According to the Bon tradition: “Bon is the center of the swastika. Bon is God born from the center of the swastika. The direct connection of the Tibetan religion Bon with the swastika is also emphasized by the image of the swastika on the chest of the founder of Bon Shenrab Miwo on his bronze figurines.
Plots about the miraculous manifestation of swastikas on Tibetan land are characteristic of Bon myths, especially in the areas where Bon monasteries were later formed. The sacred mountain of Kailash is known among the Tibetans under the name "Yundrun Guceg" ("Nine-storey mountain of the swastika", "yundrun" is translated from Tibetan as "eternal", "indestructible"), it is believed that on the southern side of the peak, "Southern face of Kailash", transverse and vertical cracks form the swastika sign. It was this place that was chosen by the Bon Master Shenrab to leave the human world.
Swastikas have been widely used throughout Tibet since ancient times. They are known on Bon seals, they can be found in the symbolism of the ornament of monasteries. Swastikas are carved on the surface of rocks and on stones along paths and in secluded places, they are found in modern mandalas of colored sand on the surface of the earth on the tops of mountains. Nowhere in the world is the swastika sign found so often as in Tibet. The swastika sign, mysteriously, is inextricably linked with Mount Shambu (the Tibetan synonym for the god Shiva), whose location, according to Tibetan, Buddhist and Hindu traditions, is determined on the mountain now known as Kailasa. In turn, the sacred mountain of Kailash in Bon legends is referred to as the central mountain of the country Olmo-Lungring-bu, where the Teacher Shenrab was born and within which the mystical Shambhala is located. It is symbolic that at the foot of this mountain, as in the biblical Eden, four great rivers of the Indo-Aryans begin. The swastika sign is key in the Bon tradition.
Before we delve into the details of the topic under discussion, it should be noted that the number of books about the "sacred symbol - the swastika" is so great that a convincing argument can be found for almost any hypothesis about the secret meaning of the swastika. Most scholars share the opinion that the swastika is the oldest Aryan (Indo-European symbol). It is not found in the symbols of Egyptian and Muslim civilizations, and the American Aztecs, Maya and Incas are not familiar with the swastika sign either, but it was found among the Navajo Indians who lived in pre-Columbian America. This symbol is found among the symbols of the proto-Indian, Harap civilization in the IV-III millennium BC. The meaning of the swastika and its meaning over time acquired different meanings among different peoples, but it has not yet been possible to give the sign an exhaustive explanation. Swastika, like a divine seal,found on the chest of Buddha, the founder of the Tibetan religion Bon - Shenrab, and on church altars in Europe. Swastika prints are depicted on both feet of the Buddha in a bas-relief from Indian Amravati. In Buddhism, the swastika has a right-hand rotation and means "clear only for those initiated into the teaching" and is interpreted by initiates as "indestructible", as a symbol of the teaching of the "four great truths" and the "eightfold path of salvation." The swastika is accepted as an official symbol in esoteric Buddhism - "an ancient sign of wisdom", as "the oldest symbol of the Aryan spirit" in Nazi symbolism, as a secret sign of wisdom - "the sacred meaning of tetraktis" in theosophical symbolism. The decision to adopt the swastika as a Nazi symbol was taken personally by Hitler. In his book, My Struggle, Adolf Hitler says: “After much thought, a swastika was drawn in the center of the white disc. The swastika symbolizes the mission of the victorious struggle of the Aryan race. " William Shearer adds to this: "About why the swastika became the symbol of the party, Hitler never spoke." But in his book "Mein Kampf" in an article about the Church of the Nationalist Reich A. Hitler writes: "The Christian cross must be removed from all churches, cathedrals and chapels and replaced with a single invincible symbol - the swastika."
As a sign of the amulet, the swastika was depicted on shields, clothes of Roman soldiers - "protection by the power of the divine name" and on the doors of Mongolian yurts and chests - "protective functions of decor", as a symbol of government on the reverse of Chinese and Persian coins, as a good sign on the funeral urns of Rome, Germany and England. According to most researchers, the oldest swastika sign refers to the signs of well-being, success and happiness.
