#bodhisattva iterators

[seven-skies-above]

ok so to preface my knowledge of buddhist culture/philosophy/anything is very limited

but going by the likely buddhist inspirations rain world uses for ancient philosophy, are the iterators tangential to the idea of bodhisattvas?

from what i could garner off of a brief wiki skim, bodhisattvas (at least those of the mahayana belief/branch) are those who are on the path to achieving awakening for the benefit of all others. The oxford dictionary describes them as capable of reaching nirvana, but delaying doing so in order to save other beings from their suffering.

in a sense, iterators are forced bodhisattvas: enlightened beings designed to never ascend, forced to remain in the hopes of bringing ascension to the ancients. They are designed to achieve awakening for everyone but themselves—self-sacrifice, without the choice that usually comes with it.

artificial bodhisattvas… hmmmm….

[catabibaz0n]

…what robots? THANK YOU FOR READING!!<3

<Previous -first]

Lyrics are from the song VOID by Melanie Martinez.

[sevenrs]

i agree with saint being closer to a bodhisattva then iterators are because that is literally what saint does

i was moreso thinking about vanilla rain world then the content present in downpour. since they’re made by different devs, i think they have different interpretations of the world and game

i think i didn’t mention enough of the complexities in the last post. iterators are forced gifts to help “lesser creatures” (as pebbles said) to achieve enlightenment. but they also want to ascend themselves. this reminds me of the buddhist belief that hindu gods, like everyone else, must also seek enlightenment and are not different from people

but rain world isnt a 1:1 on any real religion, it’s its own thing with heavy inspiration 

so like

we're all aware that the religion practiced in rain world by the ancients (iterators, and some of the slugcats by extension) is heavily inspired by buddism-- karma, reincarnation, ascension that leads to enlightenment where the need for the life/death cycle is past you now because you no longer feel suffering

five pebbles tells survivor and monk to go west.

west.

like in journey to the west? the great classical chinese novel, an allegorical journey about human perseverance?

in a game that is so incredibly difficult that beating it would require persistence?

was this intentional? did videocult know this? why haven't i seen anyone talk about this before?

im losing my mind right now

[semisolidmind]

What about a Bad End! Journey Wukong and *also* Yandere Macaque? Reader is having trouble enough trying to tame one yandere monkey warlord and then here comes Macaque who also decides haha nice human go brr

ooooh i do like this

(it's happening in the version of the au where wukong has the cuffs on his wrists and ankles that throw him to the ground whenever reader says the spell, but with macaque (who's still on wukongs side in this iteration) tagging along. like, this is happening after they were both keeping her on the mountain after their time with her as her little monkey companions. now reader has two rabid monkeys to deal with.)

when the bodhisattva summons reader (and by extension her two "husbands") to aid in the holy monks quest, both monkeys are given magic restraints (wrist cuffs, ankle cuffs, a circlet) and told to protect the humans on the journey. the bodhisattva does this because she knows the monkeys won't allow reader to go anywhere without them, and the temptation of an easy immortality boost would be too much for them to leave the monk alive.

not only do the two mystic monkeys practically one-shot every enemy they come across without much help from the other pilgrims, they really only care about protecting their wife. were it not for reader's "request" that they help him, the boys wouldn't give a shit about the monk (aside from making fun of him/threatening to eat him/the awful headaches the stupid circlets give them). reader has to act as the intermediary with all the different people they have to save, too, or else the monkeys wouldn't be bothered to help.

on that note, the monkey warlords don't really interact with the other pilgrims very much, and they try to keep reader from doing so too at the start. the boys don't care about these other demons; they kinda just make fun of them for being bad at their jobs. the other pilgrims become friends with reader, but in that regard the two warlords keep to themselves.

oddly enough but maybe not that surprisingly, reader doesn't use the throw-down spell on macaque nearly as often as she does on wukong. mac learned early on that pushing readers buttons whilst bound by the restraining cuffs is a bad idea. he isn't as annoying as wukong is, and knows how to play his cards to get reader to give him some affection occasionally (without threats against the safety of every town they come across). and if you think he doesn't get at least a little smug about that fact, you're overestimating him.

wukong and macaque spend their downtime hunting, lazing around, or invading reader's space. they like to make fun of the pilgrims when they're in earshot, knowing that the other demons can't do anything in retaliation. they're completely unconcerned with the journey as a whole; redemption and enlightenment who?

and what's fifteen years to a couple of immortal monkeys, anyways? after this boring escort mission, they'll be back on flower fruit mountain in no time at all. at least they've got their cute lil wifey to keep them entertained :)

[sunny-days-and-warm-mournings]

This guy

Is literally the big brother of this little asshole

Look at how sad this scene was tho, along with the times the old monkey and the others ostracized him. I don't know why he of all Yaoguais would think that he'd beat the Demon King Of Confusion with coconuts, but I guess this means he wasn't quite meant for the cudgel anyway.

In Xi You Ji, SWK got the golden as-you-will cudgel after he returned to Huagoushan from Patriarch Subhodi's place, so he was already trained and knew very well how to deal with weapons and fighting (not to mention his magic and other such things, like SWK knowing Taoism/Daoism as well as the Way), and then sharing that knowledge with his people. That's why the Puti Arc was a very important bit that the movie did not put in.

Also what do you mean that Monkey King can just pull out his clones when that technique was taught by Subhodi/Puti too? Body-beyond-body is what it's called if I remember correctly, and yeah SWK was a monkey who can do almost everything but that doesn't mean he could just do that! It's annoying!

It also took him 2 decades (adding in the time that he journeyed through the two continents to find an immortal) to learn such lessons, so the movie was kind of a mockery to that fact. Wùkōng learned so many things from Subhodi's monastery that made all his achievements possible! Plot holes and other things, they could've at least mentioned or made a small montage for the arc.

But Monkey King is just the more chaotic, impulsive, and egotistical version of Dàshèng, though Dàshèng had always been more empathetic between the two. I'm also putting in that he also has a soft spot for kids. Monkey King was quite the narcissist in the beginning. Very self-centered. Also it's kind of sad that 2023 is just called "Monkey King" bc he never went to Patriarch Subhodi (again, still salty about that; they could've made Subhodi a father figure to Monkey King since the Huagoushan monkeys didn't care for him that much, especially the old monkey) in this movie; thus never getting his Buddhist name.

My headcannon is that I'll be naming him with the combinations of "左 Zuǒ" [left; the Left (politics); east; unorthodox; queer; wrong; differing; opposite; variant of 佐; (Chinese surname meaning; to assist; assistant; aide; to accompany)] which is ironic since it was Lin who wanted to be his assistant, forced or otherwise, and not the other way around. The second part of his name are either "空 Kōng" which means (empty; air; sky; in vain) or "空隙 Kòngxì" which means (crack; gap between two objects). So the options are either Zuǒkōng or Zuǒkòngxì— "Left to void/nothingness"/ "Assisted to nothingness", but if anyone has a better idea or better knowledge about the systems of Chinese names then feel free to correct me.

The reason why it's not "Wùkōng" is because, again, the "Wù" part of the name which means; "Wake to" or "Awaken from/to". I know that Monkey King was still born from stone, or a geode in the movie,

(Guanyin, in the book, was about to name him like she did with Sha Wujing and Zhu Wuneng, but SWK stopped her before she could, though the "Wu" would be quite dissolved with Monkey King 2023/Zuǒkōng/Zuǒkòngxi around before Tanzang came to Five Phases Mountain. Assuming the previous listed names I gave him holds, though the Bodhisattva Guanyin would still be able to change it.)

(I am liking the name Zuǒkōng though, so I'm sticking with that.)

