QUATERNARY PRINCIPLE, 4 ELEMENTS, DHARMA IN ‘FOUR PUPPETS’ NARRATIVE September 28, 2013

QUATERNARY PRINCIPLE, 4 ELEMENTS, DHARMA IN ‘FOUR PUPPETS’ NARRATIVE

 

Erle Frayne D. Argonza / Ra

 

Behind the number 4 is the esoteric knowledge of the material elements of earth, water, air, fire. The elements characterize the four (4) material planes, to note: physical, earth element; astral, water element; mental, air element; and, causal or ‘higher mental’, fire element. The lower domains or dimensions of reality comprise the Lower Quaternary in the Septenary Law.

 

Narratives with the number of 4, such as the Four Puppets tale from Burma, are fascinating as they subtly embede the four (4) elements. To recall, among the early theories of personality goes the 4-Types personality: sanguine, melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic. Notice the four types representing roughly four (4) elements, to note: phlegmatic, earth; sanguine, water; melancholic, air; and, choleric, fire.

 

Below is a summary of the Four Puppets Tale as an exemplar of the Number 4 dovetailing into folklore. The denouement of the narrative stressed on Dharma, which is sacrosanct to Divine Wisdom.

 

 

Source: http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/folk.html

The Four Puppets
A Tale of Burma

Told by Aaron Shepard

Printed in Australia’s School Magazine, May 2007

Once there was a puppet maker who had a son named Aung. The father always hoped his son would grow up to be a puppet maker like himself. But to Aung, such a life was far from exciting.

“Father,” said Aung one day, “I’ve decided to leave home and seek my fortune.”

The puppet maker looked up sadly from his work. “I wish you would stay, my son. The life of a puppet maker is an honorable one. But if you must go, let me give you companions for your journey.”

He showed his son four wooden puppets he had carved, painted, and costumed. “Each puppet,” he said, “has its own virtue and value.”

The first puppet was the king of the gods. The puppet maker said, “The god’s virtue is wisdom.”

The second puppet was a green-faced ogre. “The ogre’s virtue is strength.”

The third was a mystic sorcerer. “The sorcerer’s virtue is knowledge.”

The fourth was a holy hermit. “The hermit’s virtue is goodness.”

He told his son, “Each of these virtues can help you on your way. But remember, strength and knowledge must always serve wisdom and goodness.”

Aung started off the next day. On his shoulder he carried a bamboo pole, with food and clothing tied at one end, and the puppets hanging by their strings from the other.

When night came, Aung found himself deep in the jungle. He stopped beneath a banyan tree.

“This looks like a good place to sleep,” he said to himself. “But I wonder if it’s safe.”

Then Aung had a funny idea. “I think I’ll ask one of the puppets!” He turned with a smile to the king of the gods. “Tell me, is it safe here?”

To his amazement, the puppet came alive. It got down from the pole and grew to life size.

“Aung,” said the god, “open your eyes and look around you. That is the first step to wisdom. If you fail to see what is right before you, how easy it will be for others to misguide you!”

And the next moment, the puppet was hanging again from the pole.

When Aung had gotten over his shock, he looked carefully all around the tree. There in the soft earth were the tracks of a tiger! That night he slept not on the ground but in the branches above. And he was glad he did, for in the middle of the night, he saw a tiger come prowling below him.

The next day took Aung into the mountains, and at sunset he left the road and camped a little way up the mountainside. When he awoke the next morning, he saw a caravan coming along the road below. A dozen bullock carts were piled high with costly goods.

“That caravan must belong to some rich merchant,” Aung told himself. “I wish I had wealth like that.”

Then he had a thought. He turned to the green-faced ogre. “Tell me, how can I gain such riches?”

Aung watched in wonder as the puppet left the pole and grew to life size. “If you have strength,” boomed the ogre, “you can take whatever you like. Watch this!” He stamped his foot and the earth shook.

“Wait!” said Aung. But it was too late. Just below them, dirt and rocks broke loose in a landslide. It rushed down the mountain and blocked the road. The terrified drivers jumped from their carts and ran off.

“You see?” said the ogre.

“Is it really that easy?” said Aung, in a daze.

He hurried down to the carts and rushed from one to another, gaping at the heaps of rich fabrics and piles of precious metals. “And all of it’s mine!” he cried.

Just then, Aung heard a sob. Lying huddled in one of the carts was a lovely young woman his own age. She cried and shivered in fear.

“I won’t hurt you,” said Aung gently. “Who are you?”

“My name is Mala,” she said in a small voice. “My father is the owner of this caravan. We were on our way to meet him.”

All at once, Aung knew he was in love. He wanted to keep Mala with him forever. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll take you with me and care for you.”

Mala sat up angrily. “Go ahead! Take me, like you’re taking everything else! But you’re just a thief, and I’ll never, ever speak to you!”

Aung was shocked. Was he really just a thief? He didn’t know what to say.

The ogre came up beside him then. “Don’t listen to her. She’ll change her mind—and anyway, the important thing is you got what you wanted. Now, let’s go.”

The ogre cleared the road, then helped Aung lead the caravan. That afternoon, they came out of the mountains, not far from the capital city.

Aung asked the ogre, “What should I do, now that I have all these riches?”

“Don’t ask me!” said the ogre. “Ask the sorcerer!”

Aung turned to the mystic sorcerer. “Can you tell me?”

The puppet came to life and floated before him, as Mala looked on with wide eyes. “If you want your wealth to grow,” said the sorcerer, “you must learn the secrets of nature.”

