The descent: embracing the world
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The Mother and Her Sons/Daughters

THE FACTS

The Ultimate Reality isn't Enlightenment, but Darkness giving birth to the Light, the latter represented by Her Son/Lover, the Divine (God). LINK Threefold Realization. Since ancient times the former is understood as a Cosmic Womb ("Great Mother"). In "Her" Bottomlessness everything old, sick, ugly and evil is destroyed while giving birth to the new, fresh, beautiful, good and healthy. The universe is a balance between continuous death, rebirth and life. It is the most important religious concept in Hinduism. This is confirmed by modern science (vacuum physics)

Being Nothing you are everything

The Power of Emptiness (beyond Emptiness)

Isn't "She" majestic?

This insight is supported by Buddha's Enlightenment, the latter happening to him in the NIGHT. So, he got a suspicion about the Ultimate Reality. While Enlightenment is equal to Emptiness (because of the ego disappearing into it), he called Darkness "Emptiness beyond Emptiness" or Nirvana. It means the total annihilation of Life. Instead of being frightened by it the Buddha longed his whole life for entering Nirvana. This happened at last during the process of his physical death. 

Womb Shape

Transcending images and everything else of the mind

Coming to the Essence of Life

Other religions have also a memory of Darkness as the Ultimate Reality. Both the Indigenous people of Banten, West-Java and the ancient Bon-religion of Tibet are still using a Dark Room as a means of initiation. In Christianity there are remains of the ancient Mother through the much venerated Black Madonna's. In (Muslim!) Egypt people annually celebrate the Great Night maulid, during which the gender laws are lifted. Black by the way is the sacred color of Islam!

My lovely temporarily school class

If I can reach the top anybody can reach it as well

Don't be disturbed by "samsara"

Buddha's don't sit on the Lotus; they are (continuously) born out of IT

The Maternal Primordial Ground

Lotus as Cosmic Womb

Unfortunately this Great Wisdom was destroyed during the rise of patriarchy. Gilgamesh (Babylon) refused to become the Son/Lover of the Goddess Ishtar, while the God Marduk killed and destroyed the last Great Mother, Tiamat. Ever since patriarchal religions have vigorously suppressed Her. In order to survive She started to lay emphasis on Her destructive aspects. Which in turn frightened men. A negative vicious circle was unavoidable. In order to "tame Her" patriarchal religions started demonizing Her. She became an ugly monster (devil, demon). Others tried to benefit from Her power by making Her a (male) "protector" or "guardian".

Mother and Sons

Within reach of the Origin

Buddha in the "Egg"

Watching with the eye of Enlightenment

One of the Guardian-Buddha's

Ever since Cosmic Balance has been disturbed. Rather than recognizing the Mother as the Source of Light and Life, humans became obsessed by "Light fighting Darkness". They identified good with Light and evil with Darkness. Thus denying their own Origin. This pattern can also be traced in Java. While in ancient times Kala stood at the birth of the Cosmos, in later times - as late as the 17th century - She turned into the evil son of Durga. In the "Birth of Kala" text (Tata Winanci), he is the personification of evil. Many exorcist practices ("ruwatan") are based on it. Quite understandable that Javanese are confused seeing so many Kala Heads at Borobudur. Deeper insight into the matter reveals that these two Kala's are not the same. The former one is still linked to its ancient roots and therefore beneficial, while the latter is a degenerated form, put into the world with the aim of creating fear

Absolutely unique

Enlightenment and Nirvana are two (totally) different things

Give up your ego in total conscious! surrender

In India Kala manifested Herself in many Goddesses. The most famous ones are Durga and Kali. Both resisted male supremacy by killing the latter's ego. PS. Kala as the "son oif Durga" is typically a case of "patriarchal reversion". The opposite is the case. Durga is the daughter of Kala*. Here Kala's destructiveness has a positive connotatrion. She destroys evil. Destruction is thus necessary to restore balance in the universe! This is supported by the Mahakala ("the Great-Black-One") of Bon and Tantric Buddhism. Although being transformed into a male Deity, Her Original Power is still present. The main function of Mahakala: to destroy the ego! Not surprisingly thus that the (left hand, feminine) Tantric Sect was a main source of inspiration to the founders of Borobudur...

