I have tried to apply my view about Mandala and Tibetan Cosmology into
Kralorela.... (see My page article:
http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~BLUEMAGI/TantricKralorela-e.htm )
Mark Galeotti keeps attitude to take gaming accessibility to small community
(like small village in HQV) prior to Cosmology, if you want to induce
metaphysicality to the scheme, you might want to track down his effort and
to make compromise between Greg's Kralorela as a spot of "Unorthodox"
Mysticism in RM and Mark's "Theistic" Kralorela. You can alter or reject
freely my POV according to your preference, or simply treat it as minority
but still important part of Kralori cosmology. (And I have some note of
Peter Metcalph about diverted sects of each DEs.)
What is Mandala?
If you let me treat Orlanth as an example, I want to divide him into Three
Parts, (not Orthodox Allfather, Adventurous and Thunderous) but Great
Orlanth, Orlanth Manifesting and Orlanth with Personality. If I can apply
him a mandala, Great Orlanth can be identified with whole of it (nearly
impossible to comprehend it.), Manifesting Orlanth might be equated with
Main Entity of the Mandala, and each of minor existences (which might be
aspects of Great Orlanth, or his sons, Thunder Brothers...) isn't able to go
beyond the boundary of the picture, but still holds some personality.
Manifesting Orlanth with Personality can by identified with ordinary farmer,
loving his wife, met life3 crisis for made a mistake by killing the King of
Fire tribe, so traveled to mend it...
Maybe Kralori dragon emperors are equated with each of such mandala types whole, but perhaps you want to ask me, "Where are dragons?" if I try to divert RW tibetan mandala. Maybe my answers is they are some kind of iconoclasts, and they refuse to depict emperors as big lizards, considering it as blasphemy of FDR and Godlearnish (Worst type of foreigner...) way to make a part as whole, but if you want to (and able to) draw original Kralori mandala by yourself decorated with many lizards (with some exception of Naga King and the Prince, etc...), I hesitate to deny your idea. Religious Diversity should be encouraged, if political unity doesn't need such...I think each of exarchs and archexarchs are minor figures of such mandalas, set with both symbolically and represent manifesting power of avatars, and good but still half-enlightened gods of Vithela might be put on corner of mandala....
(Though in my personal preference, I like stoic and colored with moderate
skepticism of Zen Buddhism paradox rather than too super-metaphysical Yoga
Sutra and flesh-loving hatha yogic practice....)
1TarnGatHa
Maybe exceptionally in this mandala, all of previous DEs as minor figures of
TGH mandala...(No one remembers how it was his teaching, (as Ooduren's
teaching of Vithela.) Though he might be equated with Vith by GLs, I think
he might be identified with Cosmic Dragon and / or Durapdur.) His mandala
might be called Mandala transcending One?
2HeenMaroun
Maybe in his mandala, minor entities are replaced by impersonal names of
Cosmic Order...each of them in later mandala equated with the position of
each exarchs and arch exarchs....(I assume dualistically, type 1 & 2
represent the two aspects of Cosmos, Time and Space as in Japanese
Mantranaya sect....
3Metsyla & 4Shavaya
Eagle Phoenix of Abzered, First and Last human Emperor of Kerendaruth....Not
draconic, so maybe not drawn as the Whole or Main Entity of Mandala. (though
they might be any of each minor personas....) But culturally from their
reigns, foundation of Kralorela began. So for majority worship to them as
emperors are okay, as that of Johannes the Baptist in Christianity.
According to Alex Ferguson, teaching of NyangMao preceded that of Daruda (I
am not sure these are from Vithelan Mysticism, or not), even though I feel
uncomfortable to the idea that this Jainistic teaching of former directly
related to latter.. Maybe at their reign, concept of Centralised Government
(Imperial Court?) derived from the relative difficulty of life in north
without unity (like need of irrigation) and Kahar's skeptical and practical
attitude to Otherworld. "So what?" I have some image of Zhou Dynasty, that
was later idealised by Confucius...)
5Daruda
(Example, Tibetan Mandala....)
Though he didn't leave any canon (for Unified Kralori character didn't
appear until reign of Mikaday (made it) and Vayobi (unified and conquered)
as great RW founders of religion, like Christ or Sakyamuni, and I suppose
memory of his teaching left many diversed sects which had contradict opinion
of their mentor even if they all agreed he was a sort of Mahayana
Bodhisattva. (But not relatively, not so brutally opposed each other: Greg
Stafford) So maybe he didn't draw any own mandala by himself, at least not
in form available for later age, (maybe sandpainting?) But I don't want to
refuse later age Kralori believe they found his own, (or just makeup or
invent own mandala....) I think his mandalas heavily influenced by Vithelan
Gaudy Painting, and characters are drawn as fluid, similar to Spirit World.
