V. A. IKONNIKOV,
design engineer,
amateur local historian,
Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan

Many are familiar with the painting by NK Roerich "Nagarjuna - the Winner of the Serpent". This painting is in one of the halls of the Nicholas Roerich Center-Museum, and everyone can see it. It will be about the mysterious signs in the left corner of the picture. But first, a few words about the time and place of the painting.
The creation of the painting belongs to the Sikkim period of Roerich's Central Asian expedition. At the beginning of December 1923 the Roerichs got off the steamer in Bombay. Their old dream has come true - they are in India. After short trips to the sights of the south of India, the Roerich family heads north and arrives in the Sikkim principality at the end of December. The ancient sacred land at the foot of the Himalayas in northern India is becoming the place of their creative and research activities.
The Sikkim period was unusually rich in creative activity, research of this region and plans for the future. A wealth of scientific material was collected. 1924 year. It was a significant year for the Roerichs. Here, in a small ancient temple, they met with the Teacher. Here the final route of the expedition was adopted and its tasks were determined.
Here in 1924, when creating a series of paintings "The Banners of the East", sketches were made for the painting "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent", and in 1925 it was completed (Fig. 1).

Nagarjuna is an ancient Indian philosopher, one of the Mahayana teachers, the founder of the Madhyamika Buddhist school. This school developed the teachings of the Buddha's middle path. The philosophical texts of Nagarjuna formed the basis of the Mahayana teachings. The exact years of his life are unknown and are identified as the 2nd century AD. His life story is covered with legends, and according to Buddhist texts he lived for more than half a thousand years. Ancient sages in India were called Nagas, and the Serpent has always been a symbol of wisdom. The initiate was considered the conqueror of the Serpent, i.e. who possessed his wisdom. It was precisely such a winner that Nagarjuna, called in India "Fearless", was.
"" Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent "sees a sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas" , - Nikolai Konstantinovich mentions him in his notes during the creation of the picture.
In this picture, in the lower left corner, you can see the signs depicted on an inclined stone slab. What can these petroglyphs mean? They look very ancient. They can be mistaken for forgotten, already unknown letters. With their archaic appearance, they give a mysterious fabulousness to the phenomenon depicted in the picture. There is a feeling that the King of the Nagas, who rose from the depths of the lake, is incredibly ancient, that he has always been from the beginning of time, that the wisdom he utters is terrifying in its primordial depth and that only a truly "Fearless" like Nagarjuna can accept it. This picture makes such an impression. And the mysterious signs really have a hidden meaning.
As recently as two years ago, when studying the drawings of the grotto of the Ak-Baur tract, I drew attention to the similarity of these drawings (Fig. 2) with the signs in the picture. The style of the drawings and the way of painting on the rock surface were very similar. Then the drawings of the grotto had not yet been deciphered, but there was a feeling that they could speak of the same as the signs in the picture. It is well known with what accuracy N.K. Roerich reproduced cave paintings if he included them in paintings as fragments. Therefore, there was no doubt that the signs depicted in the picture really exist somewhere on the rocks of Sikkim. The Ak-Baur grotto is located in the foothills of Altai, not far from Ust-Kamenogorsk, and more than 2.5 thousand km separates it from Sikkim, but the drawings from the grotto and signs from the picture clearly indicate a connection between them. What connection can there be between the Altai foothills and the Himalayan foothills?

The connecting thread can be found. Roerich himself marked one end of this thread in his painting. The other end was next to the route of their expedition, when they sailed on a steamer along the Irtysh through Ust-Kamenogorsk, and was, as it were, left for future researchers. It should be noted that the study of Ak-Baur, as an ancient astronomical complex, has its own history and many researchers have contributed to its study. This place, like a magnet, attracts many people and not only scientists. You can talk a lot about him, but this is a completely different topic.
One of the tasks of the expedition was to find traces of the great migrations of peoples from East to West. And the Roerichs found enough of them on their way through Central Asia. Starting from Sikkim and Kashmir, we read in N. Roerich's notes about the similarity of the types of faces, patterns of platbands, women's headdresses, household items and rock paintings with the same in Siberia, Altai, the Caucasus and Europe.
Describing the megaliths of Tibet discovered by the expedition, Yuri Roerich noted in his travel notes: “Comparing the famous megalithic monuments of Karnak in Britain and the discovered megaliths of Tibet, one is struck by their amazing similarity. The parallel rows of menhirs of Karnak are located from east to west and have a cromlech, or circle of stones, at the western end. Monuments in the Doring tract have exactly the same orientation " .
Forced wintering on the high-mountainous plateau of Tibet did not stop the research activities of the expedition, and Yuri Nikolaevich would later write: “One of the most significant achievements of the expedition was the discovery of the“ animal style ”in the art of the nomads of Northern Tibet.
<...> It is difficult to say whether the “animal style” is associated with any particular ethnic type of people. I am inclined to believe that it arose among nomads and hunting tribes of different ethnic groups, but living in an environment that has much in common, because only in this way can we explain the wide spread of the “animal style” from the borders of southern Russia to the borders of China and from the Siberian taiga to the majestic peaks of the Trans-Himalayas in Tibet.
Tibet has always been open to nomads from the northeast. It was from there that the ancestors of the modern Tibetans came. The high plateau of Kukunor, raised an average of about ten thousand feet, and the surrounding mountainous country had ample pasture for nomadic tribes. It was from this vast area that the ancient Tibetans came, driven out by a mighty stream of some other tribes, and were forced to look for new pastures, flooding the valleys and plateaus of Tibet. " .
Yuri Roerich's remark is very significant. It follows from it that there were migrations from north to south. What kind of tribes were they, marching in a "mighty stream" across the open plateaus from the northeast of Tibet? What reasons moved these masses from Central Asia to the southern regions? Maybe a sudden change in climate towards a cooling, i.e. the onset of the ice age? Only such an insurmountable circumstance can compel entire peoples to move to foreign, but warmer lands. Everything could have been in antiquity.
If you compare the facts taken from the "Secret Doctrine", you can get some idea of \u200b\u200bthe distant times. Thus, H.P. Blavatsky writes:
“But the Israelites also had another legend on which they could base their allegory, the legend of the Flood that last transformed the current Gobi Desert into a sea about 10,000 or 12,000 years ago and drove many of Noah and their families to the surrounding the mountains" .
And further: “This“ Sea of \u200b\u200bKnowledge ”or learning has remained for centuries where the Shamo or Gobi Desert stretches today. It existed until the last, great, ice age, when a local cataclysm, which carried the waters to the South and the West, thus formed the current barren desert, leaving only one definite oasis with a lake and one island in the middle, like a relic or the Ring of the Zodiac on Earth " .
So both the flood and the last ice age could well have caused the migration of peoples from the Central Asian expanses to the south. And after a lapse of several thousand years, a return wave of peoples could rush in the northern and western directions to the lands freed from snow and ice. Such migrations go back to ancient times, and it is likely that more than one wave of migrations of peoples swept across the vast expanses of Central Asia.
Nicholas Roerich expressed himself in his notes about the ancient ways of migration of peoples, which ran from the East to the West of Europe: "Draw a line from the southern Russian steppes and from the northern Caucasus through the steppe regions to Semipalatinsk, Altai, Mongolia and from there turn it south, so as not to be mistaken in the main artery of the movement of peoples" .
Approximately along this line, the route of the Central Asian expedition was laid, and the connection between Sikkim and Ak-Baur, the connection between times and peoples becomes clear.
Studies of the drawings of the grotto of the ancient astronomical complex Ak-Baur led me to decipher most of them (the corresponding article is being prepared for publication). According to this decoding, the entire painting, consisting of more than 70 barely preserved drawings of various shapes and sizes, represents images of constellations arranged in a specific order. The central part of the painting represents the images of asterisms of the zodiacal constellations. In other words, the ancient Zodiac is depicted there, and with a clear renewal, which indicates the need for further study.
It is quite natural that an attempt was made to decipher the signs in the picture by the same method, i.e. considering them as asterisms and finding their place among the stars on the map of the starry sky. First of all, the search for analogies was carried out among the images of the zodiacal constellations. Despite some ambiguity of individual characters, the search led to the successful disclosure of these characters. It turned out that the picture most likely represents images of asterisms of all 12 zodiacal constellations (Fig. 3-7). Unlike the painting in the Ak-Baur grotto, only zodiacal asterisms are depicted here, except for a few small special signs, the meaning of which is still unclear.
Yes, the painting by N.K. Roerich depicts the ancient Zodiac! It is possible that this is the only zodiac of its kind, if only because among the ancient zodiacs, probably, no two are alike. Its peculiarity is that it is represented not by symbols, but by drawings of the zodiac constellations, just like the Zodiac of Ak-Baur, but it is built completely differently. If we connect diametrically located asterisms with lines, marking the path of the vernal equinox with circles, then we will see a clear picture and features of the construction of this Zodiac. (fig. 15). It is neither circular nor linear, i.e. images of zodiacal asterisms are located on the slab not in a closed circle and not in one line, as, for example, in Ak-Baur from the floor to the ceiling of the grotto. In this Zodiac, the position of these diameters relative to the cardinal points is fixed at the epochs of the precessional point of the vernal equinox in the corresponding signs of the Zodiac.
It must be borne in mind that the ancient zodiac is not a horoscope that fixes the position of the stars at some historical moment. The Ancient Zodiac is a stellar chronicle that can span vast periods of time. The study of the location of the diameters connecting the opposite signs of the Zodiac: Virgo – Pisces, Leo – Aquarius and Cancer – Capricorn, Gemini – Sagittarius, as well as Taurus – Scorpio and Aries – Libra - suggests that such an arrangement took place sometime in the past in history Earth.
Without going into further details, we can safely say: this is an ancient, unique Zodiac. And there is no doubt that his image really exists somewhere on stone slabs, because it is simply impossible to come up with such a thing specifically for a painting. I do not undertake to speculate on the actual history of his appearance in the picture. Did Nikolai Konstantinovich know the hidden meaning of these signs or simply copied them from a rock slab? Does this Zodiac exist on the shore of the lake, or is it hidden somewhere under the cornice, in a grotto, in a cave? Everything is possible. One thing is clear that there is still a great secret hidden in him. We know well that in Roerich's paintings not a single detail was applied by accident. If the signs of the Zodiac themselves have now been deciphered, then the peculiarity of its construction leaves it as still mysterious and gives ground for further reflection and research. A worthy topic and task for archaeo- and paleo-astronomers.

It is noteworthy that the Gemini asterisms here and in Ak-Baur are depicted in pairs of identical figures. Very significant and significant evidence. First, it speaks once again about the common traditions of the astronomers of Ak-Baur and Sikkim. Secondly, from this we can conclude that the innermost meaning laid down by the ancient Initiates in the symbols of the zodiac was known to the astronomers of Ak-Baur and Sikkim. Or they were led by the Initiates of those times. In support of this assumption, one can cite the words of H.P. Blavatsky from The Secret Doctrine, where she, commenting on the works of Orientalists, notes: "... but this takes nothing away from the glory of the ancient Hindu astronomers, who were all Initiates." .
Both Zodiacs are real evidence of the deep knowledge of the ancient astronomers of Altai and the Himalayas. And it is possible that in the vast spaces between them, somewhere in the mountains, there may still be ancient images similar to them.
What is the antiquity of this zodiac? This is one of the main questions in such studies. I must say that the features of the construction of the zodiac can help in this matter. For example, the Ak-Baur zodiac starts from the floor of the grotto with the Gemini asterism and continues up the wall to the ceiling, and it was logical to assume that Gemini was the zodiac constellation, in which the precessional point of the vernal equinox was located at the time of the creation of the zodiac. This allows us to determine its antiquity of about 7 thousand years. There may be special pointers and icons in the image. So, in the zodiac from Roerich's painting, such an indicator, presumably, is a crack on the slab, which also points to Gemini with its bent sharp end. And one can think that those and other astronomers did in one historical era. A similar style of images of asterisms, the same scheme for constructing the Zodiac from diametrical pairs of asterisms - all this suggests that the antiquity of the Zodiac of Lake Yum Dzo in Sikkim can be comparable to the antiquity of the Ak-Baura Zodiac and is also about 7 thousand years old.
Nicholas Roerich has the following remark about the antiquity of the culture of Central Asia: “And one more detail connecting East and West. Do you remember the Turfan Mother of the World with her baby? Among Asia, it may be that the Nestorians or the Manicheans left this image. Or rather, this appearance remained transformed from much more ancient times. Kali or Guanyin - who knows how old they are? The wife and the serpent are hiding behind them. The antiquity of this symbol is already incalculable. This image does not lead to the biblical page, not to the symbols of Kabbalah. Non-existent continents have already added the beauty of the Mother of the World - this luminous matter. Only ignorance talks about ignorance of antiquity " .
Both zodiacs are made in the tradition of the same school of ancient astronomers or of the same people to which these schools belonged. It is quite possible that in ancient times peoples from northern India, during the periods of great migrations, went through Asia to the West. They could linger and settle for many centuries in places favorable for living. One of these places is the Altai foothills, including the Ak-Baur tract. But, of course, not all of them went on a long journey from India. Some of these peoples remained in their homeland, and we see traces of their creativity. Therefore, we can confidently say that both Zodiacs are a vivid confirmation of N.K. Roerich's thoughts about the great migrations of peoples from East to West.
An amazing picture of N.K. Roerich! She breathes with the ancient truth of the history of the Earth and Man. A person walking a high spiritual path. At all times there were such people. The zodiac in the picture contains knowledge about very old events on our planet. We still do not fully know what depth of knowledge these signs, although deciphered, but still keeping secret, hide. After all, they were applied to the surface of the rock by the ancient Initiates, applied to preserve knowledge. They were transferred to the canvas of the painting by the Great Master, transferred to transfer this knowledge. So the time has come.
The whole picture appears in the tremendous power of the language of ancient symbols. The picture is a symbol! N.A. Uranov in his book "The Pearl of Searches" writes about her: "The volcano of passion gradually ascending cycles<...> completely squeezed by the will of Adept. The cup of victorious experience has been accumulated and will now be ascended, that is, the last feat frees the winner from the need for further incarnations on Earth and gives him the right to move to the next stage of cosmic evolution - the next world on the ladder of seven planets.
The root, stuck in the ground, gave a wonderful flower of spiritual achievement, completing the preparatory spirals.
In the picture, in the feat of Nagarjuna, the ideal of the successful evolution of mankind on our planet is embodied " .

Literature

1. Roerich N.K. Altai - Himalayas. Moscow: Sphere, 1999.
2. Roerich Yu.N. Along the paths of Central Asia. Samara: Agni, 1994.
3. Roerich Yu.N. Nomads Khor - pa: Discovery of the "animal style" // Around the world. 1972. No. 4. Translated from English by M. Drozdova
4. H.P. Blavatsky Secret Doctrine. T. 2. Minsk: Lotats, 1997.
5. Roerich N.K. Heart of Asia. Almaty, 2007.
6. Roerich N.K. Altai - Himalayas. M .: RIPOL KLASSIK, 2003.
7. Uranov N.A. The Pearl of Quest: Mentograms. 1956-1981. Riga: Fiery World, 1996.

