Astrology as Sacred Ecological Knowledge in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition

Introduction. The identification of specific responses generated by religious traditions to present-day global challenges actualizes the rethinking of astrology as a traditional understanding of the world structure and influence of natural forces on man in Tibetan Buddhism. Goals. The study attempts an evaluation of astrology as a form of sacred knowledge in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition from the perspective of understanding its principles of ecology. Materials and methods. To facilitate this, the work employs a systematic approach of cultural anthropology according to which sacred astrological knowledge is viewed as an integral element to the specified religious tradition. The paper focuses on The White Beryl: A Treatise on [Tibetan] Astrology by Desi Sangye Gyatso, as well as works by modern Tibetan astrologers. Results. Tibetan astrology arose from integrated Indian, Chinese and ancient Tibetan ideas about the influence of natural elements on human life, and is a required tool in Tibetan medicine. Those ideas are based on some esoteric premises of the Buddhist Kalachakra Tantra which articulates the relationship between external natural cycles and internal human energy ones, as well as suggests methods of restoring the latter’s balance. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, sacred astrological knowledge is widely popular both in cult practices and non-religious activities. Astrologers draw prediction and natal charts, calculate favorable periods for rituals, healing practices, harvesting, weddings, funerals, etc. The three Lamrim-derived motives — to improve this lifetime, gain liberation from samsaric suffering, achieve enlightenment for the sake of universal well-being — may accordingly direct the intentions of Buddhists toward the use of sacred astrological knowledge to solve problematic situations, identify oneself, understand others, restore the balance of external and internal cycles. With due account of that followers of Tibetan Buddhism are basically oriented to altruism and rationalism, the paper presumes astrology can be considered a form of sacred knowledge instrumental in understanding (and implementing) principles of ecology. Restoration of balance in man-nature interaction through the rational use of astrological knowledge for the common good predetermines the sacredness of ecological knowledge in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

1. Atisha Jowo. Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. In: Tsongkhapa Je. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. A. Kugyavichus (transl.). Second edition. Vol. 2. St. Petersburg: A. Terentyev (Narthang), 2007. Pp. 1409–1420. (In Russ.)

2. Bazarov A. A., Dorzhieva D. L., Naidanova S. M. «Pocket libraries» of Transbaikal Buddhists and culture of small-format publications: Medical and astrological treatises. Bibliosphere. 2017. No. 2. Pp. 33–36. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.20913/1815-3186-2017-2-33-36

3. Berzin A. Details of Tibetan astrology 1: Philosophical context and horoscopes. On: Study Buddhism by Berzin Archives. Based on lectures delivered at the Library of Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the U.S.S.R. (March 1990). Available at: https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/tibetan-astrology/details-of-tibetan-astrology-1-philosophical-context-and-horoscopes (accessed: 12 August 2023). (In Eng.)

4. Childs G., Walter M. Tibetan natal horoscopes. Tibet Journal. 2000. Vol. 25. No. 1. Pp. 51–62. (In Eng.)

5. Chumakov A. N. Globalization and sustainable development of the ecological education system. Vestnik ekologicheskogo obrazovaniya v Rossii. 2008. No. 3(49). Pp. 9–12. (In Russ.)

6. Cornu Ph. Tibetan Astrology. Boston, London: Shambhala, 2002. 294 p. (In Eng.)

7. Dongak S. Ch. Buddhist aspects of the Tuvan burial rite. In: Dongak B. A. (ed.) Scholarly Notes. Vol. XXV. Kyzyl: Anyiak, 2019. Pp. 254–268. (In Russ.)

8. Dorje L. Fundamentals of Tibetan Astrology: Secrets of Practice. T. Ulyanova (transl.). Moscow: Ganga, 2017. 336 p. (In Russ.)

9. Drungtso Ts. D. Tibetan Elemental Astrology. Dharamsala: Drungtso Publ., 2002. 233 p. (In Eng.)

10. Gerasimova I. A., Milkov V. V., Simonov R. A. The Secret Knowledge of Old Rus’. Moscow: Knorus, 2015. 680 p. (In Russ.)

11. Ginzburg V. Astrology and pseudoscience. Nauka i zhizn'. 2008. No. 1. Available at: https://www.nkj.ru/archive/articles/12665/ (accessed: 5 August 2023). (In Russ.)

12. Kharkova E. Yu. Ten classical fields of knowledge in Tibetan Buddhist culture. Review of the Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities. 2009. Vol. 10. No. 3. Pp. 97–108. (In Russ.)

