9.1.25

Selected Quotes

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"Those who have been fearless in their search and fearless in their proclamation belong to the lineage of master warriors, whatever their religion, philosophy, or creed...They are the fathers and mothers of Shambhala." (Trungpa: 1984..pg 179)



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SHINTO...."Being saved is a foreign idea in Japan...When you look into the mirror you know who you are deeper." (Yamamoto Negi of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine at RMSC in 1992)



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One of the main principles of the Manichaeans was a vegetarian diet of mainly green and yellow foods. Supposedly, light was concentrated in these foods and their bodies served as filters for the particles of light contained in the plants. (Litvinsky: 1992...Pg 414)



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FRAVASHIS......"A class of higher intelligence that are ancient Persian guardian warrior spirits. The 19th day of every month is consecrated to them. King Phraortes' (647 BC) Persian name is derived from the term."(Dhalla:1963..pg 235)..... "Hence Finite Time and Finite Space control man's destiny from the cradle to the grave. Yet the whole of the macrocosm is kept in being by the Fravashis (Dralas ?), the spiritual powers that are indissolubly linked with each human being and with humanity as a whole. Finite time-space, then, is not a kenoma, an empty nothingness, but a pleroma, a 'full' and vital organism...."...(Zaehner..1961..pg 150)...



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"We are working with iconography as a journey, rather than as entertainment or excitement or cultural fascination. We are talking about personal experience, how we actually see this world. There is a basic iconographic pattern in the universe, like the existence of the seasons and the elements, but how we react to that is individual.""....(Trungpa: Dharma Art.:1996...pg 94)



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JAMGON KONGTRUL (Lodro Taye: 1813-1899)..."One may wonder why this description of the universe does not accord with that of other systems. The Enlightened Ones did not view any aspect of either the environment or the inhabitants of our world system as ultimately real. Therefore, the teachings are not one that, based on a belief in a single view, sets forth a particular system as the only valid one. Instead, they spoke in response to the various levels of capabilities, interests, and dispositions of those to be guided to enlightenment." ...(Jamgon Kongtrul:Myriad Worlds...1995..pg 166).



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"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)....




"622 AD is the first year of the new Mohammedian era according to the Islamic tradition...Year of Hegira (flight from Mecca)... ....."In 624 AD, a Moslem invasion weakened the Kingdom of Shambhala."(Roerich: 1974..pg 753) (Geoffrey Hopkins: 1985..pg 60)... In 624 AD the Sassian Shah Yazdigird is defeated by the Arabs at the battle of Nahavand...In Iran, the great Sassanian dynasty collapsed in the 7th century under the Arab onslaught...."in the era of the Mlecchas, the starting year of the Kalacakra chronology is the first year of the Hijra, calculated from the year 624 AD."..(Roerich:1949...pg 753)....624 AD...'the Emperor Heraclkes captures the Persian residence of Ganzaca (Ganjak) with its cosmic throne room." (Sacral Kingship: 1959..pg 484)......632 AD....Muhammad died in 632 AD, beginning an expansion of the Muslim Empire in central Asia...11th year of Hegira (Flight from Mecca)... He died in the evening of the twelfth of Rabi’ al-Awwal (June 8, 632 A.D.) at the age of sixty-three.......


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"A glimpse into ancient Persian cosmology is the royal city of Hagmatan (Hamadan, Agbatana, Ekbatana)[50E 32N] built
in 800 BC by King Deioces (Daiukku) of the Medes. Seven concentric circles within walls, each higher than the preceding
wall as one passed toward the center hill where the palace stood. The 7th and highest wall was painted gold (sun)...the 6th
was painted silver (moon)...the 5th wall was painted orange...the fourth was painted blue...the third was painted red...the
second black...and the outermost wall was painted white. Orange was the fiery morning 'asman', blue the noonday 'asman',
red for the evening asman. The array of colors chosen for the encircling walls of the royal city was similar to that of the
robe of warriorhood and sovereignty described in the Denkart." (Campbell: 1968...pg 97)...


