A Buddhist Pagan's Southeast Asian Practice

[WrenTalbot]

Well hello, I’m Wren ~ allow me to be your tour guide…

The Gate of the Dead - Angkor Thom, Cambodia - photo by Stephen Bain

Recently, it has become my passion to study the culture, spiritual practices and archaeological history of Southeast Asia. I’m posting this both to pay homage to my deities, and to hopefully educate a bit, for whoever’s interested to learn about the practices of this often overlooked and misunderstood part of the world…

Caveat: I am by no means an expert. It’s only actually been a few months of study on this, but I feel like I can speak on some level of understanding on what the general practices of this region look like. There might be the occasional mistake here and there, but I’m doing my best to keep within my lane.

I will start with a primer on the first basic element:

Theravada Buddhism. Theravada Buddhists are the “School of the Elders” - the first school that formed after the death of the Buddha. As the oldest school, they are often seen as the keepers of his original teachings. This was, and is, the primary form of Buddhism in this region, and it’s an over 2,500 year old tradition.

According to their texts, the Buddha’s original teachings were never meant to be in conflict with the old gods themselves or those who worshipped them. He didn’t ask people to abandon their practice. What he did want was to change was the systemic abuse of religious caste system built by the Brahman priestly elites - and violent forms of sacrifice: Aṅguttara Nikāya: 4.40 Udāyīsutta

His view of the gods themselves was compassionate. He included them in his cosmological view of the world, as well as land spirits and other supernatural elements. He sought to support their happiness and bring an end to their sufferings just as much as he did humans:

“There are two places waiting to receive an ethical person: the realms of gods and humans.” - A.N. Bālavagga 2.29. “This is the one individual, mendicants, who arises in the world for the welfare and happiness of the people, out of sympathy for the world, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans.” - A.N. Ekapuggalavagga 170

Next up will be a primer on Hinduism.

नमो बुद्ध्या - Namo Buddhay

[Lady-Gene]

Fantastic Friday Wren,

Wow, so awesome. My degree is in history and I just love learning about cultures. Especially ones very different from this American/European/Western standpoint. I just read that….and when will be the next “installment”. Looking forward to any information you wish to pass on.

Lady Gene

[WrenTalbot]

Oh I’m already working on the next part. At the rate I’m going, I’ll say probably tomorrow?

I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far! It really has been a labor of love to figure this all out, but I knew the moment I started seeing the photos of these temples that this change was going to be huge, because it felt like I’ve been to some of these places in a past life. It was surreal. Certain images were so profound that I almost had an out-of-body experience. Crazy, crazy stuff…

Oh and I’m an open book - if any questions come up, ask away!

Cheers.

[Sedim_Haba]

@WrenTalbot

Oh and I’m an open book - if any questions come up, ask away!

Yes, isn’t the Avatar from Hinduism? Lilith called me an Avatar, but I don’t think she meant it in THAT way?

[Lady-Gene]

@WrenTalbot

Oh and I’m an open book - if any questions come up, ask away!

Likewise! “Ask Away!”

[WrenTalbot]

@Sedim_Haba

Lilith called me an Avatar, but I don’t think she meant it in THAT way?

Oh it’s Hindu - but it’s impossible that she means it in the Hindu sense. Within Hinduism, avatars are perfect beings of light with nearly mythical power, created in a perfect form that’s not easily prone to illness or injury.

Outside of Hinduism, avatar gets used interchangeably with “incarnation.” In this context, the bodily form is imperfect and is subject to the same ills as an ordinary human. Incarnation also isn’t limited to gods - they may also be heroic or noble spirits.

It’s definitely possible that you are the reincarnation of a noble spirit, but hard to say for sure without getting a reading done! She may also be using it interchangeably with “vessel” but that would be a bit strange.

Cheers.

[Sedim_Haba]

@WrenTalbot

It’s definitely possible that you are the reincarnation of a noble spirit, but hard to say for sure without getting a reading done! She may also be using it interchangeably with “vessel” but that would be a bit strange.

Thank you! Yes, I’m def a reincarnation, but not likely that of a ‘noble spirit’ but a ‘problem child’!

I plan on finding a reading of some kind after the divorce is final. Hypnotic past-life regression?

I seem to remember something I heard on youtube about ‘vessels’ but I forget what exactly.

[WrenTalbot]

Welcome to Part 2!

Candi Prambanan Temple Complex - Central Java/Yogyakarta, Indonesia - Source

Hinduism refers to the spiritual traditions and religious practices that emerged near the end of the the ancient Indo-Aryan Civilization, from 500 BCE - 300 CE. Prior to this period, this region practiced Hinduism’s mother religion - the Vedic religion. The full aspects of this ancient civilization and religion is not known, but it’s clear that there were significant differences in their methods of sacrifice, deities, language, etc. when compared to the post-Vedic period.

Hinduism is a vast subject, but its oldest core beliefs center on a sort of henotheistic-panentheistic paganism. Hindus believe in an ultimate, genderless, divine creative force that doesn’t ignore the existence of other gods. They also believe this ultimate force expresses itself through every god and element of existence, making the worship of any god or being akin to worshipping this force. At the same time, they see each individual god as containing unique personalities, making them clearly individual deities that are to some degree separate. They also believe in the soul as the ultimate self (Ātman) - the expression of this force in mankind.

The worship of the Vedic gods goes as far back as 5,000 years. The three most popular of them were lords of nature - the sky-king Indra, the fire-medium Agni, and the earth-father Chandra. This changed with the formation of the Trimurti/Tridevi - the primary gods of Hinduism - in which the Vedic gods were replaced by three cosmic lords that represented the forces of creation - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The Tridevi are the goddess partners of these gods, and are sometimes depicted as having these same aspects. Over time, sects and philosophies developed on the importance on each of these divine forces.

