| The Arimaspoi (Arimaspians) were a tribe of one-eyed men who lived at the foot of the Rhipaion (Rhipaean) Mountains in northern Skythia. They were said to be constantly warring with the griffins, winged beasts with the heads of eagles and the bodies of lions. They were said to inhabit the land of the Hyperboreans, basically, the highlands of Tibet. (40) On the Arimaspians, Pliny the Elder writes, in Natural History: “Also a tribe is reported next to these [i.e. the tribes of Scythia], towards the North, not far from the actual quarter where Aquilo (the North Wind) [Boreas] rises and the cave that bears its name, the place called the Earth's Door-Bolt (Ges Clithron)--the Arimaspi (Arimaspians) whom we have spoken of already, people remarkable for having one eye in the centre of their forehead. Many authorities, the most distinguished being Herodotus [Greek historian c. 5th BC] and Aristeas of Proconnesus [Greek poet c. 7th BC], write that these people wage continual war with the Grypes (Griffins), a kind of wild beast with wings, as commonly reported, that digs gold out of mines, which the creatures guard and the Arimaspi try to take from them, both with remarkable covetousness.” (41) We will explore this more in the upcoming chapter on the Greek era. Buddhism and Christianity The similarities between Buddhism and later Christianity are only partially explored here and will be further investigated in subsequent chapters. Briefly, in Buddhism the trinity of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha is recognized. In Christianity, it’s the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. R. C. Dutt, in his book, Ancient India, cites a passage from Mr. Arthur Lillie, a Buddhist soldier in the British Indian Army, and writer, who is quoting a Roman Catholic missionary, Abbe Hue, who was baffled by what he saw in Tibet when the Abbe states: “The crozier, the mitre the dalmatic, the cope or pluvial, which the Grand Lamas wear on a journey or when they part, or in some ceremony outside the temple, the service with a double choir, psalmody, exorcisms, the censor swinging on five chains contrived to be opened or shut at will, benedictions by the Lamas with the right hand extended over the heads of the faithful, the chaplet, sacerdotal celibacy, Lenten retirements from the world, worship of saints, fasts, processions, litanies, holy water; these are the points of contact between the Buddhists and ourselves.” Dutt adds to this by stating: “The good Abe has by no means exhausted the list and might have added confessions, tonsure, relic worship, the use of flowers, lights and images before shrines and alters, the signs of the Cross, the trinity in unity, the worship of the queen of heaven, the use of religious books in a tongue unknown to the bulk of the worshippers, the aureole or nimbus, the crown of saints and Buddhas, wings to angels, penance, flagellations, the flabellum or fan, popes, cardinals, bishops, abbots, presbyters, deacons, the various architectural details of the Christian temple.” (42) And it should be added, the crucifix as a symbol for immortality also goes back to ancient Buddhism. (43) |
(40) Sacred Mushrooms, p. 177-78 (41) Pliny the Elder, Natural History 7. 10 (42) The Fountainhead of Religion, p. 23; R. C. Dutt, A History of Civilization in Ancient India, Based on Sanskrit Literature. 3 vols. Thacker, Spink and Co.; Trübner and Co., Calcutta-London (1890) (43) Middle Ages Revisited (or) The Roman Government and Religion and their Relations to Britain to Year 1900 – Alexander Del Mar – 1899, Omni Book Club Printing, 1990’s??), p. 209 Notes |