of life.
The fate of Lot's wife, being turned into a pillar of salt, is reflected as a punishment for disobeying the angels' warning, after she looked back at Sodom (Genesis 19). She was deemed unworthy to be saved. A pillar of salt named "Lot's wife" is located near the Dead Sea at Mount Sodom in Israel.
The main source of salt in Scriptural times was the area of the Dead Sea.
The Jordan Rift Valley also called the Syro-African Depression, is geographically, an elongated depression located in modern-day Israel, Jordan, and Palestine.
The region includes the entire length of the Jordan River -from its sources, through the Hula Valley, the Korazim block, the Sea of Galilee, the Lower Jordan Valley, all the way to the Dead Sea- and then continues through the Arabian depression, the Gulf of Aqaba whose shore-lines it incorporates, until finally reaching the Red Sea proper at the Straits of Tiran, the narrow sea passages between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas.
The Rift was formed many millions of years ago when the Arabian Plate moved Northward and then Eastward away from Africa. Later, the land between the Mediterranean and the Rift rose so that the sea water stopped flooding the area. Thus, the long lagoon became a landlocked Lake.
The Dead Sea now is receding at an alarming rate because of diversion of incoming water from the Jordan River to the North. Multiples canals and pipelines proposed to reduce its recession, instead of helping, it had begun causing mayor problems. The drop rate now is 1 meter / 3 feet per year. As the water level decreases, the characteristics of the Sea and surrounding region will substantially change.
The Dead Sea, a salt Lake bordered by the Jordan to the East and Israel and Palestine to the West, lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River. The face of the ridge is constantly changing as weather interacts with the rock salt,
The Lake surface and shores are 430.5 meters / 1,412 feet below sea level. Being the Earth's lowest elevation on land, the Lake is 304 meters / 997 feet deep, the deepest hyper-saline Lake in the World. And with a salinity of 342g/kg, or 34.2% (2011), it is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean and one of the World's saltiest bodies of Water. Being 50 kilometers / 31 miles long and 15 kilometers / 9 miles wide at its widest point, the Lake's salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish. The density of the water is 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating.
In Ezekiel 47, is another Scriptural example that highlights that life in the Spirit is being replaced in our bodies made of salty water in the same way Fresh Water enters into the Salty Water of the Dead Sea and gradually replaces it into Fresh Water that brings life :
The Scripture says, "The man led me back to 'the entrance of the Temple.' Water was coming out from 'under the entrance' and flowing East, the direction the Temple faced. Water was flowing down from 'under the South part' of the Temple 'past the South side of the altar.'" (Ezekiel 47: 1)
"The man then took me 'out of the Temple area' by way of the 'North Gate' and led me around 'to the Gate that faces East.' A small Stream of Water was flowing out at the 'South side of the Gate.' With his measuring rod the man measured 560 yards downstream to the East and told me to wade through the stream there. The water came only to my ankles. Then he measured another 560 yards, and the water came up to my knees. Another 560 yards farther down, the water was up to my waist. He measured 560 yards more, and there the Stream was so deep I could not wade through it. It was too deep to cross except by swimming. He said to me, "Mortal man, note all this carefully." (Ezekiel 47: 2-6)
Then the man took me back to the Riverbank, and when I got there, I saw that 'there were very many trees' on each bank. He said to me, "This Water flows through the Land 'to the East' and 'down into the Jordan Valley' and 'to the Dead Sea.' When the Water flows into the Dead Sea, it replaces the Salt Water of that sea with Fresh Water. Wherever the Stream flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish. The Stream will make the Water of the Dead Sea fresh, and wherever it flows, it will bring Life.
From the Springs of Engedi all the way to the Springs of Eneglaim, there will be fishermen on the shore of the Sea, and they will spread out their nets there to dry. There will be as many different kinds of fish there as there are in the Mediterranean Sea. But the Water in the marshes and ponds along the shore will not be made fresh. They will remain there as a Source of Salt. (Ezekiel 47: 7-11)
On each bank of the Stream all kinds of trees will grow to provide food. Their leaves will never wither, and they will never stop bearing fruit. They will have fresh fruit every month, because they are watered by the Stream that flows 'from the Temple.' The trees will provide food and their leaves will be used for healing people. (Ezekiel 47: 12)
Friday, January 5, 2018
THE TALE OF KOSCHEI THE DEATHLESS.
The characters of Russian fairy tales inhabit in a particular Magical Kingdom where they never get bored. They are eternally engaged in all kind of trials and tribulations. The strange world of the living dead is separated from the world of the truly dead by a River of Fire. Sometimes the two worlds are separated by other boundaries, but the importance is that there is a boundary, a line over which all must pass to enter that world of the truly dead. The hero crosses to that other side over the fiery River but somehow returns to his world by the action of magical powers.
The character Koschei is an evil immortal man who menaces young women with his magic.
Ivan, one of the most common Russian names, is the main hero of Russian fairy tales. The most famous folktale featuring Ivan as the protagonist is "Prince Ivan, the Firebird and the Grey Wolf."
He is always portrayed as either the 3rd son of a peasant family or the 3rd son of a king, and his friends and foes are often mythic figures.
In the Tale, Ivan has 3 sisters, the first sister is Princess Marya, the second is Princess Olga, the third is Princess Anna. After his parents died and the sisters got married to three wizards, he decided to leave his home in search for his sisters.
On the way, Ivan meets Marya Morevna, a beautiful warrior princess, and gets married to her, and both went to live in a castle. After a while the warrior princess announces she is going to go to war and tells his husband, Ivan, not to open the door of the dungeon in the castle they live in while she will be away.
Ivan, overcome by the desire to know what the dungeon holds, he opens the door soon after her departure and finds the evil immortal man, Koschei, chained and enmaciated.
The evil man, Koschei, asks Ivan to bring him some water; Ivan does so. After Koschei drinks twelve buckets of water, his magic powers return to him, then he tears his chains and disappears.
Soon after, Ivan finds out that the evil man took his wife, Marya Morevna away, he chases Koschei. When he faces him for the first time, Koschei tells Ivan to let him go, but Ivan doesn't give in, and the evil man kills Ivan, cuts his body in pieces, puts his remains into a barrel and throws it into the sea.
Ivan, then, is revived by his sisters' husbands, powerful wizards, who can transform themselves into birds of prey. The wizards tell him that Koschei has a magic horse and suggest Ivan to get one too by going to Baba Yaga, otherwise he won't be able to defeat Koschei.
Baba Yaga is a supernatural being who appears as a deformed witch. She flies around in a mortar, wields a pestle, and dwells deep in the forest in a hut usually described as standing on chicken legs. This Baba Yaga is a benevolent one, the gift giver and adviser. She shows Ivan the path and from now on he knows where to go. She first has to tests Ivan's nerve and courage, and if he proves to be worthy, she will hand to him the magical horse.
After Ivan stands all of Yaga's tests and gets the horse, he fights with the evil Koschei, kills him and burns his body. Marya Morevna, his wife returns to Ivan, and they celebrate his victory with his sisters and their husbands.
The character Koschei is an evil immortal man who menaces young women with his magic.
Ivan, one of the most common Russian names, is the main hero of Russian fairy tales. The most famous folktale featuring Ivan as the protagonist is "Prince Ivan, the Firebird and the Grey Wolf."
He is always portrayed as either the 3rd son of a peasant family or the 3rd son of a king, and his friends and foes are often mythic figures.
In the Tale, Ivan has 3 sisters, the first sister is Princess Marya, the second is Princess Olga, the third is Princess Anna. After his parents died and the sisters got married to three wizards, he decided to leave his home in search for his sisters.
On the way, Ivan meets Marya Morevna, a beautiful warrior princess, and gets married to her, and both went to live in a castle. After a while the warrior princess announces she is going to go to war and tells his husband, Ivan, not to open the door of the dungeon in the castle they live in while she will be away.
Ivan, overcome by the desire to know what the dungeon holds, he opens the door soon after her departure and finds the evil immortal man, Koschei, chained and enmaciated.
The evil man, Koschei, asks Ivan to bring him some water; Ivan does so. After Koschei drinks twelve buckets of water, his magic powers return to him, then he tears his chains and disappears.
Soon after, Ivan finds out that the evil man took his wife, Marya Morevna away, he chases Koschei. When he faces him for the first time, Koschei tells Ivan to let him go, but Ivan doesn't give in, and the evil man kills Ivan, cuts his body in pieces, puts his remains into a barrel and throws it into the sea.
Ivan, then, is revived by his sisters' husbands, powerful wizards, who can transform themselves into birds of prey. The wizards tell him that Koschei has a magic horse and suggest Ivan to get one too by going to Baba Yaga, otherwise he won't be able to defeat Koschei.
Baba Yaga is a supernatural being who appears as a deformed witch. She flies around in a mortar, wields a pestle, and dwells deep in the forest in a hut usually described as standing on chicken legs. This Baba Yaga is a benevolent one, the gift giver and adviser. She shows Ivan the path and from now on he knows where to go. She first has to tests Ivan's nerve and courage, and if he proves to be worthy, she will hand to him the magical horse.