Monkey King is of course not completely irredeemable, bc soft spots and the fear of loneliness and all, as well as his eventual 'fondness' towards Lin— but I still think the movie could've done much better than making this Monkey King another version of Lego SWK (sorry for the LMK SWK fans out there, just not a great fan of the iteration).

Aside from the plot holes and the characterization of multiple important Daoist figures in the movie, like Yù Huáng and Ao Guang or even King Qin'guang/Yama, I feel like they could've made it more interesting and the fight scenes have more pizzaz. How they managed to make a Kaiju fight so underwhelming impresses me tbh, and the way Monkey King received his win is as underwhelming.

HONESTLY I have so much more to say but I keep forgetting my words so I'll add to this when I gather my thoughts jsnnsksmks

(No hate to the movie or the people that made them tho, I'm just salty.)

[translationandbetrayals]

Baiken and Bedman; Arhat and Bodhisattva

Guilty Gear is a prolific fighting game franchise from Japan developed by Daisuke Ishiwatari and the game company Arcsystemworks. Throughout its 25 year run it has been praised mostly for its soundtrack, its tight fast combat, its heavy metal aesthetic and for pioneering the now commonplace "animefighter" look, first with its 2d sprite artwork and later with their now signature 3d models that try to imitate 2d artwork. For being such gameplay-focused games, Guilty Gear does actually discuss a lot of interesting themes and questions within its story modes, character design and music. I want to talk about two characters specifically, those being the unfaltaring awakaned samurai Baiken and the error-prone guardian machine Bedman, how those two characters were developed in the iteration Strive and how both are way more similar than usual.

Heaven or Hell

LET'S ROCK!

Wielding her opponent's strength as her own

Baiken was one of the original playable characters in the first Guilty Gear game, the missing link. A rough looking samurai, Baiken's family and entire japanese colony were massacred when she was still a child by the series main antagonist, who also left her alive but seriously mutilated. Her personal journey is one of violence and vengeance, she made her objective to hunt down and kill That Man, no matter the collateral damage or how much she has to suffer. Very little changed between the years, that was until she met a little girl called Delilah, who similarly was on her own path of revenge. Confronted with the possibility of helping a girl not unlike her past self avoid the road she now treads upon, Baiken reconsiders her own purpose in life.

Fighting heedless of its own destruction

Bedman now only refers to a broken robotic bed. In past games, however, Bedman was actually Delilah's big brother, Romeo. Both were born with a rare condition that, altough gave them hyper-intelligence and psychic capabilities, also forced them to control their own powers through great suffering. Romeo in particular had to be constantly sleeping otherwise his waking brain would "fry his entire body alive". Driven by the dream of creating a perfect world, where neither he or his sister would ever have to suffer again, Bedman would appear in Guilty Gear Xrd as an apocalyptic threat, a herald of the "absolute world", before being killed in the game's climax. Now only his broken (and allegedly possesed) bedframe remains.

Why Baiken and Bedman are the same character and what it means to escape the cycle

Superficially, there already a lot of similarities one can make between the two of them. Both are missing an eye as well as having their right arm severed and broken. Both fight aggresively and unrelentlessly, described in-game as "someone who actually wants to die during the match". Both endep up being Delilah's main parental figures. But it runs deeper than that. Both of them were introduced as secondary antagonists in their respective debuts, and stayed as overall morally grey characters, although Baiken was a full-on anti-hero while Bedman was more of a well-intentioned villain. Both had similar personal justifications for whatever atrocity they might be forced to commit to reach their goals; Baiken believed in budhist karma, and embraced all the bad karma her actions generated, fully accepting whatever torture would come her way if it meant getting the opportunity to get revenge, her actions were justified because whatever she did to other people, fate would do to her; Bedman realized that creating his absolute world would mean him getting full control of it, for every person he killed he would remember their names and details so he could later bring them back to life in the absolute world, he would do anything as long as it was for his sister, his actions were justified because whatever he took away, he would later force fate to give back. Both characters were stuck in a vicious circle of progressively worse violence, unwilling to escape due to their own personal beliefs, a circle that they wouldn't escape from until the events of Strive. Based primarily on their theme songs, its my personal theory that the circle both characters find themselves into could also well mean the Samsara, the circle of life and death. Lets start with Baiken:

Mirror of the world (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUlN4PkxqsM)

If that's what you call karma then I must be a demon

Baiken's theme has a literal budhist prayer as part of its lyrics, so it makes sense to start here.  The song showcases what we already know, that she is a karmic demon, willing to cut all ties with the living world to get revenge. She doesn't understand people loving and caring for her, as she has already come to terms with her own tragic demise as she sees herself as nothing more than a ghost of the past haunting the present. But at some point that changes. After meeting Delilah and convincing her that a life pursuing vengeance is not worth it and that she should never start that journey, Delilah on her part asks her if she can instead stay with her. Having family, for the first time since her childhood, awakens something in Baiken and forces her to make a decision. Being sure that staying in the cycle could in some way harm Delilha, Baiken foregoes revenge, she gives up on violence, she realizes that after all, there was always another way. She realizes that without that objective, she now needs to face her biggest challenge, finding true meaning in life. Although only explicitly about Baiken escaping the violent cycle of vengeance, there are strong budhist themes in Mirror of the world apart from the prayer, those being the idea of the destruction of the self to reach enlightenment. Baiken believed that finding death in battle would bring her nirvana, only to find that her idea of enlightenment by bloodshed was nothing more than a personal justification for violence. By abandoning her quest to live a different life, she has finally cut that last thread of self and is ready to follow the path to true enlightenment, she is ready to become a mirror of the world, she will be nothing and everything at the same time.

The circle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNyQdweaupY)

Consuming ten billion years in an instant and I'll come to you without a second thought

Bedman's theme, although not explicitly budhist at all, deals  with the same themes as Baiken's. Having the titular character being dead already, the song is sung from the perspective of the deceased Romeo trying to make sense of the afterlife. He talks of a circle, a very obvious Samsara reference, being the only thing after life, a circle that is absolute and infinite, black and white, finite and meaningless, all the same time, with no clear beginning or end, constantly repeating itself. We can assume that Bedman was not only trapped in a violent cycle of violence, but also is now trapped in the literal circle of life and death, despairing at the knowledge that eternal life and death exists, and that being trapped in its limbo, devoid of any divine warmth or choir, will make his existence meaningless. Unlike Baiken though, who tried and succeeded to escape it, Bedman instead ends up embracing and cherishing the eternal cycle for one simple reason. As long as he gets to reincarnate, he will get another chance at protecting and being with her beloved Delilah, as long as Delilah needs him, he will always come back to her, no matter how many endless limbos he has to go through to reach her again. Instead of fighting the circle, he gives in and accepts that, as long as the world needs him, he will not try to escape it. He finds purpose in the constant repetition of life and death, being always by Delilah's side.

Arhat and Bodhisattva

What I find really interesting about this is seeing two very similar characters go through the same crisis of faith and coming out with two different but not exclusive answers. When faced with the inminent Samsara, Baiken chose the path of the Arhat, reaching Nirvana through enlightenment, while Bedman chose the way of the Bodhisattva, a being that instead of choosing salvation for themselves, instead swore to liberate those around them to reach Nirvana alongside them. Quoting another Strive song What do you fight for "Everything in this world leads to soul enlightenment", what I find most endearing about this whole ordeal is how what made some of the most vicious characters in the series reconsider their own ways and drastically change the way they see their own spirituality wasn't a big life revelation or a magical cataclysm. It only was a little girl who missed her older brother and was looking for a big sister, nothing more than that, and it was enough to change at least 2 person's lives forever.

