MITHRAIC TRADITION...."On the map of Shambhala, this is evidently the region of Mithras, the Persian God of Light, whose cult later penetrated into Tibet as the Bon religion."..(Kuznetsov: 1970..pg 571)..."As a mounted horseman armed with bow and arrows and accompanied by the lion, Mithra himself was the 'verethraghnem' bearer of invisible 'hvareno'. The arrow represents the radiant energy of invisible wind which brings the vital change. The mounted Mithra rides with the swiftness of the wind. According to tradition, a fiery form in the shape of a man riding a fiery horse would bring in the 'fraskart', or final restoration of the world....The 'xvarr' fire which gives character, or spirit, to man was the invisible fire located in the breast of kings. The Vedic Surya, denoted the gleam of the rising sun or stimulating force (pra-sava: pre-impulse) which was in all forms of life and the governor of their fortunes. The eastern order runs counter-clockwise and requires either a northern or eastern orientation on the part of the spectator. The western order runs clockwise. 'Asa' (Asha) is the law of the cosmic wheel. In Mithraic iconography, the Sky has an eye in the form of a long solar ray that penetrates the world-cave. The Sun was known in the Rig Veda as the eye of Mithra. The Indo-European words for king: (rig, rajan, rex, rix, ric) means not only to regulate and direct, but also to shine with luster. The divine right of the king was derived from the brilliance and sovereignty of the sky itself; therefore it was fitting that his palace should be the 'padak' of the sun. 'Thumos' was essentially heat in the breath and body. The spirited or courageous power (thumoeides) is located in the heart (kardia). 'Arya' means faithful, loyal friend, helper, and is the root of the name of Aryans. The rising sun marked one part of the day, which was divided into five parts. The arrow has to do with the bringing down of sky-potency. The Sanskrit root for arrow (isu) means to send for and is related to 'isa' which is strength or vigor. In modern Persian, the word 'tir' means not only an arrow but also power and strength. The horse is black by nature but the part exposed to the sun is brilliant and bright. The sky was formed of a more or less transparent crystalline substance. The Scorpion symbol is common throughout Mithraic symbolism... If the cosmic man joins in himself the highest power of the essence (xvarr) of sovereignity (sahr)[Ge Sahr???] with the highest power of the essence of the Good..."..(Campbell, L..."Mithraic Iconography and Ideology"...Leiden: 1968)..."The Avestan Hymn to Mithra dates to at least 500 BC...Mithra was worshipped 10 centureis before this. The Avestan name Mithra means 'contract'..Indo-Aryan contracts were concluded in front of a blazing fire, as oaths were sworn in the presence of water."...(Gershevitch:1959..pg 30)..."In Herodotus, there is no dualism in the Ancient Persian religion. It is purely and entirely elemental, the worship of the Sun, fire, earth, water, wind. Was it a later Dualistic question which separated the Zend or Persian branch of the Aryans from their Vedic brethren and caused their westward migration?" (Rawlinson: Herodotus: pg 347)...

MYSTERY RELIGIONS OF GREECE AND ROME...."The Mithraic Mystery Religion travelled well, from Iran to Scotland...the fremasonry of the 2nd Century AD Roman world..adherents belonged to any religion...bound by secrecy...no surviving Mithraeum (artificial or natural cave) held more than 100 people...bigger lodges were formed at Roman Military camps...no social barriers...slaves and privates could become high initiates...the ceremonies and initiations were awe inspiring."...(Godwin: Mystery Religions...1981..pg 98)...

MANICHAENS...."The 'Four Kings of Heaven' expressed iconographically by the Manichaeans of Central Asia. The 'Father of Greatness' had 4 faces: Purity, Light, Power, and Wisdom'...Manichaesim was strict on its prohibition against the taking of life. (Acta: 1985..pg 419)..."A Manichaean shrine in China at Hua-pi'o Hill near Zaitun houses the only known statue of Mani as the 'Buddha of Light'." (Acta: 1985..pg 418)..."One of the texts discovered at Tun-Huang in 1907 is a summary of the main tenets of Manichaeism entitled: 'The Compendium of the teachings of Mani, the Buddha of Light'. Currently in the British Museum and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris."..(Acta: 1985..pg 404)..."Buddhism and Manichaeism existed side by side in Western and Eastern Turkestan for a long time. Mani is often referred to as Bodhisattva and Mani-Buddha in the Middle-Persian texts." (Gafurov: 1968..pg 96)...the five elements of light being bound up in matter (Klimkeit: 1993...pg 81)...

