286 lines
13 KiB
Reg
286 lines
13 KiB
Reg
indtbreg.reg
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Reality Software
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P.O. Box 105
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Waldoboro, Me 04572
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April 25, 1992
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Introduction to the Great Goddess in India and Tibet
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Welcome to an exploration of the Great Goddess as she lived,
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and still lives, in India and Tibet. In this region, she is
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still very much alive, and with the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to
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the West forced by the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet 40
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years ago, the religion of this Great Goddess has actively spread
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to the West. Although the Great Goddess can be found in one
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other literature, Celtic mythology written down during the Middle
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Ages, the wealth of texts and living cult practice is
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unparalleled in India and Tibet.
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The complexity that appears is almost overwhelming. A
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serious academic controversy continues as to whether or not a
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single Great Goddess exists/existed in South and Central Asia;
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the number of apparently distinct goddesses, both 'major' and
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'minor' that can be tabulated is striking. I proceed from the
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assumption that the Great Goddess was/is a global phenomenon,
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although it is easy to loose the 'single pre-eminent deity' when
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looking at her numerous ephiphanies and manifestations. I
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sympathasize with those who cannot see see the unity behind the
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apparent 'ten thousand things'. In any case, this presentation
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lacks a single skeleton upon which to hang the discussion. The
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complexity of these mytho-poetics will not allow for that and no
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overiding theme will be forced on this study. Let us revel in
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the complexity for its own sake and for the extraordinary
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diversity of human behavior that is accepted under its umbrella.
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Hinduism and Buddhism are, perhaps, the most tolerant religions
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yet to appear on this planet. They are an extraordinary
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achievement of the human mind. Indian and Tibetan mytho-poetics
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have long impressed scholars with their complex, multilayered
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metaphors. In all of history, they may represent the most
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impressive cultural achievement in this realm for these societies
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valued intellectual pursuits very, very highly. Ultimate
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'knowledge' was experiential, forever beyond intellectual study
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and accomplishment. Nonetheless, the development of a first rate
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intellectual mind and the commitment to in-depth, difficult study
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was always viewed as the essential beginning steps on the road to
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enlightenment. Such a view is rarely held in the West, where we
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have such a passion for what is quick, ego-centered, emotional
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and expressive. We do not have a deep cultural commitment to
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that which requires a major commitment to deep information
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gathering and tight, logical philosophy. Integration of such
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experiences into a life requires, above all, maturity of thought
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and discipline and the ability to make serious choices for the
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long-run gain. In our adolescent, ego-riented culture forever
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obsessed with only today, we spin out accolades for those coming
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to meet us from Hindu or Buddhist realms. However, we rarely
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understand them because their message cannot be reduced to
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cartoon level, easily assimilated, self-help cleverness, however
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much we try to do just that.
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The other barrier in confronting these mytho-poetics is sex,
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something all Westerners are convinced they know a great deal
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about. As a culture, we are entirely unfamiliar with sexual
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practice integrated into religion. Within the context of Judao-
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Christian thought, such ideas were never acceptable to he
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mainstream and early in the history of both religions were
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branded heresy and totally sinful, to be persecuted wherever
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found. The mainstream theology of the West has been puritanical
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and moralistic since the early Middle Ages. Nonetheless, for
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several centuries, Gnosticism contained sects which practiced
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sexual rites within the context of a philosophy that drew heavily
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upon the New Testament. These Gnostic sects are discussed at
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some length in the beginning of this study in order to introduce
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rituals that were practiced in the West that bear some
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relationship to the integration of sexual rites within the
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Goddess cults of both Hindus and Buddhism. These practices are
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spectacular and extreme and their description will challenge many
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of your basic assumptions about public and private ethics and
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morality.
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I have chosen not to avoid these issues, because without
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them a study of the Great Goddess in India and Tibet would have
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no meaning. Sexual rites, tantric and otherwise, were central to
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much cult practice because of the Goddess' intimate association
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with fertility and life-giving in both the human sphere and the
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ecological environment at large. (The historical record of sexual
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ritual in the West has yet go be explored fully and discussed
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thoughtfully.) The historical record in South and Central Asia
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is clear, from both written evidence and first hand observation.
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This is not to say all Goddess ritual was sexual, far from it.
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More than half of this study is concerned with other matters as
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the table of contents makes clear. However, when we enter the
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realm of the Goddess as Giver of Sovereignty and Tantrism, sexual
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ritual appears in a context loaded with complex metaphysical
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philosophy.
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My commitment is, above all, to historical reality. What
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was, or is, must be witnessed and understood. Understand, that I
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am a researcher only, not a closet cultist who practices strange
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rituals, sexual or otherwise. In presenting this material, I am
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not advocating that myself or anyone should, necessarily,
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experiment with such practices. Context is everything and by
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that I mean traditions with deep mytho-poetic meaning that
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support daily life, secular and ritualistic. The cultural
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context for these practices, except for some Tantric rites, is
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forever gone and cannot be recreated. In any case, they were
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only intended for royalty under special circumstances as
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explained in the text, or for those of unusual pyschological
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strength who were naturally inclined and thoroughly prepared to
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explore pyschic realms that for most people were very dangerous
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and carried with them the possibility of madness. The potential
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benefits to the few who entered these realms are discussed in the
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study. The potential benefits to simply reading about this facet
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of religious history is that we might broaden our understanding
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of human nature and see a more complete, complex picture than
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before. If such an exploration is offensive to you, please do
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not undertake it. No benefits will accrue; there would be no
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point in simply getting angry at me or feely morally superior. I
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strongly recommend that this material not be read by young
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people, who will not have the maturity or educational backround
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to properly consider it, or anyone simply after sexual
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titilation. In either case, the time spent would simply be
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wasted.