He tapped Aung with his red wand, and together they rose high in the air. Looking down, Aung saw everything in a new way. He could tell what land was best for farming, and which mountains held gold and silver.

“This is wonderful!” said Aung. “Just think how I can help people with what I know!”

“Certainly you could,” said the sorcerer. “But knowledge is power. Why not keep it all for yourself instead? Isn’t that what other people do?”

“I suppose so,” said Aung.

So they came to the capital city. Aung became a merchant, and with the help of the ogre and the sorcerer, he grew many times richer than at first. He bought a palace for himself and Mala, and kept the puppets in a special room of their own.

But Aung was not happy, for Mala still would not speak to him.

One day, he placed before her a headdress fit for a queen. The heavy gold was set with dozens of large rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. The magnificent piece had cost Aung a third of his wealth.

Mala took one look and pushed it away.

Aung was heartbroken. He said, “Don’t you know I love you?” But she only glared at him and said not a word.

The next morning, Aung went to the puppets’ room and spoke to the ogre and the sorcerer. “Mala’s father must now be very poor, while I have more than I need. I’ll help Mala find him so I can pay him for what I took. Maybe then she’ll speak to me, and even learn to love me.”

“A terrible idea!” said the ogre. “You should never give up what is yours. You’re just being weak!”

“Besides,” the sorcerer told him, “you’re too late. Mala ran away last night.”

“What?” cried Aung. He rushed through the palace, but Mala was nowhere to be found.

Aung returned to the puppets’ room in despair. “What good is all my wealth if I’ve lost what I care for most?”

For once, the ogre and the sorcerer were silent and still.

Then Aung remembered there was one puppet he had never called on. He turned to the holy hermit. “Tell me, why has everything gone wrong?”

The puppet came to life. “Aung, you imagined that wealth brings happiness. But true happiness comes only from goodness. What is important is not what you have but what you do with it.”

The king of the gods then came to life and stood beside the hermit. “You forgot what your father told you, Aung. Strength and knowledge are useful, but they must always serve wisdom and goodness.”

“I won’t forget again,” said Aung.

From that day on, Aung used his wealth and his talents to do good. He built a splendid holy pagoda, and offered food and shelter to those who visited the shrine.

One day among the visitors, Aung saw a young woman he knew well. An older man stood beside her, both of them wearing humble clothes.

“Mala!” cried Aung. He rushed over to the startled young woman and knelt before her puzzled father.

“Sir, I have done you great wrong. I beg your forgiveness. All I have is yours, and I give it up gladly. I will be content to return to my village and make puppets.”

“Father,” said Mala softly, “this is Aung. But he has changed!”

“So it would seem!” said her father. “And if so, it would be a shame to let go of a young man of such talent. Perhaps he would like to work for me, and live with us in the palace.”

So Aung became the merchant’s assistant, and before long his partner, and when Mala’s heart was won, his son-in-law.

As for the puppets, Aung still called on them as needed. But though he was helped often by strength and knowledge, he was guided always by wisdom and goodness.

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PROF. ERLE FRAYNE ARGONZA WEBSITE: http://erleargonza.com

 

ARGONZA COSMIC BLOGS & LINKS:

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http://community.beliefnet.com/erleargonza, http://paranormaluniverse.ning.com, http://healinginternational.ning.com, http://innercoredaystarcommand.ning.com, http://raefdargon.mysticblogs.com, http://efdargon.multiply.com, http://newageconnection.com, http://www.facebook.com

 

MASTERS’ SITES: 

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http://www.drunvalo.net, http://www.lightchannels.com,  

http://www.blavatsky.net, http://www.joelyonskincheloe.info/,

http://www.kriyayoga.com, http://www.lightascension.com,

http://www.tsl.org, http://www.gandhiserve.org,

http://www.maharishi.org, http://www.rssb.org, http://www.fisu.org, http://www.saibaba.org, http://trishulabearer.com,   

http://www.salrachele.com, http://www.yogananda.srf.org,

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org

SEA GYPSIES: EVIDENCE OF POST-DELUGE REMNANTS September 26, 2013

SEA GYPSIES: EVIDENCE OF POST-DELUGE REMNANTS

Erle Frayne D. Argonza / Ra

 

Across the ASEAN are the maritime peoples called the ‘sea Gypsies’. They are very hard to classify with other peoples anywhere in the planet, just like their land Gypsy equivalents. Anthropologist or ethnologists are baffled by the Gypsies, in like vein that they are puzzled by the Basques of Europe.

Sea Gypsies have otherwise been termed as ‘human mermaids & mermen’ which seems to aptly describe them in the absence of acceptable inferences from formal science about what they are and where they came from. Science indeed has to catch up with the realities by discovering new analytical tools for studying human evolution.

Incidentally, Divine Wisdom or Theos Sophia had appresented a version of evolution that is cyclical and truly deep. In the mystical/occult version of human science, race is a central concept, with the law of evolution/devolution well explicated. Accordingly four (4) root-races have come to pass, in this 4^th Evolutionary Round or devic-man phase, and we are into the 5^th root race.

The last vestiges of the 4^th human generic civilization—Atlantean—sank almost 12,000 years ago. Survivors of that last Deluge had three options to take: (a) go to very high places, nestle there for a while, and then go back to lower lands when the waters recede; (b) build underground cities before the Deluge, rescue as many as those who can be accommodated, seal the cities from the Aboveground when the waters come and continue human civilization there; and, (c) take flights in outer space via the galactic fleets’ auspices, then return to Earth when conditions have stabilized.