The swastika sign is very ancient, it is found in countries distant from each other, in the first proto-cities and is considered by scientists to be one of the first sacred symbols of humanity. Researchers of the swastika often consider only the free standing symbol of the swastika in isolation from the symbols located along with it. There are ancient images of the swastika with dots inside the sectors and next to other symbols, with an alternation of a number of right-sided and left-sided swastikas, which could not be accidental, but carried certain information. The opinion of the French thinker R. Guénon about the unity of the meanings of the right-sided and left-sided swastikas is controversial, and scientists put forward arguably opposite hypotheses. It is obvious that the swastika was not used by ancient people for decoration,therefore, the symbols of the right-sided and left-sided swastikas in one line were made deliberately. An example of a different meaning: Bona's right-sided swastika (counterclockwise rotation, left-hand path) - bypassing shrines counterclockwise, Buddhist left-sided swastika (clockwise rotation, right-hand path) - clockwise touring shrines. Would it be correct to assert the unity of the meanings of the right-sided and left-sided swastikas, if, until now, making the bark - the “sacred detour” around Kailash, the Bonts and Buddhists meet face to face on the path and go in different directions? Right-handed and left-handed swastikas were invariably placed at the beginning and end of ancient Buddhist inscriptions. The funerary ribbons also feature a meander of alternating left-sided and right-sided swastikas. Start,the end is the beginning and the end again? Or maybe the different direction of the swastikas symbolizes the "solstice" - the transition to light after the winter solstice, and the transition to darkness after the spring solstice?
René Guénon sees the swastika as a “pole sign”, a symbol of life and rotational movement. "The Swastika is not an image of the World, but the operation of the Principle in the World." The Center of the World is reflected in all ancient traditions. It is seen as the starting point of all things, the center where all opposites come together and all contradictions are resolved. The center directs life and imparts movement to everything. The center is the beginning and end of all things. The symbol of the Center of the World is the swastika. Despite many original hypotheses, completely differently explaining the meaning of the ancient symbol "swastika", its true secret meaning is still unknown. The most common is the definition of the swastika as an ancient symbol of the sun and light. However, there are groups of drawings in which a circle with a dot in the center and a crescent is placed next to the swastika,which are still used today among astronomical signs to denote the sun and moon. For the solar hypothesis of the swastika, the fact of finding next to it the generally accepted symbols of the sun D and the moon M, which do not cause controversy among scientists, is difficult to explain: the sun cannot be designated by two completely different signs! It should be agreed that the symbol of the earth was at all times square and in its geometry the symbol of the swastika is more consistent with the idea of the ancients about the earth than about the sun.that the symbol of the earth was at all times square and in its geometry the symbol of the swastika is more consistent with the idea of the ancients about the earth than about the sun.that the symbol of the earth was at all times square and in its geometry the symbol of the swastika is more consistent with the idea of the ancients about the earth than about the sun.
If we develop the hypothesis of R. Guénon, then the swastika sign can also denote the original spiritual center from where humanity began - northern Thule, or later the Holy Lands - Agharti and Shambhala, or even the planet Rahu.
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It is not necessary to associate the holy land with a pole sign or geographic polar pole. In the tradition of ancient people, the "pole of their era" designated the center of being of their civilization, from where the teachings and wealth came. In the minds of ancient people, the earth was depicted flat for a long time and the boundaries of the world they knew often did not reach the border of the polar regions, so there was no concept of the North Pole. In the center of the flat inhabited world, there was always the capital of their state. According to the Sumerians, the earth was a hemisphere consisting of a flat disk - the earth, surrounded by an endless ocean of water and sky. In the view of the Arabs, the land was flat with the center of the world in Mecca, surrounded on the border by a mountain range, beyond which an endless sea began. In Tibetan writings, the center of the world was located in front of the Snowy Mountains (Himalayas) in a valley resembling an eight-petalled lotus flower, from the center of which four great rivers began. In ancient Chinese manuscripts, the swastika sign denoted the earth, the region, and the earliest form of this hieroglyph meant "the four limits of space and earth." Since ancient times, it has been customary to denote the location of something with a cross. Perhaps this is why the sign of the swastika was preserved on the foot of the Buddha, as a symbol of a piece of the sacred land where the Teaching was received. Since ancient times, it has been customary to denote the location of something with a cross. Perhaps this is why the sign of the swastika was preserved on the foot of the Buddha, as a symbol of a piece of the sacred land where the Teaching was received. Since ancient times, it has been customary to denote the location of something with a cross. Perhaps this is why the sign of the swastika was preserved on the foot of the Buddha, as a symbol of a piece of the sacred land where the Teaching was received.