Though I suppose neither Peter nor Greg approve my idea, for Daruda first induced mainstream draconism of Kralorela. And modern Kralori teaching is theistic according to Mark's note. But I still cling to the idea that Daruda's catalyst of teaching is derived from ShanShan Korgatsu Hsunchen...later it might be related to Kundalini = Dogsalu by applying Vithelan Concept. (See my note about Chakra and Kundalini)
6Thalurzni
Negative reaction to Vithelan Influence (Daruda's teaching?), mainly
derived from Centric Culture., over-intellectualism of Alchemist Emperor? As
brithini atheists, I think he didn't reject the entities of Otherworld, but
denied the importance to worship them. (I assume mandala painting art is
actually started from his reign, but it might be similar to RW Pakua related
drawings (I can't put up the chinese pronunciation of ka-to ("River Map")
and raku-sho ("River Text") now....it is similar to numerical mysticism
drawing of RW Pythagoreans.) Maybe his mandala holds only Sacred (Sanskrit?)
Characters replacing human and worshipable entities of other mandalas, (put
on Example of RW, I think his sorcerous notion somewhat exploited by later
age NDR. (I feel uncomfortable to Peter's idea that kralori eunuchs are
somewhat similar to priests of Kybele, castrating themselves to achieve
higher status (hermaphrodite?), for RW Chinese man chauvinistic nature, but
Kralorela is NOT China.....
RM p. 83 "Thalurzni encouraged diversity among his subjects, as long as they revered him and the exarchs. "
My opinion about Tantrism to Thalurzni and Halisayan, see Vashanti's section and my collection of image: though these are all of ancient China, not Tibetan....
7Mikaday (call him vagabond Mike)
In his reign, mandarins first appeared by passing of examination, I don't
think his "court" (Government) was highly organized and only token of
bureaucracy network worked. (In my Kralorela, still petty nobles retain
their own privileges and influence.) I still fail to grasp the difference of
RW chinese mandarin exams (See Michael O'brien's writing:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mrmob/mandarin.htm ) and Kralori esoteric
draconic teaching, maybe similar to Mahanaya Buddhism sutras? (Similar to
difference of Mahanaya (Try to make good society) and Hinayana (Concentrate
on Personal Liberation..)?) I think it is not plausible that kralori
examination is about deep introspection of personal conscious, like Indian
Yoga Sutra even if it works subliminally and subconsciouslly. I don't think
Kralori is dragonewt. So their concern is toward humane arts and society, by
identifying themselves with a part of whole society. Not purusa.
And I think even if its draconic teaching is somewhat inscrutable for RW people, I think extremity destroys the flavor of Kralorela = China, it should be covered by humanistic facets and paradoxical riddles systemised as a style of poetry. Mandarins learn law, custom and courtesy, though it might not help to makeup clever and able bureaus in RW, it certainly helped to found equality of society in some sense without any bloodshed, learned about their tradition and belongings.
I think from his reign, exarchs and archexarchs began to be drawn as somewhat human-styled in mandalas.
8Vayobi, Warlord
Maybe as RW First Emperor of "Sina", he tried to unify his empire not only
politically, but also culturally. So he wrote down and forced unified
Kralori character code as Orthodox Mikaday style. You know Empire greatly
expanded before or after (during?) of Sekever's invasions, I think Martial
Arts (derived from Darja Danad of Vithela) was induced and practiced by
kralori at that Atrocity War age, similar in a sense of hatha yoga teaching.
(See below, read Greg's definition of Manifest Mysticism and Orthodox
Mysticism.Hatha Yoga Pradipika text can be found at:
http://www.santosha.com/philosophy/hathayoga-pradipika-chapter1.html)
Manifest M was induced and incorporated into Orthodox teaching....I think in his mandala, main characters (at least in those of later age) hold Tantric Warlike Styles depicting inner power of the Emperor. (See RW example: Vayobi shows his angry face and defeats Udam Bagur?) but maybe as in my tale, his extravagancy and megalomaniac policy led his downfall.....
9Vashanti
Web of Righteous Knowledge....(it was called Great Compromise by Hemkarba
(DP) foreigners.) but it seems that Vashanti induced it by kicking out all
of unfittable to his rule rather than cooperation of Unity Council....
Peter Metcalph described his students wild sages wandering countryside as Mike did, maybe it means that Vas rather idealised Mikaday's "loose" reign. iassume that at his reign, Emperor's wives turned into some kind of worshippable entities in Mandalas, at least in some level of RW tantrism. Why?
Maybe Vas's reign means that foreign dangerous (but still useful) power was equated with a sort of dirty, Sesual Existence, I think it was equated with shakti (woman) under the concept of man dominating culture. As Thalurzni held one wife (Halisayan) and Mikaday might have many wives and concubines.....their practice might be condemned by Vas as some kind of tantric (sensual) Method to achieve Liberation. So Shakti Goddesses might be put on mandalas of his predecessor emperors.
10Yanoor
As RW Vajrayana sect always seeks shortcut into Nirvana or Liberation aside from long struggle of Paramita method during samsara, I assume Yanoor induced tool much needlessly foreign influence and it leds his downfall....(you might find my idea at Zin Letter #2 article)
I am not sure who August Dragon was and how his prophecies worked in the reign of Yanoor before Shang Hsa
11Godunya
(Golden skinned current Emperor of Chi Tin, (The Metropolis of Silk?) Good
Example of RW: derived from mandala of real Llamas like that of Tsonkhapa?)
ex)False Emperors
Sekever
Shang Hsa
Sheng Seleris
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End of Glorantha Digest
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