Gypsies were among those that took the 2^nd option, by going underground. Unable to adapt to the harmonized conflict-free culture below the surface, the Gypsies could have been expelled by the underground cities’ guardians and leaders. This theory explains why Gypsies are so hard up in adjusting to contexts that are so alien to what they encountered before the deluge.

Below is an account of the sea Gypsies of Burma, with some notes about those of Thailand and peninsular Southeast.

[Philippines, 17 June 2011]

Source: http://www.projectmaje.org/gypsies.htm

Burma “Sea Gypsies” Compendium

Report by Project Maje
8824 SE 9th Ave
Portland OR 97213 USA
maje@hevanet.com

June 2004

Introduction

“The Salons or sea gypsies are the among the smallest minorities in Burma and no less vulnerable or defenseless against human rights abuses committed by the junta. They need the attention of Human Rights activists and organizations.”
— Chin Forum Information Service

Freely roaming the ocean in small boats from birth to death, living simply off its riches, a Southeast Asian people seem as mythical as mermaids. These ethnic groups known as “Sea Gypsies” are still found from the Philippines to Borneo to Thailand to Burma. Their lives are romantic but increasingly difficult.

This report focuses exclusively on those from Burma’s waters. Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” face particular problems which may even threaten their existence as a culture and people. Amid the vast array of documentation on Burma’s human rights situation and ethnic groups there has been very little investigation about Burma’s “Sea Gypsies.” A series of books by a French ethnologist, two new books published in Burma, and a recent documentary film are among the main resources available. There has been little press coverage outside of a few tourism-oriented articles and a spate of news coverage in early 2004. Even an activist from the Mon ethnic group of the same region of Burma comments about the “Sea Gypsies”: “These people are living offshore and rarely have communication with the people on the coast.”

As a compendium, this report seeks to fill some of this information gap with a collection of 29 documents and articles from 1997 to 2004 concerning Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” in a format accessible to those who are interested in Burma and indigenous/nomadic peoples issues. This compendium is modeled on Project Maje’s previous “A Chin Compendium,” released in 1999. The material contained here is compiled for nonprofit public interest use. For reproduction contact the original sources. Be sure to credit the original sources, not Project Maje, if quoting from non Project Maje material contained here.

This is not a scientific study or a comprehensive report. It is intended as a reference and background resource. It draws upon available information in English about Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” from an array of sources, including news articles, tour agencies, and researchers. Project Maje, the compiler of this report, does not endorse, confirm or deny the veracity of any of the non Project Maje material.

In some cases, only excerpts directly relevant to the Burma “Sea Gypsies” are included, rather than a complete article. Places where articles were cut for excerpts are marked with three woven rattans (###.) The beginning and end of each article is marked with three nautilus shells (@@@.)

Seafaring

“Not only have the islands escaped development by the modern world, they don’t even have a significant indigenous population.” — “Adventure Travel” (a Hong Kong magazine)

The “Sea Gypsies” are known in Burma by a name spelled in variations including “Salon,” “Saloun,” “Salone,” “Salum” and “Salong.” “Salon” appears to be the most common spelling. The Burma regime tends to use the spelling “Salone.” Project Maje has in the past used the spelling “Saloun” for phonetic reasons. Some articles in this compendium refer to Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” as “Moken” (or “Mawken”) people, using the name of the “Sea Gypsies” of neighboring Thailand (who are apparently closely related.)

“Moken” is actually the most politically correct term, as it is what Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” call themselves. However, in news reports and tourism articles about Burma, “Moken” is not used as often as the Burmese (Salone/Salong) terminology which serves to distinguish those in Burma waters and under the Burma regime’s rule, from those indigenous to Thailand who have a different set of experiences and problems. The English name “Sea Gypsies” refers to a nomadic style of life, rather than any direct relationship to the Roma (Gypsy) people of Europe. In French, the descriptive phrase is “Nomades Marins” (Sea Nomads.)

Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” are rarely mentioned in books or reports on the ethnic groups of Burma. This obscure status is probably because of their inaccessibility, their lack of an armed force or political organization, and their very small population. In the days of British colonial rule over Burma (1885-1948), some scrutiny was brought to bear on the “Sea Gypsies” by traders, traders and administrators. The Burma “Sea Gypsy” population was estimated at 1,325 in 1901, but such figures were hard to verify due to the ethnic group’s nomadic nature. A 2000 article in “The Greater Phuket” magazine estimates between 2,000 and 3,000 “Sea Gypsies” in Burma. Tourist literature associated with various Thailand-based excursion companies often diminishes the extent of Burma’s “Sea Gypsy” population, referring to their region as uninhabited, or claiming that they exist only in one particular village. There are also populations of “Sea Gypsies” originally from Burma’s waters who live as refugees in Thailand, particularly around the port town of Ranong. In addition, there are an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 “Sea Gypsies” indigenous to Thailand, mostly living on and around the island of Phuket.

The Moken ethnic group, including the “Sea Gypsies” of Burma and Thailand, has historically been based around Phuket, a large Thai island which was a coastal trading center. Phuket, now a tourist resort island, was known in Malay as “Ujong Salang” which may or may not have given these people the name used for them in Burma. It has not been irrefutably determined whether the Mokens are an early autochthonous ethnic group of Southeast Asia, or are descended from some land-based group (such as the Mon-Khmer, Malay, or even Vedda) which took to the sea for economic or political reasons in centuries long past.

