The Halo Of Golden Light

In this pioneering study of the shifting status of the emperor within court society and the relationship between the state and the Buddhist community during the Heian period (794–1185), Asuka Sango details the complex ways in which the emperor and other elite ruling groups employed Buddhist ritual to legitimate their authority. Although considered a descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu, the emperor used Buddhist idiom, particularly the ideal king as depicted in the Golden Light Sūtra, to express his right to rule. Sango’s book is the first to focus on the ideals presented in the sūtra to demonstrate how the ritual enactment of imperial authority was essential to justifying political power. These ideals became the basis of a number of court-sponsored rituals, the most important of which was the emperor’s Misai-e Assembly. Sango deftly traces the changes in the assembly’s format and status throughout the era and the significant shifts in the Japanese polity that mirrored them. In illuminating the details of these changes, she challenges dominant scholarly models that presume the gradual decline of the political and liturgical influence of the emperor over the course of the era. She also compels a reconsideration of Buddhism during the Heian as “state Buddhism” by showing that monks intervened in creating the state’s policy toward the religion to their own advantage. Her analysis further challenges the common view that Buddhism of the time was characterized by the growth of private esoteric rites at the expense of exoteric doctrinal learning. The Halo of Golden Light draws on a wide range of primary sources—from official annals and diaries written by courtiers and monks to ecclesiastical records and Buddhist texts—many of them translated or analyzed for the first time in English. In so doing, the work brings to the surface surprising facets in the negotiations between religious ideas and practices and the Buddhist community and the state.

During this time of planetary crisis, the Arcturians explore how we starseeds can cope with these dramatic changes, such as updating our immune systems and dealing with electromagnetic energies and energy fields. They offer recommendations and ideas for helping us cope with these overwhelming planetary changes. This book explores the important subject of ascension and the work leading to ascension. The Arcturians present a model based on their observations that precipitating events of ascension occur when the third dimension and fifth dimension intersect. At the time of that intersection, a powerful spiritual energy will download into Earth’s energy field that can uplift those who are at the highest vibrations and prepared for ascension. Another concept introduced in this volume is the idea of holographic healing. In holography, a piece of an object can represent the whole. In this Arcturian theory, a person on Earth is only a part of their whole self. Other parts can include the past self, which is the self in other lifetimes, and the future self, which is the self that will live and evolve in future times. There is also a multidimensional self that exists on this and other dimensions.

"From Darkness to Light explores from a variety of angles the subject of museum lighting in exhibition spaces in America, Japan, and Western Europe throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Written by an array of international experts, these collected essays gather perspectives from a diverse range of cultural sensibilities. From sensitive discussions of Tintoretto's unique approach to the play of light and darkness as exhibited in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice, to the development of museum lighting as part of Japanese artistic self-fashioning, via the story of an epic American painting on tour, museum illumination in the work of Henry James, and lighting alterations at Chatsworth (to name only a few topics) this book is a treasure trove of illuminating contributions. The collection is at once a refreshing insight for the enthusiastic museum-goer, who is brought to an awareness of the exhibit in its immediate environment, and a wide-ranging scholarly compendium for the professional who seeks to proceed in their academic or curatorial work with a more enlightened sense of the lighted space."--Publisher's website.

The spiritual messages sent from heaven are so enlightening that many will feel the voice of our Lord penetrate their minds as very extraordinary. Peace will settle in to where the loving touch of the Virgin Mary and Jesus will easily be felt softly and yet knowingly of their presence, they may be seen while listening to this transcription of Instant Messages Sent from Heaven. Likely the beautiful angels which surround us will appear before you too. The interpreters visions are not limited to beautiful halos and holy angels from within eternal light that is sent here, out of body experiences go even much deeper than that. Also the Lord, Almighty God and the amazing Virgin Mary do send much valuable information by words which magically appear. Most of all, the Virgin Mary and Her very thoughtful Son, Jesus, have and will reveal themselves. Get ready theres an explosion of colorful spirituality coming to you inside of your home. Be assured of some sort of visitation.

