SYMBOLS IN A BUDDHIST TEMPLE

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Near the Regional Garden in Gyeongju, the old capital of Korea, there is a Buddhist temple decked with statues of Buddha and symbols. My attention was drawn to two footprints with enigmatic figures.

A plump monk in his seventies stood in the yard of the temple. I motioned him to come closer. He was very kind, cheerful, and satisfied my curiosity.

He said, “While traveling to India, I stumbled upon these footprints and took the cast. Then, I reproduced them in the yard of this temple.”

“Could you tell me the meaning of the symbols carved on the feet?” I asked.

He replied: “Fish never close their eyes. It denotes how important alertness and mindfulness is; the wheel represents the cycle of life: birth, life, death, and rebirth; the lotus flower thrives in muddy and stagnant water, however it doesn’t merge with the mud. This means that although we live a worldly life, we shouldn’t merge with worldliness, but we should be free to follow our own spiritual path. As for the other symbols, open you heart, and then you’ll understand the meaning.”

I left the temple, shaking hands with the monk. Once again, by traveling, I have learned something new!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

SYMBOLS IN BUDDHIST TEMPLES AND IN SICILY

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Along the street that leads to Duryu Park, in Daegu, Korea, a beautiful Buddhist temple shows these symbols: the ‘Swastika’; the ‘Three Buddhas’; the ‘Laughing Buddha’.

The swastika is a very ancient symbol. It can be found all over the world since time immemorial. If you have the chance to come to Sicily, go and visit the Villa Romana del Casale, in Piazza Armerina, dating back to almost two thousand years ago. Looking closely at the mosaics that depict scenes from Greek myths, you will see a swastika. It was considered a symbol of good luck. Hitler made from it the flag of his regime, but he rotated the swastika a bit. Apparently, the rotation of the symbol didn’t bring him good luck.

The ‘Three Buddhas’ symbolize the proper attitude toward evil. You should neither listen, nor speak, nor hear anything that is bad.

Finally, the ‘Laughing Buddha’ means not to be too serious in life and to avoid extremes. To live well, just laugh and be grateful for life. It is a way to get enlightenment!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE MEANING OF THE TRISKELION

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The triskelion is the traditional symbol of Sicily. It appears on the yellow red flag of Sicily, which shows a woman’s face surrounded by snakes, two little wings, three wheat ears, and three legs in rotating motion.

What is the meaning of such an enigmatic symbol? Before giving an explanation, a brief introduction on symbols is needed.

The term, symbol comes from the Greek word sunbolon, which means put together. In ancient times, the sunbolon was an identifying token. It was an object split into two halves. Only the person who possessed one half of the symbol was allowed to join the group or the tribe that had the other half. These days, the symbol has lost its original function; now, it is considered a veiled truth. Symbols are not the creation of the human mind but predate it. You can find the same symbol in very ancient populations of different continents, like the pyramid, the cross, the spiral, etc.

It is not possible to understand a symbol only with your intellect. A feeling is also needed.

That said, I will try to explain the symbol of Sicily with my mind and heart.

The triskelion is a religious symbol.

The image in the center depicts the face of a goddess or rather of the goddess mother (we cannot infer just from the snakes on her head that it is Medusa’s face).

The small wings symbolize the passing of time and the frailty of human life.

The snakes around her face mean wisdom. Since time immemorial, this reptile has symbolized knowledge.

The three legs in rotatory direction indicate a spiral, a very ancient widespread symbol that conveys the idea of the eternal becoming, and the never-ending cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

The wheat ears on the flag of Sicily don’t belong to the original triskelion. They have been added later to indicate the fertility of Sicily.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF THE ENNEAGRAM OF LIBERATION

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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The Enneagram of Liberation by Eli Jaxon-Bear is the first book I have read in English. I read it fifteen years ago. I bought it at a satsang held by Eli Jaxon-Bear in the small town of Kisslegg in Germany.
It took some time for me to read it, because English is not my mother tongue and I didn’t even study English at school. Actually, I am self-taught in English.
Starting from The Enneagram of Liberation, I have been reading more and more books in English, and now I am an author of books written in English.
As for Eli Jaxon-Bear’s The Enneagram of Liberation, I still remember its content, even though fifteen years have gone by since I met Eli. He tried to simplify and make it easy to understand the enneagram which is an old symbol representing nine types of human characters.
Before describing the psychological types of the enneagram, the author analyzes the structure of the Ego which consists of three elements: personality, character, and essence. Personality and character can change in the course of life, but the essence doesn’t change.
It is an interesting book to know ourselves more in order to break our old patterns.
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS UNRIDDLED

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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The author of The Gospel of Thomas Unriddled is anonymous. It might be a woman or a man. Whoever it is, it is certain that the author knows the Holy Scriptures very well, not only the Gospel of Thomas. In fact, each of the one hundred and fourteen sayings of Thomas’s Gospel contains precise references to the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
In my opinion Thomas’s Gospel was not considered canonical by the Catholic Church, because it was not easy to understand it. Using simple words, the author makes it easy to understand what looks difficult at first glance.
As for me, after reading this book I had the confirmation that many passages of the Bible are veiled by symbols. By understanding the symbols we can unveil the deep meaning of the Scriptures.
Many sayings of the Gospel of Thomas symbolize the duality between the individual higher self and the individual lower self. I think that not only Thomas’s Gospel, but also the other canonical Gospels suggest the existence of two selves inside human beings. The purpose of religion is to elevate the individual spiritual self.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

LET’S TALK ABOUT SYMBOLS

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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The term, symbol comes from the Greek word sunbolon, which means put together. In ancient times, the sunbolon was an identifying token. It was an object split into two halves. Only the individual who possessed one half of the symbol was allowed to join the group or the tribe that held the other half. These days, the symbol has lost its original function; now, it is just considered as a veiled truth. Esoteric secrets are veiled, but understanding the symbol makes it possible to remove the veil and know the truth. Through the symbol, we can make a synthesis between different levels of existence, spirit and matter, sky and earth, cause and effect, part and whole. The sky is the most widespread symbol in humanity. All religions associate the sky with supernatural. Through the symbol the different parts become one. Symbols are not the creation of the human mind but predate it. You can find the same symbols in different parts of the earth, in populations very far from each other. For instance, the swastika is one of the most ancient and widespread symbols. Hitler borrowed it from ancient cultures. The swastika existed in India, Rome, America, and many countries since time immemorial. It was considered a bearer of good luck, peace, and well-being. Not everybody can easily understand symbols; this faculty belongs to mystics, initiates, and heroes.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
– Travels of the Mind
http://www.ettoregrillocom.wordpress.com
http://www.ettoregrillo.wordpress.com

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo