Angkor Wat Cambodia January 2011.

[Roy]

Thank you AlexV for a very interesting and illuminating thread. I am a newcomer to this forum, and just searched for new posts as a way of getting started. I was a Buddhist monk myself for two years, and the idea of Buddhists having used entheogens never occurred to me at the time, which was in the early 1980's. Now you mention it though, it is pretty obvious. Particularly from looking at the imagery and architecture in Buddhist cultures. Your mention of snakes is interesting. There was one statue the monks kept behind locked doors. It was female and surrounded by snakes. I was only allowed to look at it for a short time myself, so I can't give a detailed description. This was at a temple in Sri Lanka. In India also I have seen many examples of what looks very much to me like entheogen inspired art and architecture.

[Espiralli]

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Nice

[Anthony Peake]

Alex,

What a fantastic posting. I will need to digest in detail what you are describing here but it is of great interest to me, particularly because I am pulling together material for my new book. I am in the process of reading Manly P. Hall's short section on the pineal gland from his book Man the Grand Symbol of the Mysteries" and there are certain echoes here that I need to follow up.

I like the term "endohuasca" as this can be paralleled with Beach Barrett's neologism for endogenous DMT which he calls "metatonin".

I only recently read Graham Hancock's "Supernatural" and I too was taken by his discussion of the "wounded man" motif . I also agree with you that on my visit to Angkor I was intrigued by the layout of the main Watt in that private anti-chambers were everywhere and yet the general impression given by the guidebooks is that this was a very social environment. I also strongly take your point about the faces on the Bayon.

My wife and I have just agreed that we will go back to South East Asia in the autumn. We will visit Northern Thailand and maybe venture into Burma. I am keen to follow up some of the points you make in this posting.

I also plan to write a section on the snakes motif and I am intrigued by Jeremy Narby's suggestion that the "snakes" are actual symbols of DNA and, I have to admit that until you mentioned it, I had not made the link with the "Naga" motifs found all over Cambodia (specifically on bridges). I again agree with you that there is clearly an "esoteric" Buddhism that parallels the Gnostic/Kabbalah/Sufi traditions of the Abrahamic religions.

Thanks for this amazing posting ... it is a great credit to this Forum.

Regards

Tony

[shoegazer]

Manly P. Hall's short section on the pineal gland from his book Man the Grand Symbol of the Mysteries" and there are certain echoes here that I need to follow up.

If you are researching the pineal gland, then I suggest checking out a modern parapsychologist on the topic her name is Serena Roney-Dougal, she has an interesting approach to parapsychology, for her it is all related to the pineal gland.No other author has done as much research on this from the parapsychological approach. Sadly some within the parapsychological community have been critical of her ideas as some have claimed her ideas are too "materialistic" as of those of Michael Persinger. A couple of interesting publication of her theories:

http://www.psi-researchcentre.co.uk/article_10.htm

I suggest reading her publication about the pineal gland first, she is linking it to psi and geomagnetism.

Research over the past 10 years into the pineal gland and its possible connection with a psi-conducive state of consciousness (Roney Dougal, 1986 & 1989), has recently become linked with research on the connection between the earth's magnetic field (EMF) and psi awareness (Persinger, 1988a; Roney - Dougal, 1988). This connection is explored with particular reference to neurochemical research into the effect of the EMF on pineal gland activity. Basically, the pineal gland makes the hormone melatonin and an endogenous hallucinogen (6-MeOTHBC) that possibly causes a psi-conducive state of consciousness. It also has enzymes which affect serotonin so as to produce a variety of possible hallucinogens. The functioning of the pineal gland is affected by the EMF. Thus the production of melatonin, 6-MeOTHBC and the serotonin hallucinogens, is affected by variations in the EMF, and this could well be related to variations in a psi-conducive state of consciousness, resulting in ostensible psychic occurrences. The implications from this synthesis are far-reaching, and those concerning our understanding of dowsing and certain anomalous phenomena are mentioned.

She has also written a book called Where Science and Magic meet, it is the complete history of the pineal gland in relation to all things magical and mystical.

[Anthony Peake]

Thanks Shoegazer.

I have read it, and a copy sits in my desk. It is a really impressive book and her sections on the pineal gland are fascinating. I am planning to contact Dr.Roney-Dougal in the next few weeks. I think she would make a great future guest for the "Peake Experience".

Thanks again.

Tony

[Anthony Peake]

I am in the process of writing up the Buddist and Hindu sections of my forthcoming book and I was reminded of this fantastic discussion thread started by AlexV. I would again like to thank him for a series of hugely informative postings regarding the symbolism of the pineal gland with the Angkor temple complex. I have to say that this remains probably the most amazing place I have ever visited. As I now know considerably more about Hindu and Buddist beliefs I find the place even more intriguing and plan to visit it again soon.

I am keen to have this thread started again as it offers so much to the careful reader....

Tony

[MAC]

I am in the process of writing up the Buddist and Hindu sections of my forthcoming book and I was reminded of this fantastic discussion thread started by AlexV.

Tony: Some great photographs above to go with the detailed commentary. I look forward to reviewing this posting thread again.

Now might be the time to read Toronto author Aster Barnwell's latest book "Hidden Treasure: Jesus's Message of Transformation" (http://www.AsterBarnwell.com) in which the author, in intricate detail, ties in the main New Testament (NT) stories to a Buddhist / Eastern model of transformation; essentially indicating that the only "salvation" on offer, in life, is "transformation"; essentially also suggesting, as well, a Buddhist / Eastern origin to those NT stories.

See also, perhaps, some short articles by Aster Barnwell posted on his website at:

http://www.asterbarnwell.com/articles___poems_113833.htm

Here's a short article from there, that I found interesting, on this theme in particular:

http://www.asterbarnwell.com/files/Seve ... ospels.pdf

The article's description, shown there, is as follows:

The chakras serve as our bridge between Matter and Spirit, helping us evolve in our experience of life between a predominantly selfish existence at the lowest chakra, and one that is purely selfless and spiritual at the highest. It should be the goal of all spiritual disciplines to assist us in moving toward the higher end, where we can experience a greater sense of joy in life. It is this challenge of moving our consciousness up the “ladder of being,” that constitutes the transformation of consciousness.

All the best

Cam