ZURVANISM..."Zurvanism was professed by the Sassanian Kings themselves, part presumably of a western Iranian tradition going back to the Achaemenian times. Zurvanism mostly vanished after the Arab invasion although it continued to be attacked until the 10th Century AD." (Acta: 1990..pg 26)...a late form of Zoroastrianism...in Zurvanism, finite time is fashioned from infinite time...

IRANIAN BUDDHISM...."At Bamiyan during its Irano-Buddhist art phase of the 6th century AD, around the 35 meter Buddha is none other than Mithra driving his solar horses, accompanied by his dawn maidens. The juxtaposition of a solar god with the Buddha." (Scott: 1990...pg 57)..."Iranian Buddhism, introduced by the Mongol Il-khans, swept away when the dynasty converted to Islam in 1295 AD." (Scott: 1990...pg 43)...

KASHMIRI SHAIVISM..."Kashmiri Shaivism has a monistic or advaita view rather than dualistic or theistic. The diversity of the world illusion lacks any inherent reality, but it does possess a relative reality in that it represents the energy of Chit or shakti, or primordial awareness. Here there are some parallels with Dzogchen. (The relationship between Rig-pa'i rtsal and Vidyashakti)." (Reynolds: 1996...pg 243)...."Savaist yogins established themselves in Zhang-zhung." (Samuel: Brauen:1993)...."Some agreements with Saivite ideas can be explained indirectly through the meditation of the rDzog chen." (Tucci: 1980..pg 214)..."Under the reign of Mihirakula in the 6th Century, Sivaism was superimposed upon sun worship. Mihira, Mihr, Meher (Middle Iranian= Sun)." (Humbach: 1978..pg 239)..."Marco Polo: Kashmir was the center of idolatry. They accomplish by magic and make their idos speak." (Waugh:1984..pg 43)...

DZOGCHEN....."The Dzogchen presentation of the origin of cyclic existence is unique in that it defines the universe as primordial purity. Kongtrul clearly states that the Dzogchen system stands at the summit of spirituality." (Kongtrul: 1995..pg 54)..."Dzogchen is not simply a teaching, not another philosophy, not another elaborate system, not a seductive clutch of techniques. Dzogchen is a state, the primordial state...that is the heart essence...of all spiritual paths....Dzogchen was not widely taught in Tibet...this is the time for Dzogchen to spread." (Sogyal: 1992..Pg 150-151)..."The Dzogchen teachings are neither a philosophy, nor a religious doctrine, nor a cultural tradition. To practice Dzogchen it is not necessary to convert to either Buddhism or Bon." (Norbu: 1996..pg 28)...."Dzogchen is like a homeopathic, rather than an allopathic process. The state of immediate present awareness is the sole antidote." (Reynolds: 1996..pg 151)..."Both the Nyingma and Bon lineages of Dzogchen originated in the Iranian Central Asian borderlands (Uddiyana and sTag-gzig)." (Reynolds: 1996..pg 227)..."From the 11th century onwards in Tibet, Dzogchen remained an ever controversial subject." (Karmay: 1975..pg 214)...Photism, the interation of darkness and light, plays a major role in Dzogchen...

SEMINAL HEART MOVEMENT...."Began in the 11th Century in Tibet and was systematized in the 14th Century by Longchenpa (1308-1363). A reformulation of Dzogchen. "The Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle" is a veritable encyclopedia of Seminal Heart thought and practice." (Lopez: 1997...pg 293)...

RIMAY (Rime, Ris med) : "Jamgon Kongtrul's (1813-1899) background was Bonpo (his father was an illustrous lama of the Khyungpo, or Garuda clan..[Kongtrul: 1995..pg 15]) and both he and Jamyang Kyentse were particularly open to the Bon tradition. The most significant Bon teacher in the Rimay movement was Shardza Trashi Gyantsen (1859-1935)". [Samuel:1993..p.542]...."Since the second propagation on the Buddist doctrine in Tibet, in which teachings of non-Indian origin were dismissed, the ancient Nyingma teachings had been severely suppressed. Therefore the teachings of the Dzogchen system of the Nyingma [and Bonpo] traditions received the greater attention of the three great Rimay masters." (Kongtrul:1995..pg 28)..."The rimay movement began in Kham and leaned more to the shamanic and popular rather than to the centralized, clerical, heirarchical, and academic of the central Tibetan school. (Samuel: 1993..pg 543)...

