# Nicholas Roerich. Altai-Himalaya ## IV. Ladak (1925) --- <!-- block4placeid:null --> Indra, Agni and Surya—air, fire and the sun! The Hindu Trimurti-Trinity remains behind. The ancient Sarasvati of the Vedas, the great Ind, leads us to its snowy sources. If the Ganges is as a greeting—the seat, contemplation—then the Ind suggests motion, unswervingness, impetuosity. And how alluring and unfailing have been the ways of the movement of nations through the Hindu Kush and Pamir! Again a caravan. Again, days and dates are readily forgotten. The character of the day becomes more important than its number or name. Like the Egyptians who named the years according to their qualities—“the year of battle,” or “the year of lean crops”—one marks only the quality of the days. Perhaps, the day of the horse—when the mounts fell through the snowy bridge; the night of a wolf—when the packs stealthily approached the camps; the dawn of the eagle—when the golden eagle with a whir of wings sped upon the tent; the sunset of the castle—when as though sprung from the fiery copper peak, the vision of a castle arose unexpectedly. In place of a turban, from out the stone there rose before us the shaggy cap—the way toward the land of Buddha. The qualities of Buddha are as follows: Sakya Muni—the wise one of the clan of Sakya; Sakyasinha—Sakya the lion; Bhagavat—the Blessed; Saddha—the Teacher; Jina—the Conqueror. Thus spoke Buddha to the zealots and hypocrites: “Your rules are degraded and ridiculous. One among you walks naked; another will not begin to eat from a pitcher or platter, or refuses to sit at the table between two companions or two dishes. Another will not accept alms from the house where a pregnant woman lives or where he encounters a dog. Some will not eat from two vessels and at the seventh gulp refrain from eating. One will not sit upon a bench or mat. One lies naked upon thorned plants or upon cow’s dung. What do you expect, voluntary workers, for your ‘hard’ labors? You await alms and respect from the laity—and when you achieve this reward, you become deeply wedded to the comforts of the temporary life and do not desire to renounce them. When you see visitors approaching from a distance you immediately assume the appearance of having been discovered in profound meditation. When you are offered coarser victuals you hand them on to others, keeping for yourself all the dainty morsels. You succumb to vices and passion; you assume the mask of modesty. Not such, is the true asceticism.” It took Buddha six years to convert Kashyapa. He even lit the fires of altars which were strange to him before the stubbornness of the set convictions of Kashyapa could be broken, and Buddha could add to new teaching the “old authority.” For whenever beauty, scientific reason and vital enlightenment are invoked, the “old fortresses” are especially invulnerable. One must realize all the difficulties of Buddha in breaking down prejudices, if it took six years for one man to absorb the beautiful simplicity before he could extinguish the useless fire of unnecessary superstitious offerings. His was the task to live for eighty years constantly teaching; to see how under one’s very eyes the teaching was perverted; to realize how many rulers and priests accepted the teachings only out of self-interested motive; to foresee the shells of a new conventionality already prepared. ... . He who contained within himself the understanding of the uselessness of power, exclaimed: “Go, oh beggars, carry salvation and benevolence to the people.” In the one word, “beggars,” is contained his complete gospel. The time has come when from out the gilding of the idol there stands forth the image of Buddha, the great teacher, who preaches against killing, against intoxication and excesses. This powerful image appears, summoning men to a revaluation of values, to labor and to achievement. Many times the teaching of Buddha was purified, but it was again quickly covered with the soot of prejudices. Its vitality was disfigured into a heap of treatises and of metaphysical nomenclature. Why, then, be astonished if there still remain erect the walls of the monastery of Lamayuru, stronghold of the faith of Bon-po with its Shaman invocations, founded long before the birth of Buddha? Nevertheless this brought about a healthy realization: they became accustomed to purify the teachings. Of course it was not the heralded synods in Rajagriha, Vaisali and Patna which brought back the teachings to their original simplicity of the community. But strong-spirited individual teachers sincerely tried to reveal again the beautiful image of the teaching: Atisha, defeating convention, wrestled with the somber survival of the sorcery of Bon-po. Ashvagosha, the creator