The swastika sign could denote an ancient spiritual center, from where our humanity and subsequent spiritual centers began, for example, the country of Olmo-Lungring-bu / Shambhala /, the birthplace of the Bon religion (“Bon - was born from the center of the swastika” or “The country where the swastika was ordered”), with Mount Kailasa in the center ("Nine-storey swastika mountain"). The four beams of the swastika correspond to the four great rivers flowing from the spiritual center of our world. These are the rivers known since ancient times to the Indo-Aryans - the Indus (Sindu), Brahmaputra (Sita), Sutlej (Paksya) and Ganges rivers, which originate near the sacred Lake Manosarovar and Mount Kailasa.
A. Stein in the book "Tibetan Civilization": "Bon-po had its own" nine chariots ", the line of Bon teachers descends from the nine" gods of light, whose collective name resembles the nine steps of Heaven. In the beginning, there were "nine brothers and nine sisters." All the diversity of creation came from them. " According to Tibetan sources, it is reported that the Bon religion was not something whole, and that under this name nine Bon religions were united. There were two main directions: gyu-bon (reason bon), subdivided into four directions, and braibui-bon (result bon), subdivided into five directions.
In Hinduism, there are 9 supernatural entities or planetary deities known as graha. In Hindu symbolism, "graha" are usually depicted in 9 squares arranged in three rows, three in each. The central square is the sun around which the rest of the planetary deities are located. The symbolism of the swastika is contained in its 9 points, which represent planetary deities. The occult secret of the swastika, its connection with Bon and with Mount Kailash is so intricate that one should not be surprised at the most incredible hypotheses and possible connection of the swastika with Shambhala …
Swastika (Sanskrit: "prosperity") - one of the most famous, world-revered, ancient magical symbols, is considered the most mystical and ancient diagram. In India, since ancient times, the swastika has been drawn always and everywhere where it is required to recognize the blessing of divine powers. In the Tibetan Bon religion, the swastika was denoted by the word gyung drung ("eternal", "indestructible"), and this word also denoted one of the titles of the founder of the Bon religion. In Bon sermons, they speak of the swastika as a good creative power of enlightenment, permeating all areas of the universe. The essence of the Bon religion is associated with the swastika. Bon is the center of the swastika. Bon is a god born from the center of the swastika. Bon is a priest born from the center of the swastika. The word bon itself comes from yun-drung-bon, which means "to pronounce magic spells", or "to repeat secret formulas."If we take into account that the only thing for the Central Asian peoples was the veneration of the Eternal Blue Sky, the Creator of all that exists, and that all Teachers descended to people from heaven, i.e. were sons of God or celestials, there is only one step left to identify the swastika with the sky. This interpretation is found in the hypotheses of scientists. Still, it doesn't seem convincing enough. Why, then the symbol of the sky has both right and left swastikas. According to M. Müller, the right-sided swastika corresponds to a spring, arriving day, and the left-sided one is a symbol of the summer solstice, from which the day begins to wane. Perhaps this is correct reasoning. But what will then mean a swastika with four points in the sectors? It may be more logical to assume that it is the swastika sign with four dots inside that is the starry sky,and the swastika itself is a symbol of the earth. With such a logical construction, all known facts are easy to explain. A swastika with dots, a circle with a dot and a crescent moon represent the starry sky, sun and moon. The swastika without dots is the earth, originally the spiritual center of humanity, the earthly paradise - Eden (for example, a right-sided swastika), a mirror image of the heavenly paradise. Swastika on the chest of the Teachers, the distinctive sign of the sons of God, a reflection of their heavenly origin. The swastika sign on earth is a sign of the sanctity of the area. In the broadest sense of the word, the swastika symbol most likely means the Divine origin / beginning /: Eternal Blue Sky, the sacred land, the source of all That is, the original spiritual center and Knowledge itself from this center. Attractive in meaning - the creation of the world from a single point. Close in essence are the explanations of R. Gandhi explaining the beams of the swastika,outgoing from a single center, as, respectively, the life of protoplasm (hell), plant and animal life, human life and divine life.