The Moken language, which has been classified as “Austronesian” features many Malay words, as well as strong Thai vocabulary influences. There are other ethnic groups in Southeast Asia known as “Sea Gypsies” which do not appear to be directly related to Burma and Thailand’s Mokens, although they live in a similar way. These groups live off the coasts of Malaysian and Indonesian islands including Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi, and the Sulu Archipelago. Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” are found amid the Mergui Archipelago, a chain of hundreds of small islands parallel to the southeastern Burma coast (Tenasserim) of the Indian Ocean’s Andaman Sea. Burma’s regime calls this the “Myeik Archipelago” (and calls Burma “Myanmar.”)

Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” are thought to have held fast to their own traditional Animist beliefs. French ethnologists Pierre and Jacques Ivanoff have made extensive studies of Moken belief systems, folklore and the spiritual symbolism used in their boat-building. There have been conversion efforts by Christian and Muslim missionaries but these made few inroads among the Mokens. Buddhist conversion efforts may be part of current relocation programs by the Burma regime.

A maritime hunter-gatherer culture, Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” are said to spend most of their lives on their thatch-roofed wooden boats. In small groups, they roam among the islands, harvesting crustaceans, turtles, and shellfish. Some accounts insist that the Mokens do not eat fish. Sea cucumbers, a holothurian animal related to starfish and sea urchins, are known as “trepang” or “beche de mer” when dried and are a delicacy of Chinese cuisine which the “Sea Gypsies” collect for trade. Several articles in the Compendium refer to these sea cucumbers as “sea slugs” but they should not be confused with actual sea slugs which are nudibranch snails without shells. Pearls and decorative shells have become Moken trade commodities as well. Vegetable crops are planted sporadically on the islands, which serve as seasonal meeting places and storm shelters. Trained dogs are used to hunt small game on the forested islands.

Roundup

“The Salone nomads do not easily mix with other people. They do not participate in economic, social or even cultural development of the country they live in. Their society has different cultural values from those offered by modern society. They are locked in the value system that they believe to be their own.” — “Myanmar’s .net” website, 2004

Burma’s “Sea Gypsies,” whose ancestors may have originally taken to the sea to avoid conflict, were far removed from politics until the 1990s. Unlike many of Burma’s ethnic groups, they never had their own rebel army (or navy) although a few might have joined the forces of Andaman Sea coastal Mon or Tavoyan ethnic groups, or even seafaring units of the All Burma Students Liberation Front (ABSDF) or Arakan Army (from the Western Burma coast.) The “Sea Gypsies” were too poor to be the prey of pirates marauding in the Andaman Sea. Although some have accused Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” of being pirates themselves, there seems to be little evidence to support this and it may come from confusing them with more aggressive “Sea Gypsy” groups from elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

In the late 1990s a few reports leaked out about forced relocation by Burma’s military regime of Burma’s “Sea Gypsies” to on-land sites. At least one such report claimed that most of them had been relocated by 1997. This practice would be consistent with an enormous pattern of forced relocation of suspect ethnic, economic and political groups, conducted throughout Burma, particularly in the late 1990s.

The Andaman Sea off the Tenasserim coast received increasing attention from Burma’s regime during the 1990s due to offshore petroleum exploration, discoveries and transport by multinational corporations including Unocal, Total, Premier, Petronas and others. This led to a drastically heightened military security presence, with fishing communities of the Mon and Tavoyan ethnic groups moved elsewhere and small-scale fishing boats chased away. The increased presence of foreign trawler fleets under joint-ventures with the regime also discouraged small-scale local fishing.

While the effects of the 1990s developments on the “Sea Gypsies” off the southern coast of Burma were less well-known than those on the Mons and Tavoyans to the north of the Mergui Archipelago, reports indicated that the “Sea Gypsies” suffered as well. An unknown number of them are have said to have fled to Thailand. There the men reportedly took jobs on Thai fishing boats, a dangerous and often economically exploitive situation. Most of the fishing boats used legitimate methods, but there was considerable use of dynamite fishing by Thailand-based fleets as well. Refugee “Sea Gypsy” women and girls may have ended up in prostitution in Thailand’s notorious port brothels, where HIV/AIDS exposure was extremely widespread.

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PROF. ERLE FRAYNE ARGONZA WEBSITE: http://erleargonza.com

 

ARGONZA COSMIC BLOGS & LINKS:

https://erlefraynebrightworld.wordpress.com, http://cosmicbuhay.blogspot.com, http://kathapantas.blogdrive.com, http://talangguro.blogfree.com, http://tribes.tribe.com,  http://lovingenergies.spruz.com, http://www.newciv.org, http://thatsthewayoflight.socialparadox.com, http://lightworkers.org, http://www.spiritualpassions.com, http://www.articlesforfree.net

http://community.beliefnet.com/erleargonza, http://paranormaluniverse.ning.com, http://healinginternational.ning.com, http://innercoredaystarcommand.ning.com, http://raefdargon.mysticblogs.com, http://efdargon.multiply.com, http://newageconnection.com, http://www.facebook.com

 

MASTERS’ SITES: 

http://www.theascendedmasters.com, http://www.greatdreams.com,

http://www.drunvalo.net, http://www.lightchannels.com,  

http://www.blavatsky.net, http://www.joelyonskincheloe.info/,

http://www.kriyayoga.com, http://www.lightascension.com,

http://www.tsl.org, http://www.gandhiserve.org,

http://www.maharishi.org, http://www.rssb.org, http://www.fisu.org, http://www.saibaba.org, http://trishulabearer.com,   

http://www.salrachele.com, http://www.yogananda.srf.org,

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org

OBJECTIFICATION, ALIENATION, THE FALL: MALAY LORE OF MALIN KUNDANG September 23, 2013

OBJECTIFICATION, ALIENATION, THE FALL: MALAY LORE OF MALIN KUNDANG

 

Erle Frayne D. Argonza / Ra

 

Popular among the Southeast Asians is the narrative of Malin Kundang. It has diverse versions, and is known among the insular Southeast (Malaysia, Singapore) and peninsular Southeast (Brunei, insular Malaysia, Indonesia).