After Ivan stands all of Yaga's tests and gets the horse, he fights with the evil Koschei, kills him and burns his body. Marya Morevna, his wife returns to Ivan, and they celebrate his victory with his sisters and their husbands.
THE RUSSIAN FAIRY TALES.
Russian folklore takes its roots in the beliefs of the ancient Slavs. They were called 'Sporoi' in olden times. Procopius, an Eastern Roman writer, derived the name from the Greek word 'Ottelpw' meaning "I scatter grain," because they populated the land with scattered settlements. Prior to becoming known to the Roman world, they were part of the many multi-ethnic confederacies of Eurasia, a combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia.
The word 'Slovenim' is usually considered a derivation from 'Slovo,' originally denoting "people who speaks the same language," (people who understand each other), in contrast to the Slavic word 'nemb' denoting German people that means "silent, mute people."
The present day Slavs are a group of people who speaks various Slavic languages of the Balto-Slavic language group. They are classified in East Slavs (Russia, Ukrainians, Bela-Russians), West Slavs (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks), and South Slavs (Serbs, Bulgarians, Croats, Bosnians, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins).
The Russian Fairy Tales is a collection of writings, collected by Alexander Afanasyev and published by him between 1855 and 1863. Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (July11,1826-October23,1871), a Russian Slavist published nearly 600 folktales and fairytales -one of the largest folk-tale collection in the world. He studied law at the University of Moscow, in which he attended the lectures of Konstantin Kavelin (historian, jurist, sociologist, liberalist) and Timofey Granovsky (he felt that Western history was superior to that of his own and became the 1st to deliver courses on medieval history of Western Europe). Alexander was appointed as librarian in the Archives of Moscow and stayed there for 13 years, and was dismissed in that year because of the scandal provoked by his publishing of the 'Russian
Popular Religious Legends,' which were a ferocious satire of the Orthodox clergy. He was very immersed in Old Russian and Slav traditions and stories, an area of study that did not exist at the time. His first mythological articles were: The Wizards and Witches, Sorcery in Ancient Russia, Legends about the Buyand Island, and were treated as a mine information for the study of more ancient legends.
In such an interpretation, he regarded the fairy tale 'Vasilisa the Beautiful' as depicting the conflict between the sunlight (Vasilisa), the storm (her stepmother), and dark clouds (her stepsisters). His works provides copious information, evidence, documents, and passages of the old chronicles that relates to ancient Slavic cultures, history and tradition, as well as other Indo-European languages, folklore and legends, in particular Germanic traditions since he knew to perfection German as well as Slav ancient languages.
Prior to Afanasyev's works in the 1850s, only a few attempts had ever been made to record or study the beliefs of peasant Russia. Though written Church Slavonic had existed since the 10th century, it was used solely by the church for written works. It was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that a sizable body of secular literature developed. Thus, Afanasyev's collections made a very high valuable contribution to the dissemination of Russian culture and folk belief. The influence of these tales can be seen in the works of many writers and composers, notably Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Sadko, The Snow Maiden) and Igor Stravinsky (The Firebird, Petrushka, and L'Histoire du soldat).
Some of the tales written by Afanasyev are:
The Death of Koschei the Immortal,
Vasilissa the Beautiful,
Vasilisa The Priest Daughter,
Father Frost,
Sister Alenushka, Brother Ivanushka,
The Frog Princess,
Vasilii the Unlucky,
The White Duck,
The Princess Who Never Smiled,
The Wicked Sisters,
The 12 Dancing Princesses,
The Magic Swan Geese,
The Feather of Finist the Falcon,
Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird, and the Gray Wolf,
The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise,
The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life,
Go I Know Not Whither and Fetch I Know Not What.
The Golden Slipper,
The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa,
The Wise Little Girl,
The Armless Maiden,
The Giant Turnip.
The word 'Slovenim' is usually considered a derivation from 'Slovo,' originally denoting "people who speaks the same language," (people who understand each other), in contrast to the Slavic word 'nemb' denoting German people that means "silent, mute people."
The present day Slavs are a group of people who speaks various Slavic languages of the Balto-Slavic language group. They are classified in East Slavs (Russia, Ukrainians, Bela-Russians), West Slavs (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks), and South Slavs (Serbs, Bulgarians, Croats, Bosnians, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins).
