Thoughts on Shamanism/Buddhism?

[Grav]

Got it. So what forms of Shamanism besides Tengriism exists in Mongolia?

Interestingly enough Tengriism incorporates so much of a lot of different types of shamanism that it is the only one in the country. Of course there are different sects in it.

 

[Hlaalu Agent]

Interestingly enough Tengriism incorporates so much of a lot of different types of shamanism that it is the only one in the country. Of course there are different sects in it.

Now that is pretty neat. And I would guess Tengriism as it stands has syncretic sects of elements with Buddhism?

 

[Grav]

Now that is pretty neat. And I would guess Tengriism as it stands has syncretic sects of elements with Buddhism?

Yes, that’s the one my family is a part of.

 

[Hlaalu Agent]

Yes, that’s the one my family is a part of.

Okay got it. Sounds like you have an interesting family then, and that shaman experience you describe sounds intriguing. I should really read up on your people's traditions. And thank you for explaining this all to me.

 

[Grav]

Okay got it. Sounds like you have an interesting family then, and that shaman experience you describe sounds intriguing. I should really read up on your people's traditions. And thank you for explaining this all to me.

No problem, it’s a pleasure to explain.

 

[Lanmandragon]

No problem, it’s a pleasure to explain.

Are there God's or just spurts? How does that work.

 

[Grav]

Are there God's or just spurts? How does that work.

Well it’s mostly spirits of nature. So say I’d want to get a pet rock. I’d have to pray to the mountain spirit and thank it for letting me take a rock. *True story my parents made me do this.* Mostly leave nature as it is.

However since my clan is a Buddhist syncretic sect, there are also monasteries and monks. They have worshipped spirits that have essentially become minor gods/boddhisatvas? Haven’t really looked too deep into it.

 

[Deleted member]

@GravitysMomentum , is Baron von Ungern-Shternberg memorialised again as a Bodhisattva with the fall of communism, if I may?

 

[Grav]

@GravitysMomentum , is Baron von Ungern-Shternberg memorialised again as a Bodhisattva with the fall of communism, if I may?

Think he’s just mentioned as a war hero.

 

[LifeisTiresome]

After having two religious experiences as a child, I have become a firm believer in the spirits. Making this thread because I want to see if there's anybody out there that is the same.

I'll start with myself, coming from the steppes of Mongolia there is a strong influence of Tibetan Buddhism but also Tengristic shamanism. My whole family is ingrained in this religion so obviously I grew up with it, visiting the monasteries and whatnot. And then I actually got to see a possession.

Now this began when I was in seventh grade and summer break was rolling in. Went on a trip to visit the family of my paternal grandfather's uncle in the countryside. Weirdly the night after we sleep over at their cabin, they had brought a shaman. Complete stranger that the relatives invited.

Its midnight and this man begins chanting and dancing around the fire. He beats his drum and just shaking all over. Then his voice is replaced in this unnaturally hoarse and gravelly voice. Not even remotely possible for a human, and he keeps referring to himself as an ancestor spirit that has watched over his family. Anyways after ten minutes of this spirit talking, the relatives are crying because the shaman is spouting family secrets that only the alive ones know. I'm in a bruh moment watching this through the crack in the door. And then I passed out from exhaustion.

This eventually led to my beliefs of a weird mix of shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism. Anyways that was my weird experience with an actual spirit. Your thoughts?

How does Shammanism work when it comes to like when it comes to bigger environments? What do I mean?

Like everything has a spirit, every tree and all that. Ok, So what if you have a 100 trees in a forest. Does the forest itself not have a spirit? Like a greater spirit? And the individual tree spirits are like pieces of it or what?

 

[Grav]

How does Shammanism work when it comes to like when it comes to bigger environments? What do I mean?

Like everything has a spirit, every tree and all that. Ok, So what if you have a 100 trees in a forest. Does the forest itself not have a spirit? Like a greater spirit? And the individual tree spirits are like pieces of it or what?

It's usually if there's a lot of them then it's just one powerful spirit. But say it was one tree by itself on a cliff then that would be its own spirit.

 

[Scottty]

It's usually if there's a lot of them then it's just one powerful spirit. But say it was one tree by itself on a cliff then that would be its own spirit.

