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The Easter week at Shree Peetha Nilaya was blessed with blue skies, warm sun, and flowers and trees blossoming everywhere. Everything seemed to reflect the theme of new beginnings. Easter is an intense focus on God and God's plan, and everyone present honoured and celebrated this through scripture, song, self-reflection and community. Finishing with the traditional midnight/early morning singing and dancing, and the ever-popular Easter Sunday lunch, it was a powerful way to recognise spiritual transformation and a new understanding of life.
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The President's works, at the foreign bookshop in Pyongyang, DPRK.
humanitybesideus.net/2012/12/30/juche-propaganda-and-reli...
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Rev. 1 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.
Matthew 16:19 ESV
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Isaiah 22:22 ESV
And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
Revelation 3:7 ESV
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.
O God, thank You for Scripture and messages You have sent –
Through prophets, messengers and servants.
Especially for all the Divine Truths that has been revealed through Our Lord Jesus Christ -
His Life and teachings that our Heart may see –
That Love for the least is God’s greatest command for Humanity.
As the least includes:
Love for children,
Respect within families,
Counsel of sinners,
Compassion for the Poor,
Care for the Needy,
Salvation of Humanity, and
Protection of Earth.
As all these we all shall fulfill as mere God’s Servants, as a Family for God’s Love.
Amen.
Project366 No.63
Today I thought of water. All day the Holy Sprit kept on prompting me to think about water, and I didnt realise until late in the day when I had got home; that this was something the Lord wanted me to look into.
The first time I thought of water was in drama. We had to come up with a piece of theatre of the absurd drama to show a feeling/view/opinion and make the audience think. The other group in our drama class came up with the idea of "what we take for granted, other people need" and they based their performance on water, and thirsty people in Africa in need of this lush water to keep them alive and healthy. We take water for granted so, so often.
The second time was around lunchtime. I skived general studies *woops* and instead went into town with my friends. With my money I bought an absurd amount of snacks, crisps, chips and generally unhealthy produce. At lunchtime I was going crazy for a drink of water. Running around the common room looking for something I could put water in, and kicking myself as I had spent all of my money on rubbish food, so hadnt any money to buy water from the cafeteria... But... my gorgeous friend Rachael lent me some money...
My thirst was solved.
The last time I felt like the Holy Spirit was prompting me to think of water and it's relevance was at home. I've started getting into the routine of going home, puttnig on some worship music, then at 5 I will watch "friends" until dinner at 6. I was listening to some HILLSONG, and had a cup of water in my hand. To solve my slight boredom I invented a new game; where you get one single solitary drop of water onto your finger, and hold your hand up as you watch it slowly crawl down your hand and arm. It is such a strange sensation! But relaxing.
See, now I have spent about 4 paragraphs explaining the importance of water to me today. Yet I havenmt explained the relevance of water in relation to Jesus, my Saviour!!
Revelation 21:6 should explain it all. :)
God bless you!
Haeinsa temple - Tripitaka - Gayasan National Park - South Korea
Haeinsa : Temple of the Ocean Mudra) is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in the Gaya Mountains , South Gyeongsang Province South Korea. Haeinsa is most notable for being the home of the Tripitaka Koreana, the whole of the Buddhist Scriptures carved onto 81,350 wooden printing blocks, which it has housed since 1398.
Haeinsa is one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea, and represents Dharma or the Buddha’s teachings. It is still an active Seon practice center in modern times, and was the home temple of the influential Rev. Seongcheol, who died in 1993.
Tripitaka is a Sanskrit word made up of tri, "Three " and pitaka, referring to the gyeong, yul, and non, which respectively are discourses with the Buddha, the Buddhist laws of ascetic life, and commentaries on the sutras by eminent monks and scholars. Known in Korean as Palman Daejanggyeong (Great Collection of Buddhist Scriptures in Eighty Thousand Woodblocks), the Tripitaka Koreana consists of 81,258 woodblocks. Amazingly, there is no trace of errors or omissions on any woodblock. To guard against insects, decay, frame distortion, cracks, and humidity, the material of the woodblocks was treated for years by a special process. In terms of accuracy, beauty of font style, carving skill, and volume, the Tripitaka Koreana is recognized as the most valuable existing Buddhist canon carved in Chinese characters. It has been a jewel for the Japanese, who modeled their Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo after the Korean edition. The Chinese also imported copies of the Korean edition.
Konark Sun Temple ([koɳarəkə]; also Konârak) is a 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha, India. It is believed that the temple was built by king Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around 1250 CE. The temple is in the shape of a gigantic chariot elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site[4] and has also featured on various list of Seven Wonders of India.
ETYMOLOGY
The name Konark derives from the combination of the Sanskrit words, Kona (corner) and Arka (sun), in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya.
The monument was also called the Black Pagoda by European sailors. In contrast, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the White Pagoda. Both temples served as important landmarks for the sailors.
ARCHITECTURE
The temple was originally built at the mouth of the river Chandrabhaga, but the waterline has receded since then. The temple has been built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. It has twelve pairs of elaborately carved stone wheels which are 3 meters wide and is pulled by a set of seven horses (4 on the right and 3 on the left). The temple follows the traditional style of Kalinga architecture. It is carefully oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance. The temple is built from Khondalite rocks.
The original temple had a main sanctum sanctorum (vimana), which was supposedly 70 m tall. Due to the weight of the super structure and weak soil of the area the main vimana fell in 1837. The audience hall (Jagamohana), which is about 30 m tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins. Among the structures, which have survived to the current day, are the dance hall (Nata mandira) and dining hall (Bhoga mandapa).