The Russian Fairy Tales is a collection of writings, collected by Alexander Afanasyev and published by him between 1855 and 1863. Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (July11,1826-October23,1871), a Russian Slavist published nearly 600 folktales and fairytales -one of the largest folk-tale collection in the world. He studied law at the University of Moscow, in which he attended the lectures of Konstantin Kavelin (historian, jurist, sociologist, liberalist) and Timofey Granovsky (he felt that Western history was superior to that of his own and became the 1st to deliver courses on medieval history of Western Europe). Alexander was appointed as librarian in the Archives of Moscow and stayed there for 13 years, and was dismissed in that year because of the scandal provoked by his publishing of the 'Russian
Popular Religious Legends,' which were a ferocious satire of the Orthodox clergy. He was very immersed in Old Russian and Slav traditions and stories, an area of study that did not exist at the time. His first mythological articles were: The Wizards and Witches, Sorcery in Ancient Russia, Legends about the Buyand Island, and were treated as a mine information for the study of more ancient legends.
In such an interpretation, he regarded the fairy tale 'Vasilisa the Beautiful' as depicting the conflict between the sunlight (Vasilisa), the storm (her stepmother), and dark clouds (her stepsisters). His works provides copious information, evidence, documents, and passages of the old chronicles that relates to ancient Slavic cultures, history and tradition, as well as other Indo-European languages, folklore and legends, in particular Germanic traditions since he knew to perfection German as well as Slav ancient languages.
Prior to Afanasyev's works in the 1850s, only a few attempts had ever been made to record or study the beliefs of peasant Russia. Though written Church Slavonic had existed since the 10th century, it was used solely by the church for written works. It was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that a sizable body of secular literature developed. Thus, Afanasyev's collections made a very high valuable contribution to the dissemination of Russian culture and folk belief. The influence of these tales can be seen in the works of many writers and composers, notably Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Sadko, The Snow Maiden) and Igor Stravinsky (The Firebird, Petrushka, and L'Histoire du soldat).
Some of the tales written by Afanasyev are:
The Death of Koschei the Immortal,
Vasilissa the Beautiful,
Vasilisa The Priest Daughter,
Father Frost,
Sister Alenushka, Brother Ivanushka,
The Frog Princess,
Vasilii the Unlucky,
The White Duck,
The Princess Who Never Smiled,
The Wicked Sisters,
The 12 Dancing Princesses,
The Magic Swan Geese,
The Feather of Finist the Falcon,
Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird, and the Gray Wolf,
The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise,
The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life,
Go I Know Not Whither and Fetch I Know Not What.
The Golden Slipper,
The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa,
The Wise Little Girl,
The Armless Maiden,
The Giant Turnip.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
THE 8 IMMORTALS IN CHINESE MYTHOLOGY.
The 8 immortals are a group of legendary gentlemen which became immortals by means of practicing the Taoist art (living in harmony with nature). The path to immortality includes achieving physical and spiritual harmony through meditation, diet, exercise, breath, control, and the use of herbs.
According to the myth, they lived on a group of 5 islands in the Bohai Sea, which included Penglai Mountain-Island in Eastern China, which only they could traverse due to the "weak water" which would not support ships.
The Bohai Sea, also known as Bohai Gulf, is the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay on the coast of North-Eastern and North China. It is approximately 78,000 sq km/30,116 sq mi. in area and its proximity to Beijing, the capital of China, makes it one of the busiest sea-ways in the World. Until the early 20th century, the area was often called Gulf of Pech-Zhili. Zhili, due to the historic provinces Zhili and Bei-Zhili, in the area surrounding Beijing. There are few important oil reserves in the vicinity of the gulf.
-The 8 immortals are examples of how all can obtain immortality. They were admitted to eternal life as a reward for their acts on earth and bearing gifts to the Old Man of the South Pole, the god of longevity.
The Old Man is the Taoist deification of Canopus, the brightest star of the constellation Carina. The star is essentially bright when seen with the naked eye.
Most of the immortals were common folks who attracted the attention of the gods through suffering unjust treatment without complaint, and gave more to others than themselves. The names of the 8 immortals are: He Xian'gu, Cao Guojiu, Li Tieguai, Lan Caihe, Lu Dongbin, Han Xian'zi, Zhang Guolao, Zhong'li Quan. We are giving a description of some of them.