Utilize the science of sensitivity to help you maximize your gifts of empath, intuition, vision, and expression. Are you often told that you are too sensitive? Can you intuit things before they happen? Are you an introvert who cares deeply about the people and places around you? Using a new and specialized framework for understanding empaths and sensitive individuals, integrative health coach Courtney Marchesani demystifies the science of sensitivity to help you maximize your gifts of empathy, intuition, vision, and expression. Her insightful sensitivity quiz will help you to recognize where your strengths lie, while her Mind-Body Method will help you to heal from the past and current trauma affecting your sensory processing and employ coping skills to manage what can be an overwhelming onslaught of intense emotions and sensations. Allow your sensory intelligence to shine and relish your profound ability to connect with the world by recognizing and honoring your unique gift of sensitivity.

This volume examines the various patterns of trans-regional exchanges in Buddhist art within East Asia (China, Korea, and Japan) in the medieval period, from the fifth to the thirteenth centuries. A traditional approach to the study of East Asian Buddhist art revolves around the notion of an artistic relay: India was regarded as the source of inspiration for China, and China in turn influenced artistic production in the Korean peninsula and Japan. While this narrative holds some truth, it has the implicit baggage of assuming that art in the host country is only derivative and obscures a deep understanding of the complexity of transnational exchanges. The essays in this volume aim to go beyond the conventional query of tracing origins and mapping exchanges in order to investigate the agency of the “receivers” with contextual case studies that can expand our understanding of artistic dialogues across cultures. The volume is divided into three sections. In Section I, “Transmission and Local Interpretations,” the three chapters by Jinchao Zhao, Li-kuei Chien, and Hong Wu all address topics of transnational transmission of Buddhist imagery, their figural styles, and subsequent alterations or adaptations based on local preferences and interpretations. Buddhism had important impacts on East Asian countries in the political dimension, especially when the religion and certain Buddhist sutras and deities were believed to have state-protecting properties. The chapters by Dorothy C. Wong, Imann Lai, and Clara Ma in Section II, “Buddhism and the State,” attend to the political aspect of Buddhism in visual representation. Section III, “Iconography and Traditions,” includes chapters by Sakiko Takahashi, Suijun Ra, and Tamami Hamada that closely study the cross-border transmission of and subtle variations in iconography and style of specific Buddhist deities, notably deities of esoteric strands that include the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara (Bodhisattva of Compassion).

The concept of raising the spiritual light quotient is similar to the intelligence quotient used in modern psychology, the IQ test. However the spiritual light quotient is not the same as intelligence. Rather, the SLQ reflects one¿s ability to understand spiritual concepts, to meditate and to connect with other dimensions. It also is a measurement of one¿s ability to understand the relationship between Earth and the environment of the Earth, and Earth¿s relationship to the galaxy. Finally, it is a measurement of one¿s ability to understand the existence of other dimensions as well as the relationship between the ascended masters and guides and our journey to higher realms for soul evolution. Thus it appears necessary to look at the SLQ of a person, the SLQ of an area and the SLQ of a planet. All of the channeling I bring forth is based on the concept of the Sacred Triangle, which is a new paradigm for spirituality. This paradigm states that in order to heal Earth and bring everything into balance, one must unite the concepts of galactic spirituality with ancient mystical thought and with the energies of native peoples, including Native Americans.

Guang Xing gives an analysis of one of the fundamental Mahayana Buddhist teachings, namely the three bodies of the Buddha (the trikaya Theory), which is considered the foundation of Mahayana philosophy. He examines how and why the philosophical concept of three bodies was formed, particularly the Sambhogakaya, which is the Buddha to be worshipped by all Mayahanists. Written in an accessible way, this work is an outstanding research text for students and scholars of Mayahana Buddhism and anyone interested in Buddhist philosophy.