"The encircling walls of the royal city had an array of colors. Orange for the fiery morning asman, blue for the noonday
asman, scarlet for the earth fires of the evening asman, and white for the water of the all-encompassing sea, called the Wide
Kasa in the Avesta. These are similar for the robe of warriorhood and sovereignty described in the Greater Bundahism and
Denkart. The robe is the sky palace of self-moving (mainyu) substance, which is both mansion and garment of the sky
gods. The warriors often wear a military cloak and are sometimes armed with shields and bows and arrows, as on the
Capsua fresco." .....Mithraic iconography.....pg 98



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Until the seventh century, Zhang-zhung existed as a separate state which comprised the land to the west of
the Central Tibetan Provinces of U and Tsang and generally known as Western Tibet. The historical
evidence is incomplete but there are some reliable indications that it may have extended over the vast area
from Gilgit in the west to the lake of Namtsho in the east, and from Khotan in the north to Mustang in the
south. The capital of Zhang-zhung was a place called Khyunglung Ngulkhar - 'The Silver Palace of the
Garuda Valley' - the ruins of which are to be found in the upper Sutlej Valley to the south-west of Mount
Kailash. The people of Zhang-zhung spoke a language which is classified among the Tibeto-Burmese
group of Sino-Tibetan languages.


"The land of Shambhala lies north of the Tarum River." (Sita River in Eastern Turkestan? or the Kabul River in Afghanistan, also known as the Sita.......Sita = White....... The second location is the focus due to it being the orignal homeland of the Shakya tribes. The first Rigden Kings are usually described as Shakya Kings.


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"The central pericarp is elevated a bit above the surrounding lotus petals, and on it stands Kalapa. Its palaces are made of gold, silver, turquoise, coral, pearl, emerald, moon crystal, and other precious stones. In front of the thrones are crystal looking glasses that allow one to see far into the distance. North of Kalapa are wooded, craggy, crystalline peaks. On the faces of the peaks are depictions of the Buddhas and the Gods. South of Kalapa is a sandalwood pleasure grove. In the center of the grove is the mandala circle of Kalachakra made by King Sucandra. East of the grove is a miniature Manasa lake. To the west is a white lotus lake. ....The Kalki (the lineage king of Shambhala) and his queens possess the four aims of life: sensual pleasure, wealth, ethics, and liberation. They never become sick or old, and although they always enjoy sensual pleasure, their virtue never decreases. The Kalki does not have more than one or two heirs, but he has many daughters who are given as vajra ladies during the initiations held on the full moon of the Caitra each year....The houses in the villages of Shambhala are two storied. The people have fine bodies and appearances and they are very wealthy. The men of Shambhala wear caps, and white or red cotton clothes. Women wear white or blue garments pleated and patterned with beautiful designs." (John R. Newman....1985)



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SHENRAP MIWO....


The Tibetan texts "Ziji" (gZi brid) and "Zermig" (gZer mig)(Piercing Eye) are the two biographies of Shenrab Miwo .

Trungpa Translation of the Name (1978):

Shen = divine, heavenly,ally

Rap = Supreme One

Miwo = Great Man


"Shen rab was born in Sam bha la (sTag gzigs) in the west in the town called Yans pa can, in the dwelling place of the 33 Gods, the palace called Barpo so brgyad". (Kvaerne: 1971..pg 220)


SHENRAP MIWO & MUKPO?...."The work of Shenrap still exists in Tibet in the form of 400 volumes, but it has undergone heavy Buddhist editing." (Trungpa: 1978..pg 220)....The Tibetan texts "Ziji" (gZi brid) and "Zermig" (gZer mig)(Piercing Eye) Two biographies of Shenrab Miwo (Mibo)..... (Trungpa: 1978) :Shen = divine,heavenly,ally..... Rap = Supreme One.... Miwo = Great Man......