of the entire Mahayana of the north, applied the form of dramatic productions for the sake of conviction and visualization. The bold Nagarjuna reaped wisdom on Lake Yum Tso from his discourses with Nagi, “King of Serpents.” The Tibetan Orpheus, Milarepa, surrounded by animals, hearkened to the prophetic voices of the mountains. Padma Sambhava conquered the forces of nature—powerful figure, distorted by the conventions of the Red Caps. The clear and active Tsong-kha-pa was beloved of the entire north as founder of the Yellow Caps. And many others—solitary figures—who understood the predicted evolution and purged the gospel of Buddha from the dust of conventional forms. Their works, again, were covered by the musty layer of mechanical ritual. The conventional mind of the “man of everyday,” though he accepted the teaching of Buddha, tried to clothe it with his own prejudiced understanding. Neither from Alara Kalama, or from Uddaka Ramaputta could Buddha find a saving decision. The reformer, who strove toward reality, could not be satisfied by the misinterpretations of the Rig-Veda. Buddha walked far off to the secret places of the mountains. The legends bring the bold searcher even to Altai—and the legend of the White Burkhan is being preserved upon Altai in all its reality. Near the mysterious Uruvela, Buddha approaches the simplest expression of all his attainments. And on the shores of Naranjana he is illumined by the decision to pronounce the words concerning general welfare: of the renunciation of the personal, of the significance of labor for the general well-being, and of the meaning of knowledge. To establish a scientific approach to religion was a true attainment. To expose the self-interested priests and Brahmins was the summit of fearlessness. To reveal the true levers of hidden human forces was difficult beyond expression. Of unusual beauty is the coming of the King in the image of a mighty mendicant! In the conception of the evolution of humanity, the figure of Buddha, the Enlightened One, takes an unquestionably beautiful place. Buddha had to hear bodily the tremor of destruction of his native city, Kapilavastu. Confucius had to tread the path of exile from place to place. And his cart in which he wandered is placed in a Temple together with his works and musical instruments. It is not to be wondered at, because at the base of the teachings of Confucius lies the same idea of cooperation. Let us remember his teachings: “When the hearts of mortals shall be kindled by love, then the whole world will be as one family. All men will in themselves be one man, and all things, by virtue of the astonishing mutual order and union, will appear as one and the same element.” . . . “Hypocrisy is the most hateful vice.” . . . “He who only covers himself by the semblance of virtue resembles an evil-doer who in the daytime appears as an honest man and at night busies himself with stealing the goods of his neighbor.” . . . “Beware of those who make themselves the exponents of virtue rather than its followers. Be not deceived by their scientific arguments. For although they may be understood as the expression of the soul’s convictions, they are nevertheless only the fruits of a corrupt mind and the intellectually corroded impulses of the heart. Those who discourse with apparent sensitiveness on humility, on general well-being, are not always examples of those virtues.” . . “Temperance, simplicity in attire, propriety, the pursuit of science and art, aversion to flatterers, love of the humble, lack of greed, prudence, steadfastness, righteousness, goodness, are the prescribed virtues.” . . . “Acquire science and the fine arts. Apply the precepts of wisdom.” . . . “The avaricious one, himself being restless, becomes for others a terrifying and disgusting object. Let prudence dictate thy actions.” . . . “To discriminate between men, whether they be good or evil, there is no better way than to look into the pupil of the eye; because the pupil of the eye cannot conceal the vice which is hidden in the heart.” . . . “Do not let the humble ones feel your high position nor display to your equals the preeminence of your merits.” . . . “There is nothing which cannot be obtained by persistence. Each day I can bring a basket of earth, and if I persist in it, finally I shall raise up a mountain.” . . . “Man must become the coworker of heaven and earth.” . . . “All beings nurture each other. The laws of the movements of constellations are carried out simultaneously without impeding each other.” . . . “The action of heaven and earth is divided into endless currents, influencing each being individually; their general action effects great transformations—therein is the greatness of heaven and earth.” “Conscientiousness, humaneness