-Sergio Valtierra

[spotsupstuff]

im tryin to learn more bout buddhism for multiple reasons n so far ive come to this conclusion

[hinducosmos]

Bodhisattva - Swat Valley or Kashmir, 9th century

Kapoor Galleries Inc. wrote : The eight-armed bodhisattva with silver-inlaid eyes and pink copper lips dons an elaborate crown with a central petal resembling one side of a vajra. He is otherwise simply ornamented, seated in a meditative posture, holding a water pot in the lower proper-left hand and a blossoming lotus at his proper-left shoulder. He is likely a manifestation of the bodhisattva Lokesvhara, possibly Amoghapasha (the ‘Unfailing Lasso’).

The present figure comes from the Swat Valley in modern-day Pakistan. As the arts of Kashmir began to flourish under the Karkota Kings (600-855), who successfully ousted the Huns, the Swat Valley began to absorb their sophisticated bronze-casting tradition. This sculpture thus shares many qualities with Kashmiri examples such as the sophisticated metal inlay techniques and the style of the lion throne.

The throne style—a single row of lotus petals with an additional plinth supported by two front-facing lions around which a textile falls with tassels on either side—is one that became standard for the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent for hundreds of years. The earliest iteration of this particular style in Pakistan is attributed by an inscription in Proto-Sarada to early-seventh-century Gilgit (Rubin Museum of Art, acc. C2005.37.2). The present figure, however, possesses other qualities that place it later in history.

While this figure was crafted in the Swat Valley or Kashmir, the small traces of blue polychromy at the hair and cold gold at the face and neck indicate that this bodhisattva made its way to Tibet, where painting bronzes is customary. Moreover, it is incised with the Tibetan number “3” at the back of the throne, indicating the position of the bronze within a larger set, perhaps along with the aforementioned Maitreya. (via Instagram: Kapoor Galleries Inc.)

[crazyfox-archives]

A row of six stone images of Jizō Bodhisattva (地蔵菩薩)--one for each realm of transmigration: hell, hungry ghosts, animals, warlike demigods, humans, and heavenly beings--on the grounds of Jinmuji Temple (神武寺) in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture

Image from a travel blog featuring various iterations of Six Jizō (六地蔵) at various locations (see source)

[odettecarotte]

It is only the artist, or the person with the artist's eye, who sees the picturesqueness of the world around him. It is this which constitutes the artist's private possession of pleasure. For one picture he paints he sees a hundred, I might almost say a hundred thousand, which he might have painted. The streets, the fields, the lanes, are to him great public picture galleries, where he may constantly find delight without payment of an entrance fee.

Facts & ideas; short studies of life & literature, by Philip Gibbs

I found this by googling the phrase most helpful to me lately: “Fidelity to all that is” which I got from Rei Hance, who is now a bodhisattva getting wrung out by life; in previous iterations she starred in the The Blair Witch Project.  So sweet to read this Mr. Phillip Gibb’s words in Ye Old Google, as today I’ve been struggling with this exact phrase and wondering: how to metabolize “private possession of pleasure”? Specifically the alive little things you observe every day, on the street and in a park and on the bark of an oak tree? They make me very emotional and I want to share all of it and feel special and loved by other special humans, which is not always an option! What am I supposed to do with the rhymes and synchronicities? Other than laugh at myself for getting so hung up on a thorn catching my skin just as I hear Mark Lanegan sing, “Bite the thorn that pierces the skin.” And bite the thorn, I guess! Rei’s words are the prayer I bring a tree every day. Her work, she says, is metabolism. 

[inkweaver22-blr]

Here’s chapter eight! Just a short little bit of fluff for you all today! Hope you enjoy!

AO3 Link

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Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Eight: A Magical Morning

Tang wakes up in someone's arms. The resulting morning is nice.

----------

He was alone in the dimly lit cave. The voices, much less frantic but still persistent, called out his name. The golden-yellow light enveloped him

----------

Tang awoke slowly feeling warm and comfortable. He hummed in content as he snuggled into the arms of whoever was holding him. It seemed he was already in a relationship this cycle. That was nice.

The scholar took in a breath and caught the scent of the other person. Peaches and earth.

Sun Wukong.

This certainly wasn’t the first time he had been with the immortal monkey romantically. He actually became rather fond of him once he experienced the Monkey King’s softer side. Tang mused that it was hard not to when the cycles seemed to pair them together almost as often as they did with him and Pigsy.

He listened to Wukong’s gentle breathing for a few moments, enjoying the quiet moment of peace.

He supposed he should start his remembering ritual and see what this timeline had in store for him, but he really didn’t want to wake his partner by getting up. He could do it in bed, but that never got him as much details as reciting his memories in front of a mirror. Oh well, he could get a more accurate accounting of them later. He was much too comfortable to be bothered by it right now.

He focused.

He was the immortal monk Tripitaka. Unsurprising as half the time he was together with Wukong that was the case. He’d better start getting reaccustomed to being referred to by that name.

He had given up on reincarnation at the end of the Journey and entered into a relationship with Wukong, much to the monkey’s delight. Tripitaka smiled at the memory of Wukong’s reaction when he had agreed to be his partner in this cycle. MK’s happy stimming had nothing on the fifteen straight minutes of running and acrobatics the ecstatic Monkey King had displayed.

It had been three hundred years since the sealing of Demon Bull King and the pair had been living peacefully on Flower Fruit Mountain ever since.

Tripitaka blinked as he became a bit more awake at that. It had been five hundred years since the sealing when the staff had been pulled in the original timeline. That meant there was still two hundred years before anything he knew would happen would, well, happen.

That… was quite a lot of time.

Would the cycle even last that long? They usually only lasted the year of time from when MK became Wukong’s successor to the start of the second Journey to the West. If it did last the whole two hundred years, what would he even do in that time? He had memories of past cycles where he had lived that long, but had never personally experienced that much time passing.

Wukong shifted and pulled the monk closer to his chest.

“You’re thinking too much again,” Wukong murmured as he nuzzled the top of the scholar’s head.

“Sorry,” Tripitaka apologized softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Wukong settled back down and began to purr as he cuddled with him.

Tripitaka smiled as the vibrations from his partner’s chest soothed his worries. He had been a bit surprised to learn that most demons could purr many cycles ago, but now he couldn’t help but yearn for the comforting sensation. Thank the Heavens that Pigsy could do so as well or he’d have to wait until he was paired with Wukong to experience it again.

(That time he had been dating both demons and had gotten sandwiched between their purring had been incredible.)

The monk decided to treat this cycle as a relaxing vacation. God knew he needed one after reliving the same stressful year for countless iterations. Even if this cycle did only last a year, getting to spend it with someone he loved was more than worth it.

The Monkey King. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Bodhisattva of Victory Through Strife. Sun Wukong.

Tripitaka hadn’t thought he would have fallen in love with the immortal monkey, but fallen he had. In the original timeline, most of his feelings towards Wukong were more along the lines of hero worship than actual fondness. But getting to see the Monkey King grow as a person through the lens of Tripitaka’s memories had been enlightening.

Seeing first hand, so to speak, the change from being an impetuous, rude, and merciless demon to a focused, kind, and respectful warrior changed his perspective on Wukong quite drastically. He wasn’t some peerless hero to be placed on a pedestal. He was a person, with all the flaws and imperfections that came with that.

Wukong was still mischievous, pulling pranks and making sarcastic jokes. He had trouble expressing his fears and doubts, having to be confronted directly if you wanted to get him to open up. He always made himself scarce whenever it was time to fold the laundry.

Yet Tripitaka, and occasionally Tang, loved him anyway. He was endlessly sweet whenever they were together. Kind and gentle and caring. Tripitaka found it amusing that one of the strongest beings on Earth or in the Heavens was actually a hopeless romantic.