 

This narrative is focused on the repercussions of ingratitude by an offspring. The denouement talks about the said scion eventually ‘turning into stone’ upon a stubborn sailing on his own galleon.

 

‘Turning into stone’ is a signifier for the process of densification of the soul and its disjunction from Spirit. The soul runs agog in the inner space dominated by the Inner Demon, as revealed by the ‘stone’ in the narrative. In religious lingo, it is The Fall told in a southeast Asian version of the predicament of mankind.

 

Not only that, the tale also reveals the power of the Feminine in antiquity. Accordingly, the Mother cursed the wayward son, a curse that resulted to him turning into stone. Which means that any person who disjoins or locks up the Feminine within him/her will end up being devoured by his/her Inner Demon and become a Fallen One.   

 

Below is a summary of the tale.

 

[Philippines, 16 June 2011]

 

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malin_Kundang

Malin Kundang

Malin Kundang (also called Si Tanggang or Nakhoda Manis) is a Southeast Asian folktale about retribution on an ungrateful son. A sailor from a poor family, the protagonist sneaks onto a trading ship, eventually becoming rich, marrying a princess, and acquiring his own galleon. On his return to his home village, he is ashamed of his humble origins and refuses to recognise his elderly mother. She curses him, and when he sets sail, he and his ship are turned to stone.^[1]

In Indonesia, the story is called Malin Kundang, and the legend is based in West Sumatra. Air Manis, a beach near Padang, has a rock formation called Batu Malin Kundang that is said to be the remains of his ship.^[2]

Another Indonesian folk story which is alike but take the different location is the legend of Sampuraga. The legend is based in Central Borneo. Belantikan Hulu, a remote area along the river Lamandau, Indonesia, has a rock formation called Bukit Sampuraga which is believed to be the ruins of his ship.

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PROF. ERLE FRAYNE ARGONZA WEBSITE: http://erleargonza.com

 

ARGONZA COSMIC BLOGS & LINKS:

https://erlefraynebrightworld.wordpress.com, http://cosmicbuhay.blogspot.com, http://kathapantas.blogdrive.com, http://talangguro.blogfree.com, http://tribes.tribe.com,  http://lovingenergies.spruz.com, http://www.newciv.org, http://thatsthewayoflight.socialparadox.com, http://lightworkers.org, http://www.spiritualpassions.com, http://www.articlesforfree.net

http://community.beliefnet.com/erleargonza, http://paranormaluniverse.ning.com, http://healinginternational.ning.com, http://innercoredaystarcommand.ning.com, http://raefdargon.mysticblogs.com, http://efdargon.multiply.com, http://newageconnection.com, http://www.facebook.com

 

MASTERS’ SITES: 

http://www.theascendedmasters.com, http://www.greatdreams.com,

http://www.drunvalo.net, http://www.lightchannels.com,  

http://www.blavatsky.net, http://www.joelyonskincheloe.info/,

http://www.kriyayoga.com, http://www.lightascension.com,

http://www.tsl.org, http://www.gandhiserve.org,

http://www.maharishi.org, http://www.rssb.org, http://www.fisu.org, http://www.saibaba.org, http://trishulabearer.com,   

http://www.salrachele.com, http://www.yogananda.srf.org,

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org

EGG-LAYING BY EARLY LEMURIANS PROJECTED IN MALAY FOLKLORE September 18, 2013

EGG-LAYING BY EARLY LEMURIANS PROJECTED IN MALAY FOLKLORE

 

Erle Frayne D. Argonza / Guru Ra

A very popular legend among the Bruneians is the story of the great warrior Awang Semaun. The narrative about the great warrior reveals facets of the early kingship (sultanate) formation of Brunei and the institutions interwoven with it.

What I wish to highlight in the tale though is a more recondite facet: the tale’s revelation of the early egg-laying or oviparous way of laying children by the early Lemurians. Divine wisdom had revealed that the first phase of Lemurian races were gigantic, hermaphroditic types who reproduced largely through egg-laying.

The oviparous early Lemurians would later be recycled over and over in diverse folklore across the globe. A sample narrative of it is the story of Awang Semaun. Below is a summary of the legend.

[Philippines, 16 June 2011]

 

From: http://www.bt.com.bn/life/2008/05/25/awang_semaun_tale_of_a_brunei_warrior

Awang Semaun: Tale of a Brunei warrior

Foundation narrative: Awang Semaun was said to have 13 siblings from 13 different mothers, all legendary Brunei warriors who found Kampong Ayer and whose cries of ‘baru nah’ (‘now we found it’) gave Brunei its name. Picture: Rozan Yunos collection / Rozan Yunos –
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, May 25, 2008

IF ONE were to mention the name Awang Semaun to any Bruneian, he or she would conjure up a description of a strong brave warrior who has contributed to the existence of Brunei.

According to legend, Awang Semaun is said to be the younger brother of Awang Alak Betatar (who eventually became the first Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Muhammad Shah). Awang Semaun was made a Damong by his brother and he also later became the Pengiran Temenggong (one of the four wazir or viziers) who assisted the Sultan in governing the country.