and valor are three universal qualities; but in order to apply them, sincerity is needed.” “The man who has not determined his destination cannot be considered a great man.” “Is there not a panacea for all that exists? Is this not love to humanity? Do not do unto another what you do not wish for yourself.” “If a man can govern himself, what difficulty could he encounter in governing a state?” “A sage is firm but not stubborn.” . . . “Be slow in words and quick in action.” “A wise one expects all from himself; the mediocre one, all from others ” “I love the glow of virtue which does not proclaim itself in loud words and pompous movements. Noise and proclamations are secondary things in the reformation of peoples.” “The ignorant one who prides himself on his knowledge, the nonentity, the one desiring freedom excessively, men who return to the ancient customs, all are subject to unavoidable misfortunes.” “An archer provides an example for a sage. When he does not reach the center of the target he searches for the cause within himself.” Proclaiming the general well-being, Confucius was compelled to have his cart of flight ever at hand…. Our old Chinese speaks in whispers about Confucius. These old thoughts seem like the footprints of ancient Chinese travelers, who have given us so much useful information about India and all Central Asia. If behind the present idol of Buddha it is difficult to perceive the lofty image of Buddha the Teacher, then it is still more unexpected to hear in Tibetan mountains beautiful words about Jesus. Yet Buddhists preserve the teachings of Jesus, and lamas pay reverence to Jesus who passed and taught here. There have been distinct glimpses about a second visit of Christ to Egypt. But why is it incredible that after that, he could have been in India? Whoever doubts too completely that such legends about the Christ life exist in Asia, probably does not realize what an immense influence the Nestorians have had in all parts of Asia and how many so-called Apocryphal legends they spread in the most ancient times. And then, how much truth is veiled in the so-called Apocryphal legends! Many remember the lines from the book of Notovitch, but it is still more wonderful to discover, on this site, in several variants, the same version of the legend of Issa. The local people know nothing of any published book but they know the legend and with deep reverence they speak of Issa. One might wonder what relation Moslems, Hindus or Buddhists have with Issa. But it is still more significant to see how vital are great ideas and how they penetrate even the most remote places. Never may one discover the source of such legends. But even if they originated from ancient Nestorian Apocrypha, at present it is instructive to see the widespread and deep consideration paid to the subject. It is significant to hear a local inhabitant, a Hindu, relate how Issa preached beside a small pool near the bazaar under a great tree, which now no longer exists. In such purely physical indications you may see how seriously this subject is regarded. Legends say that Jesus was not killed by the Jewish people but by representatives of the Roman government. The empire and the wealthy killed the Great Teacher who carried light to the working and poor ones. The path of attainment of light! Let us hearken to the way in which they speak of Jesus in Asia. In the legends which have the estimated antiquity of many centuries, it is related that Issa (Jesus) secretly left his parents and together with the merchants of Jerusalem turned toward the Indus to become perfected in the highest Teaching. It is related that, “He passed his time in several ancient cities of India such as Benares. All loved him because Issa dwelt in peace with Vaishas and Shudras whom he instructed and helped. “But the Brahmins and Kshatriyas told him that Brahma forbade those to approach who were created out of his womb and feet. The Vaishas were allowed to listen to the Vedas only on holidays and the Shudras were forbidden not only to be present at the reading of the Vedas, but could not even look at them. “Issa said that man had filled the temples with his abominations. In order to pay homage to metals and stones, man sacrificed his fellows in whom dwells a spark of the Supreme Spirit. Man demeans those who labor by the sweat of their brows, in order to gain the good will of the sluggard who sits at the lavishly set board. But they who deprive their brothers of the common blessing shall be themselves stripped of it. “Vaishas and Shudras were struck with astonishment and asked what they could perform. Issa bade them ‘Worship not the idols. Do not consider yourself first. Do not humiliate your neighbor. Help the poor. Sustain the feeble. Do evil to no one. Do not covet that which you do not possess and which is possessed by others.’ “Many, learning of such words, decided to kill Issa. But Issa, forewarned, departed from this place by night. “Afterward, Issa went into Nepal and into the Himalaya mountains.” . . . “ ‘Well, perform for us a miracle,’ demanded the servitors of the Temple. Then Issa replied to them: ‘Miracles made their appearance from the very day when the world was created. He who cannot behold them is deprived of the greatest gift of life. But woe to you, enemies of men, woe unto you, if you await that He should attest his power by miracle.’” “Issa taught that men should not strive to behold the Eternal Spirit with one’s own eyes but to feel it with the heart, and to become a pure and worthy soul.” . . . “Not only shall you not make human offerings, but you must not slaughter animals, because all is given for the use of man. Do not steal the goods of others, because that would be usurpation from your near one. Do not cheat, that you may in turn not be cheated.” Issa said: “Beware, ye, who divert men from the true path and who fill the people with superstitions and prejudices, who blind the vision of the seeing ones, and who preach subservience to material things.” Upon his return to the land of Israel, Issa taught: “Do not be subject to despair; do not desert your homes; do not defile the nobility of your feelings; be imbued with hope and with patience. Raise up the fallen and sustain the hungry; succor the ailing in order that you be entirely pure and just upon that last day which I am preparing for you. If you would perform deeds of benevolence and love, perform them with a generous heart. And let there not be in these deeds the hope of gain or any calculations of profit.” The legends continue thus: “Then Pilate, ruler of Jerusalem, gave orders to lay hands upon the preacher Issa and to deliver him to the judges, without however, arousing the displeasure of the people.” “But Issa taught: ‘Do not seek straight paths in darkness, possessed by fear. But gather force and support each other. He who supports his neighbor strengthens himself. “ ‘I tried to revive the laws of Moses in the hearts of the people. And I say unto you that you do not understand their true meaning because they do not teach revenge but forgiveness. But the meaning of these laws is distorted.’ ” “Then the ruler sent to Issa his disguised servants that they should watch his actions and report to him about his words to the people.” “ ‘Thou just man,’ said the disguised servant of the ruler of Jerusalem approaching Issa, ‘Teach us, should we fulfill the will of Caesar or await the approaching deliverance?’ “But Issa, recognizing the disguised servants, said, ‘I did not foretell unto you that you would be delivered from Cæsar; but I said that the soul which was immersed in sin would be delivered from sin.’ ” “At this time, an old woman approached the crowd, but was pushed back. Then Issa said, ‘Reverence Woman, mother of the universe; in her lies the truth of creation. She is the foundation of all that is good and beautiful. She is the source of life and death. Upon her depends the existence of man, because she is the sustenance of his labors. She gives birth to you in travail, she watches over your growth. Bless her. Honor her. Defend her. Love your wives and honor them, because tomorrow they shall be mothers, and later—progenitors of a whole race. Their love ennobles man, soothes the embittered heart and tames the beast. Wife and mother—they are the adornments of the universe.’ “ ‘As light divides itself from darkness, so does woman possess the gift to divide in man good intent from the thought of evil. Your best thoughts must belong to woman. Gather from them your moral strength, which you must possess to sustain your near ones. Do not humiliate her, for therein you will humiliate yourselves. And all which you will do to mother, to wife, to widow or to another woman in sorrow—that shall you also do for the Spirit.’ “So taught Issa; but the ruler Pilate ordered one of his servants to make accusation against him. “Said Issa: ‘Not far hence is the time when by the Highest Will the people will become purified and united into one family.’ “And then turning to the ruler, he said ‘Why demean thy dignity and teach thy subordinates to live in deceit when even without this thou couldst also have had the means of accusing an innocent one?’ ” Thus the legends of Asia weave such an image of Jesus, so ennobled and near to all nations. And Asia preserves in its mountains such legends. And it is not astonishing that the teachings of Jesus and Buddha are leading all nations into one family. But beautiful it is, that the light-giving idea of unity is expressed so clearly. And who shall be opposed to this idea? Who will lessen the simplest and most beautiful decision of life? And the earthly Unity is so easily and scientifically merging into the great Unity of all worlds. The commandments of Jesus and of Buddha lie upon one shelf. And the signs of ancient Sanskrit and of Pali unite all aspirations. Another version also speaks about the life of Jesus in Tibet: “Near Lhasa was a temple of teaching with a wealth of manuscripts. Jesus was to acquaint himself with them. Meng-ste, a great sage of all the East, was in this temple.” “Finally Jesus reached a mountain pass and in the chief city of Ladak, Leh, he was joyously accepted by monks and people of the lower class.” “And Jesus taught in the monasteries and in the bazaars (the market place); wherever the simple people gathered—there he taught.” “Not far from this place lived a woman whose son had died and she brought him to Jesus. And in the presence of a multitude, Jesus laid his hand on the child, and the child rose healed. And many brought their children and Jesus laid his hands upon them, healing them.” “Among the Ladakis, Jesus passed many days, teaching them. And they loved him and when the time of his departure came they sorrowed as children.” Said Jesus of skilled singers: “Whence is their talent and their power? For in one short life they could not possibly accumulate a quality of voice and a knowledge of the laws of harmonies. Are these miracles? No, because all things take place as a result of natural laws. Many thousands of years ago these people already molded their harmonies and their qualities. And they come again to learn still more from varied manifestations.” Still many other legends and manuscripts relate of Issa in Asia. After the vital conception of general well-being indicated by Jesus and preserved by Buddhists, one cannot but recall the words of Eusebius in his book, “Life of Constantine”: “In order to attach to Christianity greater attraction in the eyes of the nobility the priests adopted the outer garments and adornments which were used in pagan cults.” Every one who knows the cult of Mithra can appreciate the justice of this remark. A devout neo-Platonist and worshiper of the ancient philosophy, Clement of Alexandria, taught Christian bishops. Ignorance! Russian princes perished in the tents of Khans for their refusal to reverence the image of Buddha—yet at the same time the monasteries of Tibet were already preserving the wonderful lines about Jesus. Cyril of Alexandria brought about the destruction of the woman ascetic Hypatia, but it was to her own pupil, Cinesius, that the bishopric of Ptolemy was offered even before he accepted baptism. Superstition! Jerome advised the newly converted Christians to trample upon the body of their pagan mother. Cynicism! Pope Leo X exclaimed, “How useful to us is this allegory of Christ!” It should not be forgotten that Origen, who knew the meaning of the ancient mysteries and understood the true significance of the teaching of Jesus, even he could speak in the words of “The Acts”: “And all the believers were together and held everything inunited possession. And the estates which were sold and all properties were distributed to each according to his need. And each day, dwelling unitedly and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of their food with joy and simplicity of the heart.” Origen understood why this general well-being was important and saw profoundly into the truth. Because of this, the Church, sometimes extremely liberal in bestowing the title of saint, refused him this title; but even enemies did not refuse to call Origen a teacher. For he approached the teaching scientifically and did not fear to speak of what was evident to him. Of what was Origen accused? “Lives of the Saints” thus speaks of him: “Origen, the wonder of his age by reason of the prodigiousness of his mind and the profundity of his erudition, was condemned for heresy in two Alexandrian Councils and, after his death, in the Council of Constantinople. Origen did not think correctly about many truths of the Christian Church. Expounding the non-gentile teachings of the pre-existence of the soul, he did not reflect properly upon Christ, believing that a certain number of spiritual beings of equal worth were created, of whom one strove with such flaming love that he became united with the Highest Word and became its bearer upon earth. Holding to the heretical belief in the incarnation of the God-Word and the creation of the world, Origen did not rightly comprehend the death of Christ by crucifixion, representing it as something which had its spiritual counterpart in a spiritual world. He attributed too much to the acts of natural forces with which our nature is gifted. . . .”