The Konark temple is also known for its erotic sculptures of maithunas.
Two smaller ruined temples have been discovered nearby. One of them is called the Mayadevi Temple and is located southwest from the entrance of the main temple. It is presumed to have been dedicated to Mayadevi, one of the Sun god's wives. It has been dated to the late 11th century, earlier than the main temple. The other one belongs to some unknown Vaishnava deity. Sculptures of Balarama, Varaha and Trivikrama have been found at the site, indicating it to be a Vaishnavite temple. Both temples have their primary idols missing.
A collection of fallen sculptures can be viewed at the Konark Archaeological Museum which is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
HISTORY
ANCIENT TEXTS
According to Bhavishya Purana and Samba Purana, there may have been a sun temple in the region earlier than current one, dating to the 9th century or earlier. The books mention three sun temples at Mundira (possibly Konark), Kalapriya (Mathura), and Multan.
According to the scriptures, Samba, the son of Krishna, was cursed with leprosy. He was advised by the sage, Kataka, to worship the sun god to cure his aliment. Samba underwent penance for 12 years in Mitravana near the shores of Chandrabhaga. Both the original Konark temple and the Multan temple have been attributed to Samba.
The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st Century CE) mentions a port called Kainapara, which has been identified as current day Konark.
SUN DIAL AND TIME
The wheels of the temple are sundials which can be used to calculate time accurately to a minute including day and night.
SECOND TEMPLE
According to the Madala Panji, there was another temple in the region. It was built by one Pundara Kesari. He may have been Puranjaya, the 7th century ruler, of the Somavasmi Dynasty.
NARASIMHADEVA I
The current temple is attributed to Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. His reign spanned from 1238 to 1264 CE. The temple may have been a monument to his victory against Tughral Tughan Khan.
DHARMAPADA´S TALE
According to local folklore, Narasimhadeva I had hired a chief architect called Bisu Maharana to build the temple. After a period of twelve years, a workforce of twelve thousand almost finished the construction. But, they failed to mount the crown stone. The impatient king ordered the temple to be finished in three days or the artisans be put to death. At the time, Bisu Maharana's twelve-year-old son, Dharmapada arrived at the site. Bisu Maharana had never seen his son, as he had left his village when his wife was still pregnant. Dharmapada successfully proposed a solution to mount the crown stone. But, the artisans were still apprehensive that the king will be displeased to learn that a boy succeeded where his best artisans failed. Dharmapada climbed onto the temple and leapt into the water to save his father and his co-workers.
COLLAPSE
There have been several proposed theories for the collapse of the main sanctum. The date of the collapse is also not certain.
The Kenduli copper plates of Narasimha IV (Saka 1305 or 1384 CE) states the temple to be in a perfect state.
In the 16th century Ain-i-Akbari, Abul Fazl also mentions Konark being in a proper state. The account also mentions the cost of construction being 12 years of revenue.
The cause of collapse is also placed on Kalapahad who invaded Odisha in 1568.
In 1627, the then Raja of Khurda had removed the sun idol from Konark and moved it to the Jagannath temple in Puri.
James Fergusson (1808–1886) had the opinion that marshy foundation had caused the collapse. But, the structure has shown no sign of sinking into its foundation. Fergusson, who visited the temple in 1837, recorded a corner of the main sanctum still standing. It also fell down in 1848 due to a strong gale.
According to Percy Brown (1872–1955), the temple was not properly completed and so it collapsed. This contradicts earlier recorded accounts of the temple being in a proper state.
In 1929, an analysis of a moss covered rock estimated the date of abandonment at around 1573.
Other proposed causes include lightning and earthquake.
ARUNA STAMBHA
In the last quarter of the 18th century, when worship had ceased in the temple, the Aruna stambha (Aruna pillar) was removed from the entrance of Konark temple and placed at the Singha-dwara (Lion's Gate) of the Jagannath temple in Puri by a Maratha Brahmachari called Goswain (or Goswami). The pillar is made of monolithic chlorite and is 10.26 m tall . It is dedicated to Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun god.
PRESERVATION EFFORTS
In 1803, requests were made for conservations by the East India Marine Board, but only removal of stones from the site was prohibited by the Governor General. As a result, a part of the main tower, which was still standing, collapsed in 1848.
The then Raja of Khurda removed some stones and sculptures to use in a temple he was building in Puri. A few gateways and some sculptures were destroyed in the process. In 1838, after the depredation of the Raja of Khurda, Asiatic Society of Bengal requested conservation, but the requests were denied and only preventative of human-caused damages were guaranteed. The Raja was forbidden to remove any more stones.
In 1859, Asiatic Society of Bengal proposed moving an architrave depicting the navagraha to the Indian Museum in Calcutta. The first attempt in 1867 was abandoned as the funds ran out.
In 1894, thirteen sculptures were moved to the Indian Museum.
In 1903 when a major excavation was attempted nearby, the then Lieutenant governor of Bengal, J. A. Baurdilon, ordered the temple to be sealed and filled with sand to prevent the collapse of the Jagamohana.
In 1906, casuarina and punnang trees were planted facing the sea to buffer the site against sand-laden winds.
In 1909, the Mayadevi temple was discovered while removing sand and debris.
The temple was granted World Heritage Site status by the UNESCO in 1984.
WIKIPEDIA