He Xian'gu, for example, is the only female among the Eight, At birth, she had 6 long hairs on the crown of her head. When she was about 14 or 15, a divine personage appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to eat powdered mica (crystals found scarcely in Europe but in large quantities in Africa and South America) so that her body might become more ethereal than physical mater and immune to death. She did as instructed, vowed to remain a virgin, and gradually decreased her food intake. One day during the Jing-Long era (707-710 CE) in the reign of Emperor Zhong'Zong of the Tang dynasty, she ascended to the sky in broad daylight and became an immortal. She is depicted holding a lotus flower, and sometimes with the musical instrument known as "sheng," or a "feng'huang," to accompany her.
-Cao Guojiu is another example, and is believed to be a descendant of Cao Bin, a general of the early Song dynasty, and a younger brother of Empress Cao, the wife of Emperor Ren'Zong. As none of the emperor's sons survived their father, he designated a younger male relative, who later became Emperor Ying'Zong as his successor. As such, Cao could not have been a maternal uncle of the emperor, so his "Imperial Uncle" status seemed ambiguous. However, as the Chinese character "Jiu,"which means "maternal uncle,"can also means "wife's brother,"the latter meaning applied to Cao. He was the "Imperial Brother-in-Law" of Emperor Ren'Zong rather than an "Imperial (maternal) Uncle" of any Song dynasty emperor. Cao's younger brother, Cao Jing'Zhi, abused his relationship with the imperial family by bulling others and engaging in corrupt practices. Cao tried to persuade his brother to change his ways but he did not listen. In the meantime, Cao also used his family fortune to help the poor and tried to make up for his brother's misdeeds. One day, Cao Jing'Zhi was accused by other officials in the imperial court of corruption and abuse of power. Cao felt so ashamed and disappointed by his brother's misconduct that he gave up his official career and went to the countryside to lead a reclusive life. During this time, he met the immortals Zhong'li Quan and Lu Dong'bin, who taught him Taoist magical arts. After many years of practice and cultivation, Cao himself also became an immortal. He is often depicted dressed in official robes and holding a jade tablet or castanets. He is also regarded as the patron deity of acting and theatre.
-Li Tieguai is sometimes described as irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick, and the needy, whose suffering he alleviates with special medicine from his gourd. Among the 8, Li Tieguai was one of the most popular, and was depicted as a man leaning on a crutch and holding a gourd. The gourd had spirals of smoke ascend from it, denoting his power of setting his spirit free from his body. He was a very handsome man. On one occasion, his spirit travelled to the sky to meet other immortals. He had told his apprentice, Li Qing, to wait for 7 days for his spirit to return. If he did not return by then, Li Qing was to burn the body because that meant that he had become an immortal; but after 6 1/2 days Li Qing had to go to his mother's home to see her one last time before she died. Li Qing thus cremated Li Tieguai's body. On his way to his mother he passed by a dying beggar and did not have time to bury him. Upon returning, Li Tieguai's spirit found that his body had been cremated and had to enter the only body available at the time, the corpse of a homeless beggar who had just died of starvation. The beggar, unfortunately, had a long and pointed head, large ears with one large brass earring, a woolly and disheveled beard and hair. Laozi appeared and gave him a medicine gourd that never emptied. Li then brought his apprentice's mother back to life using the liquid from his gourd. Li Qing was then dismissed as his apprentice, after being given a small pill and being told he would work hard enough to become an immortal himself. This turned out to be true. Laozi also used the bottle to make him an iron crutch that would never rust nor break. he then told Li that he was ready to join the immortals. From then on, Li was tasked with curing the sick and he travelled to many lands and could be found wherever the sick lay dying or the poor were persecuted.
Li's characteristic emblems are the gourd bottle and also his iron crutch. A vapor cloud emanates from the gourd, and within it is the sage's soul (Hun); which may be depicted as a formless shape or as a miniature double of his bodily self.
-Lan Caihe's character, is another example. The person's age and sex is not clearly defined. It is usually depicted as a boy or girl dressed in ambiguous clothing and carrying a bamboo flower basket and/or a pair of castanets. Lan Caihe is said to have been in a drunken stupor when they left the human world by riding on a celestial swan or crane. One legend says that they became an immortal with the help of Sun Wu'Kong (a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices), who transferred 500 years of magical powers to them.