Who was Awang Semaun? According to Brunei legends and one of the most famous epic poems which bore his name, Syair Awang Semaun, he was one of 14 brothers which included Awang Alak Betatar, Pateh Berbai, Pateh Mambang, Pateh Tuba, Pateh Sangkuna, Pateh Manggurun, Pateh Malakai, Pateh Pahit, Damang Sari, Pateh Sindayong, Damang Lebar Daun, Hapu Awang and Pateh Laila Langgong. The brothers all lived in different places with Awang Semaun and his brother Damang Sari living in Garang, near Kuala Labu in Temburong.

It was said that the father fathered the 14 children in his journeys . His grandfather was known as Sang Aji Brunei. His name is mentioned in another epic poem, Syair Negara Kartagama, written in 1365 where he was known as Sang Aji Baruwing (a variant of the name “Brunei”).

According to oral legends, despite being married for quite some time, he was childless. One day while walking outside his palace, he found a giant egg and brought it back to the palace. That night a young boy by the name of I-Pai Samaring was hatched. He later married the daughter of Sang Aji and gave birth to Alak Betatar.

While the princess was pregnant, she was craving for a tembadau (wild cow). I-Pai Samaring went hunting and managed to hit a tembadau with a spear but it got away. I-Pai Samaring followed the bloody trail through several villages. At each village, he married the daughter of the chieftain as it was considered a great honour. He married 13 times before he eventually found the tembadau.

Each of those wives later gave birth to the brothers of Awang Alak Betatar. When Awang Alak Betatar grew up, he went in search of his brothers and brought them together. They later went in search of a new place to build a country and when they found the location at the present Kampong Ayer, their cries of baru nah — “now we found it” — gave Brunei its name.

Awang Semaun is mentioned in a number of local folklores and legends. Whether he is the same Awang Semaun in all the other legends, one will never know.

According to Iban folklore, Awang Semaun or Sumaun is the son of Derom anak Sabatin. Derom, together with his father, alighted in Tanjong Batu (bordering Sarawak and Indonesia). Sumaun and his brother Serabungkok moved to Naga Rajang when they were grown up. Serabungkok married Lemina and gave birth to Dayang Ilam who later married Raja Semalanjat. The Ibans are said to be descendants of Serabungkok.

On the other hand, Semaun had a son name Tugau and the Melanaus are said to be the descendant of Tugau. According to Iban legend, Sumaun went to Brunei in search of his fortune.

According to the Muruts in Ulu Lawas, Semaun was said to be a seer and a very strong man. One rainy day when he was taking shelter under an overhang by a hill in Long Bawan, he stood up forgetting that he was under an overhang. An existing hole where he stood up — complete with the shape of his ears — can still be seen today. In another place his footprint can be seen when he jumped from one hill to another.

It was said that he went away to Padian (Brunei) and was never heard of again.

However, the Brunei legends stated that Awang Semaun was the brother of Pateh Berbai and is of Brunei origin.

According to local Temburong folklore, Awang Semaun left behind a giant vase used for keeping water. The local people said that the giant vase can sometimes appear and a number of locals have claimed to have seen that magic vase.

One local head village who worked in the area in the 1920s said that he saw the vase at least 10 times. He described the vase as having an opening of about two feet in diameter, its length up to 30 feet and a broad middle of about 20 feet in diametre. The vase will be found half submerged in the river. The British Resident who heard the stories tried to search for the vase in vain. The elderly folks said that a magic vase like that will not be found by those who went searching for it.

It was said that Awang Semaun converted to Islam in Johor. During the reign of Awang Alak Betatar, he instructed Awang Semaun to go to Johor in search of a Johor Princess who became Awang Alak Betatar’s consort. The Johor Princess had a bird named pinggai (burong pinggai). When the Princess was taken to Brunei, the bird came to Brunei to search for her. It came together with a ship which sank when it arrived in Brunei. The sailors were said to be assisted by the Kedayans who lived in Berakas. From the Kedayans, the sailors heard that the bird had flown to a place which eventually became Kampong Burong Pinggai.

From that village, the emissary from Johor discovered that the Princess had married the Brunei Sultan. However, the Princess, together with her searchers from Johor, managed to persuade Awang Alak Betatar to return back to Johor for the Johor marriage ceremony there.

In Johor, Awang Alak Betatar converted to Islam and took the name Sultan Muhammad, Pateh Berbai became Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara and Awang Semaun became Pengiran Temenggong.

On their return back to Brunei, the Johor Princess’ followers stayed in Kampong Burong Pingai.

Some also said that the Johor Sultan “persuaded by her happiness and the fame and glory of Brunei” — as described by Saunders in his History of Brunei — journeyed to Brunei and formally installed Alak Betatar as Sultan and his brothers, including Awang Semaun in the offices of state which became traditional to Brunei and presented the new Sultan with the royal regalia.

We only know Awang Semaun through legends. We do not even know of his descendants. We will never know the truth about him.

But the name Awang Semaun lives on as one of Brunei’s great warriors.

The writer runs a website on Brunei at bruneiresources.com.