"The encircling walls of the royal city had an array of colors. Orange for the fiery morning asman, blue for the noonday asman, scarlet for the earth fires of the evening asman, and white for the water of the all-encompassing sea, called the Wide Kasa in the Avesta. These are similar for the robe of warriorhood and sovereignty described in the Greater Bundahism and Denkart. The robe is the sky palace of self-moving (mainyu) substance, which is both mansion and garment of the sky gods. The warriors often wear a military cloak and are sometimes armed with shields and bows and arrows, as on the Capsua fresco." .....Mithraic iconography.....pg 98



Tibetan terms:

khra hrig: wide open eyes...

chu bur mig: physical eyes...

che re bltas: looking directly...

lta stang: gaze...

spyan: eyes...

mig khra hrig ge: piercing eyes...

zur mig blta: flirtatious eyes...

gzi: onyx stone with eyes...

lha yi mig: divine eye...


"When we see with our eyes in the state of contemplation what we are really seeing is
our own wisdom." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 89)...


"Listen while you keep motionless command of your organs of sense. Even the
eyelids may not be moved." (Francke: 1950..pg 181)...


"In Shinto, the ancestors watch their descendants with their spirit
eyes."..(Jinja:1958..pg 24)...


"The sun in the Rigveda is known as the eye of Mithra. The sovereign sky has an eye in the long
solar ray that penetrates the world cave."..(Campbell: 1968..pg 99)..


"According to Kuznetsov, Bon was introduced to Tibet in the fifth century BC, when there occurred a
mass migration of Iranians from Sogdhiana in north-east Iran to the northern parts of Tibet. They brought with them an
ancient form of polytheistic Mithraism and the Araimic alphabet, named after Aramaiti, the Iranian Earth Goddess." .....June
Campbell: "Traveller in Space"...


"Mitra supports earth and sky. Mitra regardeth men with
the unwinking eye." (Keith: 1967..pg 226)... "His rays bear up the one who knoweth all, the sun for all to see, the eye of Mitra."
(Keith: 1967..pg 63)....


"The relationship between daena (the medium of sight) and xratu (a mental sphere). Possession of
daena/vision is manifested with the action of an eye enhanced with the energy of xratu, displaying the features of 'rising'. Vision
derives from the possession of the 'asna xratu', which is itself the faculty of vision of 'Jan', whence the eye is ordered." (Piras:
1996...pg 14)...


"The Sun as the All Seeing Eye" Hawkes: 1962..pg 87...


Tel Brak Temple in Syria...staring divine
eyes.....Eye Goddesses ......"Radiant divine eye, compound eye and sun symbol"(Gimbutas: 1989 pg 54-56)...





"The Zijid explains that when someone is afflicted by poverty it is necessary to increase the cha and the yang." Rituals are described to summon the cha and yang present in the universe. (Norbu: 1995..pg 72)....


"In many Tibetan houses, a white dgra lha mask is always hung to insure good luck and prosperity for the family. A thangka showing the nine dgra lha is also hung." (Nebesky: 1956..pg 335)...



In Shambhala the days are theoretically exactly 16 hours at the summer solstice. This gives an exact latitude, between 47-48 degrees north if taken
literally.


Thus as for the host of Rigden Drakpo, all these, after all the host of the Lalos has been conquered, Shiva, etc. and their retinues, attaining rigden-hood, on the mountain Kailasha, going to the god-built city Kaalaapa. They abide as wheel havers: with the basis of wheel having they will become such beings Pemachen says they become the 5 eyes of Kaalachakra. So it is explained.


DIET...One of the main principles of the Manichaeans was a vegetarian diet of mainly green and yellow foods. Supposedly, light was concentrated in these foods and their bodies served as filters for the particles of light contained in the plants. (Litvinsky: 1992...Pg 414)......."The architecture, diet, and clothing of the Sambhalese"..(Cabezon: 1996..pg 488)..."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)



MITHRA...."Mithra is young. His eye is the sun. The rays of the sun are his arms. He wears glistening garments. His abode is golden. He is a king and a universal monarch. Mithra is ever waking and watches in darkness." (Gershevitch: 1959 pg 4, 31)...


JAMGON KONGTRUL THE GREAT..."Well the worst that can happen now is that they will kill you. It is best to stay at least a hundred miles from a center of dispute."...Letter from Khyentse Rinpoche quoted in Myriad Worlds. It is in reference to threats made to Jamgon Kongtrul because he gave teachings and empowerments in the both the ancient Bon and Nyingma traditions. He continued to support these traditions throughout his life. It was 22 years before he returned to the monastery referred to.