The series "Banners of the East" has taken shape. 1. "The Conqueror Buddha" before the source of life. 2. "Moses the Leader" - at the top, surrounded by the radiance of the sky. 3. "Sergiy the Builder" - works independently. 4. "Watch of the Himalayas", in the glaciers. 5. "Confucius the Just" - a traveler in exile. 6. "Ienno Guyo Dya" - friend of travelers (Japan). 7. "Milarepa Heard" - at the rising, he knew the voices of the devas. 8. "Dorje the Daring One" - to stand face to face with Mahakala himself. 9. "Saraha is the Good Arrow", who does not hesitate in good sendings. 10. "Mohammed on Mount Chira (the message of the Archangel Gabriel)", legend. 11. "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent" sees a sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas. 12. “Oirot - Messenger of the White Burkhan”, Altai belief. And those that are already in the Museum: 13. "Mother of the World". 14. "Signs of Christ". 15. "Lao Tzu". 16. "Tszongka-pa". 17. "Padmasambhava". 18. "Bowl". 19. "Ancient Serpent".

In the struggle and the manifestation of truth, the law-makers of the common good stand on the chariots of time: the indefatigable leader Moses; stern Amos; Leo - Winner - Buddha; justice of life - Confucius; the fiery poet of the Sun - Zoroaster; transformed, reflected by "shadows" - Plato; great in the sacrifice of immortality - the Good Issa; interpreter of wisdom, lonely Origen, great community member and ascetic Sergius. All who walked tirelessly; all subject to modern persecution; all who knew that the teaching of the common good would come immutably; all who knew that every sacrifice to the common good is only an approaching path.

On the mountains they talk about these teachings and listen to them simply. And in the deserts and in the steppes, people sing in everyday life about eternity and the same - the common good. Residents of Tibet, Mongolia, Buryats - everyone remembers about the common good.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 118

In Sikkim, he painted a large series of paintings ("Banners of the East" - approx.). On his canvases he captured the founders of teachings and religions, philosophers and ascetics, reformers and thinkers. There was a pattern in his choice of the great personalities of the East. As if he was not painting pictures, but the history of the East itself, its culture and thought. Buddha, Christ, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Moses, Tszong-ka-pa, Padma Sambhava, Milarepa, Nagarjuna. He wrote them in an unusual, unconventional way. He seemed to know a lot more about them than could be gleaned from official, legalized sources.

Shaposhnikova L.V. "Master" M. 1998, p. 223

The question arises why Roerich took the subjects of the East. But it is known that the East is the cradle of the most ancient culture on the planet, from where philosophical Teachings, religions came from and the first sages appeared. The series "Banners of the East" represents wisdom in all its richness - through "standard bearers" and spiritual processes to which these greats were directly related.

Shaposhnikova L.V. "Master's Universe" M. ICR, 2005, p. 820

E. Matochkin.
"Banners of the East" N.K. Roerich
/ in abbreviation /

All the life and all the work of the great Russian artist, thinker, explorer traveler, public figure Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947) were invariably directed towards the future. And even getting his insight into the hoary antiquity of the Slavic tribes - whether in excavations, articles, paintings - he first of all revealed in it those building concepts that could serve to create a beautiful future. The same can be said about five hundred paintings, painted during the Central Asian expedition of 1923-1928, which explored the monuments of the most ancient cultures of India, China, Mongolia, Altai and Tibet. A special place among these paintings is occupied by the series "Banners of the East", consisting of 19 canvases dedicated to the great saints, ascetics, founders of the world religions of the East.

... The plots of the paintings were drawn from a storehouse of legends and traditions, which allowed the artist to show the Teachers of higher knowledge in those significant moments of their deeds, which left an indelible mark on the people's consciousness. They drive out darkness, help in trouble, tirelessly do good and sacrifice themselves; they take on many earthly difficulties in order to help the great Future.

Roerich was deeply convinced that the world would soon become one, and work for the common good would be established as the highest moral value. In beautiful images of art, he wanted to remind mankind of the first "community members" - Buddha, Confucius, Christ, Sergius of Radonezh and others, to introduce into the mainstream of modern life the great images of these true "law-makers of the common good" ...

The synthesis of beauty, truth and goodness, embodied in the series "Banners of the East", brings the artist's artistic ideas closer to the philosophy of Unity. Its creator, the outstanding philosopher of the Silver Age V.S. Soloviev, dreamed of cosmic evolution, carried out in the all-unity of natural, human and divine principles.

The Christian reading of the principle of All-Unity was at the heart of the concept of the earlier series "Sankta", written by Roerich in 1922. Then the heroes of his paintings were Orthodox community members doing their righteous, godly work on earth, having the Kingdom of God as an ideal. Having created the "Banners of the East", Roerich thereby expanded the earthly brotherhood to a global scale and developed the understanding of the principle of All-unity to the universal level.

The unifying focus, the central canvas of the series is the painting "Mother of the World". The great female image appears against the background of the night sky. Above her head is a bright star, to the right and to the left are two constellations: Seven Elders (Ursa Major) and Three Magicians (Orion). “Between them,” the artist explains, “the star of the morning, the bright abode of the Mother of the World, is rushing to the earth uncontrollably now. And with its overwhelming light, its remarkable unprecedented approach, it foretells a new great era of mankind. "

In one of the versions of the painting "Mother of the World", Roerich likens the stars to small anthropomorphic figures resembling sculptures of the Teachers in a pose traditional for the East. Each star is its own sun, and the comparison of the Teacher with the sun is generally accepted, at least in India. All these stars-Teachers are turned in prayer, anticipation of the great and grandiose in its galactic scale the image of the Mother of the World. ...

The ideological homogeneity of the images of 18 paintings in the series, their identical horizontal format and the distinguished vertical of the central canvas of the Mother of the World suggest that the Banners of the East series is a single ensemble united by a common artistic idea and conceived as a majestic iconostasis of a world-embracing temple.

Today, when the canvases of the series are scattered across different collections, one can only guess how this ensemble should look according to the author's intention. Obviously, the structure of the ensemble was symmetrical, that is, on both sides of the central canvas there were 9 paintings, each of which occupied its own specific place. Taking into account the compositional and dynamic gravitation of each canvas (as well as the stars-Teachers) to the center, the general rhythmic organization, as well as the harmony of color masses, it can be assumed that the order of the paintings in the ensemble according to the numbering given (by Roerich - see N. Roerich “Altai - Himalayas ", M. 1999, p. 99) the list could be as follows: 8 - 10 - 5 - 1 - 6 - 12 - 7 - 16 - 4 - 13 - 18 - 2 - 3 - 9 - 17 - 14 - 15 - 11 - 19.

This ensemble reconstruction leads to interesting conclusions. So, despite the fact that each picture is painted in a certain color tone, the colorful palette of the series from the extreme canvases with their warm earthy tones is gradually transformed into the gold of the sun's rays, and then into the cosmic radiance prevailing over everything in the central canvas. As a result, the overall light spectrum of the paintings follows the natural rainbow spectrum: from red through yellow and green to blue. The energy of light waves grows from the periphery to the center. In the middle seven of canvases, the dominant blue color, saturated with the vibrations of the spiritual aspirations of the heroes and unearthly white streams, seems to acquire a new quality ...

It was no coincidence that Roerich compared the paintings of the series with banners. The banner appeared in the states of the East in ancient times as a well-visible sign for the collection and unification of warriors. And, apparently, the artist wanted his canvases, dedicated to the great ascetics, not only to admire with their beauty, but also serve the same goal of unity on the paths of spiritual ascent.

Cit. after: “Roerich. Prophecies ". Samara, 2004, pp. 93 - 101

1. "The Victorious Buddha" before the source of life

The Victorious Buddha, 1925

Buddha(Skt.) - literally - enlightened.

1. The name given to the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama (623-544 BC), who, according to legend, came from the royal family of the Shakya tribe in Northern India (one of the names of Buddha is Shakya Muni, "the hermit of the Shakyas")
2. In the Buddhist religion, a being who has reached the state of the highest perfection.

Buddhism- one of three (along with Christianity and Islam of world religions). It originated in Ancient India in the 6-5th centuries. BC .. The founder is considered Sidhartha Gautama. Main directions: Hinayana, Mahayana. The flourishing of Buddhism in India 5th century. BC. - early. 1 millennium AD, spread in Southeast and Central Asia, partly in Central Asia, Siberia, assimilating elements of Brahmanism, Taoism, etc. In India by the 12th century. dissolved in Hinduism, strongly influencing it ...

Qualities of the Buddha: Shakya Muni - wise from the Sakya clan, Shakya Sinha - Shakya Lion, Bhagavat - Blessed One, Sattha - Teacher, Jina - Winner.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 104

Neither Alara Kalama nor Uddaka Ramaputta (Buddha's teacher - approx.) Buddha found saving solutions. The reformer, striving for vitality, could not be satisfied with the reinterpretations of the Rig Veda. Buddha goes far, into the secret places of the mountains. Tradition brings the brave seeker to Altai. And the legend of the White Burkhan * is preserved in Altai in all its vitality. Near the mysterious Uruvela * Buddha approaches the simplest expression of all accumulations. And on the banks of Nairnagara, she is illuminated with the determination to say a word about the community, about the renunciation of personal property, about the importance of labor for the common good and about the meaning of knowledge. Establishing a scientific approach to religion was a true feat. To expose the self-interest of the priests and Brahmins was the highest fearlessness. It was incredibly difficult to reveal the true levers of hidden human forces. It was incredibly wonderful for the Tsar to come in the guise of a mighty beggar!

In the comprehension of the evolution of mankind, the image of the community member Buddha occupies an indisputable, beautiful place.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 106

Living Ethics Teaching, "Leaves of Moria's Garden", Part 2 "Illumination"

Let's talk about the Lord Buddha.

People do not understand the basis of the Teaching of the Blessed One. The basis is discipline.

Spiritually and physically, the community monk strove to stay on the path. In the first years, he bore hard obedience. He was forbidden to kill himself with the exercises of the Stylite, but he was ordered to fight the battle with a single beginning of the spirit. This is how the Buddha taught his disciples severely. Indeed, it was only in the spiritual battle that they knew joy; therefore, they speak of the thorns of the path.

Only when the will of the ascetic was born like a lion and the silver bridle of the spirit sparkled on the feelings of the disciple, only then did the Vladyka open the veil and give the task.

Then gradually the student was initiated into the secrets of knowledge.

The Blessed One said: "Truth is the only source of courage." Correctly understood truth is the most beautiful and wisest chapter in the book of Cosmos.

… Worship did not exist in the Teaching of the Master - there was knowledge and personal achievement. This was precisely the characteristic feature of the Master's Teaching. That is why the lion was His symbol. We often call the Lord the King of thought!

If asked: "Who is greater, Christ or Buddha?" - Answer: “It is impossible to measure the distant worlds. We can only admire their radiance. " The Christ Ray nourishes the Earth just as the Buddha's rainbow carries the affirmation of the law of life.

... Vladyka Buddha under the name of the Indian prince Joasaph is honored not only by the Orthodox Church, but also by the Catholic ...

E.I. Roerich "Letters" v.5, M. 2003, p. 350

Teacher Buddha pointed out that "of the three types of actions, the most destructive is not the word, not the bodily act, but the thought."

The dialectic of Buddha largely anticipated the most advanced concepts of our time. It somehow seems to me that Buddhism is more in line with the spirit of our time, it has a lot of dynamics and there is no hint of dogmatism. In addition, in Buddhism, the center of gravity lies on experience, which corresponds to the meaning of the experiment, which is generally recognized by our scientific thought.

P.F. Belikov "Continuous ascent" v.2, book. 1. ICR, M. 2003, p. 103

Yogi's victorious chariot.
Who acquired Faith and Wisdom,
One who is well equipped is driven forward by his mind.
Consciousness is a drawbar, and Mind is a harnessed pair,
Vigilance is a wary charioteer.
Righteous Life - Chariot;
Joy is the axis, Energy is the wheels.
Calm is the ally of a balanced Mind.
Desirelessness is his adornment.
Benevolence, harmlessness and detachment -
His weapon.
Patience is the armor of Order.
This chariot moves towards the World.
It is built by the person himself, his inner self is created.
She is the best of all chariots.
The sages leave this world on it.
And, verily, they achieve victory.
Buddha, from Samyutta Nikaya (Collection of Related Teachings).

Cit. Quoted from: "The Great Yogi of Tibet Milarepa" Samara 1994, p. 4.

2. "Moses the Leader" - at the top, surrounded by the radiance of the sky.

Moses the Driver, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Moses, in biblical mythology, the leader of the Israeli tribes, called by the god Yahweh to lead the Israelites out of Pharaoh's slavery through the parted waters of the "Red" (Red) Sea; on Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the tablets with the "10 Commandments". For Judaists, Muslims and Christians, Moses is a prophet.

Soviet Encyclopedic Dictionary, ed. 3rd, M. 1985

Moses was truly a great Leader, and you are right to point out that he was the creator of the people of Israel…. Moses, being a disciple of the Egyptian priests, was initiated into secret knowledge, into the Unity of the Cosmos, the Unity in diversity. And he approved this idea of \u200b\u200bUnity in the form of One-Man Management in the masses, consolidating the veneration
a single aspect of the Godhead as Jehovah.

Moses was in the full sense of the Leader and Legislator, and on him lay the difficult task of creating a people from a nomadic tribe, which was in long slavery and by virtue of this assimilated many negative features, and to lay in it the foundations of order, construction and statehood. All hints of cruelty and vindictiveness of the laws he established are unfounded. For looking at them with an unbiased mind, one is amazed at their wisdom and mercy. In many ways they
fairer and more merciful than the laws that exist today. And it is not for us, in our age of horrors, cruelty, destructive selfishness, the most terrible crimes and corruption, to talk about the cruelties of the laws of Moses.

E.I. Roerich "Letters" vol.2, M. 2000, pp. 123 - 124

3. "Sergiy the Builder" - works independently.

Sergius - builder, 1925

The painting is dedicated to one of the outstanding spiritual leaders of the Russian people, Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who lived in the 14th century. Sergius played a huge role in uniting and strengthening the independence of Rus. He inspired Dmitry Donskoy to fight the Tatars on the Kulikovo field, which brought victory to the Russian soldiers. He also made a huge contribution to the development of Russian culture and education. Under him, the communal life of monks was first introduced in monasteries. The Trinity-Sergius Lavra, created by this outstanding Teacher of the Russian land, reminds us of his tireless labors and cares for his people.

Shaposhnikova L.V., album "Nicholas Roerich", M. 1997, p. 60

He began the construction of Russia with the construction of his monastery. There is no need to imagine that it proceeded idyllically calm, blissful and serene. The most dramatic pages of the Life of Sergius are connected with the building of the community.

Journal "Before sunrise" 1995, No. 7, N. Grebennikov "Community of Sergius", p. 2

Sergius, the Builder of the Communities, forbade his employees to accept alms. Food and things could be accepted only in exchange for labor. Hungry, he himself offered his job. Community building and education were the only pursuits of this remarkable man. Refusal from the metropolitan dignity and from wearing precious metals in his life is a natural act without any pretense. Tireless work; selection of young, unknown employees; simplicity, both above and below. Refusal of personal property not by decree, but by the awareness of the harmfulness of this concept. Sergius retained a large place in the list of builders of the community.

