Posts Tagged ‘china’

Posted on August 1, 2009 - by Andrew

Danzan Ravjaa’s Buddhist relics rediscovered in the Gobi Desert

An expedition led by Michael Eisenriegler has found the Buddhist relics which belonged to the 19th century Buddhist master Danzan Ravjaa. The relics, which include statues, art work, manuscripts and personal belongings, were hidden in the 1930s during Mongolia’s Communist purge. Hundreds of Buddhist monasteries were destroyed and looted during this time.

In order to save the relics from destruction they were hidden in a total of 64 crates. These crates where buried in the Gobi Desert by a Buddhist monk called Tudev. Tudev passed the secret of the relics’ locations on to his grandson who was able to rediscover some of the boxes in 1990. Michael Eisenriegler’s expedition has unearthed two more of the historically and religiously important crates.

Eisenriegler told the BBC World Service, “It is of tremendous value for Mongolian culture because Buddhism was almost extinct in the Communist times, especially in the 1930s.

“I’m totally exhausted right now but I’m also totally impressed with what I’ve seen.”

It is thought that as many as 20 crates may still be hidden in the desert.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think should be done with these relics? Do they belong to Tudev’s family?

Posted on July 22, 2009 - by Andrew

Superstitious grandfather burns baby to expel evil ghosts

The Chongqing Business Daily is reporting an unpleasant story of a Chinese man applying burning cotton to his granddaughter’s body in order to exercise her of evil ghosts.

The girl had been turning gradually yellow after she was born on July the 5th. The condition, however, was typical neonatal jaundice and not uncommon.

The ritual involved inserting burning cotton threads into the girl’s nose and laying them over her stomach. She was admitted to hospital and released on the 21st.

“The girl could have died,” said Wang Yongming, the baby’s doctor. “If the burns were infected, the girl could be killed by blood poisoning that normally follows serious infections.”

The use of burning cotton to rebuke ghosts is not unique to China. Cunningham’s Encyclopaedia of Magical Herbs* describes how cotton can be planted or scatted in the yard to keep ghosts away and how cotton balls soaked in vinegar can be placed on windowsills to keep evil at bay.

In Pure Spirit

How should authorities react in cases like this? Should the grandfather be kept away from the child? What’s the most extreme thing you’ve done in order to try and keep evil away?

Disclaimer: Links marked with a star(*) are revenue links.

Posted on June 15, 2009 - by Andrew

Teenager dug from grave to become ghost bride

Chinese newspapers are carrying the story of a teenage girl who’s body was dug up in the Sha’anxi province so she could become the ghost bride of a recently deceased single man.

The Telegraph reports that the grieving father of the deceased man paid four people around £2,700 to find a companion for his son in the afterlife.

In some rural areas of China there is the belief that the bodies of women who have only recently died can be married to the corpse of a single man and buried with him in order to create a ghost bride for the afterlife.

The government has made efforts to remove the practise from rural culture but it has begun to resurface. There is the fear that the unmarried dead may return to haunt their family as lonely spirits.

In Pure Spirit

Should governments do more to stamp out believes like this? Or should they do less and leave the local cultures in tact?

Posted on April 27, 2009 - by Andrew

Chinese postpone judgement on living Buddha

At the last minute a court in China has decided to postpone judgement on a living Tibetan Buddha.

Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche faces allegations of illegally possessing weapons and seizing government land.

The delay is widely interpreted as promising by legal experts. It is incredibly rare for a Chinese court to issue a delay and signs suggest that  both the international public audience and the highly spirited defence has resulted in on-going judicial debate in China.

Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche is believed to be the fifth incarnation of a revered Buddhist teacher by his followers and is known as Burongma.  He was arrived last year after rites in Lhasa and protest marches by nuns.

Phurbu Rinpoche speaks Chinese and was able to navigate the Chinese system so that he had a say in the appointment of his legal team.

One of the two lawyers defending him is Jiang Tianyong. Talking to The Times, Jiang addressed the allegation that an imitation pistol and 100 rounds of ammunition had been found in the tulku’s house.

Jiang said, “The living room of such a venerated monk is a public place with people coming and going every day. Someone could have put the weapons there. His wife has said she had never seen them before when cleaning the house.”

The lawyer, however, was not optimistic in the outcome of the case. He told The Times, “I doubt if the case will be dealt with fairly. But compared with similar cases, this has been the best handled. At least I met my client and talked to him.” He added that he feared that the court could hand down a heavy sentence.”