-Lu Dong'Bin, real name is Lu Yan, with Yan being the given name. Dong'bin is his courtesy name. When he was born, a fragance allegedly flled the room. He had been very intelligent since childhood and had many academic achievements. He is the most widely known and considered to be one of the earliest masters of the traditional internal alchemy (neidan). The legend says that one night when he was in the ancient capital of Chang'An, he dozed off as his yellow millet was cooking in a hotel. He dreamed that he took the top-level civil service exam and excelled, and thus was awarded a prestigious office and soon promoted to the position of vice minister. He then married thae daughter of a prosperous household and had a son and a daughter. He was promoted again and again, and finally became the prime minister. However, his success and luck attracted jealousy of others, so he was accused of crimes that caused him to lose his office. His wife then betrayed him, his children were killed by bandits, and he lost all his wealth. As he was dying on the street in the dream, he woke up. Although in the dream, 18 years has passed, the whole dream actually happened in the time it took his millet to cook. The characters from his dream were actually played by Zhong'Li Quan in order to make him realize that one should not put too much importance on transient glory and success. As a result, Lu went went with Zhong'Li to discover and cultivate the Tao. The exact age of Lu Yan when this incident occurred varies in the tellings, form 20-40 years of age.
Lu was tested 10 times before Zhong'Li took him as a disciple: 1) One day Lu came back from work and found out that his loved one was dying; without sadness or remorse, he started to prepare the dress and coffin necessary for burial, but later his loved one revived and lived on. Lu was still without sadness or joyous feeling. 2) Lu was selling goods at a marked and there came a buyer to bargain with him. After agreeing on the price, Lu handed him the stuff but the buyer refused to pay in full and then walked away. Lu would not argue and let him walk away. 3) On the 1st day of the lunar calendar, Lu met with a beggar. After giving him some money, the beggar kept asking for more and threw vulgar words at him. Lu left the scene with a smile. 4) Lu was once a shepherd. During his tenure a hungry tiger was eyeing the goats under his care. Lu protected the goats by sending them down to the hillside and stood in front of the tiger. The hungry tiger was awed to see this and left without hurting Lu.
5) Lu was studying at a small hut on a mountain when a beautiful woman came by and asked if she could stay there for the night since she was lost. That night, this beautiful lady was flirting and tried to get Lu to have sex with her, but Lu was untouched by such temptation. 6) One day Lu came back to his house and saw that he had been burglarized and lost all his belongings. Without becoming angry he started to work on his farm. As he dug into the ground he found countless pieces of gold. He uncovered the earth without taking a single piece of the gold. 7) Lu bought some bronze utensils at a market. Upon returning home he realized that all the utensils were made of gold and he immediately returned them to the seller. 8) A crazy Taoist was selling medicine on the street, telling people that his magic potion would have one of two outcomes: either the drinker would die on the spot, or the drinker would become immortal. No one would dare to try, except Lu, who bought and tried the potion. Nothing happened to him. 9) A river was elevated due to heavy rain. Lu and other passengers were on a boat crossing the river. Before reaching the middle of the journey, the weather deteriorated, and most of the passengers except Lu became worried. Lu took it in his stride and never worried about life and death!
10) Lu was alone at home and suddenly weird things happened. Ghosts and monsters were killing each other and wanted to do the same to Lu. Showing no sense of fear, Lu kept on doing his chores without paying attention to them. Another group of devils with blood all over them tried to take Lu's life away by saying to Lu that he owed his previous life to them since in past life Lu took his life. Without any fear Lu said "go ahead and take my life since I took yours in past life, this is fair and square!"All of a sudden the sky turned blue and those ghosts and devils disappeared. Zhong'Li Quan (his teacher and mentor) was looking and laughing at him while these events were happening.
The 10 tests proved that Lu was a pure and dignified person and his master was very satisfied and happy to take Lu to Nan'San'Her'Ling to pass his secret to life and subsequent formed a Zhong-Lu Golden Dan school of Taoism. But Lu was not too fond of the secret and instead changed his formula for inner peace and benefits more human beings. This is his major contribution.
Lu is depicted in art as being dressed as a scholar, clever man with a genuine desire to help people obtain wisdom and to learn the Tao. and he often bears a sword on his back that dispel evil spirits.
According to the myth, they lived on a group of 5 islands in the Bohai Sea, which included Penglai Mountain-Island in Eastern China, which only they could traverse due to the "weak water" which would not support ships.
The Bohai Sea, also known as Bohai Gulf, is the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay on the coast of North-Eastern and North China. It is approximately 78,000 sq km/30,116 sq mi. in area and its proximity to Beijing, the capital of China, makes it one of the busiest sea-ways in the World. Until the early 20th century, the area was often called Gulf of Pech-Zhili. Zhili, due to the historic provinces Zhili and Bei-Zhili, in the area surrounding Beijing. There are few important oil reserves in the vicinity of the gulf.
-The 8 immortals are examples of how all can obtain immortality. They were admitted to eternal life as a reward for their acts on earth and bearing gifts to the Old Man of the South Pole, the god of longevity.