The Brunei Times

 

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PROF. ERLE FRAYNE ARGONZA WEBSITE: http://erleargonza.com

 

ARGONZA COSMIC BLOGS & LINKS:

https://erlefraynebrightworld.wordpress.com, http://cosmicbuhay.blogspot.com, http://kathapantas.blogdrive.com, http://talangguro.blogfree.com, http://tribes.tribe.com,  http://lovingenergies.spruz.com, http://www.newciv.org, http://thatsthewayoflight.socialparadox.com, http://lightworkers.org, http://www.spiritualpassions.com, http://www.articlesforfree.net

http://community.beliefnet.com/erleargonza, http://paranormaluniverse.ning.com, http://healinginternational.ning.com, http://innercoredaystarcommand.ning.com, http://raefdargon.mysticblogs.com, http://efdargon.multiply.com, http://newageconnection.com, http://www.facebook.com

 

MASTERS’ SITES: 

http://www.theascendedmasters.com, http://www.greatdreams.com,

http://www.drunvalo.net, http://www.lightchannels.com,  

http://www.blavatsky.net, http://www.joelyonskincheloe.info/,

http://www.kriyayoga.com, http://www.lightascension.com,

http://www.tsl.org, http://www.gandhiserve.org,

http://www.maharishi.org, http://www.rssb.org, http://www.fisu.org, http://www.saibaba.org, http://trishulabearer.com,   

http://www.salrachele.com, http://www.yogananda.srf.org,

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org

VALUES EDUCATION VIA FOLKLORE: BRUNEI SHOWCASE September 15, 2013

VALUES EDUCATION VIA FOLKLORE: BRUNEI SHOWCASE

Erle Frayne D. Argonza / Guru Ra

http://erleargonza.blogspot.com/2012/05/values-education-via-folklore-brunei.html

 

Values education is of fundamental import in awareness-raising and human formation anchorage. It is important too that values are made to work for those imbued with it, for the powerlessness to assert values make people less human.

 

There are many entry points to values education, which renders values formation an open field for the exercise of creative imagination and ingenuity. One of these entry points is folklore. Among the showcases for the region is that of Brunei, which I will echo in this note.

 

As argued by me in previous writings, folklore is a depository of ancient wisdom in Southeast Asia. I would hasten to add the Polynesians as manifesting also such a deep embeddedness of ancient or divine wisdom in their folklore. Values are part of the practical domains for divine wisdom, as it is in values where virtues (dharma) are made to work in demonstrative ways.

 

Below is a news briefer of the Brunei efforts.

 

[Philippines, 16 June 2011]

Source: http://bruneitimes.com.bn/news-national/2011/01/28/promoting-values-through-folktales

Promoting values through folktales

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, January 28, 2011

ANTHOLOGIES of local folk tales should be published to promote Brunei stories as such books are found to be lacking in many Asian countries, with the exception of Japan, said an expert.

Dr Chu Keong Lee, a lecturer from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore made this suggestion when he presented his working paper “Promoting values using folk tales from Brunei” during the last day of the Brunei Information Resource Collection Symposium at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Local folklore are well worth promoting and libraries are the organisation most well-placed to promote them, said Dr Chu.

Additionally, governments can play a part in ensuring that local schools purchase a specific number of books for their students to encourage publishers to print local stories.

“Stories play an important role in the transmission of culture in a society, in effective organisational communication and learning, in knowledge sharing and in helping to understand a person’s illness experience,” said Dr Chu.

His paper analysed four local folk tales published in The Singing Top: Tales from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei by Margaret Read MacDonald in 2008.

The four folk tales were The Dollarbid and the Short-tailed Monkey, The King of the Mosquitoes, Dayang Bongsu and the Crocodile and Si Perawal, the Greedy Fisherman.

It also discussed the ways in which libraries can leverage on indigenous stories in promoting the values within the tales locally and internationally.

The stories were first read as a whole to obtain a gist of the story, after that, each story was read carefully to find out what it was about and what value was being referred to.

The values identified from The Dollarbid and the Short-tailed Monkey were the importance of paying heed to good advice and the consequences of ignoring it, bravery, compassion and the perseverance of nature.

The King of the Mosquitoes emphasised the consequences of greed, bravery, not judging a book by its cover and the fruits of kindness.

In the paper, Dr Chu suggested that librarians should train tertiary students to be engaging and sensitive storytellers when promoting folk tales and their values, and then the students can be sent to primary and secondary schools to tell the stories to other students.

This, he said, was a method successfully employed by the Mahasarakham University Storytelling Project in Thailand.

“Senior citizens should be mobilised as their real-life experiences contain many valuable lessons that can be used as examples that illustrates the manifestations of these values.

“Senior citizens are probably the best people to convey these values to the young because of the Asian values of respect for elders,” he said.

The two-day symposium which concluded yesterday was attended by librarians, researchers, teachers, archivists, information specialists as well as government officers.

The symposium was aimed at sharing best practices and advancements in the management and dissemination of local information collection, while highlighting efforts to enhance collections and resources for the benefit of the teaching and learning community. — Zareena Amiruddin

The Brunei Times

 

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PROF. ERLE FRAYNE ARGONZA WEBSITE: http://erleargonza.com

 

ARGONZA COSMIC BLOGS & LINKS:

https://erlefraynebrightworld.wordpress.com, http://cosmicbuhay.blogspot.com, http://kathapantas.blogdrive.com, http://talangguro.blogfree.com, http://tribes.tribe.com,  http://lovingenergies.spruz.com, http://www.newciv.org, http://thatsthewayoflight.socialparadox.com, http://lightworkers.org, http://www.spiritualpassions.com, http://www.articlesforfree.net

http://community.beliefnet.com/erleargonza, http://paranormaluniverse.ning.com, http://healinginternational.ning.com, http://innercoredaystarcommand.ning.com, http://raefdargon.mysticblogs.com, http://efdargon.multiply.com, http://newageconnection.com, http://www.facebook.com

 