In Pure Spirit

Are you more optimistic than Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche’s lawyers? Do you think he’s had a fair trial and is now waiting for a fair verdict?

Posted on January 9, 2009 - by Andrew

An introduction to five Feng Shui schools

Research suggests that Feng Shui is around 6,000 years old, it started in China, then became popular in surrounding countries and latterly the world. It is perhaps not surprising that there are different schools and techniques within Feng Shui. This post looks at five of the most popular Feng Shui schools still used today.

The Eight Directions School

The Eight Directions School uses the bagua map to calculate and  orientate the eight directions over the home’s floor plan. Each direction carries a different energy variant which can either  be calmed or enhanced depending on the need. This Japanese technique suggests that both your sleeping and sitting position can influence how much energy you absorb.

The Eight Mansions School

Your date of birth is used to calculate your kua number (the amount of chi you were born with) and whether you belong to the east or west-life group. Homes facing in one of four directions are benefit to people belonging to the east-life group and ones homes facing in one of four different directions are beneficial to people from the west-life group. Furthermore, the Eight Mansions School suggests that one half of your home can be positive to you but the other  half can actually be negative.

The Flying Star School

This Feng Shui school works in close conjunction with an astrology chart and the date in which the building was constructed.  The bagua map is orientated by the building’s structure and surroundings. A special lo pan compass is then used to help interprete readings.

The Form School

There are four mystic animals in Feng Shui; the dragon, phoenix, tiger and tortoise. The Form School studies the surroundings and landscape to identify the presence of these animals. An ideal home would be able to position some low, solid protection or wall on the right (the tiger) and a lighter but taller structure on the left (the dragon). There should be an open area at the front (the phoenix) and a sturdy area, mountains, trees or hills (the tortoise) behind.

The Three-gate School

The Three-gate School makes significant use of the bagua map. The Three-gate school uses the front door to centre the bagua map and uses the life areas on the map to study how chi will flow around the home. The Three-gate school is a relatively new technique and was developed in the 1970s in New York.

Compass and non-compass schools

Feng Shui schools traditionally fit into two different types; compass and non-compass. Compass schools originate from flat plains of China and focus on the movement of the sun. Non-compass schools originate from the mountainous regions of China and focus more on surroundings and shape.

• The Eight Directions School is a compass Feng Shui school.
• The Eight Mansions School is a compass school.
• The Flying Star School is a compass-based school.
• The Form School is a non-compass school.
• The Three-gate School is a compass Feng Shui school.

In Pure Spirit

Have you any experience in the different schools in Feng Shui? Which of the schools have worked best for you?

Posted on January 4, 2009 - by Andrew

Divination arts

Aeromancy

Aeromancy is the divination art that studies cloud formation, atmospheric phenomena and wind currents. Closely related to Austromancy.

Alectromancy

The divination art which places a cock or hen in a circle of grain and letters of the alphabet. Letters near to where the bird pecks are assembled to form answers to specific questions. If only a yes/no answer is required then only two piles of grain can be used.

Aleuromancy

Aleuromancy is a divination art which uses flour. Sentences are written on slips of paper which are then rolled into balls of flour. The collection of flour balls is mixed nine times and then handed out to the aleuromancy participants to learn their fate.

Alomancy

Alomancy is a method of divination which studies patterns in trails and spills of salt.

Alphitomancy

A divination art used to determine whether someone is guilty or not. A barley loaf is specially prepared and fed to the subject. If the subject suffers indigestion then this is a sign of guilt.

Anthropomancy

Anthropomancy is the divination art where the entrails of the dead (or dying) is studied. Anthropomancy is also said to be used by necromancers raising the dead.

Arithmomancy

Divination by numbers. Practitioners use techniques closely related to numerology. The term comes from the Greek ‘arithmos’ (number) and ‘manteia’ (divination).

Astragalomancy

Astrogalomancy uses die or throwing bones for divination. Related to Cleromancy.

Austromancy

The divination art which studies the wind and cloud shapes. It is related to Aeromancy.

Axinomancy

Axinomancy is a divination art which uses a heated axehead in the embers of a fire. Axinomancers are able to use the axe in other ways in order to make predictions or answer questions.

Belomancy

The divination art which uses feathered arrows. Arrows are shot with messages attached to them and the arrow which travels the farthest is said to have carried the most significant message.

Cartomancy

Cartomancy is a divination art that uses cards or playing cards. Tarot is, in fact, a form of cartomancy.