The Old Man is the Taoist deification of Canopus, the brightest star of the constellation Carina. The star is essentially bright when seen with the naked eye.
Most of the immortals were common folks who attracted the attention of the gods through suffering unjust treatment without complaint, and gave more to others than themselves. The names of the 8 immortals are: He Xian'gu, Cao Guojiu, Li Tieguai, Lan Caihe, Lu Dongbin, Han Xian'zi, Zhang Guolao, Zhong'li Quan. We are giving a description of some of them.
He Xian'gu, for example, is the only female among the Eight, At birth, she had 6 long hairs on the crown of her head. When she was about 14 or 15, a divine personage appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to eat powdered mica (crystals found scarcely in Europe but in large quantities in Africa and South America) so that her body might become more ethereal than physical mater and immune to death. She did as instructed, vowed to remain a virgin, and gradually decreased her food intake. One day during the Jing-Long era (707-710 CE) in the reign of Emperor Zhong'Zong of the Tang dynasty, she ascended to the sky in broad daylight and became an immortal. She is depicted holding a lotus flower, and sometimes with the musical instrument known as "sheng," or a "feng'huang," to accompany her.
-Cao Guojiu is another example, and is believed to be a descendant of Cao Bin, a general of the early Song dynasty, and a younger brother of Empress Cao, the wife of Emperor Ren'Zong. As none of the emperor's sons survived their father, he designated a younger male relative, who later became Emperor Ying'Zong as his successor. As such, Cao could not have been a maternal uncle of the emperor, so his "Imperial Uncle" status seemed ambiguous. However, as the Chinese character "Jiu,"which means "maternal uncle,"can also means "wife's brother,"the latter meaning applied to Cao. He was the "Imperial Brother-in-Law" of Emperor Ren'Zong rather than an "Imperial (maternal) Uncle" of any Song dynasty emperor. Cao's younger brother, Cao Jing'Zhi, abused his relationship with the imperial family by bulling others and engaging in corrupt practices. Cao tried to persuade his brother to change his ways but he did not listen. In the meantime, Cao also used his family fortune to help the poor and tried to make up for his brother's misdeeds. One day, Cao Jing'Zhi was accused by other officials in the imperial court of corruption and abuse of power. Cao felt so ashamed and disappointed by his brother's misconduct that he gave up his official career and went to the countryside to lead a reclusive life. During this time, he met the immortals Zhong'li Quan and Lu Dong'bin, who taught him Taoist magical arts. After many years of practice and cultivation, Cao himself also became an immortal. He is often depicted dressed in official robes and holding a jade tablet or castanets. He is also regarded as the patron deity of acting and theatre.
-Li Tieguai is sometimes described as irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick, and the needy, whose suffering he alleviates with special medicine from his gourd. Among the 8, Li Tieguai was one of the most popular, and was depicted as a man leaning on a crutch and holding a gourd. The gourd had spirals of smoke ascend from it, denoting his power of setting his spirit free from his body. He was a very handsome man. On one occasion, his spirit travelled to the sky to meet other immortals. He had told his apprentice, Li Qing, to wait for 7 days for his spirit to return. If he did not return by then, Li Qing was to burn the body because that meant that he had become an immortal; but after 6 1/2 days Li Qing had to go to his mother's home to see her one last time before she died. Li Qing thus cremated Li Tieguai's body. On his way to his mother he passed by a dying beggar and did not have time to bury him. Upon returning, Li Tieguai's spirit found that his body had been cremated and had to enter the only body available at the time, the corpse of a homeless beggar who had just died of starvation. The beggar, unfortunately, had a long and pointed head, large ears with one large brass earring, a woolly and disheveled beard and hair. Laozi appeared and gave him a medicine gourd that never emptied. Li then brought his apprentice's mother back to life using the liquid from his gourd. Li Qing was then dismissed as his apprentice, after being given a small pill and being told he would work hard enough to become an immortal himself. This turned out to be true. Laozi also used the bottle to make him an iron crutch that would never rust nor break. he then told Li that he was ready to join the immortals. From then on, Li was tasked with curing the sick and he travelled to many lands and could be found wherever the sick lay dying or the poor were persecuted.
Li's characteristic emblems are the gourd bottle and also his iron crutch. A vapor cloud emanates from the gourd, and within it is the sage's soul (Hun); which may be depicted as a formless shape or as a miniature double of his bodily self.
