Buddha Tarot Study

The Buddha Tarot

Is anybody interested in studying this deck with me?

I am using it for daily draws to broaden my knowledge of the deck and Buddhism in general ... and to be honest, it isn't that easy on my own. Any help and conversation would be greatly appreciated.

LB

Little Buddha ~

I have the deck and have read with it a couple of times but know little about Buddhism. I would join in but could offer more than a small contribution given my lack of knowledge.

I love the deck's vibrancy and it speaks to me. The book by Robert Place is excellent. I think Red Maple also has the deck, so keep bumping up the thread. Song Deva has it as well.

Moongold

Thanks for that Moongold.

The book is good, but as an example, my daily card was 'Maya' (Lap Papesse/High Priestess) and more was spoken in the book about the Marseille card (interesting to me as well, as I read with the Conver) but very little about how the card could be interpreted through the Buddha Tarot. I came away from reading it, knowing very little about how that card related to my day and what it meant in that deck. I am trying very hard to see this deck as one on it's one - not the same as the Marseille or another side of another. I read with the Marseille and this deck, for me, I want to be something that helps me learn about Buddhism and gives me daily spiritual insights and enlightenment.

I am very new to Buddhism but it interests me immensely. I love the story of Siddhartha, to begin with.

My reason for wanting to study the deck with others is that it is quite lonely to do it alone, however much I am gaining from it and however good a resource the book is.

I look forward to hearing your ideas about the cards Moongold ... and also the views of anyone else that wishes to join in. By the way, I read your BT readings here and they were very beautiful and insightful - I am sure your contributions would be very much appreciated, not only by me.

Best,
LB

It is interesting to compare the birth of Siddhartha with other like myths. I'm involved at the moment with the Ancient Eygptian Study Group and looking at myths around the birth of the Gods and their children, and their children's children . Isis retrieved the dismembered body of her husband, Osiris, and raised him from the dead long enough to conceive their son, Horus..

In the Buddha legend, the Buddha Siddhartha transformed himself into a white elephant, and impregnated Maya with one of his tusks. This action appeared to Maya as a dream and she carried Siddhartha for ten lunar months, giving birth to him in a park called Lumbini. He emerges from the spot where, in the dream, the elephant tusk impregnated her.

I know little about the Buddha and really need to read the book. I think I read somewhere that Siddhartha decided that this would be his last incarnation. Free associating, I am intrigued by the idea of the elephant impregnating Maya with his tusk and the Christian depiction of an angel impregnating Mary with the infant Christ with a kind of shell attached to her ear. Perhaps it represened her receiving the "Word" of God.

After the birth of Siddharth, Maya died of joy and was reborn in Tusita Heaven, the land of joy.

There are parallels in the Christian Hermeticist view of the II High Priestess being receptive to the Word of God (I Magician). Maya was the receiver of the seed of Siddhartha and carried him to his last earthly reincarnation.

What to take from all this? Does it illustrate a divine partnership between men and women? It certainly reinforces the traditional roles of Male = Active and Female = Receptive. I do not mind this at all, by the way. It is but one aspect of the roles we all play and the purpose we all individually have.

I would see Maya, with my very limited knowledge, as the consummate woman. She is "holy" enough to bear the reincarnation of the Buddha but when you look at this image she also represents a dynamic and earthy sexuality. She blends the spiritual and the physical quite beautifully.

Moongold

Hello Everyone

As you probably know, I am working, as a result of the 'One Deck Wonder' thread, with the 'Buddha Tarot' by Robert M Place.

I have always enjoyed to use my intuition in readings, but unfortunately, with this deck, it is not so easy to do 'just that'. The deck requires some knowledge of it's symbols and also, a little background into Shakyamuni's life, when dealing with the major cards. This is the reason I have started this study here, because I feel research is quite important for the Place deck and working without any other sources may be a little limiting. Of course, intuition plays a large part of any reading, but some grounding in Buddhism and it's 'tools' and 'history' is an asset for working with this pack.