—Admirable were the councils which could speak against the infinite cosmic meaning of matter! Sergius, Builder of Communities, forebade his coworkers to accept alms. Food and other articles might be accepted only in exchange for labor. Hungering, himself, he offered his labor. The building up of communities and enlightenment alone preoccupied this remarkable man. His refusal of the office of Metropolite and his refusal to wear precious metals appear in his life as natural acts, without any pose. His life was one of indefatigable labor; he chose young, completely unknown coworkers; he preached simplicity, as above, so below. The refusal of personal property was not because of any command, but because of his realization of the harm of this idea. In the ranks of builders of communities, Sergius retains a great place. They are not so numerous—these builders of a life which responds in its inner meaning to the future evolution. And we should carefully record these names of future illumination, extending their lists until our day. One of the great Mahatmas of India says: “You were told that our knowledge was limited to this solar system: ergo, as philosophers who desired to remain worthy of the name, we could not either deny or affirm the existence of what you termed a supreme, omnipotent, intelligent Being of some sort beyond the limits of that solar system. But if such an existence is not absolutely impossible, yet, unless the uniformity of Nature’s laws breaks at those limits we maintain that it is highly improbable. Nevertheless, we deny most emphatically the position of agnosticism in this direction and as regards the solar system. Our doctrine knows no compromises. Neither affirms or denies, for it teaches only that which it knows to be the truth, therefore, we deny God both as philosophers and Buddhists. We know there is in our system no such thing as God, either personal or impersonal.” Amid strife and in the manifestation of truth, upon the chariots of time ascend the law-givers of human welfare: Moses, the untiring leader; Amos, the austere; Buddha, lion-conqueror; Confucius, justice of life; Zoroaster, flaming poet of the sun; Plato, transfigured and reflected in his “Shadows”; Blessed Issa, great in the immortal sacrifice; solitary Origen, the wise commentator; Sergius, great teacher and ascetic. All walked untiringly; all fell victim to the persecution of their day; all knew that the teachings of general well-being would inevitably come to pass; all knew that each sacrifice for the sake of the general well-being was but the approach of the way. On the mountain they tell of these teachings and listen to them simply. And in the deserts and upon the steppes people sing in their daily life about eternity and about the same general wellbeing. The Tibetans, the Mongols, the Buriats, all remember about this happiness. And upon what do the peoples of Asia ponder? The Altaians remember the White Burkhan—they even suffered in their expectation of Him twenty years ago. Upon the summit of Herem they are turning to the White Burkhan: *Thou who dwellest behind white clouds* *Behind the blue skies—* *Three Kurbustans!* *Thou wearing four tresses—* *White Burkhan!* *Thou Spirit of Altai—* *White Burkhan!* *Thou peopling within thyself, in gold and silver,* *A nation, White Altai!* *Thou who illuminest the day—* *Sun—Burkhan!* *Thou who illuminest the night—* *Moon—Burkhan!* *Let my call be inscribed* *Within the book Sudur!* The White Burkhan commands that the idols be burnt and promises great yield to the people’s lands and pastures. And so the general well-being will also reach to the encampments of Altai. Thus is being transfigured the ancient legend about the coming of Buddha to Altai. How ponder the people of Asia? The Buriats are singing: *You will say: Sun stand still!* *What means its setting?* *You will say: Century await!* *What means its aging?* *You will say: Moon be still!* *What means its wane?* *You will say: Century await* *What means its aging?* *You will say: Snow remain!* *What means its melting?* *You will say: Elders remain!* *What means their passing?* *You will say: Cloud be still!* *What means its hiding?* *You will say: Elders remain!* *What means their passing?* Mongols are singing: He who has no possessions which he would gather with thoughts of gain; Who has naught with which he would not have strength enough to part; Who thinks firmly—he possesses the lasting and beautiful delight.” Yes, the thought of Asia is strong. Under a turban, and a fez, and a tubeteika— a resourceful mind and an ability richly applied. The ancient Chinese have preserved the beautiful hymn of the Mother of the Sun, calling her Ruler of the East!