There are not so many of them - the builders of life, responding in the internal sense of the coming evolution. And we must carefully select these names of the coming light, continuing their list to the present.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 117

N. Spirina

"Bear"

Early in the morning he was awakened by an unfamiliar sound. The huge brown bear snorted, moved its ear, and listened. The forest rang with a multitude of familiar morning voices, well known to the inhabitant of a remote den. Enthusiastically and loudly, with fresh voices after a night's rest, the birds sang the meeting of the rising sun, grasshoppers chirped, wild bees buzzed, the grass rustled from various swarming small fry, the tops of trees rustled slightly. In short, everything that happened around was familiar and did not deserve attention. What woke the bear up? Here again the sound was repeated, it sounded again and again, crashing into the music of the forest. The sound vaguely resembled that of a woodpecker, but there was something special and unusual in it. Something new has invaded forest life. The bear decided to scout. He lazily got up and slowly waddled in the direction of the sound. As he moved towards his goal, the knock was heard louder and clearer. Finally, the bear climbed the hill, the trees began to thin and part. Carefully poking his muzzle through the thickets of bushes, he saw an unusual picture in a small clearing that opened before him. Above a freshly cut large tree, a Man with an ax in his hand stood bent over and chopped off branches, clearing the trunk.

The bear has never seen humans before. They rarely entered deep, impenetrable forests and were unusual for the beast. Was it a friend or an enemy? The bear decided to come closer and take a closer look. He walked around the felled tree, sniffed at it. It smelled of resin and fresh wood. The Beast approached the Man. He poked his nose into the hem of his clothes and sniffed. Strongly developed sense of smell carried an unusual, but very pleasant aroma. What he was pleasant, the bear did not know; but the aroma somehow had a particularly pacifying and joyful effect on him. The beast sensed a Friend. He was no longer alert and was not afraid of anything, but he felt confident and calm as never before. Even in his den, he slept, always keeping a sharp ear at the ready. Who can foresee the accidents of wild forest life ?! But there was clearly nothing to expect unpleasant surprises here. The bear grumbled with satisfaction and lay down more comfortably, not far from the amazing Guest. The man, tall, stately, of a powerful build, paused his work, looked at the beast and said something.

The bear did not understand what was said, but the Man's gaze was very similar to a ray of sun on a small clearing in the forest, where he went to bask in early spring. Only, in addition to the warmth, from this look, it became extraordinarily joyful, my heart beat quickly and strongly. The man said something again. The bear got up and walked over to Him. The man gazed into his eyes and put his hand on the head of the beast. The bear stood motionless. He wanted the Man to never take his hand off his shaggy head, it was so good for him from this unusual and unexpected caress. The man stroked him, then took the ax and calmly set to work interrupted. The bear sat in the clearing for a long time. He completely forgot that he had not eaten anything since yesterday: he was not hungry. He was as if full and calmly dozing, watching through half-closed eyelids at the work of the Friend. Finally the Man, having finished chopping off the tree, left somewhere. Then the bear got up and reluctantly walked back.

Several times during the summer, the bear visited his lonely Friend. Every time Man spoke to him, the bear loved to listen to the sound of his voice. He was unusually pleasing to the ears of a powerful forest dweller. And the heart of the bear somehow understood what was said in its own way and fluttered in response.

Finally winter came. By this time, several wooden buildings had grown in the clearing cleared by the Alien's ax. First of all, there was a small church - a chapel - an amber, resin-smelling frame, topped with a cross. She was so bright and fresh, as if she was glowing from within. The bear has never seen such buildings. He walked around the chapel, sniffing at it, and it seemed to him that it emitted a scent similar to the scent of the Man who built it. Then another building appeared: a small hut in which only one person could fit. She, too, liked the bear, and he lay for a long time near the small wooden porch, along which Man entered the hut.

The winter was very harsh. Snow covered the ground in a thick layer, dense and crunchy. The bear hid deep in its den, preparing for a long winter. Part of the winter he lay in a deep doze, but then hunger began to interfere. He did not let the huge beast sleep peacefully and urged him to wake up and start looking for food. Finally, the bear broke down and climbed out of the lair. But finding something edible was not so easy. Under the deep cover of snow there was frozen ground, and it was extremely difficult to dig anything from under it.

The bear wandered through the forest for a long time, but nothing was obtained. All living things hid from the cold in all directions, and only occasionally some animal, hearing a noise, timidly poked its muzzle out of the hole, and hid again. The hungry beast was vaguely but imperiously pulled in a familiar direction. He wandered towards the Man. Gathering his last strength, he with difficulty climbed the hill where his Friend lived; he staggered to the cherished porch and lay down beside him exhausted. Around the lonely dwelling, as if enveloping it in a transparent, invisible blanket, there was a heartfelt, ringing silence. She merged with the crystal glitter of the snow, the clear blue of the winter sky, and the ancient trees standing around as though in an aspiring prayer. The bear lay and waited, listening intently. Finally the door of the hut opened and a Man quietly stepped out onto the porch, holding a crust of bread in his hand. With great compassion He looked at the emaciated beast, and the bear again perceived His gaze as a spring ray, and a warm, life-giving stream spread over his whole body. He let out a contented grunt and crept quietly closer.

The man bent down to him and held out the food. The bear took it and began to gnaw greedily on the stale, old bread. Oddly enough, after eating a hump, the bear felt that he was full and sighed with satisfaction. The man stroked the beast and began to talk to him. The bear listened and understood something of his own, very important and necessary; and somewhere in the depths of his sleepy consciousness flashes of understanding flashed. Then the Man stroked him once more and went back, taking with him the warmth and that unknown enticing aroma that was so pleasant to the bear.

More than once in winter the bear came to warm up and feed himself to the hospitable hut, and the Man never refused him a piece of bread. Other animals and little animals also came running, and left with care, and near the cherished hut they were not afraid of the terrible owner of the forest - the bear. And the bear there had no desire to touch them, it was so peaceful and complacent in his heart. Peace and goodwill reigned on the hill, penetrated into the dark souls of animals, fanned the trees and grasses, and saturated the air and earth. It was good and easy to breathe and lived near a hut and a tiny church, as if glowing from within.

Gradually people began to settle around the blessed dwelling. They, like the animals, were attracted there by an unknown, drawing force. They often broke the deep silence with the clatter of an ax, the chatter and noise of work. The bear did not touch them and was not afraid, but began to come less often. Sometimes he accompanied the Friend when he went down to the river for water or on His lonely journeys through the forest. Sometimes other people came up to a Friend at this time, and they talked about something. In such cases, the bear stood calmly near its Patron, and they were not afraid of him.

Little by little the bright monastery grew. Soon it was surrounded by a high tynne that blocked access to animals. The bear nevertheless sometimes came to the cherished hill, sat and waited. Sometimes he looked through the crack of the fence, hoping to see the Friend. His Friend was always working. He was building new huts, he was chopping wood, then he was digging the ground, then he was doing something in one of the built rooms. But the dumb call of the hairy guest always reached His heart. He went outside the palisade and talked to the bear, sometimes treating him with a piece of bread. And the bear's soul brightened and rejoiced.

Time passed, and the taiga retreated further and further from the monastery. The monastery became large, then huge. A passing road ran to it. Many people, on foot, on horseback, and sometimes even in arms, on carts and carts, began to walk and ride there. Every day from the high bell tower of the new large church, a melodic and deep ringing flew into the depths of the forest. There was no access at all for the forest beast, who so loved to resort to a small, unenclosed, quiet hut. The bear also went to his forest slums. He did not need and did not like people. Only about one Man he carried away in his bestial heart some indescribable memory, which, like a fire in a dead night, illuminated and warmed his dark consciousness.

And the image of the Man who saw his brother in the beast remained for many centuries in the people's memory as the embodiment of the great, all-conquering Compassion.

The magazine "Before sunrise" No. 7 (15), 1995

4. "Watch of the Himalayas", in the glaciers.

Patrol of the Himalayas, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, RF

The ancient manuscripts were kept in the caches of monasteries, where they told about the reserved country of Shambala, whose borders were guarded by inaccessible mountains and snow people. The manuscripts told about people living in a protected country who know the past, know the future. They send prophecies to the world, and these prophecies are being fulfilled.

Shaposhnikova L.V. "Master" M. 1998, p. 216

Living Ethics Teaching,"Leaves of Moria's Garden", Part 1, "The Call"

M. has many towers and guardian phenomena
on the slopes of the Himalayas.
Consider - no one will pass without satellites
snow guard.
Giants among the ice are watching the river of the world.
Ice blooms with pure fire, and the air is saturated
ozone.

Perhaps the most significant message of the East is contained in the tales of Shambhala, in legends, traditions and songs. Anyone who knows nothing about the vital significance of Shambhala should not claim that he studied the East and knows the pulse of modern Asia.

N.K. Roerich "Heart of Asia"

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Commands of the Cosmos" M. 1995, p. 66

5. "Confucius the Just" - a traveler in exile.

Just Confucius, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Confucius- (Kun-tzu) (about 551 - 479 BC) - an ancient Chinese thinker, the founder of Confucianism, the main content of which is the achievement of general prosperity through moral self-improvement of the individual. The main views of the ethical and political doctrine are set out in the book "Lunyu" ("Conversations and Judgments").

“At the age of 15, my mind bent over teaching. At 30, I stood firm. At 40, I was freed from disappointment. At 50, I understood the laws of Providence. At 60, my ears were listening to the truth. At 70, I could follow the direction of my heart "

N.K. Roerich "Behind the Great Wall"

cit. after "Nicholas Roerich", album. Samara, "Agni", 2005, p. 12

Confucius had to move as an exile from place to place. And his strange chariot is placed in the temple along with his compositions and musical instruments. No wonder, because the same community is at the heart of Confucius's teachings. Let us recall his teaching: “If the hearts of mortals are kindled with love, then the whole world will be like one family. All people will imagine one person in themselves, and all things, due to the amazing mutual order and union, will seem to be one and the same being. We must love others as ourselves, therefore, we must wish them everything that we wish for ourselves. " "Hypocrisy is the most hated vice." "The one who is covered by the mere appearance of virtue is like a villain who shows himself as an honest person during the day and is engaged in stealing the property of his neighbor at night."

“Beware of those who are perpetrators of the praises of virtue rather than its followers. Do not be deceived by their learned reasoning, which at least could be understood as the expression of a convinced soul, but they are only the fruit of a corrupted mind and invented impulses of the heart. Those who speak with a certain kind of sensitivity about humility, about the common good, are not always themselves examples of that. "

"Abstinence, simplicity in dress, decorum, the study of sciences and arts, aversion to caress, love for the lower, disinterestedness, prudence, constancy, kindness - these are the prescribed duties."

"Learn the sciences and fine arts, use the instructions of wisdom."

“The miser, being himself in anxiety, becomes a terrible and disgusting object for others. Let prudence govern all your affairs. "

“There is no better way to recognize people, whether they are good or evil, than to look at the pupil of the eye; for the pupil of the eye cannot hide the vice that lurks in the heart. "

"Do not let the inferior feel your high position, do not show the advantages of your merits as equals."

“There is nothing that constancy cannot achieve. I can bring a basket of earth every day, and if I continue, I will finally raise a mountain. "

"Man must become a co-worker of heaven and earth."

"All beings feed one another."

"The laws of motion of the luminaries are fulfilled simultaneously, without violating each other."

“The actions of heaven and earth are divided into countless streams, acting on each being separately. Their common action makes great transformations - this is the greatness of heaven and earth. "

"Consciousness, humanity and masculinity are the three world qualities, but sincerity is needed to apply them."

"A person who has not realized his purpose cannot be considered a great person."

“Isn't there a panacea for everything? - Isn't this love for humanity? Do not do to others what you do not want for yourself. "

"If a person knows how to govern himself, what kind of difficulty could he meet in managing the state?"

“The sage is firm, but not stubborn. Be slow in words and quick in action. "

"The wise one expects everything from himself, the insignificance - everything from others."

“I love the brilliance of virtue that is not manifested by loud words and pompous movements. The hype, proclamation are very secondary things in the transformation of peoples. "

“Ignorant, proud of his knowledge; insignificant, wanting excessively freedom; a person returning to ancient customs is subject to inevitable disasters. "

“The shooter sets an example for the sage. When he misses the middle of the goal, he looks for the reason in himself. "

Teaching about the common good, Confucius should always have his chariot at hand ...

An old Chinese man is talking about Confucius. These old thoughts merge with the traces of old Chinese travelers who have left so much useful information about India and the whole of Central Asia.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas" M. 1999, pp. 107 - 108

"Not a single great person suffered as much as Confucius from stupidity, lies, perversion, from lack of sympathy and nobility, and especially from the deep ignorance of his condemners," says L. Giles and continues:

“Confucius was the prince of philosophers. The wisest of the sages. A high moralist, high and deep intelligence that ever appeared in the world. He was a statesman, a bard, a historian and an archaeologist. Its broad scope could shame the most famous ancient and modern philosophers. "

Then the same author rightly points out that the years of his recognition did not serve for the greater glory of Confucius, but, on the contrary, the time in which he was subjected to special attacks, slander and condemnation. But relatively recently, the dust of centuries was removed from the great figure of the Teacher. So, even this, in the end, a very clear and vital philosopher, by all means had to go through hardening with slander.

These lines about Confucius were especially remembered during the passage of the Great Wall of China. The wall is really great, and the philosopher - the Teacher of life is really great too. Isn't it strange that this messenger of peace should have always drawn a chariot, ready to flee from unexpected persecution.

Just think that it was Confucius in his time that the names of a charlatan and a liar were used, and at best he was called a dreamer and condemned for the inapplicability of life. And this dreamer, when asked what the sky is, answered: "How can I judge the sky when I do not yet know so many earthly things."

In the Confucian vocabulary, the expression "jen" is often found, which is translated either by virtue or valor. This is how it is expressed in the first English translations. At the same time, the researchers themselves do not hide that such a definition is only relative in the absence of a better expression. For us, this concept will rather be the word "feat" in all its highly constructive meaning.

Going beyond the Great Wall, I wanted to think about something great, and the thought of the great sage Confucius was especially close.

N.K. Roerich "Diary Leaves", M. 1995, pp. 289-290

6. "Ienno Guyo Dya" - friend of travelers (Japan).

Ienno Guyo Dya - friend of travelers, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Ieno-guyo-dya (En-no Gyoja, En-no Odzuno, Japan, 7-8 centuries) - a great ascetic, founder of the brotherhood of mountain hermits - Yamabushi (Yamabushi), who sought to reveal the innermost spiritual forces - Shugendo (Shugendo)

Yamabushi (literally - "sleeping in the mountains", "mountain sages") - originally a brotherhood of hermits who settled in remote mountains. Thanks to the highest authority that they earned for their spiritual capabilities and morality, this movement gradually became widespread, gaining followers in all strata of Japanese society.

Legends associate Ieno-guyo-dya with Prince Shotoku Taishi (574 - 622) - a great reformer and statesman, ruler of Japan during the struggle of Buddhism with ancient shamanic cults, who became a hermit, and later, after a false funeral, hid in the mountains , taking the name Yenno-guyo-dya.