There are also powerful dark counterparts to the divine called Asuras. They are best compared to the Titans of greek mythology. However Asuras have the capability to elevate themselves to god-status through performing noble acts and displaying changes of character, so Asuras still have unique traits. There are many other mythical beings of this region - most notably the Nāgas, the serpent-race.

While most think Hinduism formed solely in India, this is incorrect. Even through its earliest stages it was also spread across Southeast Asia and into the Himalayas, where it had a huge impact on the cultural and religious development across the entire region.

While Southeast Asia is now overwhelmingly Buddhist, there are still small worship sites there to Hindu gods that are still in use in modern day. Historically, the shift that led to Buddhism overtaking Hinduism here is fascinating as it occurred over a significant cultural blending period of these two traditions.

I’ll be getting into some of this “blending” in the next part.

नमः शिवाय - Namah Shivaya

[Sedim_Haba]

Good morning Wren,

You mentioned something about stones in Buddhism? Maybe in regards to Tarot, I forget…

Have you looked into that? A Witch at Ostara was curious yesterday. Had some Stones from???

[WrenTalbot]

Morning!

There are certainly some that are associated with the practice. This article here gets into some of it, and the sources from the old texts: Guide To Buddhism A To Z

Tibetan/Himalayan Buddhism elaborates a lot on the use of stones and other symbolic objects as focus points for learning Buddha’s teachings, including when worn as amulets, or used as meditation aids - to bolster the effectiveness of “tuning into” Buddha’s energy.

In Buddhism, there is a legendary gem called the “wish-fulfilling-jewel” that is always portrayed in Thankga Art as a radiant pearl. Pearls have significant importance in Buddhism because of the symbolism that a pearl is formed via the processing of the sand and dirt within the mouth of a mollusk. Gold is also significant for similar reasons - that it must be obtained through the slow process of the sifting of sediment.

Lapis Lazuli, though not mentioned in the Early Buddhist Texts, has a strong correspondence with Buddha’s enlightenment and the Buddha himself. There’s a significant amount of ancient poetry that compared his eyes and character with this stone. I highly recommend it if she wants to tap into the “high-awareness/enlightenment” side of Buddha consciousness! Other highly compatible ones are are amethyst and clear quartz, as well as other stones focused on 3rd-Eye & Crown Chakras.

Let me know if you have any more questions. Cheers!

[WrenTalbot]

The Blending Period - The First Stage

Hinduism hadn’t fully formed yet at the time of Buddha’s enlightenment. The region was still Vedic and was only just starting to evolve past tribal governance. What triggered the societal and spiritual changes that led to the Hindu period is difficult to pin on a single thing, but it’s clear that the Śramaṇa movement and Buddha had a significant influence. It’s very likely the Vedic Brahman Priests heard these calls to reform, saw they were losing adherents to the influence of this greater movement, and felt they had no choice. There’s evidence to show that the Vedics put heavy emphasis on animal sacrifices in their deity worship (and even possible occasions of human sacrifice). This is an obvious contrast to the Hindu practice.

Aside from reducing violent sacrifice and placing a much greater focus on internal practices such as meditation and yoga to achieve moksha (the Hindu equivalent of Nirvana - another curious concept that didn’t exist in the Vedic period), Buddhist influence is also seen in how they reformed their gods. Some of the most bloodthirsty of the Vedic gods disappeared from worship, or were re-named and characteristically transformed. Some of these new Hindu gods even had curious “Buddha-like” characteristics.

Shiva, my own deity, is a perfect example of this. In the Vedic period he was known as Rudra the Roarer - an extremely wild, terror-inducing storm god who was also a god of medicine. By contrast Shiva (a name that literally translates as “benevolent” in Sanskrit) has a calm demeanor in most Hindu scriptural accounts. While Rudra’s roots do carry over to a degree in Shiva’s primary title as Lord of Destruction, the purpose of this role became very nuanced.

Shiva’s Adiyogi form - Source and carvings of Rudra from the Rigvedic period - Source

He also holds the title of Adiyogi - meaning The First Yogi, patron of meditation. The Buddhist influence couldn’t get any more obvious!

The Final Stage will be covered in the next one - which will also be the final part of the “tour.”

नमः शिवाय

[WrenTalbot]

The Blending Period, Part 2:

For as much as Hinduism and Buddhism influenced each-other, so did Buddhism take from shamanic folk traditions in Southeast Asia.

There are many examples. One is a story of Muccalinda, the Nāga king, in the ancient Pali texts:

UD 2:1 Muccalinda

Phra Narai Palace, Thailand - The “Nāga Prok” posture, an iconic portrayal of this story, is seen all over Southeast Asia. Aside from being a symbol of protection, it’s also one of union with nature.

Nāgas are ancient beings that pre-date both the Vedic and Hindu period - powerful spirits of water and land with links to shamanic practices and royal families. Their characteristics mostly have to do with weather-control, protection, wisdom and healing. Their presence in this story and others in ancient texts shows “in ink” the compassionate and accepting relationship between these two traditions.

A unique practice that formed from the merging of all 3 traditions are magickal tattoos known as Sak Yant. Used for protection, health, and wealth, they developed over centuries from ancient tribal practices. They combine Buddhist texts, Khmer (ancient Cambodian) lettering, and sacred geometry from Vedic and Hindu Yantra.

There will be a Part 3 coming up next. This was getting too long to leave in one part! lol

Happy reading. साधु !