Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime

[Gerard]

Indigenous Australians believe that every person essentially exists eternally in the Dreaming. This eternal part existed before the life of the individual begins, and continues to exist when the life of the individual ends. Both before and after life, it is believed that this spirit-child exists in the Dreaming and is only initiated into life by being born through a mother. The spirit of the child is culturally understood to enter the developing fetus during the fifth month of pregnancy.

 

When the mother felt the child move in the womb for the first time, it was thought that this was the work of the spirit of the land in which the mother then stood. Upon birth, the child is considered to be a special custodian of that part of his country and is taught the stories and songlines of that place.

 

As Wolf states: "A black 'fella' may regard his totem or the place from which his spirit came as his Dreaming. He may also regard tribal law as his Dreaming."

 

It was believed that, before humans, animals, and plants came into being, their 'souls' existed; they knew they would become physical, but not when. When that time came, all but one of the 'souls' became plants or animals, with the last one becoming human and acting as a custodian or guardian to the natural world around them.

 

Traditional Australian indigenous peoples embrace all phenomena and life as part of a vast and complex system-reticulum of relationships* which can be traced directly back to the ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings of The Dreaming.

 

In most stories of the Dreaming, the the Ancestor Spirits came to Gaia in human form and as they moved through the land, they created the animals, plants, rocks and other forms of the land that we know today. They also created the relationships between groups and individuals to the land, the animals and other people.

 

Once the ancestor spirits had created the world, they changed into trees, the stars, rocks, watering holes or other objects. These are the sacred places of Aboriginal culture and have special properties. Because the ancestors did not disappear at the end of the Dreaming, but remained in these sacred sites, the Dreaming is never-ending, linking the past and the present, the people and the land.

 

Our story is in the land ... it is written in those sacred places ... My children will look after those places, That's the law.

 

Bill Neidjie, Kakadu elder.

 

 

It breaks my heart the unnecessary suffering that Indigenous Australians have to experience due the White Europeans invading their land and destroying their spiritual culture and constantly telling them what they can or can't do.

 

I can only say from here:

 

Thanks for letting me be a guest in your land even though I am a European. I deeply respect your culture and wisdom.

 

 

 

 

*Paticcasamuppada (dependent arising in Buddhist philosophy).

Edited November 9, 2010 by Gerard

[Seth Ananda]

Indigenous Australians believe that every person essentially exists eternally in the Dreaming. This eternal part existed before the life of the individual begins, and continues to exist when the life of the individual ends. Both before and after life, it is believed that this spirit-child exists in the Dreaming and is only initiated into life by being born through a mother. The spirit of the child is culturally understood to enter the developing fetus during the fifth month of pregnancy.

 

When the mother felt the child move in the womb for the first time, it was thought that this was the work of the spirit of the land in which the mother then stood. Upon birth, the child is considered to be a special custodian of that part of his country and is taught the stories and songlines of that place.

 

As Wolf states: "A black 'fella' may regard his totem or the place from which his spirit came as his Dreaming. He may also regard tribal law as his Dreaming."

 

It was believed that, before humans, animals, and plants came into being, their 'souls' existed; they knew they would become physical, but not when. When that time came, all but one of the 'souls' became plants or animals, with the last one becoming human and acting as a custodian or guardian to the natural world around them.

 

Traditional Australian indigenous peoples embrace all phenomena and life as part of a vast and complex system-reticulum of relationships* which can be traced directly back to the ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings of The Dreaming.

 

In most stories of the Dreaming, the the Ancestor Spirits came to Gaia in human form and as they moved through the land, they created the animals, plants, rocks and other forms of the land that we know today. They also created the relationships between groups and individuals to the land, the animals and other people.

 

Once the ancestor spirits had created the world, they changed into trees, the stars, rocks, watering holes or other objects. These are the sacred places of Aboriginal culture and have special properties. Because the ancestors did not disappear at the end of the Dreaming, but remained in these sacred sites, the Dreaming is never-ending, linking the past and the present, the people and the land.