The activity of Shotoku Taishi (Shotoku Taishi is a posthumous name, translated as Prince of Holy Virtue. His real name was Prince Umayado.) Began in 592 (at the age of eighteen) and covered all aspects of Japanese society. He established Buddhism among the Japanese aristocracy, attracted many Buddhists from Korea and China to Japan, contributed to the translation of sacred books into Japanese (including created commentaries on one of the sutras). His name is associated with the construction of 46 Buddhist temples and monasteries.

He created the famous "Law of 17 Articles", which laid the foundations of Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist ethics in Japanese society. This document determined the direction of the spiritual life of Japan for many centuries.

It is believed that Prince Shotoku proposed the modern name of Japan - Nippon, "Land of the Rising Sun". He managed to establish equal relations with Korea and China, which were at that moment more powerful than Japan, states.

The name Shotoku is associated with the emergence of the art of Ikebana, which in medieval Japan had a deeply sacred meaning, as well as the sacred musical instrument "shakuhachi" (bamboo flute). Legend has it that when the prince played this instrument, heavenly fairies descended to him. Later, the sounds of "shakuhachi" began to accompany the reading of sutras in temples, because its sound not only adorned the prayer, but also expressed its essence. The prince's flute is now on display at the Tokyo National Museum.

Historical records mention that Shotoku Taishi contributed to the development of the martial art of Ninjutsu.

In culture, politics, spiritual life - everywhere Shotoku Taishi did not miss the opportunity to lay the foundations for future achievements that glorified Japan and became a contribution to world Culture.

For the Japanese, the image of a prince became the embodiment of the highest virtues and divine wisdom.

The prince's reign was short-lived - only 15 years. In 607, he retired to one of the monasteries built at his behest (according to some sources, continuing to influence state policy).

In 622, according to legend, Boddhidharma himself appeared to him, talked with him and exchanged verses. In the same year, the prince passed away at the age of 48.

The activity of Ieno-guyo-dya was not only a continuation, but also the development and enrichment of the created Shotoku Taishi.

Thanks to Ieno-guyo-dya, Buddhism, which was originally the religion of the upper strata of society, has established itself in the popular consciousness.

The Yamabushi movement created by him became for the Japanese the bearer of the qualities of Buddhist ethics: compassion, mutual assistance, and the struggle for justice. It was among the yamabushi that martial arts schools were developed to protect the weak and as a special path of spiritual asceticism, the foundation of which was laid by Prince Shotoku Taishi.

The name Ieno-guyo-dya is associated with the spread of sakura cherry, which later became one of the symbols of Japan. Its flowering is celebrated every year as a national holiday. According to the legend, the first cherry trees appeared in the city of Yoshino, where they were grown by Ieno-guyo-dya.

In the popular mind, he was endowed with the highest divine abilities - to talk with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, fly, walk on water, transform in fire. In one of the ancient monuments, he is called a descendant of the Shinto deity Susanno. And in Buddhist sources he is called the Bodhisattva Jinben-daibosatsu.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Prince Shotoku Taishi and spiritual ascetic Ieno-guyo-dya laid the foundations of the spiritual culture of Japan.

Materials used in the preparation:

E. Matochkin "Banners of the East" from the collection "Roerich. Prophecies "Samara, 2004

E.P. Blavatsky's "Bewitched Life (Story of a Goose Feather)"

/Fragment/

But the stronger my affection and respect for this person became, the less I was able to come to terms with the wild teaching about life after death, and especially with his words about people who have acquired supernatural power. I was especially disgusted by his respectful attitude towards the yamabushi, these allies of every Buddhist sect in the country. In my view, their claims of miracles were a lie. Then, at least, I could not come to terms with the fact that every Japanese I knew in Kyoto, even my own business partner, and this was the most astute of all whom I had to deal with in the east, always mentioned these followers Lao Tzu with his eyes down, folded his hands respectfully, each time confirming that they have a "great" and "wonderful" gift. Who are they, after all, these great wizards with their ridiculous claims to "supermundane" knowledge ?! Who are they, these "holy beggars", who, as I thought then, specially live in the crevices of sparsely populated mountains and on inaccessible rocks in order to insure themselves against random passers-by who can discover their charlatanism, watching them in their own lair! Yes, these are just arrogant fortune-tellers, Japanese gypsies who sell amulets and talismans! That's who they are. And with the greatest fury and the most firm conviction that I was right, I argued with those who tried to convince me that the Yamabushi live mysterious lives, never allowing the uninitiated into their secrets. But sometimes they do accept disciples, and although it is very difficult to be a disciple of a yamabushi, there are such people, and therefore the yamabushi have living witnesses who can confirm the majestic purity of their life. In my arguments, I insulted both teachers and students, calling them fools, if not crooks, and in my rage I went so far as to include them in the ranks of Shinto members. Shinto or Shin-Son, belief in gods or the path to gods is a belief in communication between divine beings and humans. As a religious trend, Shintoism resembles the worship of the spirits of nature, and from this point of view, perhaps nothing could be more stupid. By placing all the members of the Shin-Son Society among the fools and swindlers of other sects, I have acquired many enemies. This happened because Shinto Kanushi (spiritual teachers) are considered the highest class of society and Mikado himself is at the head of their hierarchy. Their sect includes the most cultured and educated people in Japan. These Kanushi of the Shinto sect do not belong to any one caste or class. In addition, they do not undergo any initiation ceremony, at least known to those who do not belong to this society. Since they never require special privileges and rights for themselves, and dress like all other uninitiated people, they very often remain professors or students studying various occult or spiritual sciences for those around them, so I very often met and talked with them. without even knowing who I am dealing with.

Ed. "Star". Leningrad, 1991, pp. 18 - 20

7. "Milarepa Hearing" - at the rising, he knew the voices of the devas.

Milarepa - Buddhist hermit (1040 - 1123), whom the Tibetans call "Thrice Great": a great poet, a great yogi and a great saint.

N.K. Roerich "Shambala", series Great Roerich Library, M. 1994, p. 196

Tibetan Orpheus - Milarepa, surrounded by animals and listening to the prophetic voices of the mountains.

Is feat possible without difficulties? I so love the words of a wonderful Tibetan ascetic named Milarepa, who indulged in great deeds, and when people persuaded him to pity himself, his health and stop a hard life, he replied: “Since we all have to die, I prefer to die in pursuit of a beautiful goals ". Truly, if a hundred people realized this formula and applied it to life, the world would be transformed in the shortest possible time.

E.I. Roerich. Letters, vol. 3.M. 2001, p. 552

Y. Roerich "Along the paths of Central Asia"

One of the majestic episodes in the religious and literary history of Tibet is associated with Tingri and the region located southwest of it around the Lapchi Kangri mountain range. In the first half of the eleventh century, the most famous teacher of Tibet, the hermit Milarepa (Mila ras-pa), Saint Francis of the Land of Snows, lived and worked here. In the south of Tingri, in the almost inaccessible mountain valleys leading to the highest highlands of the earth, where the snow giants Everest, Makalu and Gaurishankar rise to enormous heights, as if competing with each other, hermits still live, zealously guarding the secret of Milarepa, passed down through generations of teachers. Here, in the lost wild mountains, you can still hear the songs of Milarepa and see on the walls of the abandoned mountain dwellings of hermits the images of the Teacher listening to the Inner Voice. Every year pilgrims climb almost inaccessible paths to Everest to see a giant cleavage on the side of the mountain - the trail of the fall of Naro Bon-chung.

One day Naro, one of the main teachers of the Black Faith of Tibet, challenged Milarepa to climb the summit of Everest, here called the "Mother of the Great Snows." Milarepa accepted the challenge and entered deep meditation. Meanwhile, Naro, seeing Milarepa sitting motionless, with the help of supernatural power, began to fly up to the top of the great mountain. But how could Black Faith win? Suddenly, a shining throne appeared on the top of the mountain, on which the meditating Milarepa was sitting. Blinded by the brilliant vision, Naro fell into a deep abyss and left a gigantic trail of his defeat when he fell. This is what the legend says, and hundreds of pilgrims extol the wisdom of the Teacher, to whom both animals and birds were obedient.

There, in the remote mountains, one can still find reclusive members of a secret brotherhood of Milarepa's followers called "Brothers and Friends of the Secret." On the ice-covered slopes, a passer-by can still see the figure of a monk in white robes, an adept of the secret science of "Inner Fire", or Lung-tum-mo (lung gtum-mo). Rumors about this area spread far across Buddhist Central Asia, and scholarly lamas in Mongolia often talk about spiritual teachers and hermits in the mountainous country southwest of Shigatse.

On the way to Tingri we met several lamas - followers of Milarepa, making a pilgrimage to the Lapchi Valley and its temple. ...

I was given the opportunity to speak with them and compose the Gurbum, or collection of Milarepa's songs. I asked them about Milarepa's followers and famous mountain retreats….

Milarepa and his songs are very popular with the inhabitants of Tingri and the surrounding area, and legends about him are often told in the evenings near campfires and at the village hearths. The author has greatly benefited from such conversations with traveling merchants and itinerant lamas.

In some of the houses of Tingri and the surrounding villages, we have found wall paintings depicting Milarepa with her right hand raised to her right ear, listening to the mysterious voices of nature. He is always depicted sitting in front of a cave against the backdrop of a huge snowy mountain. He wears the white robes of his sect and the lace of an ascetic. Gazelles, leopards and fallow deer look at the saint immersed in deep meditation. His teacher, Jetsun Marpa, is often depicted above him in the clouds, his hands folded in dhyani mudra - a pose of meditation. Other popular paintings depict the saint in his usual pose, seated among pointed rocks against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, with the goddess Tshe-ring-moi serving him. The saint looks completely emaciated after a strict penance. The design of the frescoes is rather crude, but the colors are graceful. Time softened too bright contrasts and hid the drawing errors. Painted images of Milarepa are quite common, and his bronze figurines are extremely rare. We managed to get only one very roughly made bronze image of the saint.

Samara. 1994 p. 435-438

8. "Dorje the Daring One" - to stand face to face with Mahakala himself.

Dorje daring. (Dorje the brave), 1925
Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York, USA.

“Dorje the Daring One” to come face to face with Mahakala himself.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

A whole group of strange pictures was connected with the materials of the Central Asian expedition (... 1923-28). Faces and mysterious figures appeared on them in bizarre heaps of rocks. Ancient forgotten gods performed mysterious dances. Like ghosts, blurred features of the fearsome Deities of Tibet emerged from the stones of mountains and mists. Lhamo, Palden Lhamo, Dorje the brave.

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Master" M. 1998, p. 350-351

Dorje (Tibet.) - "lightning", a sacred ritual object among Buddhists

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Master" M. 1998, p. 616

Mahakala (Skt.) - Great Time. Shiva's name as "Destroyer" and Vishnu as "Guardian"

9. "Saraha is the Good Arrow", who does not hesitate in good sendings.

"Sarakha is a good arrow", 1925
Collection of W. Bolling, USA

"Saraha is the Good Arrow", which does not hesitate in good sendings.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

Saraha is a great Brahmin who developed the teachings of Mahayana and the secret Tantra, the predecessor of Nagarjuna

N.K. Roerich Altai - Himalayas, M. 1999, p. 490

... will is a transformed, sharpened psychic energy. In ancient times, the arrow was the symbol of will. Now they talk a lot about the development of will and suggest artificial methods to assimilate the will, but it must be developed by ardent activity ...

Living Ethics Teaching. Aboveground, p. 729

... the arrow on the right flight tends to a single goal. Compare the arrow with a human thought. A trembling hand will not direct an arrow fiercely, just as a wavering thought will not reach the goal ...

Living Ethics Teaching. Aboveground, item 733

Saraha (Skt. - "Archer", also Sarakha, Saroruha or Saroja, Sarahasta, 7th - 9th centuries) - an outstanding Buddhist ascetic, teacher of Nagarjuna. On Tibetan tanks (a sacred drawing on fabric), he is depicted as an ascetic old man holding an arrow in his hand.

Saraha is revered as one of the 84 maha-siddhis, saintly sages who have attained spiritual perfection. He is also called adi-siddha (main, first), "The highest siddha of the new tantras."

His life stories contain contradictory and even mutually exclusive information.

Saraha was born in eastern India to a Brahmin family, therefore he is also called the Great Brahmin. The exact date of birth is unknown (some sources claim that he was born 200 years after the departure of Buddha Shakyamuni, i.e. in the 3rd century BC). Was close to King Mahapala (?), Received a Buddhist education at the University of Nalanda. He left many treatises, instructions, poems, seven of which are included in the Tibetan Canon. His spiritual songs "doha" and "karya gita" are especially famous.

Saraha's activities took place during a period of crisis and the weakening of the influence of Buddhism in India. In his spiritual heritage, he called for abandoning excessive enthusiasm for meditation, ritual, mental speculation; criticized the established dogmas of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism. He considered compassion and comprehension of his inner nature to be the basis of spiritual development.

In legends and traditions, Saraha is associated with dakinis - the innermost images of the feminine principle in Buddhism. He is called the son of a dakini. He received his first spiritual achievements from dakinis in the guise of "four Brahmin maidens." And he acquired the nickname "archer" (arrow maker) thanks to his wife, a dakini, who incarnated in the daughter of a blacksmith from a niche caste. According to one of the legends, he had a vision that he would meet his Teacher at the bazaar. After some time, he really saw a girl in the bazaar who made arrows so flawlessly and so perfect were her movements that Saraha realized that she was his Teacher. This girl became his wife and faithful companion on his travels.

The famous Russian Buddhist prof. E. Torchinov in his "Introduction to Buddhology" mentions that among the lamas of Buryatia 20-30 years ago there was a legend that Saraha in the 20s of the twentieth century. visited one of the Buryat monasteries.

"Lions of Buddha - Biographies of the Eighty-Four Siddhas"

/ as stated /

Saraha, the son of a dakini, was born into a brahmin family in the city of Roli, in Rajni, in eastern India. After receiving a classical education, he turned to the teachings of the Buddha, and after listening to many teachers, he came to tantra. During the day he practiced Hinduism, at night he studied Buddhism.

Opponents of Buddhism, Brahmins accused Saraha of drunkenness, went to King Ratnapala and told him: “You are the king here. Is it right for you to encourage a religion with such a bad reputation as Buddhism? And besides, even if the "archer" Sarah occupies a high position, he still stained himself with drunkenness and must be expelled. "

The king did not at all want to drive out the man, who controlled fifty thousand small farms. He went to Saraha and said to him, "You are a brahmana, you should not drink wine at all." “I don’t drink,” Saraha replied. "Gather all these brahmanas here and I will swear to you." When everyone was assembled, Saraha said, “If I drank, let my hand burn. If not, let it remain intact. " He put his hand in boiling oil and it didn’t burn. “You see, he does not drink,” said the king. "Drinks, drinks!" The brahmanas insisted. Saraha repeated his oath and drank the molten copper. "No, he is a drunkard," the brahmanas kept saying. Then Saraha said: “Let’s do this: whoever walks on water and drowns, he drinks, and who does not drown, he does not drink.” And he and another brahmana entered the water, and he began to drown, but Saraha did not, and everyone agreed that Saraha was a teetotaler. Then they began to weigh Saraha. “He who is heavy does not drink,” he said. The brahmanas put on the scales three steel weights of the weight of a man each, and still Saraha outweighed. He was even heavier than six weights. Finally, the king said, "Even if someone drinks and has such energy, let him drink."

