In Mark’s teaching on the Universe, he stated that our world system is one of twenty-five world systems and that we are the thirteenth of twenty-five in a set of one thousand systems.
I believe it is from tonight’s segment that Mark goes on to say that in those 25 planes of consciousness – each of which are thousands of universes — all of the elements are present on our little planet. So, Mark essentially equates the term “world system” with the term “planes of consciousness.” For me that’s the key to the meaning of 13 of 25.
Jambudvipa
Mark states that Jambudvipa is the name of our world in the Book of Life. Jambudvipa means tolerable, endurance.
My bit of research on Jambudvipa revealed a blend of Buddhist mythology and actual historical references.
Jambudvipa translates as “the island of the Jambu tree.” The Jambu tree is also known as the Rose Apple tree which is the same as the thorn apple tree mentioned in the Guru Gita as an appropriate place to sit and to recite the Guru Gita text.
In Buddhist mythology, Jambudvipa, the land of the Jambu tree, is one of the four continents which surround Mount Meru, the supreme king of all mountains, honored and frequented by the gods. Mount Meru is the Buddhist name for Mount Kailash. The four continents are:
Purva-videha in the East,
Jambudvipa in the South,
Apara-go-daniya in the West, and
Uttara-kuru in the North
These four continents are occupied by different species of beings, with Jambudvipa being the land of human beings.
In a historical reference, “Jambudvīpa” is the Sanskrit name for the Asian subcontinent. In one of the Minor Rock Edicts of Emperor Ashoka, circa 250 BCE, Jambudvipa is inscribed in stone and refers to the land of India.
Emperor Ashoka waged a destructive war against the state of Kalinga (the eastern state of Odisha in modern-day India). Ashoka converted to Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War, which he had waged out of a desire for conquest and which reportedly directly resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and 150,000 deportations. He is remembered for the Ashoka pillars and edicts, for sending Buddhist monks to Sri Lanka and Central Asia, and for establishing monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Lord Buddha.
The mythological and historical references converge in the description of the continent of Jambudvipa as the region where the humans live and the only place where a being may become enlightened by being born as a human being. It is in Jambudvīpa that one may receive the gift of Dharma and come to understand the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and ultimately realize liberation from the cycle of life and death. Buddhas and Universal Rulers are said to arise only on the continent of Jambudvipa.
So, in Mark’s synthesis of knowledge from many external, internal, and intuitive sources, he uses the name Jambudvipa to refer to our entire world.
Prithivi
Not mentioned in this talk tonight, but something I wanted to bring up is the term “Prithivi” which translates as “the Vast One” and is the Sanskrit name for the Earth. On many occasions, Mark has used the term Prithivi and the expression “the firmness of the Earth.” Prithivi is also the name of a Goddess in Hinduism and some branches of Buddhism. She is also known as Bhumi Devi (pictured above) and identified as Lord Varaha‘s wife. Varaha is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, and Bhumi is considered to be an avatar of the goddess Lakshmi.
In Buddhist texts, Pṛthvī is described as both protecting the Buddha and as being his witness for his enlightenment. Prithvi appears dispelling the temptation of Mara by attesting to Buddha’s worthiness to attain enlightenment. The Buddha is frequently depicted performing the Bhumisparsha or “earth-touching” mudrā as a symbolic invocation of the goddess. The earth is the Buddha’s witness (right hand facing forward, touching the ground).
I wanted to specifically invoke Bhumi Devi tonight as we are in the season of Diwali with Lakshmi Day coming up this weekend, the new moon on Saturday night in Los Angeles and through the Midwest and just after midnight on Sunday morning on the East Coast.
Diwali signifies the triumph of good over evil, of righteousness over treachery, of truth over falsehood, and of light over darkness.
May we all emerge Victorious on the Battlefield of Dharma in this world of endurance.
Sadgurunath Maharaj ki Jay
This months 3-part teaching focus is from Mark Griffin’s discussion The Universe. The talk was delivered on December 1st, 2007 in San Francisco, and it is available as a digital download from the Hard Light store.
English