 

Our story is in the land ... it is written in those sacred places ... My children will look after those places, That's the law.

 

Bill Neidjie, Kakadu elder.

 

 

It breaks my heart the unnecessary suffering that Indigenous Australians have to experience due the White Europeans invading their land and destroying their spiritual culture and constantly telling them what they can or can't do.

 

I can only say from here:

 

Thanks for letting me be a guest in your land even though I am a European. I deeply respect your culture and wisdom.

 

 

 

 

*Paticcasamuppada (dependent arising in Buddhist philosophy).

Respek!

Yep they have a powerful Inner reality connection that every Aboriginal is part of... I was shocked when I first Intersected with it through a brother. Its so strange to think that reality is part of their every day world.

[Vajrahridaya]

Yeah... seems as if their tradition originates from one of the pre-pre historic Buddhas of deeply ancient history spoken of in less pre-historic Buddhist texts known of today preserved in Tibet.

 

Even their Didgeridoo sounds, sound amazingly similar to Tibetan multi-tone chanting. Uh... hu!!

 

Mad respect dun!!

Edited November 9, 2010 by Vajrahridaya

[goldisheavy]

I always thought that the Australian aborigines had an interesting culture that's worth studying. I never withheld my respect to begin with, so it's kind of an absurd topic.

[Warrior Body Buddha Mind]

I am of Aboriginal descendant, my grandmother was Aboriginal. I grew up in the Aboriginal community of Redfern, im white although I have strong roots to my heritage. I saw an Aboriginal Painting of the Creation of the Universe in so much detail, I wish I could by it and I post it up its unbelievable!

 

 

The TRUE Aboriginal spiritual path is deep!

 

Sifu Garry

[goonis38]

Hi there,

That was beautifully said. I love all native people to what ever land we live on and always try and show respect... It is amazing to talk to them, and they have cool and wonderful things to tell us if we listen, if we only take the time...

 

My Grandma was from the wagon days 1905 here in West Texas and she could just pick something that looked like a weed and boil it and make medicine, her own eye drops a so forth. Never went to the doctor, and lived a long time. She loved to show this x on her leg where a snake bit her and they had to suck the poison out... If we would only listen to these people, we are loosing so much...

 

As far as dreaming... That is a deeper a subject than most people know... I know very little on it. But we dream walk all the time in our sleep, it's just remembering it. We can even met up in our dreams, to cool... Life is an amazing place...

That is an awesome thread... Thanks Melanie

[Vajrahridaya]

 

 

 

The TRUE Aboriginal spiritual path is deep!

 

Sifu Garry

 

No doubt!

[ralis]

Yeah... seems as if their tradition originates from one of the pre-pre historic Buddhas of deeply ancient history spoken of in less pre-historic Buddhist texts known of today preserved in Tibet.

 

 

 

 

 

Huh? What exactly does less prehistoric mean?

[Aetherous]

Yeah... seems as if their tradition originates from one of the pre-pre historic Buddhas of deeply ancient history spoken of in less pre-historic Buddhist texts known of today preserved in Tibet.

 

What makes it seem related to Buddhism at all? Seems just like shamanism to me.

[ralis]

What makes it seem related to Buddhism at all? Seems just like shamanism to me.

 

In his mind the Buddha is responsible for all traditions.

[Stigweard]

I had a beautiful experience with an Aboriginal gent a number of years ago ... name is Waroonga from mid-north coast New South Wales. I was attending a fire-walk and Waroonga was invited to welcome in the sacred space. He did a welcoming chant in his language and circled the pit with a bull-roarer ... goose-bump stuff.

 

Then he joined in with the walk and the old bugger actually danced slowly across the red-hot coals. I followed shortly after and had to hot-trot it across. Much respect!

 

[Marblehead]

Then he joined in with the walk and the old bugger actually danced slowly across the red-hot coals. I followed shortly after and had to hot-trot it across. Much respect!

 

 

Yeah, but remember, those old buggers have walked around barefooted all their life and their feet are very well calloused. You did good just making it through any way you could.

