Ancient Psychedelia: Alien Gods & Mushroom Goddesses
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| The Buddha The man known as the Buddha was supposedly born around 563 BC, however, Tibet didn’t adopt Buddhism until about 1000 years later. The first Buddhist monastery, Samya, was constructed around 779 AD, and then around 840 AD, King Langdarma ascended the throne and went on an anti-Buddhist crusade, destroying temples, burning books and outlawing Buddhism. This was the way it stayed for another 150 years in Tibet. (5) The oldest coins we have known that were stamped and circulated as currency are the “punchmark” coins (20a) from Gandhara, located in what would now be considered mid-Afghanistan/Pakistan. Punchmark coins contain (when you can find nice specimens), depictions of groups of mushrooms prominently displayed among various objects, like wheels and flowers, and even bulls and cattle. These coins date to 650 BC, and are known to be the oldest coins ever produced. Gandhara connects to the west and north and also land routes to the east. Trade from India to China would have had to occur through this region as well as any trade with the Middle East. Gandhara grew into a major central trading hub between Persia, India and China, as well as a center of higher learning and spirituality. It is from this trade and passage route that Hindu concepts which spawned Buddhism spread from India to China as well as directly to Persia, aiding in the creation of the Zoroastrian religion and the Zend Avesta with its sacrificial ritual of Haoma. (6)     (20a) Earliest Known Coinage, Punchmarks, India c. 650-600 BC Artifacts from Gandhara include the usual reliquary Stupas, c. 100-200 AD, some of which appear to be stacked mushrooms for the roof or crown (10c). A Siddharta holding a mushroom at the Grand Départ, c. 100-200 AD (10b). The culture surrounding Gandhara was obviously not intimidated by any kind of patriarchal influence, since we see the mushroom boldly displayed on foreheads of Bodhisattva, c. 200-300 AD, without any shame (29e). This same design can be seen on a wall relief in a Jain temple in Odisha, India (18b). |
  R: (10b) Siddharta Buddha dressed in princely clothes, holding a parasol and his mount, at the Grand Départ c. 100-200 AD  (29e) Head of Bodhisattva, Gandhara, c. 200-300 AD Development of the Caste System How can Buddhism best be defined? It was an outgrowth of the materialism and caste system of the Hindu faith, but it was also much more recent than Zoroastrianism. Therefore, we can assume that it had at least been partially influenced by the Persian faith, even though it was on the East side of India, and Tibet and Thailand are towards the West. To the north of India, between them both, lies Gandhara, which, when you look at the art, is a blend between Indian Hindu and Chinese Buddhist styles. (5) Secret Drugs of Buddhism, p. 208-10 (6) Gods, Sages, kings, p. 83 |
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