WAS SHENRAP MIWO A MUKPO?...."The work of Shenrap still exists in Tibet in the form of 400 volumes, but it has undergone heavy Buddhist editing." (Trungpa: 1978..pg 220)....The Tibetan texts "Ziji" (gZi brid) and "Zermig" (gZer mig)(Piercing Eye) Two biographies of Shenrab Miwo (Mibo)..... (Trungpa: 1978) :Shen = divine,heavenly,ally..... Rap = Supreme One.... Miwo = Great Man......The teacher who transmitted Bon into Tibet from Shang Shung (or Tazik) reportedly in 1800 BC. The Berlin manuscript of the Zermig has several unusual representations of Shenrap. (Kvaerne:1996)...The first seven chapters of the Zermig are translated by A.H. Francke and published in ASIA MAJOR (1924-27, 1930, 1939)...The Zi-brjid is an enormous work. 12 volumes numbered KA to DA with a final volume A......"born in a palace south of Mount Yungdrung Gutseg in 1857 B.C." (Wangyal: 1993..pg 29)..."Shen rab was born in Sam bha la (sTag gzigs) in the west in the town called Yans pa can, in the dwelling place of the 33 Gods, the palace called Barpo so brgyad". (Kvaerne: 1971..pg 220)..."sTon pa gShen rab mi bo and to his wife, Yum mTshan ldan blo sgron ma and to his mother: A ni Gung lhai rgyal mo." (Nebesky: 1952...pg 156)..."the first historical person sure of his magic, the archetype of the blue-robed warrior-king."..(Rao: 1978..pg 6+)..."the name gShen rab myi bo seems to appear at least six times in the Tun Huang manuscripts." (Norbu: 1995..pg 273)...The six clans (dong) of Tibet: Mukpo, Gade, Drupa, Denma, Shenpa, Tagrong, Dege(?)..."I have kept the name Mukpo as my family name, my identity, my pride." (Trungpa:1984..pg 94)..."gdong: face, a synonym of cha-chen; clan, beak, countenance"...For a description of the different lineages see: (Karmay: 1972)...."rMu bza (Mu wife) was the grandmother of Gesar." "sMug'po gdong or Idong, one of the four original tribes of Tibet from which the people of gLing were descended. Ancient saying: 'The descendants of the Mugpo Dong race think only of conquering other peoples." (Norbu: 1995..pg 5-8)..."The personal 'shen' of the Shangshung King Thothori was of the Mu clan." (Stein: 1972..pg 230)...."Shenrab Miwo's clan is considered to be descended from the bMu deities, an ancient class of celestial deities. dMu is also the name of one of the four original tribes of Tibet." (Tharthang: 1986..pg 114)..."According to legend, a messenger of Phyva goes to the heaven of dMu, asking for a dMu king to rule over the black headed men." (Bansal: 1994..pg 86)..."then the dMu people, belonging to gShen rabs forefather dMu-rgyal"..(Francke: 1950: 169)....."one of the six semi-legendary royal races of Olmolungring: dMu, dPo, Shag, rGya, gNyan, Hos"..(Norbu: 1995..pg 271)..."Shenrabs origins are said to be in Iran-Elam and his name is given as Mithra. The Tibetan word Tsug-Pu (gtsug.phud) meaning 'crown of the head' approximates the actual word Mithra." Campbell, June...."Traveller in Space".....New York:1996...pg 37
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JAMGON KONGTRUL THE GREAT..."In general, all followers of the Great Vehicle assert that completely false truth is fabricated and superimposed onto genuine reality, while actual genuine truth is not fabricated and involves no superimposition." (Kongtrul: 1997..pg 47)


"SHAMBHALA...."In 624 AD, a Moslem invasion weakened the Kingdom of Shambhala."(Roerich: 1974..pg 753) (Geoffrey Hopkins: 1985..pg 60)




ZHIDAG....."Tibetan Buddhists believe that there are countless types of beings other than humans and animals. Some are more powerful, happier, and more intelligent than humans, and others less so. Usually if there is no common karma or karmic connection, beings of different types will not encounter each other. Spirits are not necessarily births of the ancestors from a particular locality, but may have come from any kind of birth or realm." (Hidden Teachings of Tibet)