SHINTO: "The Shinto culture in Japan is 3,000 years old. Shinto is naturally formed so it can include different religions and cultures. The natural thing do is "common sense." This common sense is Shinto. Most religions in the world are closed to other religions and cultures. Most of the world is hampered by the conflict of having many religions. To discover common sense you have to do good things and bad things, many things. In only doing good things you can't realize common sense. That's why I smoke and drink. White clothes can be changed to any color and this signifies tolerance. Shinto is: In the morning the sun comes up, thank you very much. Sun comes down, thank you very much. Kannagara is a central principle of Shinto. The movements and cycles of life and the spontaneous appreciation of this energy by human society is kannagara. Kannagara is not a religion. It requires no study or preservation, it is simply the way things are. Mistakes are natural, but they create impurities which must be washed away. Purification is called oharai. Shinto teaches the innate goodness of the human heart. Follow the genuine impulses of your heart. Amaterasu Omi Kami is the main goddess or drala of the Japanese. She represents the sun. She is the giver of life. (Omi=limitless, way beyond...kami=god.....Amaterasu means heaven, space....terasu is shining, beams of light......Shining beams of light in limitless space)....Being saved is a foreign idea in Japan...When you look into the mirror you know who you are deeper. Knowing is important. Deeper knowledge is important." (Yamamoto Negi of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine at RMSC in 1992)....."Thirty three years after death, the Shiryo (spirit of the departed) is to become an ancestor god."..(Crump: 1990..pg 91)......."Shinto at the present time can be divided into the following groups: Shinto of the Imperial House, Shrine Shinto, Sectarian and Neo-Sectarian Shinto, and popular Shinto. These types of Shinto are not bound by dogmas and scriptures but preserve their life in traditional ritual forms. Since Shinto grasps truth in concrete expressions, it takes social groups such as the family, the village, the State and makes them the arenas for realizing the truth of the gods." ..(Jinja:1958..pg 5)...."Although Shinto purists like to reserve the term Kami for Shinto (rather thatn Buddhist) use, most ordinary Japanese make no clear conceptual distinction between kami and Buddhist divinities."..(Bocking: 1995..pg 85)..."Etymology: The Shin of Shinto and the Shen of Bon? The shin of shinto is written with the same Chinese character as kami."

Salvation is a foreign idea in Shinto...When you look into the mirror you know who you are more deeply. Knowing is important. Deeper knowledge is important." (Yamamoto Negi of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine at RMSC in 1992)...."In Shinto, the ceremonies connecting with summoning anew the spirit of a deity are called 'chinza-sai'. They are usually ceremonies of mysterious grandeur carried on with the utmost solemnity during the darkness."...(Jinja: 1958...pg

There was an effort in Japan to separate Shinto from Buddhism: "After the Meiji Imperial Restoration of 1868, the new government purged Shinto of Buddhist elements, or ordered to clearly segregate Buddhism from Shinto."

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CHRISTIANITY..."In 553 AD at the second council of Constantinople, reincarnation, which had up until then been accepted in Christianity, was officially ruled out. It was a narrow vote." (Clark: 1954..pg 325)...December 25th as a religious holiday was borrowed directly from Mithraism....The consort of Jehovah was known as Asherah...."THe Mithraic traditions had influences on Christianity: shepards and their gifts, three magi, flood and the ark, holy water and communion, Dec 25th, triumph of good, resurrection and rebirth, fiery destruction of the universe." (Hawkes: 1962..pg 156)...The Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the 4th Century AD and the Mithraic traditions were diminished." (Hawkes: 1962)..."The Magi (Persians) offered the 13 day old baby gold, frankincense, and myrrh. If he were a king he would take the gold, if a God he would take the frankincense, and if a prophet he would take the myrrh." (Waugh: 1984..pg 29)...