The king and the brahmanas bowed down to Saraha and asked him for instructions. Saraha agreed and sang three Doha song cycles. After that, the brahmanas abandoned their views and became Buddhists, and the king and those around him acquired siddhis.

One day Saraha asked me to cook him some radish. His wife poured sour cream over the radish and served him, but he sat in meditation, and she did not bother him. Saraha was in meditation for twelve years. Finally, waking up, he asked: "Where is the radish?" The wife replied: “How could I keep it? It's spring now, the vegetables have not grown yet. " Saraha, after a pause, said, "I am going to the mountains." “A lonely body does not give solitude,” the woman replied. “The best solitude is in the mind when it is far from ideas and concepts. You meditated for twelve years, and the thought of radishes remained in you. What good will you find in your mountains? " This is true, Saraha thought. From that time on, he tried to dissolve concepts and habitual thoughts in the natural light of the mind.

Saraha attained the siddhi of Mahamudra and fulfilled the hopes of all living beings. Having achieved perfection, Saraha together with his spouse went into the Upper Light, bypassing the usual transitional states.

10. "Mohammed on Mount Chira (message of the Archangel Gabriel)", legend.

"Mohammed on Mount Khira", 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

“Mohammed on Mount Chira (message of the Archangel Gabriel), legend ...

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

Muhammad(Mohammed, in European literature often Muhammad, Magomed) (about 570 - 632) - the founder of Islam, in 630 - 631. the head of the first Muslim theocratic state (in Arabia), revered as a prophet.

Soviet Encyclopedic Dictionary, ed. 3rd, M. 1985

Interestingly says At-Tabari about the prophetic calling of Mohammed ("History of the Prophets and Kings"). “The first thing that began the revelation of the messenger of God was the suggestions of truth, which came like morning radiance. Then he was imbued with solitude and remained in a cave on Mount Hira. And then the eternally True One came to him. And he said to him: "Mohammed, you are the messenger of God." “I knelt down,” says the messenger of God, “and I stand waiting. Then slowly I walked out. My heart fluttered. I came to Khadija and said: "Wrap, wrap me up," and my fear passed. And He again appeared to me and said: "Mohammed, I am Gabriel, and you are the messenger of God." ...

Barakah, son of Naufal, said to Mohammed: “This is a divine revelation that was sent down to Moses, the son of Umran. If I lived to see the time when your people will drive you out! " - "Will I be banished by him?" - said Mohammed. “Yes,” he replied. - Truly, a person never appeared with what you came with without arousing enmity towards himself. They will truly consider you a liar, they will cause you trouble, they will drive you out and fight with you. " Baraka's words increased his firmness and dispelled his anxiety. "

N.K. Roerich. Altai - Himalayas, M. 1999, p. 314,

“I am sending… a snapshot of my painting“ Mohammed on Mount Khira ”receives a decree from the Archangel Gabriel. I have heard very touching responses from fellow believers in Mohammed about this picture, who noted the understanding of tradition in hiding the face of the prophet. "

11. "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent" sees a sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas.

Nagarjuna - Conqueror of the Serpent, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

"Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent" sees the sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

Brave Nagarjuna, who drew wisdom from the conversations with Nag - "the serpent king" on Lake Yumtso.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas" M. 1999, p. 106

… Many centuries ago, the famous Nagarjuna lived here - a great philosopher who received knowledge from the Great King of the Nagas and transformed the teachings of Buddha.

It was in the same red glow of sunset that the Great Naga lifted his hood from the depths of the sacred lake, on the shore of which Nagarjuna was sitting. This is how Roerich's painting depicts a mysterious moment of knowledge transfer. In the picture, reality was intertwined with myth, just as in the life of the Buddhist philosopher himself. Controversial, but real dates of his life - either the first century, or the third. It is known that he was a Brahmin who converted to Buddhism and was educated in Nalanda, a famous center of Buddhist scholarship. The glory of Nagarjuna has stepped far beyond India. He was well known both in Tibet and in China. This, in fact, ends the real part of his biography. Then she passes into the mythical stage, where legends and tales about him, as a great magician, play a major role.

Legends tell of the unusual abilities of Nagarjuna. He could cure a person with one glance, possessed the secret of compiling the elixir of life, had the ability to find hidden treasures and treasures, knew how to restore broken and broken things, so much so that no one could even imagine that the thing was damaged. The damaged gems in his hands became full again. He could make gold. One day, the Buddhist community where he lived was on the verge of starvation due to crop failure. Nagarjuna made golden grains and exchanged them for real ones. He was clairvoyant, possessed the gift of prophecy and could become invisible.

The most enigmatic aspect of his legendary biography was the connection with the nagas. His name - Nagarjuna, or "conqueror of the Naga" - he received through communication with the latter. The meeting with the Great Naga was apparently the culmination of such a relationship. Nagarjuna's acquaintance with the nagas, according to legends, took place in Nalanda. Nagas appeared in the monastery in the guise of young men, the same age as Nagarjuna. They, according to tradition, passed on secret knowledge to him, and then invited him to their place. He spent three months with the naga in a secret place. When it was time to say goodbye, the nagas, according to their custom, presented rich gifts and various jewels to Nagarjuna. But the most precious was the book "Nagasahasrika", which contained valuable instructions.

There is scant evidence that in the land of the nagas, which Nagarjuna visited, lived not only wise nagas, but also arhats. And conversations with them completed the philosophical education of Nagarjuna. From the land of the nagas, according to this version, he went north and from there he got to a completely different part of the world. Tall beings lived there, among whom Nagarjuna spent twelve years. The naga showed him the way to this country.

Finally, the legend says that Nagarjuna lived for a time in a Buddhist community on a mountain. There, in a mountain refuge, the Great Naga saw him. He liked Nagarjuna for his scholarship and inquisitive mind, and the Great Naga invited him to his palace. But the difficulty was that the palace was on the seabed. However, the Great Naga helped Nagarjuna. How - the legends are silent about it. In the palace, the Great Naga showed him seven treasure vaults. They also contained ancient books that people living on earth did not know about. The great naga took out several books of the Buddha's teachings from the shelf and gave them to Nagarjuna. He studied books ninety days in a row, comprehending their deep meaning. And the Great Naga, conducting daily conversations with him, discussed with Nagarjuna what he had read. When his term in the palace of the Great Naga expired, he presented him with several books. These books Nagarjuna brought with him to India. In addition, the Great Naga said that he, the Great Naga, had many more books than what Nagarjuna had seen. But what kind of books and what they look like, the Great Naga did not tell him.

Although all versions of Nagarjuna's visit to the country of the nagas and his contacts with these mysterious creatures differ from each other, one thing remains common to all of them: Nagarjuna received knowledge and books from the nagas. One of them, Nagasahasrika, is real, not mythical.

The end of the learned monk was strange and unexpected. The king's son, with whom he was friends, cut off his head in anger. This version of the end of Nagarjuna is based on legend. We do not have exact data on his death, as well as on his birth.

But nevertheless he existed, studied and taught, visited mysterious mountain shelters, wrote philosophical works ... Man and myth, man and legend - his dry, erect figure is depicted in Roerich's painting "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent".

L.V. Shaposhnikov "On the route of the Master" book. 2 M. 2000, pp. 84-86

Both the ancient chronicles of Kashmir and its oral tradition were filled with legends and legends about the mysterious naga. Some told about the unusual everyday life of the nagas and their love affairs, others about their wisdom and knowledge, and still others about the cities that were lost and sunk. The nagas owned underwater and underground treasures, which they jealously guarded. They owned entire ancient cities, which, due to cataclysms, sank in the seas or lakes, or simply sank into the ground. In these cities and similar places, the naga kings had their own palaces. Gold, silver and precious stones were used to decorate them. Music sounded in the halls and beautiful dancers demonstrated their art. The palaces were surrounded by gardens where unprecedented trees and flowers grew. The kings wore golden crowns and robes embroidered with precious stones. Their necklaces, bracelets and rings sparkled with rare and wonderful samples of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, amethysts and pearls.

The nagas were not only kings, but also sages, mentors, magicians, wizards and, finally, cultural heroes. The main naga of Kashmir, the Nila, created a book that emerged from the blue water of the Nilamnag. The book contained wise advice on how to live, whom to worship, how to behave in certain cases. The Nile instilled strong cultural traditions in the people of Kashmir. Nag Takshaka brought valuable saffron seeds from unknown lands. Not far from Pandrethan, in the village of Jayavana, now called Zewan, he showed the inhabitants how to sow and grow it, and saffron became one of the riches of Kashmir. In addition, the nagas controlled the weather, possessed a wealth of knowledge in medicine, and were also clairvoyant and clairaudient.

… The famous Chinese traveler Xuan-jiang in the 7th century visited many places associated with the naga. These were lakes, ponds and other bodies of water. Xuan-jiang was one of the first who tried to see elements of historical reality in the mysterious cult of the naga. Roerich highly appreciated the authenticity of the ancient Chinese chronicles. "In general, we must do justice," he wrote, "to the old Chinese for the accuracy of their descriptions, which we have seen more than once."

... The most ancient civilization of India, discovered in the Indus Valley in the 20s of our century, was also associated with the nagas and their cult. On the steatite seals of Mohenjo-Daro, images of snakes and figures of people with snake hoods over their heads have been preserved. Earlier, in 1905, the English archaeologist Marshall unearthed an ancient naga sanctuary in Rajagir. It was a round stone building, on the outside of which there were ten statues, well preserved. Five of them depicted nagas and one a nagina. All six had elongated eyes, thin humped noses, and plump lips. Who were they, from what depths of the past did their mythological heritage emerge? The Indian scholar Vedic Kumari, in her preface to Nilamatpurana, was also unable to answer this question. “The difficulty in identifying the nagas,” she wrote, “is that they are still hidden by a veil of legends and myths and arise from the depths of time, now like snakes, then like people.”

Hidden by this intricate veil, the nagas defied any archaeological or ethnographic deciphering.

... Gods, spirits, guardians of the countries of the world, kings, people, snakes. Cultural heroes, magicians, wizards, warriors, sages, keepers of knowledge and treasures, real-life royal dynasties. The word looked like a spell, like some ancient symbol, like a mysterious drawing on a rock. And I again and again returned to this mysterious landmark left by Roerich. I gazed into his pictures, from which the mythical nagas stood up, read the mean words he said ...

L.V. Shaposhnikov "On the route of the Master" book. 2 M. 2000, pp. 70-72

There is an expression "wisdom of a serpent", "wise as a serpent" and other similar definitions. Some take it literally: the serpent is wise. But no one tested this wisdom in a snake. This symbol is not associated with a snake - naked directly, but has to do with the perfection of man ...

L.V. Shaposhnikov "The Universe of the Master" M. 2005, p. 824

12. “Oirot - Messenger of the White Burkhan”, Altai belief.

Oirot - Bulletin of the White Burkhan, Series "Banners of the East", 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

In the essay "Shambhala" Roerich conveyed the legend about the White Burkhan:

“The mountains from Chuguchak to Altai are becoming wilder and wilder. It is strange for the first time to see Oirot riders - a Finno-Turkic family lost in the Altai mountains. Only recently this area, full of beautiful forests, thundering streams and snow-white ridges, has received its own name Oirotia. The land of the Blessed Oirot, the folk hero of this secluded tribe. And another miracle happened in this country, where until recently crude forms of shamanism and witchcraft flourished.

In 1904, a young Oirot girl had a vision. Blessed Oirot himself appeared to her on a white horse. He told her that he was the messenger of the White Burkhan and that Burkhan himself would come soon.

The Blessed One gave the shepherd girl many instructions on how to restore righteous customs in the country and how to meet the White Burkhan, who will erect a new happy time on earth. The girl summoned her family and announced these new instructions of the Blessed One, asking her relatives to bury their weapons, destroy idols and pray only to the merciful White Burkhan. At the top of the wooded mountain, a semblance of an altar was erected. People gathered there, burned the heather and sang newly composed sacred songs, touching and uplifting. One sounds like this:

You who live behind white clouds -
Beyond blue skies -
Three Kurbustans!
You who wear four braids -
White Burkhan!
You, Lord of Altai -
White Burkhan!
You who inhabit around you
Peoples, in gold and silver,
White Altai!
You shining during the day!
You are the Burkhan sun!
You shining at night!
You are the Burkhan Month!

Let my call be recorded
To the sacred book Sadur!

The local administration was embarrassed to learn about this new faith, as they called it. Peaceful admirers of the White Burkhan were severely persecuted. But the instructions of the Blessed Oirot did not perish. Until now, a rider on a White horse appears on the Altai mountains, and faith in the White Burkhan is growing. In the scattered yurts, a legend is whispered that the last battle of people will take place on the Katun River, and that the light of the White Burkhan is already shining from behind the distant White Mountain. And with these words, the heads of the interlocutors turn to the south of Altai, to the place where the highest mountains rise far away, sparkling in a snow cover. This happened among the Oirots in the Altai Mountains. "

N.K. Roerich, "Heart of Asia", essay "Shambhala", Minsk, 1991, pp. 76-77

“The White Burkhan, of course, is the Blessed Buddha. There are traces of radioactivity in the Ak-kem area. The water in Ak-kem is milky white. Pure Belovodye. The fiftieth latitude passes through Ak-Kem. We recall the conclusion of Choma Koryoshi. ”( an outstanding Hungarian orientalist traveler - approx.)

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M. 1999, pp. 386-387

“… It is not a pity to spend the night in the place where the doctrine of the White Burkhan and his good friend Oirot was born. The whole region adopted the name of Oirota. It is here that the arrival of the White Burkhan is expected. In the rocks above Kyrlyk, the entrances to the caves turn black. The caves go deep, they did not find an end. There are also caves and secret passages - from Tibet through Kun-Lun, through Altyn-Tag, through Turpan; The "long ear" knows about secret passages. How many people were saved in these passages and caves! And reality has become a fairy tale. Just as the black aconite of the Himalayas turned into a heat-color ”.

Ibid, p. 373

In Altai, the Oirots turn away from shamanism and add new prayers to the expected White Burkhan. Burkhan's messenger, good Oirot, is already traveling around the world.

Ibid, p. 437

13. "Mother of the World".

Mother of the World, 1924
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

The Mother of the World is a symbol of the feminine Beginning in the new era, and the masculine Beginning voluntarily gives the treasure of the World to the feminine Beginning.
If the Amazons were a symbol of the power of the feminine principle, now it is necessary to show the spiritual perfect side of the woman.

Living Ethics Teaching, Illumination V, item 2

The lofty commission of women must be revealed by a woman. And in the Temple of the Mother of the World there must be a woman.
The appearance of the Mother of the World will create the unity of women. It is now that the task is to create a spiritual and royal position for a woman.

Living Ethics Teaching, Illumination IV, p.9

315. The Mother of the World pointed out: “Gather the winds, gather the snow. Don't be birds and don't approach beasts!

A human foot will not be established on My Summit. The basis of the dark daring will not be affirmed. The light of the month will not hold, but the ray of the sun will reach the Summit.

Save, sun, My Top, for where will I stand on guard? The beast will never rise and human strength will not be able to hold out! "

The Mother of Jehovah herself with a fiery shield will stand guard.

What glitters on the Summit? Why have the whirlwinds folded a shining crown? She, the Great Mother, alone ascended the Summit. And no one will follow Her.