FRAVASHIS......"A class of higher intelligence that are ancient Persian guardian warrior spirits. The 19th day of every month is consecrated to them. King Phraortes' (647 BC) Persian name is derived from the term."(Dhalla:1963..pg 235)..... "Hence Finite Time and Finite Space control man's destiny from the cradle to the grave. Yet the whole of the macrocosm is kept in being by the Fravashis (Dralas ??), the spiritual powers that are indissolubly linked with each human being and with humanity as a whole. Finite time-space, then, is not a kenoma, an empty nothingness, but a pleroma, a 'full' and vital organism...."...(Zaehner..1961..pg 150)...



"We are working with iconography as a journey, rather than as entertainment or excitement or cultural fascination. We are talking about personal experience, how we actually see this world. There is a basic iconographic pattern in the universe, like the existence of the seasons and the elements, but how we react to that is individual.""....(Trungpa: Dharma Art.:1996...pg 94)


JAMGON KONGTRUL (Lodro Taye: 1813-1899)..."One may wonder why this description of the universe does not accord with that of other systems. The Enlightened Ones did not view any aspect of either the environment or the inhabitants of our world system as ultimately real. Therefore, the teachings are not one that, based on a belief in a single view, sets forth a particular system as the only valid one. Instead, they spoke in response to the various levels of capabilities, INTERESTS, and dispositions of those to be guided to enlightenment." ...(Jamgon Kongtrul:Myriad Worlds...1995..pg 166).


"Jamgon Kongtrul made things more curious by writing in his work: 'dgra-bla'."..(Karmay: 1975..pg 218...In reference to the Tibetan debate on the various spellings and meanings of the term we spell drala)...


DILGO KHENTSE RINPOCHE..(1910-1991)..."Shambhala looks like its not Buddhadharma, but itself is the essence of Buddhadharma. It is training of the mind that is a realization which embodies view, meditation and practice by itself. If one has that, then it is a path that is complete and will embody the perfect state of mind." (June 1987)


DOGEN..."Time goes from present to past. This is not true in our logical mind, but it is in the actual experience of making past-time present. There we have poetry and there we have human life."..(Suzuki: 1970..pg 33)....


"Shen rab was born in Sam bha la (sTag gzigs) in the west in the town called Yans pa can, in the dwelling place of the 33 Gods, the palace called Barpo so brgyad". (Kvaerne: 1971..pg 220)


"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)....


."A glimpse into ancient Persian cosmology is the royal city of Hagmatan (Hamadan, Agbatana, Ekbatana)[50E 32N] built in 800 BC by King Deioces (Daiukku) of the Medes. Seven concentric circles within walls, each higher than the preceding wall as one passed toward the center hill where the palace stood. The 7th and highest wall was painted gold (sun)...the 6th was painted silver (moon)...the 5th wall was painted orange...the fourth was painted blue...the third was painted red...the second black...and the outermost wall was painted white. Orange was the fiery morning 'asman', blue the noonday 'asman', red for the evening asman. The array of colors chosen for the encircling walls of the royal city was similar to that of the robe of warriorhood and sovereignty described in the Denkart." (Campbell: 1

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

January 2025

John Hopkins....Northern New Mexico

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Advice from Me to Myself... Patrul Rinpoche

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Source: http://www.keithdowman.net/guestpage/patrul_advice.htm

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Okar Research...Regional Map of Interest

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Click on the map to enlarge

Regions of historical interest include Eastern Iran (Takzig/Khorasan), Bactra (Balkh)/Kapisa, Kashmir/Gilgit (Od'iana) and Mt Kailas (ZangZung)

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

January 2025

John Hopkins....Northern New Mexico

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The Scorpion Seal of the Golden Sun

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Robin Kornman said in 1989 that..."Trungpa received the Shambhala Terma Texts in a language that he was not famiiar with...he wrote them down in Tibetan because that was as close as he could get...."