Surprise kisses, thoughtful gifts, and of course endless hours of cuddling were all to be expected if you found yourself to be the subject of the Monkey King’s love. Tripitaka enjoyed every moment of it.

“We should probably get up,” the monk eventually said.

“Don’t wanna,” Wukong replied, holding Tripitaka tighter.

“Wukooooong,” Tripitaka pretended to whine, not even fighting the embrace. “We can’t stay in bed the whole day.”

“Says who?”

“Says me!”

“Well it's a good thing you're not my master anymore so I don’t have to listen to you.” Wukong opened one eye and grinned teasingly at the monk.

“Oh you asked for it now.”

Tripitaka instinctively waved his hand and a burst of magical energy pulled open the curtains, flooding the room with the soft morning light.

What.

The monk stared blankly at his hands as Wukong groaned dramatically about the sun being his mortal enemy. Quickly muttering something about relieving himself, Tripitaka extracted himself from the bed and made his way to the restroom. Luckily there was a mirror so he could go a bit more in depth in recalling this cycle’s memories.

He soon found what he had missed on his first pass-over.

Tripitaka was a budding sorcerer who was studying how to harness his innate magic in this timeline.

Well.

That certainly changed some things.

At least now he had something to fill his time if the cycle did last two whole centuries.

After finishing up and washing his hands, Tripitaka made his way back to the bedroom where Wukong was now sitting up and stretching.

“So what’s on your agenda for today, love?” The immortal monkey turned to his partner as he entered, smiling serenely.

“Hmm…” Tripitaka thought for a moment. What was he going to do? He blinked as something from a long past cycle came to him.

“I’m going to try and see if I can modify the fire repelling ward into a ritual so that people without magic can cast it,” he began slowly, getting more excited as he warmed up more to the idea. “Imagine people being able to place it on their own homes and not having to worry about them being destroyed in a fire!”

Wukong chuckled as he stepped out of bed and pulled Tripitaka into a passionate kiss. He pulled away and gazed lovingly into the monk’s eyes.

“Have I ever told you how much I love seeing you get excited over your projects?”

“Perhaps once or twice,” a now flustered Tripitaka replied. Wukong just grinned and kissed him again.

“Well I do. I love the way your eyes light up. I love the way your hands wave when you’re explaining your process. I love the way you squint at your work when something isn’t going as you thought.” The monkey pressed his forehead against the monk’s, staring passionately at him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Tripitaka replied sincerely.

If this was what the next two hundred years were going to be like, he couldn’t wait.

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I hope the name change wasn’t too confusing for you all. If it is, I’ll switch it back.

For those confused about Tang's actions, he is NOT cheating on Pigsy here. Tang has a big heart and is certainly capable of loving more than one person at a time. So whenever he’s in a relationship with one but not the other, he loves that person romantically and the other platonically.

And if the other wants to join in, all the better!

Whenever none of them have romantic feelings for each other, that’s fine too because he still loves them no matter what.

Hundreds of years of reliving the same events allows you to get to know someone really well, and I think anyone would have difficulty NOT falling in love with them.

That’s all for now! See you next time!

[mechanicalriddle]

Journal Time

HERE it is, my Exalted Secret Santa journal for this year! Sorry for being late on this, whomstever my secret santa is, I’ve been a little busy finishing my last semester of college but I had a spare couple of hours today to get this out.

BROKEN STAR is a day caste, and a loyalist under the command of the bodhisattva anointed by dark waters. In life he was the youngest detective in Onyx PD’s homicide division. He can never shy away from a good mystery, though if he'd learned some restraint he might still be alive...

Star is 21 years old, a goofy, immature try-hard who worships his boss religiously, despite the fact that his new un-life is kind of a deeply traumatic nightmare and all his coworkers think he’s obnoxious. With a little time and a more thorough brainwashing he’d make an excellent enforcer for the bodhisattva’s secret police, though whether he will even make it that far is questionable at best. Currently he’s lost in a distant corner of creation thousands of miles from home, after a detour through the labyrinth separated him from his company and also resulted in the neverborn being wired directly into his brain. He’s joined forces,  much to his master’s chagrin, with a pair of unaffiliated deathknights who had also gone in search of the invisible fortress.

Appearance-wise, he’s a little on the short side (5′5″) with a compact, athletic build, also the victim of some overenthusiastic necrosurgery. the little extraneous metal bits are the result of the artifact he wields, which are wings made out of knives, i don’t often draw the knives in detail because its a huge pain in the ass. No the wings do not come off (though the feathers can); neither does the mask, that’s holding his brains in! Overall he is just sort a nasty boy. He wears like two outfits because everything has to be custom-tailored but you can put him in whatever you want really. Also his anima is a writhing mass of frantic black birds dark enough to blot out the sun.

I have a lot of pictures of this guy. No really. Like a lot of fucking pictures. Here is his main, most updated ref; a lot of the other pictures I linked are from various previous iterations of his design. You can also look through his tumblr tag though it is mainly jokes about birds and also his mortifying dietary habits; he has an aesthetic tag as well though I don’t often update it.

---

TEPET JERAI is an ex-dynast wood aspect. He used to be part of the tepet legions, but bailed after some shit went down and fled eastward to spend a few decades as some kind of forest hermit. 

Jerai never really “got” his family’s competitive mentality, nor their taste for violence, conquering, and forcing the weak under their heel. Despite this he recieved instruction in the art of military strategy and wartime medicine at the House of Bells; it took many more years to unlearn what he had learned there. He has not been home since long before the Bull of the North laid waste to a third of the house’s scions, though he delights at his family’s misfortunes. Among the Tepets his name is spoken only in harsh whispers.

Jerai is real small (5′2″). Don’t let the dad bod fool you, he’s significantly stronger and faster than he looks. Clothes are mostly made of natural materials; he tends to wear and carry a lot of things, though his fashion still has a bit of a dynastic flair to it, it’s pretty subdued. Overall he has kind of a rolling plains-based schtick which shows in his aspect markings (dandelions in his hair in the spring and summer, dead grass in the winter) as well as his anima, a field full of tattered banners and broken, rusted weaponry. His horse (?) is a boon from a nature god; she is a baby and rascal.

Here is an updated ref I made of him for secret santa. I also have a bunch of older pictures of him you can reference as well: (x)(x)(x)

i have ONE more character for this writeup, which is one I don’t believe i’ve talked about on here before

---

GRIN PORTENT LOOMING OVER FIELDS OF WAR, or Grim, as she is known, was once one of First and Forsaken Lion’s most terrifying singular forces of military might. She is a Midnight and a war supernal, once as vicious, callous and cruel as they come. But one day, something changed. 

Grim exists in the Hour in Black universe (same as Star), set about 5 years after most games traditionally are. She has been on many-a-campaign, and conquered many-a-city at the whim of her Master. On one of these, a troublesome rogue appeared to thwart her plans. The trickster came back, again and again, always with some new wrench to throw into her plans. Eventually she confronted them, when the two stumbled into the claws of a Raksha, and were trapped in its reality-warping mind prison for several weeks. When finally they had escaped, working together with only each other as company, they had come to an understanding. 

The lunar, Prince of Strays (owned by @heedra​), became a frequent visitor of Grim’s personal manse. The satisfaction of violence and total dominion began to dull, and the fulfillment of her duties as a deathknight began to tire her. Even more, they disgusted her. Eventually she had made a slip-up which forced her hand, and the two ran away together to a remote forest in the northeast. There they live in a cabin, miles from any sort of civilization as a necessary precaution, and together raise their two mortal daughters.