13. Kotyk J. Astrological determinism in Indian Buddhism. Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. 2018. Vol. 41. Pp. 145–167. (In Eng.) DOI: 10.2143/JIABS.41.0.3285741

14. Loshchenkov A. V. Buryat astrological text for conduction funeral rites. Culture of Central Asia: Written Sources. 2018. Vol. 11. No. 2. Pp. 170–186. (In Russ.) DOI 10.30792/2304-1838-2018-2-170-186

15. Mason R. Bringing Tibetan medical astrology to the West: An interview with Jhampa Kalsang. Alternative and Complementary Therapies. 2001. Vol. 7. No. 6. Pp. 360–365. (In Eng.) DOI: 10.1089/10762800152709714

16. Men-Tsee-Khang. Tibetan medicine and astrophysics. On: Men-Tsee-Khang. Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute (website). Available at: https://mentseekhang.org/ (accessed: 3 August 2023). (In Eng.)

17. Mirzaeva S. V., Tuvshintugs B. The Sūtra of Eight Luminous of Heaven and Earth: A Buddhist cosmological model revisited. Mongolian Studies. 2020. Vol. 12. No. 2. Pp. 271–287. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.22162/2500-1523-2020-2-271-287

18. Mitruev B. L. ‘The Mirror of Menge’: One Oirat manuscript from the Aldan Maadyr National Museum of the Tyva Republic revisited. Mongolian Studies. 2019. Vol. 11. No. 3. Pp. 508–518. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.22162/2500-1523-2019-3-508-518

19. Muzraeva D. N. Texts from one Kalmyk astrological collection revisited: Preliminary notes. Oriental Studies. 2020. Vol. 13. No. 1. Pp. 150–163. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.22162/2619-0990- 2020-47-1-150-163

20. Ogudin V. L. The Golden Turtle: Tibetan Geomancy (Sache / sa dpyad). Moscow: Ganga, 2020. 704 p. (In Russ.)

21. Omakaeva E. U. Kalmyk Astrological Tables. Prayer Texts. Elista: Dzhangar, 1995. 176 p. (In Kalm. and Russ.)

22. Pupysheva N. V. «Great elements» as the sign system of the Buddhist culture. Religious Studies. 2008. No. 4. Pp. 73–78. (In Russ.)

23. Sangye Gyatso (Desi). The White Beryl: A Treatise on [Tibetan] Astrology. Vol. 1. Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House, 1996. 472 p. On: Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). Library (Buddhist Digital Archives, BUDA). Available at: https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:W2CZ8040 (accessed: 7 August 2023). (In Tib.)

24. Sangye Gyatso (Desi). The White Beryl: A Treatise on [Tibetan] Astrology. Vol. 2. Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House, 1996, 1997. 545 p. On: Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). Library (Buddhist Digital Archives, BUDA). Available at: https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:W2CZ8040 (accessed: 7 August 2023). (In Tib.)

25. Skorodumova L. G. Dzurkhai: Buddhist Astrology. Vladivostok: Rubezh, 1994. 38 p. (In Russ.)

26. Stepanyants M. T. (ed.) The Philosophy of Buddhism: An Encyclopedia. Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, 2011. 1045 p. (In Russ.)

27. Tenzin Gyatso (Fourteenth Dalai Lama). The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality. New York: Morgan Road Books, 2005. 216 p. (In Eng.)

28. The Noble Mahayana Sutra Entitled ‘The Chapter of the Great Secret of All Buddhas, Skillful Means, on Request of Bodhisattva Jnanottara’. In: The Kangyur (Manuscripts from Tog Palace) Leh: Smanrtsis Shesrig Dpemzod, 1980. Pp. 148–265. On: Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). Available at: https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:MW22083_0011_38 (accessed: 7 August 2023). (In Tib.)

29. The Sustainable Development Agenda. On: United Nations (website). Sustainable Development Goals. 2015. Available at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ru/about/development-agenda/ (accessed: 1 August 2023). (In Russ.)

30. Urbanaeva I. S. The role of Chinese and Tibetan hermeneutic strategies in the “constructing” of the divergent worlds of Mahayana Buddhism. Religious Studies. 2022. No. 1. Pp. 25–34. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2022_1_25

31. Vleet van S. Children’s healthcare and astrology in the nurturing of a Central Tibetan nation-state, 1916–24. Asian Medicine. 2012. Vol. 6. No. 2. Pp. 348–386. (In Eng.) DOI: 10.1163/15734218-12341238

32. Wallace V. A. A convergence of medical and astro-sciences in Indian Tantric Buddhism: A case of the Kālacakratantra. In: Akasoy A., Burnett Ch., Yoeli-Tlalim R. (eds.) Astro-Medicine: Astrology and Medicine, East and West. Florence: Sismel, 2008. Pp. 209–222. (In Eng.)

33. Zhukovskaya N. L. Nomads of Mongolia: Culture, Traditions, Symbols. Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, 2002. 247 p. (In Russ.)