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"In 2004, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche requested that a structure be built for the lineage of Sakyongs in Kalapa Valley to be used for the retreat described by his father the Druk Sakyong, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in the Scorpion Seal of the Golden Sun root text. The text is considered one of the most profound of the Druk Sakyong’s Shambhala teachings, and is the basis for the Werma Sadhana, a central practice for advanced students within the Shambhala community. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche was to be the first person to do the Scorpion Seal retreat.
The design for the Scorpion Seal retreat building, also referred to as the Tenno Retreat building, was conceived by designer, architect, and feng shui consultant Gina Stick as a marriage of k’an-yu or feng shui with a Shambhala inspired sacred architecture. The building was strategically designed to gather and focus the land potential of the valley into the retreat building. Sacred architecture derives much of its power from the surrounding landform, accessed through strategic site selection and placement, and building design.
The design concept for the building was inspired by the Great Eastern Sun Vajra Assembly talks of the Druk Sakyong in which he describes the Seat of the Universal Monarch and the dawning of the Great Eastern Sun. Architecturally it was developed to invite the primal simplicity of the central drala or energy invoked in the Werma Sadhana, Shiwa Okar, and to empower the practitioner with the enriching stability of the Rigden King, an expression of Universal Monarch within the Shambhala Buddhist lineage.
In 2005 the first phase construction of the building was completed, and the Sakyong entered his Scorpion Seat retreat. The Sakyong communicated that he considered the structure - though unfinished - to be our first truly Shambhalian building, and that the final elements of the Rigden Abhisheka transmission arose auspiciously from that retreat.
In October 2008, the Sakyong hosted a powerful retreat gathering of acharyas at Kalapa Valley to further teach on the Scorpion Seal retreat in preparation for Scorpion Seal Assemblies to be offered to the community. In preparation for the Acharaya retreat, a second phase of construction was initiated, and some of the exterior siding of the building was installed.
The balance of the exterior is still incomplete and in danger of decay. The entry system - stairs and veranda - are not yet built. Heraldry for the building - designed as armor and to reflect and enhance the luminosity of the Great Eastern Sun - is in a schematic phase. The site needs substantial clean up from construction; grading; and finish landscaping to restore it to a natural state.
We ask your support to complete the building in appreciation of the Sakyong’s gift of opening the Scorpion Seal of the Golden Sun teachings, and as our invocation for further blessing and teaching. Donations are tax deductible."...http://shambhalatimes.org/2011/03/03/twenty-years-of-ruling-and-teaching-part-four-blossoming/

"... in the beginning of 2005, the Sakyong completed the Scorpion Seal retreat. One of the final terma texts received in 1981 by the Dorje Dradül is called “The Scorpion Seal of the Golden Sun.” This text introduces advanced Shambhala practices. It is the basis for the Werma sadhana as well as the Rigden abhisheka. It contains also the description of a retreat practice. Many times, the Dorje Dradül mentioned that he wanted to do this retreat but for some reasons it never happened. For this retreat to become available to students, it first had to be completed by a sakyong. Many times during the preceding years, senior students had requested Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche to do this retreat. He had finally decided that the proper conditions had been gathered and that was the appropriate time. For that occasion, a special cabin was built at Kalapa Valley in Cape Breton, the land that had been discovered by the Dorje Dradül many years before and recognized as a particular power spot for the Shambhala lineage."........http://shambhalatimes.org/2011/03/03/twenty-years-of-ruling-and-teaching-part-four-blossoming/

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2005-06-26 - Sakyong Enters Second Scorpion Seal retreat.......Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche has begun his second Scorpion Seal retreat in Kalapa Valley, Cape Breton. The Sakyong has undertaken this sealed retreat in the new tenno building, part of which will be in darkness, to benefit the Shambhala community.

Scorpion Seal in Ancient Sasanian Iran, c. 500 A.D.

These seals date from about the fifth century C.E. Shown here are a rabbit, a bird, a scorpion and a stag carved in various kinds of stone.

The Sasanian Dynasty ruled in the area of what is now Iran from 224-651 C.E. The first king, Ardashir I, overthrew the Parthians, who had ruled Iran from 247 B.C.E. through 224 C.E. Ardashir and his successors built an empire that covered much of the area between what is now Iraq and India.