Grim wears two faces- one she hid behind a helmet, and another she is still only just becoming comfortable with.  Tall and muscular enough to be intimidating to most, she converses in a curt, military cadence, though she is slowly learning to find softness again. She has locked away all her most dangerous effects in a place where tiny little hands can’t mistakenly grab them, but is still ready to don her dreadful soulsteel plate again should the need arise. 

She wears simple clothes in muted tones, loose shirts with long skirts or trousers. Here she is in a set of lamellar, this is sort of the nicest picture I have of her and it’s really a shame there aren’t more. Her anima is... ehhh, I think it may be a city in ruin, shrouded in darkness, under a looming crimson sky.

addendum: “where is tedeo what have you done to him!!” he is fine! he just got a picture last year, so I felt like some of my other Guys should have a chance. you can draw him if you want though you’re gonna have to dig up some refs for that yourself.

Feel free to take some liberties, if you want to design them a new outfit or anything like that, by all means, go nuts.

Good luck, and godspeed.

[starbudspresents]

DGM 231 - Panthaleia’s Translation Notes

Hello, dear friends and fellow fans! We return to the rubble of Tumblr you with DGM 231, the first chapter of this new year. Thanks for sticking with us!

Please see below the cut for my translation notes and reactions, as per usual. If you have any questions, do feel free to come say hi on Discord at Panthaleia#9705. :3

The Novel I'm Not Writing About DGM & Buddhism

Oooooookay, first things first! The four bubbles across Allen's collar on the cover page say 生々流転 seiseiruten. When spelled 生生流転 (homophonous), it simply means "ever-changing," but when spelled the way it is here (fantastic catch, thank you so much @togaochi​ ♥), it's defined as "all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration​."

That concept is much more succinctly described by the Sanskrit term saṃsāra. Now, to preclude confusion: yes, if you look up "samsara" in a Japanese dictionary, you'll get 輪廻 rin'ne rather than this. That said, this term is if anything more specific and descriptive than that one. See also 生死輪廻 seishirin'ne, which has the exact same definition as seiseiruten; think "cell" vs. “cellular phone” vs "mobile telephone." All words for the same thing, with varying degrees of descriptiveness. 

The concept of samsara shows up in several religions (notably Buddhism, Hindu, and Jainism). The one most relevant to DGM by far is Buddhism, and this is far from the first time I've run into it in search of answers.

Crash course on some Buddhist jargon for those of you who aren't familiar:

The word samsara, meaning "continuous flow," describes the beginningless and potentially endless cycle of life and existence, through birth and living and death to re-birth and so on. It could also easily be pictured as a helix, if you'd prefer, and that could in fact make some of DGM a little easier to understand.

(If I may take a moment to get super self-indulgent here: a very related philosophical concept is panta rhei, "everything flows", which is what my "panthaleia" handle is mostly based on. This chapter very nearly literally has my name written on it. IT'S A SIGN. Of.... something. Not sure what, exactly, but IT'S A SIGN.)

Every living thing is trapped within this cycle by its attachments and its ignorance of the truth, which causes great suffering and generates karma, which then affects the shape of one's next life. (Yes, Alma's second name is that for a reason.)

There are a number of branching denominations of Buddhism, much as there are of Christianity, and while they mostly share certain core tenets such as the Eightfold Path, they vary widely in ideals and practice. The influences I see on DGM mostly come from a Japanese variant called Shingon ("True Words") and its predecessors: Shingon is a descendant of Tibetan Vajrayana, which is in turn sometimes considered to be part of the broader East Asian Mahayana umbrella.  

I've talked a little bit about Shingon before, because all the chanted spells used throughout the series follow the pattern of Shingon mantras and Kanda's tattoo is written in Siddhaṃ (theorized to be the predecessor of both modern kana systems, by the way).

Shingon shares its overarching goal with its predecessors: rather than seeking to break the cycle just for one's own self and achieve individual escape from suffering (as in Theravada, for example), one should seek to become an enlightened being — a bodhisattva — and willingly continue to subject oneself to the cycle in order to help those who are struggling and thereby bring the whole world closer to moksha ("liberation") and subsequent/synonymous nirvana one step at a time.

Obviously, reincarnation and transmigration play a massive role in DGM. Let me list just a few of the ways in which this particular concept is a running theme throughout the story:

The Noah fragments being reincarnated into new bodies without also reincarnating the human souls they previously coexisted with;

The Earl's victims having their souls transmigrated in the bodies of their loved ones to rebirth them as Akuma;

The Third Exorcists, also transmigrated into new bodies to bring them back (Helix magic in general, really, including the Atuuda);

Nea's transmigration into Allen (not a rebirth, but an avoidance of death while waiting for a chance at rebirth), as well as Allen's regression to childhood via de-aging and memory loss;

The original Earl (Adam in my theories, fyi, in case I reference that later) deliberately rebirthing himself in smaller pieces for goals as yet unknown;

The Bookmen keeping records of each iteration of the repeating narrative, ever-changing but eternal themselves;

Even fukkin Komlin, lmao, constantly destroyed and improved and remade.

So many others? Soooo many others.

The eureka moment (for me): this chapter is subtitled "Curtain Rise," as in the beginning of a stage play when the curtain goes up. If you'll think all the way back to the very first chapters of the series, you may remember that the Earl's Scenario is meant to bring about curtain fall... on humanity.

Looking at that in the context of samsara, that whole thing suddenly looks very different. Our heroes assumed that the Earl's victory would result in the destruction of the world, the destruction of humanity, but I've never bought that idea from the very start. When the curtains finally close on samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth, humanity will not be "dead" in the tragic sense, but free. Nirvana =/= death. Nirvana is the peace of being one with all, knowing all, loving and being loved by all without the need for suffering. It isn't "heaven" in the Christian sense, but it is an end to suffering, without also being an end to existence.

Tragedy and suffering are the consequences of remaining bound to the cycle. Directly using the energy of them in order to break the cycle creating them, as the Earl claims to be doing with the Akuma, is a very very Vajrayana idea, and fits seamlessly into my existing suppositions as to what the Earl is doing and why. Here, have a relevant quote:

Negative mental factors such as desire, hatred, greed, pride are not rejected as in non-Tantric Buddhism, but are used as part of the path. As noted by French Indologist Madeleine Biardeau, tantric doctrine is "an attempt to place kama, desire, in every meaning of the word, in the service of liberation."

 And another, from the Hevajra tantra:

Those things by which evil men are bound, others turn into means and gain thereby release from the bonds of existence. By passion the world is bound, by passion too it is released.

One more, same source:

One knowing the nature of poison may dispel poison with poison.

Bluntly put, I think the (original) Earl was an enlightened soul — a bodhisattva — who voluntarily returned to the cycle via deliberate rebirth into multiple ignorant beings in order to help heal the struggling world of its suffering via bringing about enlightenment viiiaaaa SUFFERING HARDER. Good Plan™?

Here are a few more related meta posts from a few years ago, just so I can find them again when I inevitably decide to delve deeper into this:

Helix magic will be the key to the plot

It's all happened before

Destroyer of Time

2.) I'm so delighted to see Mana as he was when Allen knew him before, genteel and whimsical and delighted with Allen's existence. It's easy to understand why Allen would become so attached to him.

3.) Raws for the "Therefore I write many of them, as if God can see me doing so. / As if He might find me" lines: こうして神さまに見えるように沢山書くんです　／　見つけてもらえるように  These don’t sit well with me, so I’ll probably change them in the future. The gist is that he’s drawing them in order to draw God’s attention to him.

Raws for "Here I am": 私はここにいる。@togaochi and I concur that he uses watashi here instead of his own preferred boku because he's teaching it to Allen, and means it as a more general "I."

