Valhalla for a Bodhisattva

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The inner-landscape changed dramatically for Schäfer as he found himself flying on a wind-mandala high above the majestic setting of a Tibetan cordillera. The mandala’s semi-circular shape seemed to curve in and out of the ever expanding vista until it gradually came to rest in a clearing surrounded by the tangy-like smell of evergreen trees. From the midst of the trees a circular-shape began to emerge, one that slowly but surely revealed the smiling face of a Green Goddess:

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This is the Female Buddha Tara verte. She is the Matriarch of the Karma Family and is the consort of Dhyani-Buddha Amoghasiddhi; his image rests at the top. Tara verte is representative of the Element Wind. Her right hand rests on her right, outstretched knee, as she holds the Double-Vajra (Viśvavajra), which signifies All-Accomplishing Spiritual Equilibrium. Her left hand is near her heart and holds a vajra-bell…

Smiling, Tara verte gently rung her vajra-bell and its sound had a strange effect on Schäfer. Visions of past-ignorance alerted him that he was still in need of much spiritual-maturation. With that his Mind-Being was reduced in size and came to rest in the center of the Viśvavajra. Tara verte spun it round and round until the wild rotation caused Schäfer to black-out. When he regained his awareness, he was lying on the ground near the entrance of a vast *Iron Stupa*.  The door slowly opened…

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Once inside it was as if his mind had an epiphany, in geometric fashion, concerning the total design of his present spiritual-transformation:

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While he had not yet been introduced to the gnosis concerning its apex, the rest began to fit into place like a giant jigsaw puzzle. In some mysterious manner, he was linked to the assembly of this Iron Stupa.

This segment has alerted us to the story-proper. A Buddhist Stupa, while traditionally being an ornate receptacle that houses various relics, is also symbolic of one’s gradual development along the path of a Bodhisattva, in particular one’s inner relationships with the Five Dhyani Buddhas in building-up that supernal-Buddha-like character. One of my resources for this particular blog series is a book by Adrian Snodgrass entitled, The Symbolism of the Stupa, Studies on Southeast Asia, A Cornell University publication, 1985. The following are excerpts from this excellent study; they essentially are a snapshot of the core of our character’s initiatic journey, one that began in the heart of that “cave”:

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