Subsequently, when the original meaning was lost, the swastika began to mean the accumulation of good merit by repeating magic formulas. As an auspicious sign, the swastika is used in wedding ceremonies - "a good wish for a happy beginning", "blessing with divine powers." In Bon folklore, there are lines attributed to the founder of the Bon religion, Tonpa Shenrab, about "the nine ways of teaching Bon and the need to lead a life of the expensive swastika", "learned the swastika-bon from the god of wisdom", "the essence of the doctrine, unmistakable, swastika-bon." Modern researchers drew attention to the nine points of the swastika and tried to correlate them with the symbolism of the number 9. Nine gods of light, the nine-story swastika mountain - Kailash, the nine-story palace of the mythical Chinese Queen of Peace Zi-Wang-Mu, the nine-story sacred tower of Shambhala, nine initiations from shamans,nine chariots (ways) of Bon, etc.
On Tibetan tanks, the swastika is sometimes depicted in the center of the picture next to the vajra (in Tib. Dorje), a symbol of spiritual power and divine weapons, or along the perimeter with alternating right-sided and left-sided swastikas. The Bon priests used the swastika sign as a magical weapon of greatest power. In Tibetan mythology, a story about the fall of magical objects from the sky is widespread, according to the Tibetans, these objects originated from another world. First of all, these objects that fell from the sky include the teachings contained in the book of Chintamani and the magic wand, the golden skiper "Dorje" that fell from the sky near the Sera monastery in Lhasa in distant times. The dorje consists of a short handle and a lotus bud at each end, and a cube with swastikas on each face rests on the lotus bud. Dorje is credited with the ability to accumulate cosmic forces (possession of heavenly fire) and throw lightning. Initially, this word meant "thunderbolt of the god Indra", later it began to be used in the meaning of a special substance, which is characterized by the brightness, transparency and indestructibility of a diamond. In connection with this fact, attention is drawn to the connection between the vajara and the swastika, as symbols of power and invincible weapons. Their symbols are often placed in the most honorable places or among the first sacred symbols. The placement of the swastika on Tibetan tanks in the center of the picture next to the vajra is typical. If the vajra is a symbolic weapon "lightning thrower" that personifies lightning, then the swastika symbol is often used with protective functions, like a shield. Diamond Vajra (literally "lord of stones", usually translated as "lightning thrower" or "diamond"),according to the text of the Rig Veda, it was the "indestructible weapon" ("Indra's club") of the Indian leader of the gods Indra. Swastika means "indestructible" and "eternal".
The mysterious swastika sign, which is widespread among the Mongols, is described by F. Ossendovsky, who personally saw in 1920 in the palace of Bogdo Khan in Urga "the ruby ring of Genghis Khan with a monogram in the form of a swastika" or "a large gold ring with a magnificent ruby set in a swastika … This ring was constantly worn on the right hand of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan. " In Central Asia, images of Nestorian crosses are also known, which in their form are an exact copy of a knight's cross, in the central part of which there is a swastika sign. Among the numismatists, ancient Chinese coins are known, containing a swastika on the reverse among four symbols. Persian gold coins were also issued - dariki with the image of a swastika.
Southwest of Shigatse is the sacred country of Bon, where the swastika was ordered. It remains unclear what action is meant by this. The often repeated expression, "the essence of the Bon religion is the swastika," is still awaiting research. It is known that in Bon mythology, the swastika miraculously manifested itself in holy places. The crossed vajara - "visvavajara" ("double lightning thrower") with its appearance resembles a cross, the prototype of the swastika. On the Tibetan crossed dorjas, on their tip there are cubes with the image of a swastika on all 5 free sides of the cube.