Anyway: hooooo boy, here's some more evidence for the Two Gods theory. And how!

It seems pretty safe to assume he's not calling out to the Order's God, since that god would pretty happily wipe him off the face of the earth. The Noah have called that god "false," though, and expressed their intent and desire to kill it, while still referring to a "God" entity of their own whom they regard as being on their side (or perhaps, they're on its side).

Mana calling out to the Noah god to come find him, without remembering why he wants that, is very interesting. I wonder if and how anyone answered him.

4.) I have a strong hunch that Mana's "secret alphabet" is also related to Siddhaṃ, but that language is written in such a complex way that it's actually impossible for me to be sure without just... learning it. Which! To be clear! I fucking well might. WATCH ME.

5.) This entire scene is so much to me. How furious they both are that the other won't just let themselves be saved/protected. Allen wanted to leave Kanda behind so he and the others would be safe from everything that's hunting him. Kanda wants Allen to stay put so they can save him from what he can't fight alone. All that rage and frustration, because they care.

Quick note: in the first draft we initially posted on Imgur via our Discord server, I had the subject wrong for one of Kanda's lines here, which I caught and fixed. Sorry for any confusion that may have caused!

5.5) ETA: Forgot to mention that I’m fairly sure the beautiful Grecian-style temple they’re hanging out in is referenced from St. Bernard’s Well, again in Edinburgh. Excuse me, “Edinston.”

Thanks to an enterprising anon, we have a much better match for that structure: the Dugald Stewart Monument! 

6.) "maybe I'll go sucker-hunting" CARD SHARK ALLEN LIIIIIVES, where's Tyki when you need him (to lose his shirt again)

7.) fjkldjlkagd the turnaround where Allen finally cracks and is like "fine!! you want in?? IN YOU GET. no take-backsies! happy now???" and Kanda's like "yep, here I am" and neither of them have ANY IDEA how to deal with ANY OF IT. Kanda struggling to pull Allen's story out of him without throwing up his hands and quitting. Allen baffled and twice as guarded as before, put off by Kanda's uncharacteristic interest.

So beautiful, it brings a tear to my eye. (Actually, many tears. So... so many tears.)

8.) That apology, which I never thought I'd get, for Allen having seen what Kanda would never have consented to show him. It wasn't his fault, and they both know that, but the fact still remains that it was a violation, and I've always always wished for that to be addressed somehow and HERE IT IS. RIGHT HERE.

I want to tattoo that look on Kanda's face onto my brain.

9.) And then they're FUCKING INTERRUPTED, AGAIN

But Allen's "ask me again when we're done dealing with this" was such a promise of trust that I can't even be that mad, augh.

Onward to the bitter end, I guess!! Haha!!!! · ͜͜  · - 

Thank you all so much for reading and following along! I’d like to tip my hat to Kougeki Scans, who love this series too and are helping us spoil the fandom rotten. :P  Again, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to either find us on Discord HERE, find me on Discord at Panthaleia#9705, or use the comment box on MangaDex! I’m always happy to geek out with fellow fans. <3

[caveartfair]

The Complex Meanings behind Hand Gestures in Buddhist Art

北齊 北響堂山北窟 石雕佛手 (石灰岩) , Right Hand of Buddha, ca. 550–560, China (Northern Xiangtangshan, North Cave). Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ming Wooden Seated Bodhisattva, 1368-1644. Unknown Chinese Barakat Gallery

To understand Buddhist art is to understand a rich language of vibrant colors, intricate jewelry, and symbolic gestures. One facet of its sweeping lexicon, mudras, or hand gestures, offer a framework to begin to unpack the nuanced visual culture of one of the world’s most widely practiced religions.

The term mudra literally translates to “seal,” like a stamp, explained Elena Pakhoutova, curator at the Rubin Museum, in an interview with Artsy. But the primary function of these gestures is not a visible one. Mudras are “an embodiment of internal processes that can also be externally observed,” Pakhoutova said, adding that depictions of mudras are easily understood by people who practice Buddhism and are familiar with the states of mind the gestures indicate.

Ranging from the poetic and complicated Wheel of Dharma mudra to the prosaic, universal prayer symbol, mudras reference anecdotes from the historical Buddha’s life and convey elements of Buddhist practice like meditation and teaching. Some gestures, like the meditation mudra, may be familiar to those who practice yoga.

Buddhism was founded in the 6th century B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in present-day Nepal. After his enlightenment, he became known as Shakyamuni, or the historical Buddha. (A common misconception is that there is only one Buddha; Shakyamuni is but one of several significant Buddhas, including Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi.) Over the millennia, his teachings spread across East Asia, evolving into multifaceted sects along the way. Today, about 488 million people around the world practice Buddhism, most in one of the three major traditions: Theravada, Mahayana, and Esoteric.

Esoteric sects, found largely in Tibet and Japan, use mudras most extensively, both in practice and in art. Hand gestures are used by Buddhas, monks, practitioners, and bodhisattvas—beings who have delayed enlightenment to help guide those on earth in attaining it. Bodhisattvas appear only in imagery from the Esoteric and Mahayana traditions. In the Theravada tradition, which is common in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, mudras are usually limited to the gestures associated with Shakyamuni.

Of the hundreds of extant mudras and their myriad readings across cultures, here, we describe seven of those most commonly found in Buddhist art. The names of the gestures are given in Sanskrit, the language of early Mahayana Buddhist texts, and are accompanied by English translations.

Bhumisparsha, the Earth Touching mudra

Seated Buddha Reaching Enlightenment. Central Tibet, 11th-12th century. Tibet and India: Buddhist Traditions and Transformations, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Seated Shakyamuni Buddha, with hands in Bhumisparsha mudra, ca. 751. Near Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province, Korea

According to Buddhist retellings, the moment Shakyamuni became the Buddha, he pointed toward the Earth, calling it to bear witness to his enlightenment. “That is what it is all about, that’s what we all want to do as Buddhists, so it’s the absolute most frequent mudra you’re going to see,” Adriana Proser, curator of traditional Asian art at the Asia Society in New York, told Artsy.

The gesture—left palm in the lap, facing up, while the right hand rests on the right knee, palm down and fingers pointed down—is only seen in seated statues. Unlike many of the other mudras—which are shared among Buddhas, bodhisattvas, priests, and practitioners alike—in most traditions, this position is unique to Shakyamuni.

Shakyamuni uses this same gesture in multiple iterations of his story. As he approaches enlightenment, the demon Mara tries to throw him off course, sending women to seduce him and detract from his meditation. In one version, Shakyamuni responds by pointing his hand to the ground to call on the gods, who rise out of the ground to kill Mara’s demon army. In another, having retained his concentration, Shakyamuni uses this same motion to call upon the Earth to legitimize him as beholder of the Bodhi throne.

Dharmachakra, the Wheel of Dharmamudra

Crowned Buddha Shakyamuni , ca. 8. Rubin Museum of Art

“Dharmachakrastambha” (Buddhist Wheel of the Law Pillar) Relief, 2nd–3rd century A,D. India (probably Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh). Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Each Buddhist sect has its own visual language, but there is some iconic imagery that transcends them. “Sri Lankan Buddhists may not necessarily find Tibetan Buddhism that legible,” Pakhoutova explained, “but some of these universal mudras…could be quite easily understood [by all].” The dharmachakra mudra, which calls to mind the Buddha’s first sermon at Deer Park after defeating Mara, has this strong significance across sects.

Formed by joining the thumbs and forefingers of both hands in a wheel shape, the gesture evokes a sense of motion and wholeness. In Buddhism, the wheel represents the perfection of Buddhist law. It also suggests the transmission of the law to sentient beings through an unending, cyclical process of teaching and learning.

