Astrology in Tibet and its influences, follow the thread be…

1. Tibetan Astrology is a diverse and complex phenomenon. Tibet, as an ancient kingdom of monarchical regime before the invasion and Chinese domination in itself, was isolated due to its location inaccessible by the predominantly mountainous relief.

2. Tibet received many influences from other peoples, as it was parallel to the "Silk Road", which went from Europe (in the Italic Peninsula), crossed the Mediterranean, and reached China. It received a predominant influence from Vedic culture due to Buddhism and, amalgamating +

3. the local shamanic culture and its local religion later suppressed to conversion (the ancient Bön, currently the tradition "Yungdrung Bön"), also incorporated Chinese elements of Astronomy, Astrology and Medicine Traditional Chinese.

4. The fact is that, roughly speaking, Tibetan Astrology is not unified, but composed of three systems that work in parallel:

5. Chinese Astrology - incorporated by Tibetans through the theory of "five movements" and Chinese geomancy of trigrams, but reinterpreted in some aspects by the Tibetan way of life, almost always in association with a local medicine of a herbal and holistic nature.

This system is called "black calculus" and named "Jungtsi", with a 60-year cycle interspersed with 12 animals and 5 "movements" (fire, earth, water, wood and metal).

Each year follows an annual calendar associated with orders of hours, days and weeks in the Chinese way, each summarized by "Mewas", 3x3 magic squares, whose order of positions is associated with Bagua's trigrams and move each year, showing the favorable and unfavorable years+

and which are compared with the individual's natal calculations to find out whether the seasons are auspicious for health, business and practical and religious events. Many of the Buddhist religious ceremonies of the Vajrayana current follow this system, +

and popular strata often consult with local astrologers to conduct ceremonies such as weddings, for example. For funerals a Letter is drawn up in order to know who in the family can touch the deceased body, the geographical direction of exit and conduction of the coffin, +

the shape of the funeral (if by burial, cremation, mummification and decomposition in the open, called " air funeral ", of Persian influence).

6. Vedic Astrology - called "white calculus". It is a very simplified astrology. Tibetans use their own ayanamsa because of the sidereal character of this astrology, which they call "Kartsi". Some things remain, like the nine grahas (classical planets plus the two Nodes), +

28 lunar mansions, which demarcate months of 30 days and weeks divided in the Chinese way for religious activities, and specific asterisms that resemble the "parts" or "arabic lots". +

It is very little used, incorporating elements of Vedic mythology reinterpreted by Buddhism and local shamanism.

7. Kalachacra - Kalachacra is a text of Vedic influence and considered an important Tantric manuscript for the Vajrayana current. It works with a second classification of 5 elements (earth, fire, air, water and "space"), postures, gestures +

and rituals with divinities linked to the text. The most interesting aspect of this literary source is the presence of Arab influence due to the period in which the text was written, with a marked presence of prophetic +

and eschatological content based on the legend involving the "invasion" of the mythical kingdom and the return of a " king "with the reestablishment of a new order of harmony.

8. Each system can operate separately and independently. The main philosophical aspect that links the three systems comes from the Buddhist view of the interdependence of all things, somewhat Aristotelian, +

both by observation and by consideration that the universe of cyclical phenomena is part of Samsara, not going between the extremes of pessimistic stoicism and fatalistic, or free will without any consequence.

9. In terms of functioning, when a birth occurs, the Letter is raised by "Jungsti" and crossed with "Kartsi", whose planets gain differentiated qualities and calculated by classification due to the influence of the first system.

10. The use of Kalachacra would serve the most religious aspect, to prescribe specific Buddhist or Buddhist deities and practices for the day or set of days, or even protective talismans for difficult years, etc.

11. This is one of the means, together with dreams and divinatory tests and ordeals through interviews and audiences, in which it is possible - in theory - to confirm reincarnations of lamas and tulkus in Tibetan traditions. There are few books on the subject in the West, +

most of which are translations of Italian origin or one or two books in English, including Phillipe Cornu's ("Tibetan Astrology"), which I read this weekend in order to get to know better this strand and summarize in this post, +

as it is a specific learning strand and restricted to the religious caste of lamas and geshes in Tibetan Buddhism.

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Astrology in Tibet and its influences, follow the thread below:

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