tarot and buddha

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

cartarum	15 May 2004
is any one familiar with the causal chain in buddhist thought? when i saw that, i immediately thought of trionfi. the same thing is in the i ching. its funny too, the buddhist causal chain starts with ignorance. heh any thoughts or buddhists out there?

jmd	15 May 2004
I am not sure as to what specifically you are referring to. My understanding (perhaps erroneous) of understanding the pains and joys which one may experience is that these are causally related, and usually go on in cyclic trends as one engages or is bound by the feeling itself. Hence causal chain, as related to the first of the four buddhist basic statements ('Noble Truths'). As it relates to Tarot, it may be that the liberation as expressed at the end of the series - by Judgement and Christ - may finally show the non-attachment to the Earth. The key distinction between Buddhism and Christianity seems to me to be precisely where, when and how one travels the way of liberation. Tarot seems to reflect more the path(s) of the occidental traditions than those of the oriental ones. Buddhism seeks right from the outset to say: here in this world is suffering, suffering is caused by attachment, to liberate oneself is an eightfold practice, each part of which aids in the detached liberation. Christianity, by contrast, seeks from the outset to engage within the world by invoking the transformative powers of Love, not to escape and be liberated from the bindings, but to transform those bindings as one would alchemically transform the heaviness of lead to spiritual gold. Of course, there are undoubted ways in which the fourfold Noble Truth and its eighfold liberation process (the eight 'right ways') can be seen reflected in light of the Tarot. This, however, again seems to me to be seeing Tarot's imagery via the (magnificent) lenses of Buddhism, rather than seeing each on its own merit.

mj07	16 May 2004
well, I'm Buddhist, but I'm not sure what "trionfi" is?? I recently got the Buddha Tarot and Robert Place's companion book, though, and I think therein he does an excellent job of combining the path to enlightenment in Buddhism with Tarot. Highly recommended!

The tarot and buddha thread was originally posted on 15 May 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.