-Lan Caihe's character, is another example. The person's age and sex is not clearly defined. It is usually depicted as a boy or girl dressed in ambiguous clothing and carrying a bamboo flower basket and/or a pair of castanets. Lan Caihe is said to have been in a drunken stupor when they left the human world by riding on a celestial swan or crane. One legend says that they became an immortal with the help of Sun Wu'Kong (a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices), who transferred 500 years of magical powers to them.
-Lu Dong'Bin, real name is Lu Yan, with Yan being the given name. Dong'bin is his courtesy name. When he was born, a fragance allegedly flled the room. He had been very intelligent since childhood and had many academic achievements. He is the most widely known and considered to be one of the earliest masters of the traditional internal alchemy (neidan). The legend says that one night when he was in the ancient capital of Chang'An, he dozed off as his yellow millet was cooking in a hotel. He dreamed that he took the top-level civil service exam and excelled, and thus was awarded a prestigious office and soon promoted to the position of vice minister. He then married thae daughter of a prosperous household and had a son and a daughter. He was promoted again and again, and finally became the prime minister. However, his success and luck attracted jealousy of others, so he was accused of crimes that caused him to lose his office. His wife then betrayed him, his children were killed by bandits, and he lost all his wealth. As he was dying on the street in the dream, he woke up. Although in the dream, 18 years has passed, the whole dream actually happened in the time it took his millet to cook. The characters from his dream were actually played by Zhong'Li Quan in order to make him realize that one should not put too much importance on transient glory and success. As a result, Lu went went with Zhong'Li to discover and cultivate the Tao. The exact age of Lu Yan when this incident occurred varies in the tellings, form 20-40 years of age.
Lu was tested 10 times before Zhong'Li took him as a disciple: 1) One day Lu came back from work and found out that his loved one was dying; without sadness or remorse, he started to prepare the dress and coffin necessary for burial, but later his loved one revived and lived on. Lu was still without sadness or joyous feeling. 2) Lu was selling goods at a marked and there came a buyer to bargain with him. After agreeing on the price, Lu handed him the stuff but the buyer refused to pay in full and then walked away. Lu would not argue and let him walk away. 3) On the 1st day of the lunar calendar, Lu met with a beggar. After giving him some money, the beggar kept asking for more and threw vulgar words at him. Lu left the scene with a smile. 4) Lu was once a shepherd. During his tenure a hungry tiger was eyeing the goats under his care. Lu protected the goats by sending them down to the hillside and stood in front of the tiger. The hungry tiger was awed to see this and left without hurting Lu.
5) Lu was studying at a small hut on a mountain when a beautiful woman came by and asked if she could stay there for the night since she was lost. That night, this beautiful lady was flirting and tried to get Lu to have sex with her, but Lu was untouched by such temptation. 6) One day Lu came back to his house and saw that he had been burglarized and lost all his belongings. Without becoming angry he started to work on his farm. As he dug into the ground he found countless pieces of gold. He uncovered the earth without taking a single piece of the gold. 7) Lu bought some bronze utensils at a market. Upon returning home he realized that all the utensils were made of gold and he immediately returned them to the seller. 8) A crazy Taoist was selling medicine on the street, telling people that his magic potion would have one of two outcomes: either the drinker would die on the spot, or the drinker would become immortal. No one would dare to try, except Lu, who bought and tried the potion. Nothing happened to him. 9) A river was elevated due to heavy rain. Lu and other passengers were on a boat crossing the river. Before reaching the middle of the journey, the weather deteriorated, and most of the passengers except Lu became worried. Lu took it in his stride and never worried about life and death!
10) Lu was alone at home and suddenly weird things happened. Ghosts and monsters were killing each other and wanted to do the same to Lu. Showing no sense of fear, Lu kept on doing his chores without paying attention to them. Another group of devils with blood all over them tried to take Lu's life away by saying to Lu that he owed his previous life to them since in past life Lu took his life. Without any fear Lu said "go ahead and take my life since I took yours in past life, this is fair and square!"All of a sudden the sky turned blue and those ghosts and devils disappeared. Zhong'Li Quan (his teacher and mentor) was looking and laughing at him while these events were happening.
The 10 tests proved that Lu was a pure and dignified person and his master was very satisfied and happy to take Lu to Nan'San'Her'Ling to pass his secret to life and subsequent formed a Zhong-Lu Golden Dan school of Taoism. But Lu was not too fond of the secret and instead changed his formula for inner peace and benefits more human beings. This is his major contribution.
Lu is depicted in art as being dressed as a scholar, clever man with a genuine desire to help people obtain wisdom and to learn the Tao. and he often bears a sword on his back that dispel evil spirits.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)