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The Great Goddess in India and Tibet
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Table of Contents
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Introduction.................................................. 1
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The Goddess and Tantra........................................ 9
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The Goddess and the Horse Sacrifice........................... 17
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Evolution of the Indo-European Mare Ritual.................... 22
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Of Snakes, Venom and Milk..................................... 22
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The Taming of the Goddess in India............................ 23
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The Doomsday Mare: Indian Society as a Fusion of Two Mytho-
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Poetics, the Neolithic Great Goddess and Indo-
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European................................................. 25
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God and Goddess: Sky and Earth................................ 33
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The Still Living Indian Goddess: Tantra....................... 34
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Denial and Acceptance......................................... 36
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Gaia and Sovereignty: Sri Lakshmi ............................ 38
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Indo-European Neolithic Goddess Balance: M<EFBFBD>nage a Trois....... 46
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Creativity, Complexity and Chaos.............................. 47
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The Radha Goddess, Smallpox and Mythic Reality ............... 48
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Tara: The White and Green Great Goddess in Tibet.............. 52
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BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................. 67
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References for Indian and Tibetan History
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Basham, A.L. 1954. The Wonder That Was India. New York:
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Grove Press.
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Shakabpa, T.W.D. 1967. Tibet: A Political History. New Haven:
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Yale Univ. Press.
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Snellgrove, D. and H. Richardson. 1968. A Cultural History of
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Tibet. Boston: Shambala.
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Wolpert, S. 1991. India. Berkeley, CA.: Univ. of California
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Press.
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Yeshe Do Project. 1986. Ancient Tibet. Berkeley, CA: Dharma
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Publ.
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REGISTRATION
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The complete text (indtib.dos or indtib.wpw) comprises 63
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single spaced pages and provides an extensive bibiliography.
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These references are invaluable if your interest motivates you to
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pursue any of this material further. You also have the option at
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registration to purchase a version of this package in which the
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files are formatted for Word Perfect for Windows (WPWIN). These
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files are identical in content to those formatted for old
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fashioned ASCII Dos Text but they utilize a desk top publishing
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format that includes bold, underline, italic and special
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characters and they have professional 'clean' look. If you have
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WPWIN and wish to own files with a splashier design, consider
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registration with this option. The WPWIN package also contains
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three maps not included with the Dos Text package; see
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intbbegn.doc.
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Upon registration, you will also be placed on our permanent
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mailing list to receive future updates of this study at special
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reduced rates and flyers about future publications from Reality
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Software.
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If you purchased the complete package you will have the
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complete 63 page study of the Great Goddess in India and Tibet.
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In addition, you should have each of the files from the shareware
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package (except sharew.hlp) plus readers.hlp (about the
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structural design of the presentation and how to use the
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references); graphics files of a lovely group of Buddhist temples
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in Thailand (thai.gif), a majestic gold statue of the Buddha
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(watsuand.gif), and the ancient Japanese House of Lords which is
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a striking pagoda (JX2VF.gif); a file explaining our study on the
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Great Goddess in China and Japan (chjapreg.reg); a file
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explaining our text on the Great Goddess in Celtic realms
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(celtreg.reg); an on disc flyer describing our study of the White
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Goddess in Neolithic Europe (whgdsreg.reg); and a file describing
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our historical timeline that would be a valuable contextual
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complement to this package (timereg.reg). These graphic files are
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freeware I have downloaded during my BBS browsing. Some contain
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advertising which I consider quite legitimate considering the
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time and effort that goes into their creation. They all quite
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attractive and a definite visual enhancement to this package. The
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WPWIN package contains three map files* not included in the Dos
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text package because they are in .wpg format. They are a
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political map of India (indiapol.wpg); a topographical map of
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India (indiatop.wpg); and a topographical map of Central Asia
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(tibettop.wpg). If any of these files are missing contact RS
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immediately and we will send you, free of charge, the missing
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file(s).
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File Lists
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DOS TEXT:
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A Text Files: (1) intbbegn.doc; (2) indtib.doc; (3)
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indtib.dos; (4) indtib.reg; (5) celtreg.reg; (6) chjpreg.reg; (7)
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timereg.reg; (8) whgdsreg.reg.
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B Graphics Files: (1) JX2VF.gif; (2) thai.gif; (3)
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watsuand.gif.
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WPWIN
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A Text Files: (1) intbbegn.wpw; (2) intbdocd.wpw; (3)
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intib.wpw; (4) intbreg.wpw; (5) celtreg.wpw; (6) chjpreg.wpw; (7)
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timereg.wpw; (8) whgdreg.wpw.
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B Graphics Files: (1) tibettop.wpg; (2) indiapol.wpg; (4)
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indiatop.wpg; (5) JX2VF.gif; (6) thai. gif; (7) watsuand.gif.
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April 24, 1992
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To register, simply fill out the form below and mail to:
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REALITY SOFTWARE, P.O. BOX 105, WALDOBORO, ME 04572.
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Name ___________________________________________________
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Street Address __________________________________________
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Town or City _______________ State ________ Zip _________-
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GREAT GODDESS IN INDIA AND TIBET TEXT and Docs.*
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Disc Size 5 1/4" (Quant) __$16 (ASCII) __$17 (WPWIN) Total ___
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(US$ each)
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3 1/2" (Quant) __$18 (ASCII) __$19 (WPWIN) Total ___
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Method of Payment. Check ___ Money Order ____
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(Made out to Ben Blumenberg)
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Where did you obtain INDTIB.ZIP ?____________________________
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