’DZAM LING CHI DANG YÜL K’AM ’DI DAG TU
In the world at large and in these regions in particular,
NE MUG TS’ÖN SOG DUG NGÄL MING MI DRAG
May not even the names ‘sickness’, ‘despair’ and ‘war’ be heard.
CHÖ DEN SÖ NAM PÄL’JOR GONG DU ’PEL
May the meritorious qualities, honour and prosperity of
those who act in accord with Dharma greatly increase,
TAG TU TRA SHI DE LEG P’ÜN TS’OG SHOG
And may there always be an absolute perfection of
good fortune, happiness and auspicious circumstances.
In the world at large and in these regions in particular,
NE MUG TS’ÖN SOG DUG NGÄL MING MI DRAG
May not even the names ‘sickness’, ‘despair’ and ‘war’ be heard.
CHÖ DEN SÖ NAM PÄL’JOR GONG DU ’PEL
May the meritorious qualities, honour and prosperity of
those who act in accord with Dharma greatly increase,
TAG TU TRA SHI DE LEG P’ÜN TS’OG SHOG
And may there always be an absolute perfection of
good fortune, happiness and auspicious circumstances.
This is by Jñâna.
I am struck by two items on the most ignored war in recent memory -- one in the Economist and the other from a passionate Indian blogger, who explains Uddiyana's fate in moving terms:
"The reason why the Kingdom of Uddiyana became a lost civilization is a sad one. In the 11th century the Moslem conqueror, Mahmud of Ghazni, raided up the Swat Valley and turned the beautiful garden of Uddiyana into a desolate wasteland. The whole culture of the Kingdom was destroyed for ever. The population was put to the sword, the children pressed into slavery, the women forced into the harems of the conqueror, the golden roofed Temples and all the ancient monasteries—all the old centers of learning—were sacked. The sisterhood of the ladies of wisdom disappeared, or dispersed. The scholarly monks were slain, the nuns raped, and every single book was thrown to the fire.
"Thus vanished much of the lore of archaic ages: fragile paper texts and parchment scrolls penned in Sanskrit, archaic Kharosthi, Gandharan, Central Asian, old Greek, Bactrian, perhaps even Armenian scripts. Today nothing is left of the ancient glories other than nameless ruins. Swat, and Dir, and Chitral are now entirely Moslem territories. The people have forgotten their past.
"After the terrible Mahmud, came the first Pashtuns, forcing the native Uddiyans (ancestors of the present Swatis) north and east. By the 15th century Yusufzai Pashtuns, driven in front of the Moghul invasion of Babur, poured into southern Swat, Dir and Mardan. With them came violent missionaries, forcing at the point of the sword any remaining unconverted Uddiyans to Islam."
The item in the Economist points out that the United States is spending USD $750 million to aid the Northwest Frontier Province, "but some of the contractors through whom the money is being channelled are indistinguishable from bandits, and the local administration is threadbare and corrupt."
Now, where did I hear that before?
Sadly, the destruction of Padmasambhava's land is upon us. Although, one wonders what is left to be destroyed.
"The reason why the Kingdom of Uddiyana became a lost civilization is a sad one. In the 11th century the Moslem conqueror, Mahmud of Ghazni, raided up the Swat Valley and turned the beautiful garden of Uddiyana into a desolate wasteland. The whole culture of the Kingdom was destroyed for ever. The population was put to the sword, the children pressed into slavery, the women forced into the harems of the conqueror, the golden roofed Temples and all the ancient monasteries—all the old centers of learning—were sacked. The sisterhood of the ladies of wisdom disappeared, or dispersed. The scholarly monks were slain, the nuns raped, and every single book was thrown to the fire.
"Thus vanished much of the lore of archaic ages: fragile paper texts and parchment scrolls penned in Sanskrit, archaic Kharosthi, Gandharan, Central Asian, old Greek, Bactrian, perhaps even Armenian scripts. Today nothing is left of the ancient glories other than nameless ruins. Swat, and Dir, and Chitral are now entirely Moslem territories. The people have forgotten their past.
"After the terrible Mahmud, came the first Pashtuns, forcing the native Uddiyans (ancestors of the present Swatis) north and east. By the 15th century Yusufzai Pashtuns, driven in front of the Moghul invasion of Babur, poured into southern Swat, Dir and Mardan. With them came violent missionaries, forcing at the point of the sword any remaining unconverted Uddiyans to Islam."
The item in the Economist points out that the United States is spending USD $750 million to aid the Northwest Frontier Province, "but some of the contractors through whom the money is being channelled are indistinguishable from bandits, and the local administration is threadbare and corrupt."
Now, where did I hear that before?
Sadly, the destruction of Padmasambhava's land is upon us. Although, one wonders what is left to be destroyed.
1 reader comments:
I always wondered how, with a mass murderer as its founder, Muslims can (but do) claim "Islam is a religion of peace". Monotheism should be classified as a certifiable mental illness and banned.
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