Ceroscopy

Melted wax poured into cold water and allowed to congeal. The divination is determined from the shape of the hardened wax.

Chiromancy

Chiromancy is an alternative name for Palmistry.

Cleidomancy

A set of divination arts which make use of a key. One method of cleidomancy involves placing a key in an important book, hanging the book so that it may turn and twist and then studying the movement of the book.

Cleromancy

Cleromancy is the divination art is throwing small items – often dice. Related closely to Astragalomancy.

Crystalomancy

Related to Scrying.

Dactyliomancy

A divination art which uses rings to answer questions or make predictions. Rings may be used as a pendulum or dropped into a bowl of water.

Extispicy

The divition art that which studies entrails. This art was probbaly used heavily in and before the Roman period. Roman extispices were augurs.

Frith

A Scottish divination art in which a seer would fast before the first Monday of the quarter and then stand blind-folded on the doorstep at sunrise. After an invocation the seer would remove the blindfold and make a prediction based on the first thing he or she saw.

Galgal

A divination art which uses methods from the Kabbalah and the Hebrew alphabet.

Gryomancy

Gryomancy is a divination art in which the diviner walks or spins in a circle of letters until they are unale to continue. The letters which the gryromancer stumbles towards are collected and used to spell out answers.

Hydromancy

A collection of divination arts which use water to answer questions or make predictions. Boiling water is sometimes watched for patterns or sounds. Dish water can be studied for swirls and patterns. Sometimes pebbles or rings are dropped into a bowl and the ripples studied.

Necromancy

Necromancy is the black art of raising spirits and the reanimation of bodies. One aspsect of necromancy is divination; either through studying bones or entrails, listening to the whisper of spirits or raising the dead and communicating directly with them.

Oneiromancy

The divination art of dream interpretation. Oneiromancy sometimes uses ‘incubatory sleep’ where after a purification ritual the questioner would sleep in a special room or cave. Narcotic substances were also sometimes used. The diviner or mystic would then help the questioner understand the dream.

Ouija

A board and pointer used in divination with the spirit world. The name comes from the French ‘oui’ (yes) and German ‘ja’ (Yes).

Similiar board instruments have been used in ancient Greece and China. The Planchette, a similar device, reached Europe in the middle of the nineteenth century.

Palmistry

A divination art which involves the study of lines and bumps on fingers and palms. Palmistry is also sometimes known as cheiromancy.

Scrying

Scrying is a divination art that typically uses a crystal ball, mirror, shiny stone or surface. The tool used is referred to a speculum. Doctor John Dee’s speculum was a crystal egg and black obsidian mirror.

In Pure Spirit

Have you found this list helpful? Please feel free to suggest additions, extensions or corrections!

Posted on December 29, 2008 - by Andrew

The rain god Chaac and the 10 most important archaeology discoveries of 2008

The Archaeological Institute of America has published their top 10 list of the most important archaeological discoveries of 2008 via the Archaeology Magazine. Here’s the list;

1. Sacred Maya Blue – Chichén Itzá, Mexico
2. Wari Masked Mummy – Lima, Peru
3. Kuttamuwa’s Soul – Zincirli, Turkey
4. American Genes – North America
5. Oldest Oil Paintings – Bamiyan, Afghanistan
6. First European – Atapuerca, Spain
7. Earliest Shoes – Tianyuan Cave, China
8. Portuguese Indiaman – Namibia
9. Imperial Colossi – Sagalassos, Turkey
10. Origins of Whaling – Chukotka Peninsula, Russia

In Pure Spirit is pleased that the Maya Blue pigment made the list. Blue was a sacred colour to the ancient Mayans and associated with sacrifice and deities. In particular, blue was the colour of Chaac the rain god.

Unlike Chinese blue and Egyptian blue, Mayan blue is stable and retains its colour even after hundreds of years and weather conditions.

In 1904 the archaelogist Edward Thompson dredged the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá   he found a 14 foot thick layer of blue silt. This is now believed to be the gathered remains of Maya Blue washed off thousands of sacrificial objects. It is thought that sacrifical objects would have been heated by the ancient Mayans, then painted or brushed with blue dye before being thrown into green water.

Chaac

Chaac represented each of the four cardinal directions and each of the four cardinals had their own Chaac – a synchronicity common with Maya deities.

He was the patron of agriculture and carried a lightening axe. He was also associated with maize.

The rain is Chaac’s tears of regret.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Which is the most important of the ten discoveries above or would you suggest an alternative discovery?