JUDAISM..."In 750 BC, the Prophet Amos declared that Yahweh, (Jehovah) originally the local god of a sacred mountain (either Sinai or Horeb), was henceforth an 'international God'. (Langer: World History..1940)....the earliest roots of the Kabala are traced to Merkava mysticism..."Religious debates were common in Central Asia during the 7-8th Centuries. In 740 AD, the Khazars had their debate between Christian, Jewish, and Islamic proponents. The Jewish side won and the Kingdom converted to Judaism. In Tibet, by 790 AD, Judaism, Manicheism, Christianity, and Islam all had political movements...(Feigen: 1996..pg 44)...."The mother goddess Asherah was adopted by the Hebrews. She was the consort of Yahweh in about 1000 BC." (Petty: 1990)..."Scientists find genetic evidence of an unbroken Jewish priestly class extending back thousands of years. The Cohanim (Cohen, Kane, Kahn, etc) are descended from Aaron, brother of Moses. Originally responsible for offering sacrifices. (Nature: July 1998)..."King Bulan of the Khazars adopted Judaism in 861, after holding a debate between the Jews, the Christian, and Muslim faiths. King Obadiah later estblished synagogues and Jewish schools in Khazaria. (See: www.khazaria.com/khazar-history.html)

KABBALA....(Kabala, Cabala)...(etymology with Kalapa?)...."esoteric Jewish mysticism...an oral tradition whose practices are conducted by a personal guide to avoid the dangers inherent in mystical experiences...whose mystical approaches are viewed by some as dangerously pantheistic...earliest roots are Merkava mysticism...a major text is "The Book of Brightness"...introduced into Judaism the notions of transmigrations of souls (gilgud) and cosmic cycles...basic doctrines include the withdrawal of the divine light, therebye creating primordial space...and the sinking of luminous particles into matter...(Encyclopedia Britannica)........The Finno-Ugric shamans of Siberia had sacred drums covered with cabalistic signs.

MOSLEMS, ISLAM, and MOHAMMEDANS...Mt Hira was the sacred mountain for Muhammed...Muhammed received his first series of 'commands' or 'revelations' on Mt Hira in 610 AD...Muslims dislike the term Mohammedian. The prophet is not the deity. Islam is the faith, Muslim is the adherent, and Mohammed is the apostle....Mohammed as the Islamic Alexander...622 Ad is the first year of the new Mohammedian era...etymology: mecca and mleccans...."The Kaaba in Mecca is the one place on earth where every direction is east... the sacred well in Mecca is called the Zemzem...a sacred site once linked to pre-Islamic paganism.. seven circumambulations (counter-clockwise) of the black Kaaba Stone...the meteorite black stone is 7"inches in diameter which is set into the black kaaba in Mecca...the kaaba has a tongue and will speak...the original black stone represents Venus...the main door of the kaaba temple faces the rising sun...The Kaaba's original tutelary god was Hubal. Beside him stood arrows used for divination. The gods numbered 360. Had undertones of Sun worship. The Arab equivalent of Venus (al-Ussa)." (Stewart: Mecca.. 1985)

TERMA TRADITIONS..."the earliest date of rediscovery is 913 AD. The recipient is normally considered to have a close spiritual connection with a teacher who lived earlier."..(Karmay: 1975..pg 188)

NYINGMAPA...."Mikyo Dorje (Eighth Karmapa): 'These days those known as Nyingmapas do not take Sakyamuni as their teacher." (Kongtrul: Treasury of Knowledge; Marpa Institute:1997)

SHAMANIC TRADITIONS...."In the Altaic tradition, Shaman is not our word. That is a word created by the Russians. We call such people Kams. Their rituals are called Kamlanie." (Kharatidi: 1996..pg 63)

ZOROASTRIANISM...text in 9th Century AD the Denkart....

QUAKERS..."The Persian Parsees are the Indian counterpart of our Quakers, who also depend upon the image of the 'inner light'." (Hawkes: 1962..pg 177)...

VAISNAVA...."Under Candragupta II (405 AD), who was probably a Vaisnava, but tolerant of Buddhism and Jainism, no one kills any living thing or eats onions or garlic." (Dasgupta: 1962...pg cix)..."Saka Kings like Rudradamana had taken to the Sanskrit language and Vaisnava religion." (Dasgupta: 1962..pg cii)

SHINTO........."In the morning the sun comes up, thank you very much..... Sun comes down, thank you very much..... Shinto is not a religion. It requires no study or preservation, it is simply the way things are. Mistakes are natural, but they create impurities which must be washed away."........Dedication of the Shinto Shrine to the Japanese Sun Goddess at RMSC

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WELSH....in Welsh mythology, King Arthur was born of the goddess when he was cast ashore by the ninth wave of the sea...