317. The Mother of the World shines on the highest mountain. She came out to smite the darkness. Why do enemies fall? And where do they turn their eyes in despair?

She put on a fiery dress and surrounded herself with a wall of fire.

She is our strength and striving.

Living Ethics Teaching, Agni Yoga.

638 ... People want to see matter in everything, and they are not far from the truth, if they allow all the variety of qualities of matter. The very word "Matter" is good and homogeneous with the great concept of Matter. Now, in the age of the Mother of the World, we need to pay special attention to everything that resembles this beautiful Foundation. In addition, one must understand that it is precisely the concept of matter that contains the various properties of this giving birth substance.

It is said that matter is a crystallized spirit, but one can also say the other way around, because everything from the subtlest energies is matter. The judgment will be meager if someone rebelles against the energetic principle, thereby he will deny matter. What, then, will remain with such an ignoramus? It's time to return the name to its original meaning. Whoever considers himself a materialist should respect matter in all its varieties. It is impermissible to be called a materialist and deny the essence of matter.

While it is wonderful to study matter and compare it with evolution, only this way will be scientific. It must be said that this determinant is also subject to distortion. Positive learning is not at all limited. On the contrary, it should be a symbol of constant learning. So ponder the meaning of many concepts and you will understand how much We wish to approach everything from a scientific point of view. With Us, such a foundation does not contradict the freedom of the researcher, it only points to the beautiful matter, which is the Mother herself.

772. ... They will ask: "Why is this age called the Age of the Mother of the World?" Truly, that is how it should be called. The woman will bring great help, not only bringing enlightenment, but also establishing balance.

Living Ethics Teaching, Supermundane

Mother of the World

The Mother of the World hides Her Name. The Mother of the World closes Her Face.
The Mother is common to the Masters, not a symbol, but the Great Appearance of the Feminine Principle, representing the spiritual Mother of Christ and Buddha, the One who taught and ordained Them to exploit.
For a long time, the Mother has been sending on a heroic deed. Through the history of mankind, Her Hand runs an unbreakable thread.
At Sinai, Her voice sounded. The image of Kali was accepted, the basis of Isis, Istar.
After Atlantis, when Lucifer struck a blow to the cult of the Spirit, the Mother of the World began a new thread.
After Atlantis, the Mother of the World hid Her Face and forbade to pronounce the Name until the hour of the Luminaries struck.

Radiance of the Mother of the World

The purple Aura of the Mother of the World shines on us. Who will bow down? Who dares to her?
Among the destined treasures are Her bright decorations. The Teaching about Her burns with a violet lotus.
Let the pain of the solar plexus centers be associated with Her days.
Let the new rings of the serpent unfold in Her time. Let the air pipes sound at the beginning of Her.
Mother of the World, go through the desert, for the flowers are behind You. Mother of the World, look at the mountain, for the mountains shine with Your fire!
The hated people are gone, hordes are rising. New wonders, new bearers, and the breaking down of walls shouted:
"Mother is coming!"
“Mother of Buddha, Mother of Christ, direct Thy Sons! Even if a rock falls on me, I will know from Your Steps! " So let's fill the space.

Order

And on top of all verbal orders sounds the Order Silent, All-pervading, Irreparable, Indivisible, Irrejustible, Dazzling, Generous, Indescribable, Unrepeatable, Intact, Indescribable, Timeless, Urgent, Igniting, manifested in Lightning.
Here are two Orders - at the ends of the World of the Lords Christ and Buddha. And Their word is like a shining sword, but a Silent Order is revealed over Their thunder.
Above Their Covering Her Face, Weaving the yarn of the Far Worlds, the Messenger of the Untold, the Sovereign of the Elusive, the Giver of the Unrepeatable!
By your Order, the ocean becomes silent and the whirlwinds of the features of invisible signs are applied.
And She, the Hidden Face, will stand guard Alone in the radiance of signs. And no one will ascend to the top, no one will see the radiance of the Dodecahedron, the sign of Her Power.
From the spiral of Light, the sign was woven by Herself in silence. She is the Leader of those who go to feat!
Four corners, the sign of Affirmation, was revealed by Her as parting words to those who decided.

Mother of the World Game

What a great game of the Mother of the World! She beckons children from the far field.
“Hurry up, children, I want to teach you. I have keen eyes and open ears prepared for you. Sit on My blanket, let us learn to fly! "

Fire shield

The Mother of the World pointed out: “Gather, winds, gather, snows, do not appear, birds, and do not approach, animals.
A human foot will not be established on My Summit. The basis of the dark daring will not be affirmed.
The light of the month will not hold, but the ray of the sun will reach the Summit.
Save, sun, My Top, for where will I stand on guard?
The beast will never rise and human strength will not hold out. "
The Mother of Jehovah herself with a fiery shield will stand guard.
What glitters at the Summit? Why have the whirlwinds folded a shining crown?
She, the Great Mother, alone ascended the Summit.
And no one will come up after Her.

Flaming circuit board

The Mother of the World shines on the highest mountain.
She came out to strike the darkness.
Why do enemies fall and where do they turn their eyes in despair?
She put on a fiery dress and surrounded herself with a wall of fire.
She is our strength and aspiration!

Moscow, 1992, pp. 36 - 38.

In the era of the Mother of the World, we must welcome every mention of Her. ... In the East, the cult of the Mother of the World, the goddess Kali or Durga is very widespread, and in Hinduism, one might say, it is predominant. But even among other sects one can find more worshipers of the Great Mother than other aspects of the Divine Forces. In Mongolia and Tibet, Dukkar, or White Tara, and her other tar sisters are very much revered. In all ancient religions, female deities were revered as the most intimate. The Esoteric Doctrine does not put the "Father" at the head of the Evolution of Life, he stands third and is the "Son of his Mother". At the head of everything, or, so to speak, behind the veil is the "Eternal and Continuous Breath of all that exists." But on the plane of the Manifest reigns the Eternal Feminine Nature, or the Great Mother of the World, whose direct reflection we find in the Masters of each planet. But every woman in her potential is a future Mother of the World.

E.I. Roerich Letters vol. 4, M. 2002, p. 309

L.V. Shaposhnikov "On the route of the Master" book. 2

M. 2000, pp. 160 -161

- What is this mountain? I asked.

“Trikuta,” the priest replied and put down his glass of tea. - Sacred Trikuta, the abode of the great goddess Vaishnu Devi, the Great Mother of the World, who creates, protects and destroys. Without her wonderful shakti energy that permeates the entire universe and
the whole space, nothing in the world can move, can not act. Even the gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are dead and motionless without her. Only the Great Mother of the World, the all-pervading goddess, pouring into them the life-giving golden stream of shakti, can make them act, create, protect and destroy. It has no end or beginning. Its true essence has no form. But from time to time she incarnates and takes shape in order to crush the evil that is saturated with the world.

- But how can you imagine something formless and at the same time existing and all-embracing? I asked.

- You can, - the priest smiled. - Imagine a thousand lotuses that bloomed and smelled all at once, in a single moment. Imagine a thousand suns that flashed in the sky in a single moment. Do smell and light have form? But they exist and penetrate into every atom of the universe. Likewise, the Great Mother permeates us with her light and fills us with the scent of a lotus.

- Light and smell are indeed formless, but even the words "Mother of the World" already presuppose some form.

- Listen to me carefully. The sun and the moon are her eyes, the stars are her clothes, the green earth is the border on them. She is the bright red color of the beautiful ibicus flower, she is the color of the sunset sky and the color of blood. She is the white snows of the sacred Himavat. She is everywhere. She is in the laughter of a woman, in the fury of a warrior, she is in the flames of a funeral pyre. Now do you understand what she looks like?

- How is the universe? I asked.

“Like the universe,” the priest nodded. - She is manifested and unmanifested, in a multitude of forms that she creates in space. She is like Amba - a kind mother feeding her child, like Tripurasundari - a sorceress of incomparable beauty, like the terrible Kali with a garland of skulls around her neck. That's all she is. Both gods and people live and act according to her will,
imbued with her energy. The whole world is like a puppet theater for her. With her magic fingers, she pulls the invisible threads of our desires, passions and feelings. And we, like dolls, are submissive to these omnipotent fingers. The whole world, the whole Universe is just a game of the Great Mother. And there is nothing greater in the entire cosmos than she. To those who worship her and pray to her, she gives victory and fulfillment of desires.

- And to whom, for example, did she grant the victory? - I asked.

“The Great Mother in the form of Vaishnu Devi blessed the mighty Arjuna, and he defeated the Kauravas in the field of Kurukshetra. You will find the words with which Arjuna addressed Vaishnu Devi in \u200b\u200bthe Mahabharata. I will not repeat them. She granted the victory to Rama over the insidious and evil Ravan, the king of Lanka. Where she appears triumphs
justice and good overcome evil.

- I listened to the priest and again recalled Nicholas Roerich. "Great Mother", "Mother of the World", "Queen of Heaven". Pictures of a Russian artist floated before my mind's eye. Lines from his sketches sounded. This theme occupied one of the most important places in his work. It had its own mythological imagery, its own symbolism.

14. "Signs of Christ".

Signs of Christ, 1924
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

J. Saint-Hilaire. "Cryptograms of the East"

Signs of Christ

The star of Alahabad showed the way. And so we visited Sarnath and Gaia. The vilification of religions was found everywhere. On the way back on the full moon, a memorable utterance of Christ occurred.

During the night crossing, the Guide lost his way. I found after searching for Christ sitting on a sandy hill and looking at the sands filled with the moon.

I said: "We have lost the way, we must wait for the star position." "Rassul M., what is the way for us when the whole earth is waiting for us!" Taking a bamboo cane, He outlined a square around the imprint of His footprint, adding: "Truly I say, with the foot of a man." Then, having imprinted his palm, he also enclosed it in a square. "Truly by a human hand." Between the squares He drew a semblance of a column and covered it with a hemisphere.

He said: “Oh, how Aum penetrates into human consciousness! So I made a pestle and an arc over it, and laid the foundation on four sides. When the temple is built with human feet and human hands, where the pestle laid by Me will flourish, let the builders go My way. Why are we waiting for the path when it is in front of us? " And, standing up, he mixed what he had read with a cane.

“When the name of Christ is pronounced, then the mark will appear. Having memorized My constellation, the square and nine stars will shine over the Temple. The signs of a foot and a hand will be inscribed over the cornerstone. " This is what He Himself said on the eve of the new moon.

The heat of the desert was great.

Moscow, 1992, p. 28

Let's hear how they say about Christ in the Himalayas. In manuscripts dating back about 1500 years, one can read: “Issa (Jesus) secretly left his parents and, together with the merchants from Jerusalem, went to the Indus, for the improvement and study of the laws of the Teacher.

He spent time in the ancient cities of India, Jaggarnate, Rajagrih and Benares. Everyone loved him. Issa lived in peace with the Vaisyas and Sudras whom he taught.

But the brahmins and kshatriyas told him that Brahma had forbidden to approach those created from his womb and legs, the Vaisyas can listen to the Vedas only on holidays, and the sudras are forbidden not only to be present when reading the Vedas, but even to look at them. Shudras are obliged only to serve eternally as slaves of Brahmins and Kshatriyas.

But Issa did not listen to the speeches of the Brahmins and went to the Shudras to preach against the Brahmins and Kshatriyas. He strongly rebelled against the fact that man arrogates to himself the right to deprive his neighbors of human dignity.

Issa said that man filled the temples with abomination. To please stones and metals, a person sacrifices people in whom a particle of the Supreme Spirit dwells. A person humiliates those who work in the sweat of his brow in order to gain the favor of a parasite sitting at a luxuriously decorated table. But those who deprive the brothers of common bliss will themselves be deprived of it, and the brahmins and kshatriyas will become sudras sudras with whom the Supreme Spirit will abide forever.

The vaisyas and sudras were amazed and asked what they should do. Issa said: “Do not worship idols. Do not always consider yourself the first and do not humiliate your neighbor. Help the poor, support the weak, do no harm to anyone, do not desire what you do not have, but what you see from others. "

Many, having learned about these words, decided to kill Issa. But Issa, warned, left these places at night….

Then Issa was in Nepal and in the Himalayan mountains ...

“Make a miracle,” the ministers of the temple told him. Then Issa said: “Miracles began to appear from the first day the world was created. Whoever does not see them is deprived of one of the best gifts of life. But woe to you, opponents of men, woe to you, if you expect Him to testify to His might by miracles. "

Issa taught not to try to see the Eternal Spirit with his own eyes, but to feel it in his heart and become a pure and worthy soul ... “Not only do not make human sacrifices, but also do not slaughter animals, for everything is given for the benefit of man. Do not steal someone else's, for that would be a kidnapping from your neighbor. Do not deceive, lest you yourself be deceived. Do not worship the Sun, it is only part of the world. "

"Until the nations had priests, natural law ruled over them and they kept the integrity of the soul."

"And I say: fear everything that leads astray from the true path and fills people with superstitions and prejudices, blinds the sighted and preaches the worship of objects."

Such a tall and close to all peoples appearance of Jesus is preserved by Buddhists in their mountain monasteries. And it’s not a miracle that the teachings of Christ and Buddha bring all peoples into one family, but it’s a miracle that the bright idea of \u200b\u200bcommunity is expressed so clearly. And who will be against this idea? Who will belittle the simplest and most beautiful decision of life? And the earthly community so easily and scientifically merges into the great Community of all worlds. The precepts of Jesus and Buddha are on the same shelf. And the signs of ancient Sanskrit and Pali unite searches.

… Jesus repeated: “I came to show human possibilities. All people can create what I create. And what I am, all people will be. These gifts belong to the peoples of all countries - they are water and bread of life. "

Jesus said about skillful singers: “Where do their talents and this strength come from? In one short life, of course, they could not accumulate both the quality of voice and knowledge of the laws of consonance. Are they miracles? No, for all things come from natural laws. Many thousands of years ago, these people were already adding up their harmony and qualities. And they come again to learn from all manifestations. "

Ignorance! Russian princes perished in the khan's rates for their unwillingness to honor the image of Buddha; at the same time, the monasteries of Tibet already kept beautiful lines about Jesus.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M. 1999, pp. 110-115

15. "Lao Tzu".

Lao Tse., 1925
USA, D. Bolling's collection (?)

559 ... It is said that Lao Tzu often conversed with waterfalls; this is not a fairy tale, for he listened to the sound of nature and sharpened the sensitivity of hearing to distinguish the qualities of vibrations.

Living Ethics Teaching. Fiery World, part 1

"Lao Tzu". Returns on a sacred bull from China to Tibet. Bamboo forest.

Z. Fosdick “My Teachers. Meetings with the Roerichs ”. M. 1998, p. 239

Natalia Spirina

Sage of the Mountain

/ in abbreviation /

One day a saddled buffalo approached the hut in which Lao Tzu lived and stood at the threshold. Lao Tzu went out, sat on him, and the buffalo sped him off to the Himalayan peaks.

What do we know about Lao?

Lao Tzu was born in 604 BC. Nothing is known for certain about his childhood and family. According to some reports, he was the keeper of the imperial archive or library, that is, he belonged to the highly educated people of his time.

The era in which Lao Tzu lived is known as the "era of wars." It was a time of civil strife, when enmity and strife, the desire for power, honor and wealth served as the main engines of people's actions and thoughts.

