Namkha (Tibetan: ནམ་མཁའ་ nam mkha' [1] "sky", "space", "aether"," heaven"), also known as Dö; (Tibetan mdos (མདོས) [2]) is a form of yarn or thread cross composed traditionally of wool or silk and is a form of the Endless knot of the Eight Auspicious Symbols (Ashtamangala).
Namkha, space, is the Tibetan name of an extremely ancient structure made of coloured threads wrapped around wooden sticks, variations of which can be found in other traditions of the populations of our planet, which from time immemorial, Tibetans have imbued with a very precise, well defined and meaningful function, as we shall see from the pure symbolic representation.
Used in the ancient rituals of Bön — the pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet — in reality this object represents the fundamental components and aspects of the energy of the individual, as defined from the conception until the birth of the individual.
Knowledge about the use of namkha were almost completely lost,[citation needed] but in 1983 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu wrote a text entitled "The Preparation of Namkha which Harmonizes the Energy of the Elements", and in the same year gave oral teachings on namkha explaining that its function is to harmonize the elements of the individual and the various forms of energy related to them. Norbu's teachings on the namkhai are collected in his book Namkha.[3]
Symbolismedit
Faithful to the meaning of space, both as origin and of indispensable support of the five material elements, the namkha as a whole represents the global space in which these interact. But while being founded on astrological calculations, and in fact certainly not being able to do without them, a namkha is not at all the equivalent of a three dimensional horoscope. It is not limited to a mere representation of the elements of the individual, but possesses a function, not just cognitive but operative. It is in fact a concrete, effective and extraordinary means to harmonize the energy of the individual, both internally and in relation to the total energy of the time and the universe as a whole.
Usesedit
In certain tantric rituals, the namkha becomes a pure land abode of a deity while in other rites it may act as a snare for demons. Tradition holds that it was for this latter purpose that a namkha was used by Padmasambhava after his Vajrakilaya Dance during the consecration of Samye monastery during the first importation of Buddhism to Tibet.[4] Weavings of a similar nature are called "God's eye" in English folk art.
In the Bön and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, a namkha is constructed as the temporary dwelling for a deity during ritual practice. The structure of the namkha is traditionally made with colored threads symbolic of the elements (blue, green, red, white, and yellow; space, air, fire, water, and earth respectively ), the sequence, and the shape of the namkha differing for each particular deity or yidam. The namkha is placed on the practitioner's altar or shrine and an image of the deity may be placed beneath. The namkha is often accompanied in rites and ritual workings with the tantric and shamanic tool, the phurba. Pearlman describes how Padmasambhava consecrated the land for the building of Samye Monastery by the enactment of the rite of the Vajrakilaya dance, which employed namkha to capture malevolent spirits.[4]
Pearlman, Ellen (2002). Tibetan Sacred Dance: A Journey into the Religious and Folk Traditions. Rochester, Vermont, US: Inner Traditions. ISBN978-0-89281-918-8.
namkha, other, uses, disambiguation, tibetan, ནམ, མཁའ, mkha, space, aether, heaven, also, known, tibetan, mdos, མད, form, yarn, thread, cross, composed, traditionally, wool, silk, form, endless, knot, eight, auspicious, symbols, ashtamangala, space, tibetan, n. For other uses see Namkha disambiguation Namkha Tibetan ནམ མཁའ nam mkha 1 sky space aether heaven also known as Do Tibetan mdos མད ས 2 is a form of yarn or thread cross composed traditionally of wool or silk and is a form of the Endless knot of the Eight Auspicious Symbols Ashtamangala Namkha space is the Tibetan name of an extremely ancient structure made of coloured threads wrapped around wooden sticks variations of which can be found in other traditions of the populations of our planet which from time immemorial Tibetans have imbued with a very precise well defined and meaningful function as we shall see from the pure symbolic representation Used in the ancient rituals of Bon the pre Buddhist religion of Tibet in reality this object represents the fundamental components and aspects of the energy of the individual as defined from the conception until the birth of the individual Contents 1 History 2 Symbolism 3 Uses 4 See also 5 Notes 5 1 Works cited 6 References 7 External linksHistory editKnowledge about the use of namkha were almost completely lost citation needed but in 1983 Chogyal Namkhai Norbu wrote a text entitled The Preparation of Namkha which Harmonizes the Energy of the Elements and in the same year gave oral teachings on namkha explaining that its function is to harmonize the elements of the individual and the various forms of energy related to them Norbu s teachings on the namkhai are collected in his book Namkha 3 Symbolism editFaithful to the meaning of space both as origin and of indispensable support of the five material elements the namkha as a whole represents the global space in which these interact But while being founded on astrological calculations and in fact certainly not being able to do without them a namkha is not at all the equivalent of a three dimensional horoscope It is not limited to a mere representation of the elements of the individual but possesses a function not just cognitive but operative It is in fact a concrete effective and extraordinary means to harmonize the energy of the individual both internally and in relation to the total energy of the time and the universe as a whole Uses editIn certain tantric rituals the namkha becomes a pure land abode of a deity while in other rites it may act as a snare for demons Tradition holds that it was for this latter purpose that a namkha was used by Padmasambhava after his Vajrakilaya Dance during the consecration of Samye monastery during the first importation of Buddhism to Tibet 4 Weavings of a similar nature are called God s eye in English folk art In the Bon and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions a namkha is constructed as the temporary dwelling for a deity during ritual practice The structure of the namkha is traditionally made with colored threads symbolic of the elements blue green red white and yellow space air fire water and earth respectively the sequence and the shape of the namkha differing for each particular deity or yidam The namkha is placed on the practitioner s altar or shrine and an image of the deity may be placed beneath The namkha is often accompanied in rites and ritual workings with the tantric and shamanic tool the phurba Pearlman describes how Padmasambhava consecrated the land for the building of Samye Monastery by the enactment of the rite of the Vajrakilaya dance which employed namkha to capture malevolent spirits 4 See also editNazar amulet Prayer flag Weaving mythology Notes edit Staff nam mkha DharmaDictionary net RangjungYesheWiki Retrieved 2010 02 04 Staff mdos DharmaDictionary net RangjungYesheWiki Retrieved 2010 02 04 Norbu 1999 a b Pearlman 2002 p 18 Works cited edit Norbu Namkhai 1999 Namkha Shang Shung Edizioni Pearlman Ellen 2002 Tibetan Sacred Dance A Journey into the Religious and Folk Traditions Rochester Vermont US Inner Traditions ISBN 978 0 89281 918 8 References editBeer Robert 1999 The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs Hardcover Shambhala Publications ISBN 1 57062 416 X Beyer Stephen 1978 The Cult of Tara Magic and Ritual in Tibet University of California Press Gold Peter 1994 Navajo amp Tibetan sacred wisdom the circle of the spirit Rochester Vermont Inner Traditions International ISBN 0 89281 411 X Muller Ebeling Claudia and Christian Ratsch and Surendra Bahadur Shahi 2002 Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas Transl by Annabel Lee Rochester Vt Inner Traditions International Nebesky Wojkowitz Rene de Oracles and Demons of Tibet pgs 369 397 ISBN 81 7303 039 1 Nebesky Wojkowitz Rene de 1976 Tibetan Religious Dances The Hague Mouton Giuseppe Tucci 1980 The Religions of Tibet translated by Geoffrey Samuel London Routledge amp Kegan Paul External links edithttps namkha encyclopedia com Website that outlines how to make Namkha by the Chogyal Namkhai Norbu method Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Namkha amp oldid 1186256936, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