VAISNAVISM

KARMATIAN

SABEAN...star worship

MAHAKARUNIKA...Tibetan movement

AHURIC RELIGION...."The Medes and Persians appear to have been devout adherents from of old of the Ahuric Religion. The huge popularity of Varuna in western Iran may have its origins in the old pre-Zorastrian faith." (Boyce: 1982...pg 17)

ISMA"ILI SUFISM.....the sacred book 'Umm al-Kitab'...Near Swat....Nizari branch in Chitral, Hunza, Afghanistan

"The Dzogchen presentation of the origin of cyclic existence is unique in that it defines the universe as primordial purity. Kongtrul clearly states that the Dzogchen system stands at the summit of spirituality." (Kongtrul: 1995..pg 54)

DZOGCHEN...."Dzogchen is not simply a teaching, not another philosophy, not another elaborate system, not a seductive clutch of techniques. Dzogchen is a state, the primordial state...that is the heart essence...of all spiritual paths....Dzogchen was not widely taught in Tibet...this is the time for Dzogchen to spread." (Sogyal: 1992..Pg 150-151)..."The Dzogchen teachings are neither a philosophy, nor a religious doctrine, nor a cultural tradition. To practice Dzogchen it is not necessary to convert to either Buddhism or Bon." (Norbu: 1996..pg 28)..."Both the Nyingma and Bon lineages of Dzogchen originated in the Iranian Central Asian borderlands (Uddiyana and sTag-gzig)." (Reynolds: 1996..pg 227)..."From the 11th century onwards in Tibet, Dzogchen remained an ever controversial subject." (Karmay: 1975..pg 214)...Photism, the interaction of darkness and light, plays a major role in Dzogchen...

SHINTO...."Being saved is a foreign idea in Japan...When you look into the mirror you know who you are deeper. Knowing is important. Deeper knowledge is important." (Yamamoto Negi of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine at RMSC in 1992)...."In Shinto, the ceremonies connecting with summoning anew the spirit of a deity are called 'chinza-sai'. They are usually ceremonies of mysterious grandeur carried on with the utmost solemnity during the darkness."...(Jinja: 1958...pg 11).....

"Bon, unlike the religious outgrowths of the Aryan culture, especially Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism in their quasi-popular forms, gives little heed to the pursuit of salvation through austerities. Bon philosophy speaks of Yeshen as being reflected in the interplay between heaven and earth."...(Chogyam Trungpa: The Heart of the Buddha"...1991..pg 222)....

ASHE in BRAZILIAN SPIRITUALITY......"From the African Yoruba language comes the term 'Ashe'..(Ache, Axe).....It is an important concept in the Santiera religion of Cuba and the Candomble tradition in Brazil.......ASHE is a power that permeates the universe and everything within it..... "Ashe" is something like an all-pervasive spiritual energy. It could be translated as "so be it." Ashe is the power that animates all of creation; it comes from the source of creation and is available to everything within the universe.....In the Yoruba culture a great deal of emphasis placed on the acquisition of ashe (spiritual command, the power to make things happen) and also o n itutu (mystic coolness). The supreme deity of the Yoruba, praised as the Lord of character, dispenses ashe and iwa in essence, as outward signs of inward grace. The ability to render things artistically becomes central and in Black cultures throughout the world, artistic ability becomes representative of beauty and character. "Iwa also means custom, the traditional ways of life"

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(Jamgon Mipham Namgyal Gyatso).(1846-1912)..The Tibetan text: "The Lamp that Illuminates the Practice of the Miraculous Juthig of Existence" : interesting and clear descriptions of the Drala and Werma can be found in two passages from the monumental work on the Juthig divination. The first passage describes the 'Unicorn' Drala Seu Ruchig, one of the most important manifestations among Drala and Werma.Also information on Lha, Nyen, and Lu."

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WINDHORSE, LHA AND LA........"There also seems to be a strong connection between the practice of soul retrieval and the popular lungta practice, which is performed to reinforce fortune and capacity, by 'raising the wind-horse'. This is a very powerful rite, performed by large groups of Tibetans, on top of mountains on the first, or third day of the New Year. The participants arouse and invoke the mountain spirits by making smoke offerings, putting up prayer flags and throwing five-coloured cards bearing mantras into space in order to reinforce prana (vital air), which is the support of the la. In this way the la is also healed and reinforced, and consequently the participants' capacity, fortune and prosperity increase, and whatever venture they undertake becomes successful." Lama Tenzin Wangyal