Removing The Sheen From Buddhism

[Husky]

Post 12/?



2. keralatripguide.com/thiruvananthapuram/agasthyakoodam-trek.html

(this page has a photo of the beautiful sacred Hindoo region.)

Agasthyakoodam (also known as Agasthyarkoodam) is a 1868m tall mountain within the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. It lies on the border between Kerala and Tamilnadu. It is also known as Agasthyamala in Malayalam (അഗസ്ത്യമല) and Pothigai Malai in Tamil.

(Also known as Agastya Malai in Tamil, since he's supposed to be the one initiated into Tamil by Shiva and Murugan, from which derives his Tamil grammar and that of his student Tolkappiyar.)

This mountain belongs to the Ashambu Hills, the southern end of Western Ghats. There are over 25 peaks in Ashambu Hills and Agasthyakoodam peak is the tallest one among them.



The forests around this peak are famous for the abundance of rare medicinal herbs and plants. It is also far away from human settlements, making it one of the pristine natural forests in Kerala. It hides one of the richest concentrations of biodiversity in the entire Western Ghats. Among the peaks of Western Ghats, Agasthyakoodam ranks as a medium peak. However, it has a magical aura around it and as you trek up the mountain, you feel refreshed and recharged. People believe that even the wind here has medicinal properties and will protect or cure you from diseases.





Agasthyakoodam Legends

Agasthyakoodam peak is also a pilgrimage destination for Hindu devotees who believe that sage Agasthya meditated on the mountain. Sage Agasthya is one of the seven maharishis(Saptarishis) in Hindu puranas. There is a small shrine on the mountain top with an idol of Agasthya rishi and during Agasthyakoodam trekking season, people perform pujas here.





Agasthya sage is considered to be guru of Ayurveda system of traditional Indian medicine. Most of his statues depict him with a stone crusher in one hand and a bowl of medicines in the other. He is also considered as the father of Tamil literature and Siddha medicine.





According to one of the legends, Everyone including maharishis moved to Himalayas during the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvathi. This caused the earth to tilt to one side and Lord Shiva asked Agasthya to go to south and balance the earth again. Agasthya came to the southern mountains and he liked the place and stayed on. There are plenty of other interesting legends about Agasthyamuni.





As you look down, you will be blown away by the vastness of the valleys and the mountains below. You will also suddenly notice another majestic mountain range which seems to have magically appeared from nowhere! This mountain range of 5 peaks is known Ainthuthalai Pothigai.

(Will return to Aindutalai Podigai in the next post.)



As you reach the top, the first thing you notice is the ferocious winds at this height and if you are not careful, you might fall. Agasthya shrine/idol is located in the middle of a small forest on the peak and hence is protected from the wind. As you spend time here, you realize that you should have attempted this trek much earlier!



The following table summarizes the Athirumala to Agasthyakoodam Peak trek trail along with the distance and the average time taken from the starting point at Athirumala.

3. Considering the geographic descriptions above and in the previous post, AND especially the following from the wiki entry again:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pothigai

Agathiyar returned to a spot in the Pothigai hills, where he merged into the cosmos. A temple has been built for him at this spot, close to the Papanasam Falls on the banks of the Thamirabarani River. It is said that Sage Agathiyar occasionally gives appearances to sincere aspirants and devotees.

can compare both aspects with the following translations of Hsuan-Tsang's description from hearsay:



The first translation Hsuan-Tsang=Xuanzang is copied from www.chibs.edu.tw/ch_html/chbs/10/chbs1011.htm,

and the subsequent two translations are copied from Lokesh Chandra citing Beal and Watters



a. Xuanzang’s (玄奘) description of mount Potalaka (Budaluojia shan 布呾洛迦山)[24]　in his Records on the Western World (Datang xiyu ji 大唐西域記):

“To the east of the Malaya mountains [Molaye shan秣剌耶山][25]　is Mount　Po-ta-lo-kia [Budaluojia shan布呾洛迦山] (Pôtalaka). The passes of this mountain are very dangerous; its sides are precipitous, and its valleys rugged. On the top of the mountain is a lake; its waters are clear as a mirror. From a hollow proceeds a great river which encircles the mountain as it flows down twenty times and then enters the southern sea. By the side of the lake is a rock-palace of the Dêvas. Here Avalôkitêśvara [Guanzizai pusa觀自在菩薩] in coming and going takes his abode. Those who strongly desire to see this Bôdhisattva do not regard their lives, but, crossing the water (fording the streams), climb the mountain forgetful of its difficulties and dangers; of those who make the attempt there are very few who reach the summit. But even of those who dwell below the mountain, if they earnestly pray and beg to behold the god, sometimes he appears as Tsz’-tsaï-t’ien [Zizaitian自在天] (Îśvâra-dêva), sometimes under the form of a yôgi [tuhui waidao塗灰外道] (a Pâṁśupata); he addresses them with benevolent words and then they obtain their wishes according to their desires.