“In the Bon tradition, the swastika“rotates”from right to left, that is, it is left-handed, in contrast to the right-handed swastika of Buddhism, which symbolizes the process of“rotation”from left to right. This detail is explained by the characteristic feature of Bon: to do many things in reverse order (bypass the stupas on the left side, rotate the prayer drums in the opposite direction and recite mantras in reverse, for example, "Om Mani Padme Hum" as "muh-em-pad-ni-mo ".
As a rule, researchers do not oppose the left-sided and right-sided swastika, and consider its symbolism to be the same. Rene Guenon: “The main traditions of mankind (Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, etc.) contain both the right and the left-sided swastika, which are assessed not on the“good-evil”scale, but as two sides of a single process.
However, the symbolism of right-hand and left-hand movement fits well with the doctrine of two forces in nature and may well correspond to the "right-hand path" and "left-hand path", so the hypothesis about different symbolism of the swastikas can also take place.
The left-handed (clockwise rotation) swastika can be considered a symbol of beginning and creation, the right-handed one is a symbol of the end. In China, the clockwise-oriented swastika was identified with the yang power, counterclockwise with the yin power. Clockwise - a symbol of paternity, against - maternal.
On Tibetan tanks, right-handed and left-handed swastikas are often placed alternately at the corners of the tanks, along the perimeter, symbolizing a continuous circle of rebirth: beginning - end - start again and end again. The right-sided swastika is placed on the chest of initiates after their death.
"Some schools of Muslim esotericism, which attach great symbolic significance to the cross, call the" divine station "the center of this cross, defined as the place where all opposites are united and all contradictions are resolved." The center of the swastika is at the same time regarded as a point of beginning, an outcome, as well as an end point, an end. You can find, accordingly, the definitions of centrifugal and centripetal swastikas.
The rotational movement is emphasized in the Jaina cross ("four-legged cross"), in which the curved parts of the cross are depicted with the feet of human feet.
Rotational movement clockwise and counterclockwise according to the esoteric theory reflects the existence of two sources of forces in the world.
Left-handed swastika (rotation to the right: clockwise, the ends of the swastika are curved to the left) - the symbol of Agartha or the original spiritual center, the path of the right hand: means the natural beginning, the natural course of things, non-interference in the affairs of humanity, spiritual development, white magic, the source of strength, generated contemplation, is considered a symbol of good intentions (the left-sided swastika is common in Hinduism and Indo-Aryans).
The path of the right hand (dakshina-marga) is symbolically associated with the south. He is far from extremes and adheres to the rules of Vedic social behavior. This path is destined for every person from birth, and it is possible to turn “to the left” only through the appropriate initiation.
The right-sided swastika (rotation to the left: counterclockwise, the ends of the swastika are bent to the right) - the symbol of Shambhala, the path of the left hand: means the end of the natural course of things, submission and control of the forces of nature and humanity, whoever makes an alliance with Shambhala will become the ruler of the world, black magic, the source of power generated by material development is considered a symbol of harmful magic (the right-sided swastika is common in Bon-po, adopted as the official symbol of Nazism).
In the practice of tantra, the left-hand path allows for ritual intercourse with an initiate woman, the use of stimulants and drugs and alcoholic beverages. According to the well-known researcher of Indian culture, author of the book "Tantra" G. Ferstein, the path of the left hand (vama-marga) is associated with the north and is associated with the achievement of liberation and mastery of power (paranormal abilities). Almost all the tantras of this branch have been lost, and modern practitioners know about them only by their names.
In tantra, the left-hand path is known as Vama-akara, and the right-hand path is known as Dakshina-akara. The highest form of spiritual practice, which is a synthesis of the practices of the schools of the right and left hand, is the path of the Kaula-Akara school.
The fundamental principle in tantra is that the Wheel of Time is always rotating clockwise, in the direction of the sun. The axis of this wheel is fixed on the universal Mount Meru. In modern views, the swastika is a sign of the solstice, i.e. seasons - increasing or decreasing the duration of the daylight. Perhaps the sign of the earth - the ancient polar ancestral home of the Aryans, where day and night lasted for six months, or the original spiritual center.
SERGEY VOLKOV