The mudra can also be applied to Shakyamuni more directly. Shakyamuni is sometimes referred to as dharmacakravartin, or “he who puts the wheel in motion,” E. Dale Saunders notes in Mudrā: A Study of Symbolic Gestures in Japanese Buddhist Sculpture (1960). “As [the wheel] passes through the world, [it] crushes all evil, all error, all enemies of the Law,” he writes.

Dhyani, the Meditation mudra

The Buddha of Immeasurable Life Amitayus Buddha, 19th century. Rubin Museum of Art

Meditating Buddha, ca. 3rd–5th century, Pakistan. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The dhyani mudra is connected to Indian samādhi, the practice of intensely meditating on a single object in order to become completely absorbed in thought. The position functions as a way of entering a state of deep concentration, and has also become a visual shorthand for stillness and relaxation.

Only seen in seated statues, dhyani is usually done in the kekka fuza posture—right foot sole up against the left thigh, while the back of the right hand rests on the upturned palm of the other, and the thumbs touch. In Buddhist imagery, the fingers of this position have three forms. In the first, which originated in India, the fingers remain flat. In the second, which is common in Chinese Wei Buddhism, the thumbs join in a triangle shape. This may symbolize the mystical triangle yoni—the womb of all things—or tri-ratna (Buddha, doctrine, community). In the third iteration, seen in Japanese Esoteric imagery, the last two phalanges of the index fingers are in a vertical position, pressed against each other.

According to Proser, in dhyani, the top hand symbolizes enlightenment, and the bottom, the world of appearances. Shakyamuni is said to have been in this posture when Mara came to torment him, and in Buddhist practice, bodhisattvas, priests, and monks take this posture to recall Shakyamuni.

Varada, the Charity mudra

Standing Amida Nyorai, Mid–late 13th century. Asia Society

Buddha Preaching, 8th–early 9th century, central of northeastern Thailand. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor’s note: the hand on the right side of the image is performing the Varada gesture.

The varada mudra is known as the “gesture of dispensing favors.” The palm is open and empty, and the fingers may be slightly bent, as if holding a ball. In a standing figure, the arm extends slightly out, and in a sitting figure, the hand is at the breast, slightly to the side.

The gesture’s Japanese word, segan-in, emphasizes the historical Buddha’s original vow to strive for all beings’ salvation. The Sanskrit term vara, also known as varada, highlights the Buddha granting the vow. Despite this reference to Shakyamuni, this gesture is more commonly exhibited by bodhisattvas. Varada is also a frequent symbolic gesture for Avalokiteśhvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, whom Proser described as the most popular bodhisattva in the Mahayana tradition.

Abhaya, the Fear Dispelling mudra

Standing Buddha, 7th–8th century, Thailand. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Buddha, late 6th–early 7th century, India (probably Bihar). Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The raised palm that characterizes abhaya has no shortage of meanings across cultures. According to Saunders, this gesture is seen in depictions of the Roman emperor Severus, and was used to perform blessings in Jewish ritual. In Christian iconography, Christ performs the gesture to designate himself as the “all-powerful monarch,” ruler of the universe. In the U.S., colloquially, it means “stop.” In Buddhism, the gesture relates to a story about Devadatta, Shakyamuni’s cousin and disciple. Devadatta turns against him, setting an intoxicated elephant after his cousin. With a simple raise of his right hand, Shakyamuni brings the elephant to a halt.

Abhaya, as the gesture has come to be known, is the mudra of blessing or protection. Proser called it a “gesture of reassurance,” and in Saunders’s book, it is described as the “mudrā which grants the absence of fear.” It is done uniquely by the right hand, though over time, the hand in this gesture has gradually moved down the body. In the earliest images from Gandhara (in what is now Pakistan), the hand is at shoulder level, whereas by the 5th century, the hand settled just above the hip.

Abhaya is often paired with the varada mudra. The two gestures have an aesthetic balance, but also share thematic similarities. Both offer a gift: Abhayamudra, the gift of reassurance; varada, the gift of charity.

Vitarka, the Teaching mudra

Buddha Expounding the Dharma, late 8th century Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura). Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Lama (Teacher), Gyurme Dorje, 17th century. Rubin Museum of Art

Pakhoutova likens mudras to ancient punctuation. Like the diction in a sentence, the mudra is akin to an exclamation point or semicolon—it gives a particular mood to an image. Vitarka, which is inextricably linked to speech and still used colloquially in secular contexts—as an argumentative gesture in India, a signal of approval in the U.S., and as profanity in Brazil—exemplifies mudras’ emphatic function.

In this mudra, the thumb and forefinger, generally on the right hand, touch to form a circle. The left hand points down, facing out. If the figure is seated, the palm is up and resting in the lap. As a whole, the gesture evokes an impassioned professor accentuating a point mid-lecture.

The circle, much like the dharmachakra mudra, resembles the perfect and eternal Buddhist law. In Esoteric traditions, the right hand represents wisdom; the thumb, mediation; and the index finger, air. Together, the thumb and index finger suggest the efforts of Shakyamuni. In India, this gesture is performed most frequently by Buddhas. In Japan, it is seen in representations of Shakyamuni, and is also common to Amitabha Buddha, the cult figure of the Pure Land sect of Buddhism.

Anjali, the Salutation mudra

Thangka with Bejeweled Buddha Preaching, 1648, Nepal. Courtesy of The Cleveland Museum of Art,

勢至菩薩, Attendant Bodhisattva Seishi, late 12th–13th century, Japan. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

At first glance, the anjali mudra—in which the fingertips are interlocked and all the fingers of the right hand rest against the left—looks like a prayer symbol particularly common in Judeo-Christian contexts. In yoga, the gesture is often paired with the word namaste, which translates to “the light in me bows to the light in you.” In Buddhist imagery, it is more closely associated with greeting than prayer. It is also known as the “mudrā of adoration” and, in Saunders’s book, as the “diamond handclasp.”

As a salutation, this mudra is not done by Shakyamuni himself, but is seen used by bodhisattvas, holy men, and kings. In one 17th-century painting from Nepal, a bejeweled Buddha in the center of the composition preaches to several figures making the anjali mudra.

Saunders explains that in some readings, the hands coming together symbolizes the unification of the two essential aspects in life, “the spiritual and the material,” or the “static and the dynamic.” In a poetic symbolic gesture, the hands’ position under the mouth shows respect to words spoken.

from Artsy News

[phynxrizng]

EVERYDAY SACRED LIVING WITH KIMBERLY F. MOORE

June New Moon in Cancer Divination – Finding Your Flow

JUNE 22, 2017

Source, By KIMBERLY MOORE

The moon is NEW at 10:21pm on Friday, June 23, 2017. The Super Moon is home in watery Cancer, expressing at once the feminine wisdom of the Great Goddess and our own emotions with the moon, the Mother, the watery womb of our birth. This moon and lunation is a time to feel the feels and dive deep into the depths of our emotional experiences.

What nourishes you? Where are you supported? How is your heart? And, perhaps most importantly, where are you not nourished and supported?

Cancer represents the oceans that humanity began in and the waters of the wombs that brought us here. Cancer knows that water holds memory. Cancer knows that each tear shed can be a release of the past. Cancer knows the importance of understanding our genesis in order to consciously and compassionately create our present. ~ Chani Nicholas

We may find in this lunation that we are drawn more to family, calming activities and practices, with a craving for comforts of the heart. And couch time with ice cream. This is not the BOOM of the last Full Moon (also a Super Moon), but a sweeter and gentler cycle which is good, because I still have an existential Full Moon hangover.