[Note, PAMshupata is presented as simply a different rendering of PAshupata, i.e. Shaiva or related to Shiva. Repeated by Shu's reference to Shiva PAMshupata "Śiva Pāṃṣupata"; and the fact that Watters and Beal - quoted by Lokesh Chandra below - rendered this as PAshupata.]



“Going north-east from this mountain, on the border of the sea, is a town; this is a place from which they start for the southern sea and the country of Săng-kia-lo [Sengjialuo guo僧迦羅國] (Ceilon). It is said commonly by the people that embarking from this port and going south-east about 3000 li we come to the country of Siṁhala.”[26]

b. Lokesh Chandra quoting Beal:

Hsuan-tsang refers to Avalokiteshwara on the Potala in the following words (Beal 1884: 2.233): "To the east of the Malaya mountains in Mount Po-ta-lo-kia (Potalaka). The passes of this mountain are very dangerous; its sides are precipitous, and its valleys rugged. On the top of the mountain is a lake; its waters are clear as a mirror. From a hollow proceeds a great river which encircles the mountain as it flows down twenty times and then enters the southern sea. By the side of the lake is a rock-palace of the Devas. Here Avalokiteshwara in coming and going takes his abode. Those who strongly desire to see this Bodhisattva do not regard their lives, but crossing the water (fording the streams), climb the mountain forgetful of its difficulties and dangers; of those who make the attempt there are very few who reach the summit. But even of those who dwell below the mountain, if they earnestly pray and beg to behold the god, sometimes he appears as Tsz'-tsao-t'ien (Ishwara-deva), sometimes under the form of a yogi (a PAshupata); he addresses them with benevolent words and then they obtain their wishes according to their desires."

c. Lokesh Chandra quoting Watters:

Watters (1905:2.229) summarises the above passage as follows: "In the south of the country near the sea was the Mo-lo-ya (Malaya) mountain, with its lofty cliffs and ridges and deep valleys and gullies, on which were sandal, camphor and other trees. To the east of this was Pu-ta-lo-ka (Potalaka) mountain with steep narrow paths over its cliffs and gorges in irregular confusion; [the other bit left out by Rajeev:] on the top was a lake of clear water, whence issued a river which, on its way to the sea, flowed twenty times round the mountain. By the side of the lake was a stone Deva-palace frequented by Kuan-tzu tsai P'usa. Devotees, risking life, brave water and mountain to see the P'usa, but only a few succeed in reaching the shrine. To the people at the foot of the mountain who pray for a sight of the P'usa, he appears sometimes as a PAshupata TIrthika, or as Maheshwara, and consoles the suppliant with his answer"

[Lokesh continues:] Hsuan-tsang clearly says that Avalokiteshwara at Potala sometimes takes the form of Ishwara (Shiva) and sometimes that of a PAshupata yogin.

If the above is meant to describe the Podigai Hills and in particular Agastiar Malai's AgastyarKoodam, then the river would be the sacred Thamrabarani aka Porunai aka Podigai.

But note once more how only the Hindu narrative is confirmed: Hindus have since ancient times claimed that the famous Shaiva Siddhar (aka a PAshupata Yogi), the Vedic Rishi Agastya, dwells in these mountains and especially at Agastya Koodam and that he manifests to sincere Hindu devotees.

And Hsuan-Tsang does not know hearsay of any sightings of Avalokiteshwara-anything to document that. It is only "syncretist" Buddhism's contention that anything that appears as "Ishwara" to Shiva-devotees anywhere is related to Avalokiteshwara instead, when clearly if there are any sightings of Ishwara, it can't be Buddhist (Avalokiteshwara was *invented* at a late time even in Buddhism and -later still- was tweaked to look more and more like a clone of Shiva in order to encroach on Shiva. That doesn't mean it is Shiva, let alone that it can appear (at all) - let alone that it can appear as Shiva. And after all, in China/Taiwan, only a Goddess [Taoist] appears to devotees at her sacred sites, while the Buddhist Sangha merely gradually claimed that this was Guan-Yin/Avalokiteshwara - suddenly a female to suit the occasion = obviously opportunism - and that "therefore" the site was Buddhist.)



But will get back to the subject of Avalokiteshwara in the final posts.