* The a ending of Kala makes the word feminine! Once again a memory of ancient times

And She will grant your Renewal, the birth of your True Self

The Power of Being

A very remarkable observation: the constants at Borobudur are 1. the Stupa's 2. the Kala's and 3. the Buddha's. The entire building is littered with them. The rest belongs without exception to the transient world. They are secondary. That means that above mentioned  three categories are the core of Borobudur's teaching. So what is the relationship between these three?

To be Part of the Whole

Every being is a Buddha

It is nothing less but the restoration of Original Wisdom as perceived by the ancients. The Big Stupa is representing the Highest Truth e.g.the Bottomless Cosmic Womb, later defined by Buddha as "Emptiness beyond Emptiness" or "Nirvana". The Kala's are Her visible manifestation. Due to the inevitabilities of the era in which Borobudur was built, the Kala's are portayed as "Gods of Time". However, as stated earlier, there wasn't any reason to portray an official God as a Demon. Ergo: people knew about the True Nature of Kala. Moreover, look at Her appearences. Don't they express the Primordial Power of the Cosmos? Indeed, they are so incredibly "overpowerring" that only the Original Mother - the True Source of Destruction and Creation - can be behind it. 

Enlightenment: Full-Emptiness
(Dutch: "Vol-Ledigheid"

And then: the Liberation

I am Her devotee

The Buddha's represent the Light that is continuously born out of Her Dark Womb. They are Her Son/Lovers. They are Her first emanation. "Sons" because of their birth, "Lovers" because of their ongoing return to the Origin. Even on this highest level the Cosmos is ruled by the "Law of Birth and Death". The only difference with the phenomenal world is, that the celestial Birth and Death knows no time. Everything takes place in Eternity. That's why Birth and Death takes place in the selfsame Eternal Moment. If the Light dies and is reborn in the selfsame Eternal Moment, to us the Light appears to be unchanging. In Reality "Birth and Death" is inescapable, though. It happens on all levels of existence. It reveals the Glory of Kala. Joy, gratitude!

In Her I take refuge

Kala protects me

Feeling the Goal within

Now we understand why the historical Buddha was not considered to be the "last authority". It is because his identification with Enlightenment as the highest Realization. Which, like we have seen doesn't correspond with Reality. It has lead to centuries-long obsession with "the Light", while condemning Darkness. The Light has become an object to identify with, using it for ego-purposes. It has become a commodity in the "spiritual market". It has lost its oriiginal Power to liberate mankind. Through Kala we know, that the Light doesn't represent Ultimate Truth. The Buddha has sensed it, but had no experience of it. Therefore, the Revelation of the LINK Cosmic Mother (1977) is a turning point in human evolution. It teaches us that only Absolute Emptiness is able to destroy ego. The ego being the greatest obstacle to the liberation of (wo)man and the world. It proves once again the indispensable function of destruction. Either the ego will be destroyed or the ego will be destroying us....  

Step by step

I can feel Her motherly Compassion

Surrendering myself totally

In the Kali Yuga (the current era of the ego, in which everything is in decay) the Borobudur proves to have a leading function. It is the "Mountain of Great Transformation". The big surprise: in these most critical of times Borobudur, apart from offering the indirect Path toward Enlightenment (LINK Borobudur 4) is providing the Direct Path to Nirvana, as well..... It is as if it "knew" that somewhere in the future the Awakening of Mankind would be a matter of "life and death". That's why Sudhana had most of his guidance by Maitreya, the future Buddha. In order to take refuge in Samantabhara, the "Feminine Buddha".

The Mother is All-Embracing

Glimpses of Enlightenment

Her Bottomlessness doesn't frighten you anymore. on the contrary it liberates you from your deepest existential fear

If, on the other hand, you resist Her by clinging to your ego, your will have every reason to fear Her...