Our beloved trickster, Mercury, is only a few degrees from the New Moon and generously (and positively) influencing our communications and collaborations. Remain open to receiving messages from within and without in the next few weeks. All the cosmic convocations right now bring a fertile time for psychic and inner journey work.

The lunar is combining with the solar with celebration of Midsummer, the Summer Solstice. New beginnings, opportunities to reset and branch into new directions are palpable right now, especially influenced with a close New Moon. The seeds and intentions that are your focal point this week will have far-reaching effects throughout the rest of the year! Choose wisely and be very clear. Emotions can affect the clarity of our intentions. Take a deep breath and roll with our two very potent Mama Goddesses!

“A Woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself.” ~Maya Angelou

Ways to sync to this New Moon:

Spend time dipping into the waters of Mnemosyne Goddess Remembrance) – share family stories, gather pictures from the past, and light a candle to your Ancestors Take a dip – a relaxing bath, swims in a pool, or head to the ocean, river, lake, pond. Connect with the Goddesses of Sacred Waters.

Use divination to inspire journaling or vision board activities for personal intention setting Give and receive oracle and tarot readings with your friends Guided meditations to Goddess, Guardians, and Allies – gather your Spirit Guides for a wisdom download Gentle yoga sequences that stretch and heal Clean your sacred space and create an Altar of Intention for the second half of the year Random acts of kindness and compassion, to your Self and others

Record your dreams for symbols and messages I can safely say that our key word for the New Moon and the next few weeks is floooooooooooooow. Lakshmi and Kuan Yin, paired with the Fountain card, immerse us in sacred waters which cleanse AND renew.

Take the time to float, dream, and connect in the waters of Goddess; you are safe.

Lakshmi throws the spell of the intoxicating sweetness of the divine; to be close to her is a profound happiness and to feel her within the heart is to make existence a rapture and a marvel; grace and charm and tenderness flow out from her like light from the sun and wherever she fixes her wonderful gaze or lets fall the loveliness of her smile, the soul is seized and made captive and plunged into the depths of an unfathomable bliss.  Shri Aurobindo – The Mother

Embodied within the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi is everything that makes life sweet and wonderful.  She is success, prosperity, beauty, fertility, the luster of life that invigorates us and propels us forward in joy and happiness.  Shri Lakshmi is every form and expression of goodness in the Universe and if she were to turn her gorgeous face from us, the world would die.

The place of Lakshmi’s essence, where she and Vishnu retreat, is to the Ocean of Milk. It is also the source of Amrita, the nectar of immortal life. Lakshmi as Sri is auspiciousness. In Lakshmi, we see the Shakti that embodies the vitality of life and the ability to preserve, sustain it (making note here that Vishnu, her consort, is also called the Sustainer, the Preserver through her Shakti powers).

She is the water of life ~ the nectar of the heart. In the material world, she is beauty and light, flowing waters, and blooming flowers. One of her many names is Kamala – lotus – which represents the female yoni and spiritual transformation. She is almost always depicted seated on a lotus or holding lotuses.

During this New Moon, meditate on your flow. How do you define prosperity? Can you see the obstacles to achieving prosperity as you define it? Gratitude is vital to working harmoniously with Lakshmi. She will not remain where there is pride, arrogance, greed or harshness. Unlike Durga, she will not ride into battle; she will simply withdraw and take her blessings with her.

As you ponder flowwwwww in your life, also consider collaborations and partnerships that may be of benefit. This Cancer Moon with Mercury’s influence could be auspicious for uniting forces!

This Cancer New Moon invites us to seek refuge in the healing of the Great Mother, to float supported on the waves of her love. Is there a safer refuge than in the heart of Kuan Yin, She Who Hears the Cries of the World?

Kwan Yin is the calm in the storm, a beacon to the needy, the Mother who bends gracefully and willingly to respond to the fears of her children. She also can embody fierce compassion as she wields the sword to cut through delusion and expose the truth. She is sometimes depicted calmly riding a dragon through a raging sea. Sailors have reported seeing her in this form during storms when they thought they were sure to perish. Kwan Yin calmed the waves and saved them.

For this lunation, I invite you to calm your own personal storms through the grace of Kuan Yin. To seek refuge and sanctuary with this Bodhisattva who embodies kindness, compassion, and peace. Her Chinese Mantra, NAMO GUAN-SHIH-YIN PUSA, lends itself to petitioning that refuge …

NAMO   (I call upon or take refuge in)

GUAN-SHIH-YIN   (Kwan Yin, She Who Hears the Cries of the World)

PUSA  (bodhisattva)

As you sink into Kuan Yin, allow release to happen. Let it Go as the card advises. She cleanses us, purifies us, and then refills us with unconditional love of the highest vibration. What needs to be released? How may you surrender to the healing power of Goddess and the influence of this Moon? There is no need to suffer, to wrap yourself in pain, when the promise of Kuan Yin as Bodhisattva can ease you and carry you for a bit. Open your heart to be renewed.

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.” ~ Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

The Fountain Card from the Moon Oracle brings us back to our lunar themes … flow. sacred waters. womb wisdom. nourishment. sustenance. renewal. emotional experience.

Water is our origin, our physical and spiritual essence. The tides of our feminine selves renews and restores all in time with the Moon, in time with the tides across the whole of Gaia. We are literally pulled by the Moon into glorious, magickal sync.

Can you feel the fountain welling up inside of you? The messages of origin written in the waves of your soul? The renewal of your wisdom wellspring sourced to Goddess and your woman magick? And do you re-member that all of this is available to you in each moment, each breath, all just for you? Be the vessel of primordial sacred wisdom and pour forth as a fountain!

Wishing you the blessings of flow and the Goddesses of Sacred Waters!

xo Kimberly

New Moon Ideas and Resources:

Craft your own New Moon Ceremony using this ritual.

Join with friends and Sister Tribe to divine and support each other in journey work!

Crystals to sync with the element of Water: amber, ammonite, angelite, aquamarine, aragonite, bloodstone, blue calcite, blue chalcedony, calcite, celestite, charoite, chrysoprase, dolemite, elestial quartz, emerald, fluorite, green aventurine, green calcite, howlite,labradorite, larimar, leopardskin jasper, lepidolite, mookaite jasper, moonstone, muscovite, opal, orange calcite, pink calcite, pink tourmaline, record-keeper quartz, rhodocrosite, rose quartz, selenite rose, selenite, shell fossil, snowflake obsidian, stilbite (Contact me for a custom crystal pack)

Check out all of the new goodies at Red Wholistic – Sprays and crystals!

Lakshmi and Quan Yin are both from Archangel Oracle by Doreen Virtue

The Fountain – The Moon Oracle by Caroline Smith

Cosmic resources:

Astrology Update from Mary on MotherHouse of the Goddess

Audrey Alison (who uses Tarot and Astrology).

Chani Nicholas Horoscopes

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[icyxmischief]

// I could see Loki really being interested in the Merlin mythos, specifically the Mists of Avalon kind of thing. All about the triple goddess and priestesses, and how it was viewed that the goddess of the Old Religion evolved, in a way, into the Virgin Mary of Christianity. Further, despite Jesus and God being named as the big men, when you are truly desperate, you are supposed to pray to Mary for help, because Jesus could never refuse his mother.

//YES!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!! I am a practicing Christian who happens to believe the Godhead is agender and identifies as a mother as much as or more than a father, and that Mary is good evidence of this; moreover as you’ve said, she’s great evidence of cultural adaptation, between pagan goddesses and Christian holy figures (a lot like the Buddhist bodhisattva of Compassion, Guanyin). Iterations of the Christian religion at specific times and specific regions capitalizing on this would surely interest Loki.  

Pst @foundfavor we should do a thing....