I will mention a funny thing, as a side-line. I have always found it difficult to stay with one tarot deck. Having said that, each time I use a new one, I feel that I will stick with it; a few weeks later, I feel the same about another deck. However, this time, when thinking about other packs, I have little urges to pick up or purchase another. My mind just returns to the 'Buddha Tarot'. In a dream last night, I was standing on a packed railway station (story of my life, at the moment). A young man asked me if I read the tarot and produced a deck from his pocket. I fanned through the deck. It wasn't ugly or one that I recognised, but I knew that it was Italian. Inside of me, I was interested, but couldn't wait to pull my 'Buddha' from my bag to show him. And this is kind of how the Buddha is making me feel. The characters presented within the majors are becoming, with consistant use, like a standard and they fit really well into my understanding of the cards archetypes and ordering. In terms of research, for example, finding out more about Yasodhara, gives me an idea about how the Empress is presented in the deck and allows me to form a more rounded understanding of the card, with her personality in mind. Everytime that I hear the story of Siddhartha's life, I am still fascinated, as if I have heard it for the first time. It is a beautiful story.

So, research here plays a big part. Of course, I don't want research and 'reading of books' to take over and make my readings sterile and lack any kind of feeling or intuitive response. Not in the least. I still want the colours, positions, numbers and general feel of the cards to be paramount - but I want to know the where's and why's of what is going on as well. I think it would be a shame to disregard these details and work with the deck alone. That is something, I imagine, can happen at a later date, when I have connected with what each symbol means, as a grounding.

As well as Place's accompanying 'companion', I am also using 'The Handbook of Tibertan Buddhist Symbols' by Robert Beer (Serindia), which appears quite invaluable for this kind of research - if you are interested in this book, the contents are as follows.

- The Eight Auspicious Symbols
- The Eight Auspicious Substances
- The Five Attributes of Sensory Enjoyment
- The Chakravartin
- Symbolic Emblems and Offerings
- Animals and Mythic creatures
- Cosmological Symbols
- Main Ritual and Tantric Implements
- Weapons
- The Five Magical Weapons of Shri Devi
- Wrathful Atrributes and Offerings
- Hand Emblems and Ritual Attributes
- Plant Attributes
- The Reality-sourse or Dharmodaya
- Tormas and Symbolic Offerings
- Hand Gestures or Mudras

Each section holds weighty descriptions for each, sectioned for easy use. As an example, the sub-contents for 'animals and mythic creatures' (which would be very useful for this deck) comprise -

- The elephant
- The Deer
- The lion and snow-lion
- The tiger
- The Horse and Wind-Horse
- The four aupernatural creatures of the four directions
- The Dragon
- The Naga
- The Garuda
- The Water-monster of Makara
- The Kirtimukha or face of majesty

If anyone would like to join me on this discovery of the Buddha Tarot, you are more than welcome. The way that I see it, any interest or comments can be included in this thread. There is also a thread for daily draws, active in the 'Your Readings' section. Readings, for interpretation could be added there also. Single study for each card in more detail, can be opened singly in the 'Study Group' section.

I know that Fluffy is studying this deck as well, but hope that others may join and show interest. All are welcome.

Best,
LB

LittleBuddha what a lovely introduction to this deck. I am really glad that a study group has begun as I feel this deck just keeps getting deeper, but as you had already mentioned a basic background knowledge of signs and symbols is important.

The book sounds most interesting and will probably go on my christmas list!

I look forward to the first card to be discussed and studied as I have plenty of questions I am sure that those who decide to study it with us will not be disappointed, it really is a very special deck, not soley for those interested in Buddhism.

Love Fluffy

Absolutely Fluffy. I think that the pack can be a little decieving on a first look. You don't have to be Buddhist to read with it, but if you have that interest, then it can definitely aid study. I see it as a beautiful 'story' deck with many great plots and teachings to be digested and used. This is why it is a great deck for a daily draw. I have already reflected on many cards through a daily basis and they have also helped me get through a day, just by the teachings offered - helped me shape what may have been difficult into something to appreciate.

LB

I have just started my notes for the '78 Weeks' study on Asita and the card seemed to have more life than I had thought beforehand. Just to let you know, when I begin this study, I will be posting a lot of my findings about the weekly cards in that thread.

Best, LB

Hi LB

Although I am not doing the 78 weeks of study myself, I will make sure I read it if you are putting further notes there. Does this mean Asita is going to be our first card?

Love Fluffy
x

eventually, I will probably get this deck (it's quite beautiful, and I'm interested in the philosopy and symbolism behind it). So, while I may not actively participate, I'm planning to monitor and occasionally pipe in.

(and yes, LB, a very nice introduction indeed!)