MASTERS’ SITES: 

http://www.theascendedmasters.com, http://www.greatdreams.com,

http://www.drunvalo.net, http://www.lightchannels.com,  

http://www.blavatsky.net, http://www.joelyonskincheloe.info/,

http://www.kriyayoga.com, http://www.lightascension.com,

http://www.tsl.org, http://www.gandhiserve.org,

http://www.maharishi.org, http://www.rssb.org, http://www.fisu.org, http://www.saibaba.org, http://trishulabearer.com,   

http://www.salrachele.com, http://www.yogananda.srf.org,

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org

 

 

 

 

 

VALUES EDUCATION VIA FOLKLORE: BRUNEI SHOWCASE

Erle Frayne D. Argonza / Guru Ra

http://erleargonza.blogspot.com/2012/05/values-education-via-folklore-brunei.html

 

Values education is of fundamental import in awareness-raising and human formation anchorage. It is important too that values are made to work for those imbued with it, for the powerlessness to assert values make people less human.

 

There are many entry points to values education, which renders values formation an open field for the exercise of creative imagination and ingenuity. One of these entry points is folklore. Among the showcases for the region is that of Brunei, which I will echo in this note.

 

As argued by me in previous writings, folklore is a depository of ancient wisdom in Southeast Asia. I would hasten to add the Polynesians as manifesting also such a deep embeddedness of ancient or divine wisdom in their folklore. Values are part of the practical domains for divine wisdom, as it is in values where virtues (dharma) are made to work in demonstrative ways.

 

Below is a news briefer of the Brunei efforts.

 

[Philippines, 16 June 2011]

Source: http://bruneitimes.com.bn/news-national/2011/01/28/promoting-values-through-folktales

Promoting values through folktales

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, January 28, 2011

ANTHOLOGIES of local folk tales should be published to promote Brunei stories as such books are found to be lacking in many Asian countries, with the exception of Japan, said an expert.

Dr Chu Keong Lee, a lecturer from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore made this suggestion when he presented his working paper “Promoting values using folk tales from Brunei” during the last day of the Brunei Information Resource Collection Symposium at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Local folklore are well worth promoting and libraries are the organisation most well-placed to promote them, said Dr Chu.

Additionally, governments can play a part in ensuring that local schools purchase a specific number of books for their students to encourage publishers to print local stories.

“Stories play an important role in the transmission of culture in a society, in effective organisational communication and learning, in knowledge sharing and in helping to understand a person’s illness experience,” said Dr Chu.

His paper analysed four local folk tales published in The Singing Top: Tales from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei by Margaret Read MacDonald in 2008.

The four folk tales were The Dollarbid and the Short-tailed Monkey, The King of the Mosquitoes, Dayang Bongsu and the Crocodile and Si Perawal, the Greedy Fisherman.

It also discussed the ways in which libraries can leverage on indigenous stories in promoting the values within the tales locally and internationally.

The stories were first read as a whole to obtain a gist of the story, after that, each story was read carefully to find out what it was about and what value was being referred to.

The values identified from The Dollarbid and the Short-tailed Monkey were the importance of paying heed to good advice and the consequences of ignoring it, bravery, compassion and the perseverance of nature.

The King of the Mosquitoes emphasised the consequences of greed, bravery, not judging a book by its cover and the fruits of kindness.

In the paper, Dr Chu suggested that librarians should train tertiary students to be engaging and sensitive storytellers when promoting folk tales and their values, and then the students can be sent to primary and secondary schools to tell the stories to other students.

This, he said, was a method successfully employed by the Mahasarakham University Storytelling Project in Thailand.

“Senior citizens should be mobilised as their real-life experiences contain many valuable lessons that can be used as examples that illustrates the manifestations of these values.

“Senior citizens are probably the best people to convey these values to the young because of the Asian values of respect for elders,” he said.

The two-day symposium which concluded yesterday was attended by librarians, researchers, teachers, archivists, information specialists as well as government officers.

The symposium was aimed at sharing best practices and advancements in the management and dissemination of local information collection, while highlighting efforts to enhance collections and resources for the benefit of the teaching and learning community. — Zareena Amiruddin

The Brunei Times

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

PROF. ERLE FRAYNE ARGONZA WEBSITE: http://erleargonza.com

 

ARGONZA COSMIC BLOGS & LINKS:

https://erlefraynebrightworld.wordpress.com, http://cosmicbuhay.blogspot.com, http://kathapantas.blogdrive.com, http://talangguro.blogfree.com, http://tribes.tribe.com,  http://lovingenergies.spruz.com, http://www.newciv.org, http://thatsthewayoflight.socialparadox.com, http://lightworkers.org, http://www.spiritualpassions.com, http://www.articlesforfree.net

http://community.beliefnet.com/erleargonza, http://paranormaluniverse.ning.com, http://healinginternational.ning.com, http://innercoredaystarcommand.ning.com, http://raefdargon.mysticblogs.com, http://efdargon.multiply.com, http://newageconnection.com, http://www.facebook.com

 

MASTERS’ SITES: 

http://www.theascendedmasters.com, http://www.greatdreams.com,

http://www.drunvalo.net, http://www.lightchannels.com,  

http://www.blavatsky.net, http://www.joelyonskincheloe.info/,

http://www.kriyayoga.com, http://www.lightascension.com,

http://www.tsl.org, http://www.gandhiserve.org,

http://www.maharishi.org, http://www.rssb.org, http://www.fisu.org, http://www.saibaba.org, http://trishulabearer.com,   

http://www.salrachele.com, http://www.yogananda.srf.org,

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org