Give up your ego and Kala will support you. She will become your most intimate ally

Feeling Kala's Love

However, the Direct Path is provided by Kala leading us to Her Sanctuary: the Great Stupa. She is doing this through the "vertical way", the Path straight up along the staircases. No need to go the time-consuming Road along the galleries, stories and narratives. Obviously, this Path is not for the many. Because it requires a firm foundation, a Realization of Being. However, it could very well be that after the "horizontal round" where one is coming to his or her first Awakening, still the vertical Path is taken. Every spiritual Path is unique! So, climb the staircase - not like the masses of ignorant people do - rushing to the top without grasping the meaning.... but as the initiation of a lifetime. The awareness of being "chosen" by the Mother to taking refuge in Her Womb..... should raise such a total devotion, that there will be no way back from dissolving into Her.....

Humor She also has

Sometimes I stop realizing the Clarity in and around me

Gratefulness for granting me the Direct Way

Feeling my feet and breathing all the time

I am deeply in Love with Her

Overwhelming

There the Ultimate Mystery is waiting for you: Light being born out of Darkness. Its secret. Surrendering to Darkness takes your existential fear away. Taking refuge in the Light is easy, because you know in advance that for surrendering your ego, you will get something in return. It is like in commerce, giving and getting. In the end the ego will come back, simply because it never totally disappeared. Confrontation with Absolute Emptiness doesn't give you any other option but sacrificing your ego unconditionally. The surprise: by giving yoiur ego (back) to the Mother She grants you total renewal. You participate in the Ultimate Mystery of the Cosmos: Darkness giving birth to the Light. This may manifest itself through a total breakdown of your conditionings, with crying for joy, the birth of your True Self, including the Realization of Full Enlightenment 

How beautiful Kala is

The Vision is Clear

The Road is narrow

Gate after Gate

Offering Her a drink (?)

The Goal is the Path

Worshipping the Mother

Destruction of the ego

Step by step in the HereNow

This rebirth is complete because the old has completely disappeared. No setback or relapse into your ego-addictions anymore. You are now truly a New Man or a New Woman. Praise the Mother! Now you see for the first time that Kala includes both destruction AND creation. Being able to look at Her without any judgement in between, you see Her upper part, the part of Her "third eye" to be a Tree of Life! The Tree of Life since ancient times being the symbol of the life-giving Force of the Mother*. Now you understand also why at several places Kala is worshipped by various sages. The latter looking very devotional, offering flowers and fruits to Her. Last but not least you also grasp the meaning of the two Dragons coming out of Her Head. They symbolize Her Son/Lovers, Her male aspects. In Essence She is Empty, however, giving birth to the creative Force of the universe. Therefore She is called Kala (feminine), while the Dragons are called Makara's (masculine), the union of the two - Darkness and Light, two sides of the same coin, is called KalaMaka

* Also present in the main symbol of Java and entire Indonesia: the Gunungan. O, these Javanese!

To the Mother through the Mother

Once centered I feel my breathing with emphasis on the breathing out

Start with feeling my feet while walking

Walking very very slowly
(Go on the quiet hours!)

So the journey begins

Kala will guide me

Passing through the Gates of Death and Rebirth

Contemplating the Direct Road

It is time to descend. Like a Maitreya coming to earth from his Tushita Heaven. This time no need to go down along the staircase. On the contrary. Thanks to your All-Embracing Essence you feel compassionate to all sentient and non-sentient beings. Everything, including your own small self appears to be content of "your" Undivided and Limitless Space. You love everything and all like you love yourself. So, this time you take the "horizontal Path", while admiring all these beautiful details, these scenes of daily life. You feel no difference between your worldly self and the self of others, feeling intimately connected to plants and animals as well. The Javanese have always kept this sense of interconnectedness. They paid e.g. as much attention to the carvings of trees, like durian, mangga and banana. The animals are also very real, just copies from their alive brothers and sisters. Maybe you even touch them, showing your love to them. Borobudur has given you all this. It is truly the "Navel of the World". I therefore recommend a pilgrimage to Borobudur, at least once in a lifetime, if possible more often, to every sincere seeker.*

* See also: "Great Mother Buddhism"

I am ready to die to the old

Kala, here I am