[circlework]

Being a philosophical taoist i can definitely see some strong shared ideas between taoism and aboriginal culture Particularly regarding coming and going to the source / universe. And that a person is part of the land not a separate entity.. I to live in Australia from European background, I think that aboriginal culture is some times disrespected here so badly because it is to so basic, so profound that like the dao that western culture dismisses it due to their own preoccupation with furthering their own ego.

 

any way i think the first verse of the chapter 41 on the tao te ching points out what i am trying to say regarding aboriginal culture in Australia you could probably substitute Tao with aboriginal spirituality if it helps

 

Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - chapter 41

 

The wise man hears of the Tao and practises it diligently.

The average man hears of the Tao and gives it thought now and again.

The foolish man hears of the Tao and laughs aloud.

If there were no laughter, the Tao would not be what it is

 

please dont jump on me saying that the 2 things are the same they are different but from similar perspectives

[Vajrahridaya]

What makes it seem related to Buddhism at all? Seems just like shamanism to me.

 

Some Tibetan Master said it somewhere in some book. I can't remember who or where either.

[Vajrahridaya]

In his mind the Buddha is responsible for all traditions.

 

No, only the really good ones!

[Aetherous]

Some Tibetan Master said it somewhere in some book. I can't remember who or where either.

 

Well, I wasn't saying it in a degrading way to your beliefs. I was really interested to learn about how you saw a connection. So if you remember the book some day, please share it here.

[Vajrahridaya]

Well, I wasn't saying it in a degrading way to your beliefs. I was really interested to learn about how you saw a connection. So if you remember the book some day, please share it here.

 

I know you weren't Scotty. I didn't feel that way at all.

 

According to Buddhist tradition, there were previous Wheel turning Buddhas other than Shakyamuni from 20,000 years ago and 40,000 years ago, so on and so forth. I don't actually remember the exact number of years and I was really just pulling those numbers out of nowhere. But, according to tradition, these Buddhas started a path of Dharma, then when it died or got too polluted, another wheel turning Buddha comes to start an entirely new Buddhist tradition.

 

Someone said that there was one such Buddha in Australia thousands of years ago who taught the Aborigines dependent origination/emptiness. I don't really know if this is true though I thought I'd mention it anyway.

[Gerard]

Edited November 10, 2010 by Gerard

[Vajrahridaya]

Scotty,

 

Tibetan Buddhism is heaviy influenced by its native belief system (Bon) which is shamanistic in nature.

 

Only it's medicine really. It's mostly the other way around that Bon was influenced by North Indian Buddhism when it came into Tibet, though yes, many of the Bon deities were recast as Buddhist deities and many of the dancing ceremonies, ways of dressing and certain other things are new, but the core teachings and practices are exactly the same as they were in North India before it went to Tibet. It's still very much Vajrayana of North India.

 

 

Australian Aboriginals migrated from Indian subcontinent to Australia via SE Asia. Their spiritual beliefs and language of some of their subcultures have a striking similarity with animist prehistoric Tamil Hindu. Regarding language:

 

Perhaps most similar to Australian languages are the Dravidian languages of southern India. Tamil, for example, has five places of articulation in a single series of stops, paralleled by a series of nasals, and no fricatives (thus approaching the Australian proportion of sonorants to obstruents of 70% to 30%). Approaching the question from the opposite direction: according to the latest WHO data on the prevalence of chronic otitis media (Acuin 2004:14ff), Aboriginal Australians have the highest prevalence in the world – 10-54%, according to Coates & al (2002), up to 36% with perforations of the eardrum. They are followed – at some distance – by the Tamil of southern India (7.8%, down from previous estimates of 16-34%), … (quoted from http://www.flinders.edu.au/speechpath/Manly%20final.pdf)

 

Last year I met a beautiful spiritual Tamil lady which was surprised by the similarities between her native language and Australian Aboriginals she met in northern NSW, Australia.

 

Yes, that's interesting... Thanks for that!

Edited November 10, 2010 by Vajrahridaya