“Seeing such a decline in morality and clouding of minds, so at odds with his Teachings, Lao Tzu, in the flowering of fame and glory, leaves the public service and retires into a hermit. He settles in the mountains and indulges in contemplation and meditation. It is believed that it was here that he pondered and wrote the famous "Book of the Way and Virtue" - "Tao Te Ching"

Nicholas Roerich says: “... All Teachings, all philosophies were given for life. There is no such high Teaching that would not be practical in the highest sense of the word. We can solve the innumerable problems of modern confusion only by realizing the Beautiful and the Supreme. Only a beautiful Bridge will be strong enough to move from the shore of darkness to the side of Light. "

The Lights of the World, the great Teachers of mankind, show the way to this Bridge and offer to walk along it with Their help. Let us partake of what the great philosopher and ascetic of ancient China Lao Tzu tells us about this.

Leo Tolstoy writes in his article "The Teaching of Lao-Tze": “The basis of the teachings of Lao-Tze is the same, like the basis of all great, true religious teachings. It is as follows: a person is aware of himself, first of all, as a bodily personality, separated from everything else and desiring good for himself alone. But, besides that ... each person is also aware of himself as an incorporeal spirit, the same as he lives in every being and gives life and blessing to the whole world. (…) A person can live for the body or for the spirit. A man live for the body - and life is a grief, because the body suffers, gets sick and dies. Live for the spirit, and life is good, because for the spirit there is no suffering, no disease, no death.

And therefore, in order for a person's life to be not a grief, but a good, a person must learn to live not for the body, but for the spirit. “This is what Lao-Tze teaches. He teaches how to move from the life of the body to the life of the spirit. He calls his teaching the Way ... "

According to Lao, all people are born virtuous, their earthly and heavenly natures are balanced. But earthly life affects a person, and above all - the abundance of things in the world. Carried away by the desire to possess more and more things, to receive more and more benefit and pleasure from communicating with them, people violate the natural balance of the soul and body: the mind rushes in pursuit of things, the heart - the ruler of life - cannot hold back passion and itself becomes agitated. From this, the previously clean and even surface of the heart, which is likened to the surface of a mirror, becomes clouded and the world appears to consciousness in a distorted form. Only a sage who has attained Tao is able not to lose control over the earthly, carnal nature and not to muddy the heart with passions. Only he never loses sight of the guiding star….

Lao-Tzu teaches to give "the possibility of manifestation in the human soul of that power of Heaven [as he calls God] that lives in everything."

According to his teaching, both the path of connection with Heaven and Heaven itself is Tao. This path includes "the concept of the highest virtue." The teaching of the great Chinese sage seeks to bring people to the realization of this "Beautiful and Supreme" - Tao - and the path to Him. It permeates the entire philosophy of Lao Tzu.

Tao is the infinite and purest spirit, the Highest and absolute Being. According to Lao Tzu, "it is impossible even to imagine that there is anything higher than Him."

Lao Tzu says: “There is an incomprehensible Being that existed before Heaven and Earth. Silent, supersensible, It alone remains and does not change. I don't know His Name. To designate Him, I call Him Tao ”….

Lao Tzu teaches that in every person there are parts of this Highest, and shows the way to realize it in himself.

Lao Tzu argues that the supreme Being, the Tao, should be the ideal of our moral life. Christ also called for this: "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." This is the path of endless moral improvement, which begins with the awakening of the highest spiritual principle in a person. The path of its development, as well as the path of overcoming the lower in oneself, Lao Tzu gives in his ethical instructions.

Attaching great importance to public, state ethics, he understands that it must begin with individual ethics. Doing good or evil depends on the good will of everyone ...

Lao Tzu indicates a number of qualities necessary for goodness. But he understands that human nature is corrupted and weak, and therefore it is necessary to conquer the lowest in oneself gradually, to ascend to the top from the bottom. “Start the difficult easy; start great small. The hardest in the world starts with the easy; the greatest in the world starts small. … A huge tree emerges from a sprout, a tower rises from a handful of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step "...

The first step on the path to morality will be to abstain from the passions that are the source of all evil. "There is no sin heavier than passions," says Lao Tzu. They darken the eyes of reason. "There is no greater crime than admitting lust permissible."

Among vices, he considers pride to be the worst. … To overcome this vice, Lao Tzu instructs first of all not to expose oneself, recognizing the dignity of others. “Whoever pretends that he knows a lot and is capable of everything, he knows nothing,” he writes. Lao Tzu also has a negative attitude towards honor and glory, believing that ignorance and obscurity is the true honor and glory of man. “The desire for glory is a base desire; when you get it, you worry about losing it, and when you lose it, you worry about getting it. "

Virtue is real and imaginary. Lao Tzu says: “True virtue does not appear to be a virtue, therefore it is a virtue. An untrue virtue seems to be an impeccable virtue, so it is not a virtue. " … And shame and insult, says Lao Tzu, are not real shame and insult, and he treats them as something extremely illusory. "Honor and shame are equally alien to the sage."

Lao Tzu rebelled against wealth. "There is no greater vice than to desire to acquire." He believes that money and jewelry seduce the heart of a person and make him want to accumulate more and more of them, which leads to crimes. He says: "To prevent people from becoming thieves, one should not attach any importance to the valuable things that are difficult to obtain."

"When the benefits are set aside, there will be no thieves." “Whoever owns a lot will lose a lot”….

Lao Tzu preaches philanthropy and love for all things. “A saint takes care of himself after taking care of others,” he says. Such philanthropy should be selfless and know no boundaries. Its highest aspect is love for enemies. A true lover should not exclude from his love even those who hate him. “Respond with goodness to enmity,” says Lao Tzu. ...

“I have three treasures that I hold dear,” says Lao Tzu. - The first is philanthropy, the second is thrift, and the third is that I dare not be ahead of others ”(that is, to be exalted). He considers simplicity of heart and humility as its natural consequence to a high moral dignity. "Who wants to be great, he must be below everyone." "Not to boast of what has been done, not to be in command over others is a heavenly virtue." “Let the greatest of you be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humiliated; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted, ”says Christ. "Put on humility," writes the Apostle Peter, "because God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Lao Tzu points out how important it is to be content with your position and with what you have. "There is no greater misfortune than not being able to be content." "He who knows how to be content is rich." "Let no one consider their home too cramped and their life too limited." ...

Lao Tzu calls for victory over oneself. “He who overcomes others is strong. He who overcomes himself is powerful. "

Social ethics, according to Lao Tzu, undoubtedly contributes to individual ethics, and he paid serious attention to this problem. He believed that the social system is required by the natural order of the world and without management no society can exist. And as a state system, he recognized the monarchy, which, more than other forms of government, is capable of bringing people to unity, that is, to the world law. Lao Tzu believes that the king, being the ruler of the people, could have a moral influence on his subjects; his words and deeds could be an example and model for everyone. Therefore, he invites the king to be especially attentive to himself and teaches a whole system about king's morality.

In social ethics, Lao Tzu pays special attention to the issue of war. He says that war is illegal and killing people is an unforgivable crime. War is a cruel violation of the natural flow of nature, created by Tao, and is contrary to the essence of Tao, that is, absolute good. He writes: "If war were good, then one would have to rejoice in it, but only those who want to kill people rejoice in it." War is unnatural and criminal, it is the greatest injustice and misfortune. And yet, although he denies war, historical conditions force him to consider which war is less lawless. He considers it defensive warfare. He says: "When kings and princes are concerned about defense, then nature itself will become their helper."

On the cardinal questions of life and death, Lao Tzu says: “To enter life means to enter death. Who, using true enlightenment, returns to his light, he loses nothing when his body is destroyed. It means putting on eternity. "

16. "Tszongka-pa".

Tsong ka-pa, 1925
USA (?)

Tsongkhapa. Meditates on Mount Mendang. Harsh rocks, like a direct act of the spirit.

Z. Fosdick, “My Teachers. Meetings with the Roerichs "M. 1998, p. 239

TSONG-K'A-PA (Tibet.). (1357-appr. 1419 - approx.) Tsong-kapa is also written. The famous Tibetan reformer of the fourteenth century, who introduced refined Buddhism to his country. He was a great adept who, unable to endure any longer the desecration of Buddhist philosophy by the false priests who turned it into a profitable enterprise, decisively put an end to it with a timely coup and the expulsion of 40,000 false monks and lamas from the country. He is considered the avatar of the Buddha, and is the founder of the Gelugpa ("yellow hats") sect and mystical brotherhood associated with its leaders. ...

AMDO (Tib.). Sacred area, birthplace of Tsong-k'a-py, the great Tibetan reformer and founder of Gelug-pa ("yellow hats"); the alleged avatar of Amita-Buddha.

TASHILUMPA (Tibet.). Large center of monasteries and educational institutions three hours walk from Shigatse; the residence of the Tashi Lama, for more details see Panchen Rimpoche. It was built in 1445 by order of Tsong-k'a-py.

E.P. Blavatsky's "Theosophical Dictionary" M. 2003

Of course, the teacher Dzon-Kapa is even closer to us. He has risen beyond magic. He forbade the monks to display magical powers. His teaching - the Yellow Lamas - appears less flawed.

The Spitug Monastery is powerful. The first is from the teachings of Dzon-Kapa. Not ruins, but a living and working community. The abbot of the monastery and his staff are knowledgeable and astonishingly understanding. You have not finished the thought yet, and they are already ready to continue it correctly. In Spituga the image of Maitreya and the knowledge of the prophecies. In the department of Spitug in Le, in a special room, there is a large image of Dukkar - the Mother of the World, with countless eyes of omniscience and with the arrow of justice. On her right hand is Maitreya the Coming One. On the left hand is the multi-armed image of Avalokiteshvara, this collective of the Brotherhood of the Great Community. Remember this combination of these three symbols. This combination was not noted or explained.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M., 1999, p. 133

The clear and active Dzon-Kapa, \u200b\u200bso beloved by the whole north, the founder of the "yellow hats". And many others, lonely, who understood the predetermined evolution, cleaned the dust of convention from the precepts of the Buddha.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M., 1999, p. 106

17. "Padmasambhava".

Padma Sambhava, 1925
USA, N. Roerich Museum, New York.

Padma Sambhava - "Arising from the Lotus." Spiritual Master who spread Buddhism in Tibet and founded the red-haired sect. He was a great magician, and the mythological tradition tells of the struggle of Padma Sambhava with local deities and demons, whom the Master turned into guardians of Buddhism.

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Master" M. 1998, p. 619

One thousand two hundred years after Buddha, the Teacher Padma Sambhava brought the teachings of the Blessed One closer to earthly ways. At the birth of Padma Sambhava, the whole sky was shining and the shepherds saw wonderful signs. The eight-year-old Master appeared to the world in a lotus flower. Padma Sambhava did not die, but left to teach new countries. Without his departure, the world would be in danger. Padma Sambhava himself lived in the Kandro Sampo cave, not far from Tashiding, near the hot springs. A certain giant decided to build a passage to Tibet and tried to penetrate the Holy Land. Then the Good Teacher arose, rose in stature, and struck down the daring attempt. So the giant was destroyed. And now in the cave there is a picture of Padma Sambhava, and behind it is a stone door. They know that the Teacher hid sacred secrets for the future behind the door, but the dates have not yet arrived.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M., 1999, p. 83

I am looking at an old painting from the Dalinga monastery. Acts of Master Padma Sambhava. All his magical powers are shown in action. Here is a teacher in the form of a black-headed llama with a Solomon's star on his headdress strikes a dragon. Here is the teacher bringing down the rain; here he saves a drowning man; captivates small evil spirits; unarmed conquers animals and with a magic dagger hits the tiger, having previously covered his head with a sacred triangle. Here is the teacher neutralizing the snakes; here he conjures a stormy stream and sends rain. Here he fearlessly converses with a giant mountain spirit. Here the teacher flies above all mountains. From the shelter of the cave, he hurries to help the world. And finally, in the circle of a poor family, he prays for the happy voyage of the absent householder. No matter how his teaching is now obscured, his vitality is sufficiently depicted. Or another old painting - Padma Sambhava's Paradise. The teacher sits in the temple surrounded by the righteous. The temple stands on a mountain separated from the earthly world by a blue river. White khadaks are stretched across the river, and along them selfless travelers make the transition to the temple. Again a clear picture of illuminated ascent. Of course, interpreters have clogged this phenomenon as well, as all other religions are overloaded with false dogma.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M., 1999, p. 67

The general positive impression is supported by the monasteries of Sikkim. On every hillock, on every peak, as far as the eye can see, you notice white dots - these are all strongholds of the teachings of Padma Sambhava, the official religion of Sikkim.

... Most of the monasteries in Sikkim are associated with certain relics and ancient traditions. Padma Sambhava himself stayed here. There the teacher meditated on a rock, and if the rock cracks again, it means that the surrounding life deviates from the righteous path.

N.K. Roerich "Heart of Asia" Riga, 1992, p. 163-164

18. "Bowl".

Chalice of Christ, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Christ (Jesus Christ) (Greek - Christos - literally the anointed one), according to Christian doctrine, is the founder of Christianity, the God-man, who accepted death on the cross in atonement for human sins, then resurrected and ascended into heaven.

On the same night after supper, Jesus with eleven disciples left Jerusalem and through the Kidron stream came to a village near Jerusalem called Gethsemane ... Jesus said to his disciples: “My soul is sorrowful to death; stay here and watch with Me. " Moving a little away from them, He fell on his knees and began to pray: “Father! Oh, if you were pleased to carry this cup past me! However, not My will, but Yours be done. " And an angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him.

Gospel according to Matthew. 26: 36-44

Drink the poison of the world to be reborn with all the might! This symbol comes from ancient traditions. We see him in Egypt, in Greece; Shiva himself reminds of him; a number of Redeemers carry the cup of poison, transforming it into Amrita.

When we say: “Be special, and do not deprive yourself of the cup of achievement,” we point out - do not darken your life and do not pour out the cup.

Teaching of Living Ethics Agni Yoga p. 304

The air of the pre-dawn hour flutters joyfully - the hour when the Buddha comprehended the greatness of the Cosmos and the Lord Christ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.

Living Ethics Teaching, Illumination Part 2 II, X, item 3

Who will give himself up to the feat of drinking the cup of poison? Who will take upon himself the Fiery Shield for the benefit of humanity?

Teaching of Living Ethics Fiery World, part 3, p. 25

49. The Symbol of the Cup has been the affirmation of Service since ancient times. The gifts of the Higher Forces are collected in the Chalice. They give from the Chalice. The symbol of the Cup has always meant selflessness. The One Who Carries the Cup is the Carrier of Feat. Each high deed can be designated by the symbol of the Cup. All the highest for the good of humanity needs this sign. The Chalice of the Grail and the Chalice of the Heart, which has given itself to the Great Service, is the Cosmic Magnet itself. The Heart of the Cosmos is reflected in this great symbol. All images of the heroes of the spirit can be depicted as carrying the Cup. The entire Universe is reflected in the Chalice of the fiery spirit. After all, the Chalice contains all the age-old accumulations that gather around the grain of the spirit. As a great symbol, one must accept the confirmation of the Cup in everyday life. Both children and young people need to be taught to think about the Cup. One must understand all the variety of images of the great symbol of the Chalice.

Teaching of Living Ethics Fiery World, part 3

19. "Ancient Serpent".

Ancient Serpent (Birth of the Mysteries), 1924
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Commands of the Cosmos"

Nicholas Roerich created during his life about 20 paintings dedicated to the "snake" theme. Among them were two, attracting attention with their special mystery - "The Serpent" or "The Birth of the Mysteries" and "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent". ...

In one of her letters, Helena Roerich wrote: "... The serpent has always been a symbol of wisdom, and the ancient sages of India were called Nagas." In other words, the mythological symbol of a snake or naga means not so much the wisdom of the snake or matter itself, but the wisdom of the one who conquered this matter, was able to spiritualize it and, therefore, gained access to the source of wisdom itself. For wisdom - the highest inner knowledge arises only when the interaction of spirit and matter passes either into the harmony of these two opposite principles, or to a higher level - synthesis. And then the initiate or the winner is marked with the symbol of the matter transformed by him - a snake. The Egyptian pharaohs, who were originally deified, for a long time wore the head of a cobra on their crowns as a sign of victory that made some of their predecessors wise.

The myths about the nagas and the cult of the nagas itself, which have deep philosophical significance, are the earthly trace of those unknown intelligent forces of the Universe, about which K.E. Tsiolkovsky wrote, and that spiritualized Hierarchy of light, about which the books of Living Ethics narrate.

“History is formed by the Hierarchy of life. The best steps of humanity were built by the Hierarchy. " Cosmic Hierarchs and Teachers exerted a decisive influence on both cosmic evolution and the historical process of earthly humanity.

Among the cosmic Hierarchs there is a group that, in an energy form acceptable to them, is on the "watch of evolution" of our planet. Their shelters are located in the depths of the Himalayan mountains, and therefore it is there, among the local population, that the cult of wise nagas, heroes, Teachers and gods is still preserved in all its freshness and purity. But there are Hierarchs who again take upon themselves the burden of earthly incarnation in order to help humanity, despite the fact that their earthly circle is already over. They bring knowledge to people and create the energy field necessary for their further advancement.

Sacrificing their further ascent for some time, Hierarchs and Teachers enter involution and, plunging into rough terrestrial matter, lose their refined divine energy, cease to be gods in the sense that terrestrial humanity gives to this concept. In the dense layers of the atmosphere, their white wings burn out, and they turn into mortal and sinful people, burdened with dark and inert matter or a serpent, which they again have to defeat for the umpteenth time. The gods die to be reborn again in those for whom they descended into the underworld. The endless creativity of evolution is reflected in mythology by the death and resurrection of the gods. “Refusal, or, rather, liberation,” wrote Helena Roerich, “so joyfully, but how hard the opposite acceptance, even for the sake of the Common Good! The burden of the world, the cup of redemption and the drinking of the poison of the world are the so-called commissions of the Light. " It was she who was well aware of the full weight of involution. “When the chain of events destroys the old foundations, saturating the space with restless energies, of course, power is needed that can direct all energies towards new construction. Hierarchy is the affirmation of the cosmic dimension to the world ”.

The Toltecs of Mexico had a myth about the creation of the 5th Sun and the 5th species of humanity. It begins with the words: "And the gods died there, in Teotihuacan." The mythical gods sacrificed themselves to move the sun, create life and people. They died for people to appear. The evolution of the 5th type of humanity, according to the wise myth, began with the involution of the gods, with their entry into matter.

Nicholas Roerich's painting "The Serpent" or "The Birth of the Mysteries" depicts a miracle emerging from the waves of a raging ocean - the golden-haired Aphrodite. And over this turbulent expanse of water, in the disturbed stormy sky, a huge dragon-like serpent wriggles. The spirit of the goddess entered involution and took the form of an earthly woman. This is the meaning of the picture, both mythological and philosophical and historical. The heavenly serpent, the eternal symbol of this most important evolutionary process, carries in its mythological image the same cosmic dialectic that lifted the hoods of cobras over the heads of earthly sages.

M. 1995, pp. 66-69

There was a beginning in The Serpent, over which stood the red and yellow light of the burning morning. Raging blue-green waves gave way to fading orange-red ones. Massive buildings rose on the tops of the mountains, and they were somewhat similar and at the same time not similar to those that perished under the pressure of the water element. Four women in the foreground were performing some kind of sacrament. They were wearing ancient clothes. Dark hair curled like snakes over shoulders and backs. The women helped the fifth, who emerged from the waves and mountains, as if reborn from this strange union. She was different from the rest. She had light eyes and brown hair that fell to her chest. And in the sky above everything that was happening, the ancient Serpent blazed fieryly. He looked like both the Chinese dragon and the feathered Quetzalcoatl of the American Aztecs. The legend about the cosmic evolution of mankind was written with the brush of a great artist. There were many mysterious, hidden moments in it.

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Master", M. 1999 pp. 327-328

The Birth of the Mysteries. Combination of early Greek and oriental forms. The rhythm and unity of ocean waves and heavenly clouds. The birth of a new cult. (The composition of the painting "The Birth of the Mysteries" includes a group of figures from the bas-relief of the famous ancient Greek throne of Ludovisi, depicting the culminating scene of the mysteries of Aphrodite. - approx.)

Z. Fosdick “My Teachers. Meetings with the Roerichs "M. 1998, p. 239

To create this picture, they used gouache, plasticine and wax crayons. First, Prokhor and his grandmother drew stars and a flying comet with wax crayon. In the evening, the boys painted the background with blue gouache. But they painted over the stars so diligently that they almost disappeared. :)

Therefore, when the paint dried, Prokhor had already painted the stars with white gouache on top. The mountains were created by smearing plasticine. Mostly Prokhor did - he really likes to work with plasticine, unlike his older brother.

I printed the hero himself, and then the boys glued him to the picture.

And here he is our hero with a star or a star with a hero? :)

Nicholas Roerich's "Star of the Hero" for comparison.

And here are some annotations for this picture:

"The painting of Nikolai Konstantinovich" The Star of the Hero "is dedicated to Yuri Nikolayevich, a man ready to undertake another sacrificial feat, and the appearance of a comet was a sign to him that the time had come for a new feat. Then, before the arrival of Yuri Nikolaevich to his homeland, a new star was seen in India. In particular, my father, Richard Yakovlevich Rudzitis, read about this in the Latvian newspaper Tsinya at that time.

According to the Bogdanovs, Elena Ivanovna said that Yuri Nikolaevich was going to Russia for three years. Obviously, he knew the date of his departure. Having completed his mission, he left on May 21, 1960. Another big heart took the cup of the poison of human egoism. "

“Memories of Yu.N. Roerich ". Collection. Based on the materials of the conference in Novosibirsk dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Yuri Nikolaevich Roerich. Novosibirsk.

Siberian Roerich Society. 1994. I.R. Rudzite. page 22.

“It is difficult to interpret the content of Roerich's paintings, how difficult it is to interpret music - it must be heard and understood. These pictures must be seen and, of course, above all, also understood. In all the pictures, these are some sounds of the sky. The sky in these paintings by Roerich almost always occupies most of the canvas. The sky prevails. The sky rules. Once Roerich covered the Valkyries flying across the sky with clouds, thus doomed them to an "invisible presence"; so here too - the celestials are clearly felt, but they are hidden either under the clouds, under the stars, sometimes just under the magnificent play of lights, and sometimes under the play of the scales of spaces and human figures, but always in his paintings there is, felt, guessed someone's dumb presence and at the same time, their command, their influence on the fate of man.
- Feat! - this is what this command of heaven says in Roerich's paintings; feat! infinitely diverse, but essentially the same - the sky demands from a person sent into the world. Here is one such picture:
... In the dark blue sky, the stars twinkle with a vibrant, vibrant light, and these stars were cut through by a comet like a sword. The Hero's Star is what a star it is. "

"Roerich's Power". Moscow. Art. 1994
Vsevolod Ivanov. “Roerich is an artist-thinker”, p. 229.

“We are moving to the next hall. A large canvas depicting the night sky and mountains. Many stars have poured out, but one star stands out, streaming white solemn light. The figure of a man, slightly illuminated by the glow of a fire, is given by a silhouette. No face visible. Whether he is old or young is unknown. Like other works by Roerich, the picture conquers with compositional completeness, harmonious proportionality of parts. It is called the "Star of the Hero".
“It seems to me that the epigraph to her,” says Zinaida Grigorievna, “can be the following words of Nikolai Konstantinovich (she takes out a notebook, which obviously helps her during excursions):“ Each in his own way - who is more spiritual, and who is earthly paths - let him go there, to the azure mountain, where everything high lives, that which people call the sublime culture. Vigilantly discern the signs of a future ascetic, a hero. The hero's wings are modestly lowered in order to fly beautifully at the destined hour. "

"Roerich's Power". Moscow. Art. 1994.
Valentin Sidorov. Roerich Museum. P. 352.

“Before leaving, Helena Roerich told Yuri Nikolaevich:“ When a new star appears, then it's time to go. ”

Hero star

The hero is ready for heroism and battle,
The hero is ready for work, for testing;
Equally meets joy and suffering,
It has long sought to sacrifice itself.

Comet! Finally a sign is announced
Signal from Heaven! He told the hero:
To rise up and fight for the victory of the Light -
The time has come, and she is close.

He will dare to get up without turning back,
And shake off your personal world as a burden;
Call on the Light Force to help -
After all, the time has come for heroism!

He says: "If not me, then who ?!"
And knowing WHAT is most valuable,
Carries fire in his chest like a talisman,
What was given to him from the Heights of the Supermundane.

Natalia Spirina. "Message of Beauty". Collection of poems.
Siberian Roerich Society. Novosibirsk, 1997. P.78.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e Among the many phenomena of Nicholas Roerich's painting, a special role is played by the phenomenon of citing images of the world cultural heritage. Iconic images from different times and cultures are compositionally mixed in Roerich's paintings, creating the symbolic unity of the canvas.If icon painting, which is based on the citation of standardized images, limits its imagery to the established tradition, then Roerich's painting, which takes its basis in icon painting, considers the entire world cultural heritage as its figurative source. Thus, Roerich's paintings express the idea universality and unity of world culture.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e This artistic method corresponds to the general theosophical worldview of Roerich, which professes both the religious and cultural unity of mankind. creates multilayer symbolic layers in the picture, not only bringing to the canvas the ideas that fill the quoted images, but also building new meanings through their interaction.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e So in Roerich's paintings, through a crevice in the Arizona rocks, the bridge of European Bruges is perfectly organically stretched, the figure of the Namburg Uta rises against the background of the Himalayan spurs, the image of the disciple of Buddha Drona is similar to the Orthodox Savior, the Indian saint Ramakrishna is depicted in the image of a bodhisattva, saints Zosima and Savvaty stand at the gates of the fabulous Zvenigorod, and in the images of the Christian paradise, scenes from Buddhist thangkas can be found. , harmoniously and completely devoid of any eclecticism.

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"times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e N. Roerich." Victory "(1942)

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e Symbolism of this kind is also filled with Roerich's painting" Victory "(1942), apparently written soon after the victory of the Soviet troops in the battle near Moscow in March 1942. The painting depicts a Russian hero standing against the background of the Altai "Belukha" in front of the carcass of a dragon he had killed.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e It would seem that the symbolism of the picture is clear - the victory of Russian weapons over the fascist machine. Many researchers also note that the color of the dragon's skin resembles the color of the uniform of the German infantry, the Altai mountains symbolize the Siberian divisions that played a decisive role in the battle near Moscow, the bogatyr is undoubtedly a generalizing symbol of the Russian people, “Ivan the Hundreds of thousands,” as Roerich liked to write.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e But this is only the first obvious symbolic layer. At the second level of consideration, you can see that the image of the hero is a quote from the famous image of Filippo Scolari created in mso-ansi-language: EN-US "\u003e XV 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e century Andrea del Castagno The image of Filippo Scolari is interesting because he is a symbol of an enlightened warrior-ruler, one of the pillars of the Early Renaissance.

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"times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e Portrait of Filippo Scolari by Andrea del Castagno

"times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e (1450-1451, Uffizi Gallery)

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e It was this very image of a" cultural leader ", a defender of culture and art that was very close to Roerich and the philosophy he professed. ideal also in the images of the Belgian king Albert, the Yugoslavian king Alexander and the first president of Czechoslovakia Tomas Masaryk. For Roerich, the "people's stronghold" is formed by the "leader of Culture" through the primacy of the spirit and the primacy of culture. 1945, Roerich sees the image of the future Russia in the cooperation of peoples, which should be ensured precisely through "cultural connection" and "art exchange".

Line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e However, the symbolic row of the picture does not end there. The image of Filippo Scolari by Andrea del Castagno is itself a quote from an older symbol of the serpent warrior - George the Victorious from the sculpture by Donatello.

Font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e Donatello" Saint George "(1415-1416). The original sculpture had a helmet on its head and a sword in its hand

Stained-glass window "Saint George". Anglican Church in Rome (19th century)

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e Through this image, the picture is revealed in a completely different symbolic key. We have before us, in a sense, a variant of the iconographic image of a warrior The symbol of "victory" acquires an additional meaning.The serpent-dragon here already appears on the one hand in the form of globally world evil, and on the other, as a symbol of spiritual victory over the inner evil that lives in man.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e In this sense, the image of the serpent-dragon becomes almost an iconographic serpent from The Miracle of the Serpent, and the image of a warrior is not closer to the image of St. George the Victorious, and to another serpent-fighter - Theodore Tiron.This is not surprising - in religious texts and paintings, the images of the serpent-fighters George the Victorious, Theodore Tyrone and Theodore Stratilates are often mixed.

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The icon "Theodore Tiron". Athens. Around 1453

Font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e Icon" Theodore Stratilat "

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e" times \u003d "" new \u003d "" roman \u003d ""\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e At the same time, Roerich was very familiar with the theme of snake fighting. It appears in Roerich's painting at the beginning of his work - and certainly in connection with with ancient Russian spiritual verses containing apocryphal about Fyodor Tiron, and about George the Victorious (Yegor the Brave) and their serpentine plot. In 1906, the artist creates a painting "Zmievna", illustrating the plot of the "Pigeon Book", where Yegor the Brave saves the Rakhlina princess from paws of a dragon snake.

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"times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e N. Roerich" Serpent "(1906)

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e The image of Theodore Tiron is not accidental for Roerich. On the fateful days of Russia - 1917 and 1940 - Roerich writes the painting "Message to Tyrone", which captures his vision of a plot from the apocryphal life of the saint, when he receives the news of his mother's captivity by the serpent.

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"times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e N. Roerich. Message to Tyrone, 1940

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e Thus, there is an obvious symbolic connection between the pictures" Message to Tyrone "and" Victory ". In the first picture, the hero receives the news of captivity by the serpent of his mother-homeland, and on the second - the feat of liberation of the motherland-mother from the snake captivity is captured.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "\u003e line-height: 150%; font-family: "times \u003d" "new \u003d" "roman \u003d" "\u003e So Roerich, in symbolic language, through the method of figurative citation, creates multi-layered paintings, linking legends with modernity. into the language of world culture and art. The language that Roerich considered universal and timeless, capable of uniting and elevating humanity, synthesizing the best and the most sublime. "Art will unite humanity, - wrote N. Roerich, - Art is the banner of the coming synthesis"