The official religion of the empire was Zoroastrianism, whose adherents believed in a creator god called Ohrmazd or Ahura Mazda. Zoroastrianism was founded by a Persian prophet named Zoroaster or Zarathustra. It is still practiced today in India by the Parsis. Other religions were practiced in the empire, including Christianity and Manichaeanism. The latter was founded by the prophet Mani in the 3rd century C.E. but was considered a dangerous heresy by the Zoroastrians.

The Sasanians were involved in long-distance trade, controlling the seagoing routes through the Arabian and Red Seas. They exported such goods as silver and gold vessels, cut glass, and brocades made from Chinese silk. The Sasanian rulers carried out military campaigns against Roman Syria in the 3rd century C.E., and against Syria, Palestine and Egypt in the early 7th century. The Sasanian Dynasty was finally overthrown by Islamic armies in 641 C.E., only 19 years after the Sasanians had nearly defeated the Byzantine empire at Constantinople.

Because there have been few archaeological surveys or scientific excavations in the region of the Sasanian empire, little material evidence has come to light from this period of Iran's history. Some building ruins have been found, the most interesting of which are several domed pavilions, probably used as temples, in which worship centered on fire, a symbol of the god Ahura Mazda's light and energy. Numerous Sasanian coins have been found as far away as China, and other material remains include small objects such as the animal seals shown here.

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Tibet's poet-saint, Jetsun Milarepa (1040-1143) did not begin as such.  In his youth, Milarepa studied black magic in order to seek revenge on the relatives who abandoned him to a life of bitter poverty following the death of his parents.  According to his student Rechugpa (1084-1161) he invoked a giant black scorpion to attack his uncle's house

A scorpion wheel charm is associated with a (Tibetan Buddhist) Nyingma Yamantaka practice.

In the fire puja of Vajradaka (Tib.: Dorje Khadro) who is a fierce and wrathful deity invoked to purify negative actions, black sesame seeds are used to represent problems and regrets.  They are arranged into the shape of a scorpion which is then consumed by fire as practitioners visualize all physical, psychological, emotional hindrances being annihilated compassionately by Dorje Khadro who joyously

The fascination or threatening gesture (Skt. tarjini mudra) consists of a fist with forefinger and little finger extended; it is called the "forefinger-scorpion gesture" (Tib. Digzub Chagya.) Legend says that when the apostate king Langdarma was attempting to suppress Buddhism in Tibet, mahasiddha Nubchen Sangyé Yeshé terrified him by using the gesture to create a scorpion apparition "as big as nine yaks" that appeared above the king.

Begtse is a Mongol war god that legend says, converted to Buddhism in the 16th-century at the sight of the Dalai Lama's transformation into Chenrezi, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.  As a consequence, he became a symbol of pacification and the last in the series of 8 (or 9) Tibetan Buddhist dharma protectors or Dharmapalas.

"He is represented with all the ornaments of the Dharmapala, brandishing a sword in his right hand, the handle of which is in the shape of a scorpion. His left hand holds the orange heart of an enemy near his mouth, clutching at the same time a bow and an arrow. He tramples upon the corpse of a man with his left foot and the carcass of a horse with his right foot. His three eyes are full of fury directed at the enemies of the dharma.

Scorpion in Tibetan is digpa ratsa means negative- , or harmful action and also, menace.  As in the symbolism of Beg-tse, it is evocative of the Buddha-dharma's power to transmute bad, even deadly, circumstances into beneficial ones.  It is therefore used as a seal by the Vajrayana or tantric Buddhist masters who can effect transformations.  The Ngak'chang Rinpoche has a scorpion seal, and the late Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s red scorpion seal may sometimes be seen on his calligraphies. 

A stylized scorpion is often used as a seal by Tantric Lamas. It has 3 eyes, 8 five-segmented legs, and a tail with nine joints. The mathematics gives 52, the number of weeks in a year. It is coloured blue, green and red to stand for 3 of the five traditional elements: space/ether, air, and fire

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Email....okarresearch@gmail.com

January 2025

John Hopkins....Northern New Mexico

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