As they listened, they began to understand the lives of the Forest, apart from themselves, indeed to feel themselves as the strangers where all other things were at home. Moving constantly in and out of his talk was Old Man Willow, and Frodo learned now enough to content him, indeed more than enough, for it was not comfortable lore. Tom’s words laid bare the hearts of trees and their thoughts, which were often dark and strange, and filled with a hatred of things that go free upon the earth, gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning: destroyers and usurpers. It was not called the Old Forest without reason, for it was indeed ancient, a survivor of vast forgotten woods; and in it there lived yet, ageing no quicker than the hills, the fathers of the fathers of trees, remembering times when they were lords. The countless years had filled them with pride and rooted wisdom, and with malice. But none were more dangerous than the Great Willow: his heart was rotten, but his strength was green; and he was cunning, and a master of winds, and his song and thought ran through the woods on both sides of the river. His grey thirsty spirit drew power out of the earth and spread like fine root-threads in the ground, and invisible twig-fingers in the air, till it had under its dominion nearly all the trees of the Forest from the Hedge to the Downs.

Sorry, what was the topic again?

 

[Grav]

As they listened, they began to understand the lives of the Forest, apart from themselves, indeed to feel themselves as the strangers where all other things were at home. Moving constantly in and out of his talk was Old Man Willow, and Frodo learned now enough to content him, indeed more than enough, for it was not comfortable lore. Tom’s words laid bare the hearts of trees and their thoughts, which were often dark and strange, and filled with a hatred of things that go free upon the earth, gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning: destroyers and usurpers. It was not called the Old Forest without reason, for it was indeed ancient, a survivor of vast forgotten woods; and in it there lived yet, ageing no quicker than the hills, the fathers of the fathers of trees, remembering times when they were lords. The countless years had filled them with pride and rooted wisdom, and with malice. But none were more dangerous than the Great Willow: his heart was rotten, but his strength was green; and he was cunning, and a master of winds, and his song and thought ran through the woods on both sides of the river. His grey thirsty spirit drew power out of the earth and spread like fine root-threads in the ground, and invisible twig-fingers in the air, till it had under its dominion nearly all the trees of the Forest from the Hedge to the Downs.

Sorry, what was the topic again?

Somebody asked if a forest should be a bunch of tree spirits or one big one.

 

[Scottty]

Somebody asked if a forest should be a bunch of tree spirits or one big one.

The Old Forest in LoTR was both of the above. All of the half-awake trees had fallen under the control of one old and cunning willow-tree.
Or rather, the evil spirit that inhabited said tree.

 

[Grav]

The Old Forest in LoTR was both of the above. All of the half-awake trees had fallen under the control of one old and cunning willow-tree.
Or rather, the evil spirit that inhabited said tree.

Is this from the Silmarillion or from the actual trilogy?

 

[Scottty]

Is this from the Silmarillion or from the actual trilogy?

The passage I posted there is from the first book of the LoTR trilogy.

 

[Lanmandragon]

The Old Forest in LoTR was both of the above. All of the half-awake trees had fallen under the control of one old and cunning willow-tree.
Or rather, the evil spirit that inhabited said tree.

Which is interesting because tokien used northern European mythos among other things. That shows a connection between people's belifes. It's likley all cultures go through a shamanism phase.

 

[Scottty]

Which is interesting because tokien used northern European mythos among other things. That shows a connection between people's belifes. It's likley all cultures go through a shamanism phase.

I would say an animist phase rather. It's the mental development level of attributing personality and intention to everything, including inanimate objects.
Though I have to wonder if the sentiment of having to ask permission from a mountain to borrow a rock, leads to more or less respect for the rights of other actual people.

 

[Deleted member]

I would say an animist phase rather. It's the mental development level of attributing personality and intention to everything, including inanimate objects.
Though I have to wonder if the sentiment of having to ask permission from a mountain to borrow a rock, leads to more or less respect for the rights of other actual people.

I would argue that the healthiest configuration is to combine this "common" view of the universe with the philosophical sophistication of understanding that monotheism underpins in fact the universe of many spirits