Mongol and Din
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I'd rather tell you what Crowley thought and we might go from there:
@Aleister Crowley from The Law is for All said
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"the Indian": The religion of Hindustan, metaphysically and mystically comprehensive enough to assure itself the possession of much truth, is in practice almost as superstitious and false as Christianity, a faith of slaves, liars and dastards. The same remarks apply roughly to Buddhism."Mongol": presumably the reference is to Confucianism, whose metaphysical and ethical flawlessness has not saved its adherents from losing those ruder virtues which are proper to a Fighting Animal, and thus yielding at last a civilization coeval with history itself to the barbarous tribes of Europe.
"Din" - "severity" or "judgment" - may refer to the Jewish Law, rather than the Faith (al-din) of Islam. Assuming this, the six religions whose flesh must be torn out cover the whole globe outside Islam and Christianity.
Why assault their flesh rather than their eyes, as in the other cases? Because the metaphysics, or point of view, is correct - I take Judaism as Qabalistic - but the practice imperfect.
"As you can see, Crowley posits that the names used in III:53 are names of religions or "metaphysical" rules - not the arbitrary dividing lines of man's use of land contracts.
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I think you're taking the phrase "Mongol and Din" out of context. If you put it in context, and assume that what you think "Mongol and Din" means prophetically applies equally to at least the whole verse, then I would assume something similar must happen with the "Indian and Buddhist".
But, honestly, I'm not much for prophetic political, externalized interpretations of the Book of the Law. It might have some value, but growing up in a prophecy-obsessed Christian doomsday cult, I can see what can easily happen.
Besides, I look at the whole passage, and it really appears to be about getting rid of old belief systems (to me):
"49. I am in a secret fourfold word, the blasphemy against all gods of men.
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Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!
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With my Hawk's head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross.
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I flap my wings in the face of Mohammed & blind him.
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With my claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist, Mongol and Din.
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Bahlasti! Ompehda! I spit on your crapulous creeds."
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Thanks for posting that, Takamba.
Crowley's explanation was sort of what I'm critiquing - from my personal understanding, the terms Mongol and Din do not seem to refer to Confucianism and Judaism. Mongols were hostile to things Chinese, and I've only really heard Din used in an Islamic naming context (muhajidin, Saladin, Nasruddin..). In Judaism, I've only heard Beit Din. Of course, we should all have our own views on Liber AL, based on our own awareness.
Binyamin, if we go with my idea, definitely India and Buddhist nations were affected by much warfare and colonialism in the early 20th century as well. But you are quite right that it is about getting rid of old things. (Also, I guess, harmonizing them because there are 6 of them, after all.) I like to pick things apart, though, since it is fun.
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@Avshalom Binyamin said
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@Lykathea said
"In Judaism, I've only heard Beit Din. "It's also an alternate name for the Sephirah, Gevurah.
"The two are the same: Din (Diyn) means "justice," and is the highest of the three names of Geburah. The Beyt Diyn is, literally, "house of justice."
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Right, thanks.
He obviously knew the Islamic use of the word Din, but went with Judaism for this one, since Mohammed had already been mentioned in a prior verse.
It seems to me that he's implying that Din--judgment--could refer to the legalistic approach of rabbinical Judaism.
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@Lykathea said
"Of course, we all use various interpretations - but since Indian and Mongol are not religions, I often had my doubts about the Din = Judaism concept. After all, it was Aiwass who wrote Liber AL
"Nothing major but it was Nuit, Hadit, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit who "wrote" the book, it was Aiwass who spoke it in English for Crowley's ears.
As to the idea of having infinite interpretations; I don't buy that. "If a word can meaning anything you want, it means nothing at all." - my 9th grade English teacher. There's a difference between the word "meaning" and the word "meaning." Choose ye well.
Meaning = definition?
Meaning = value?Let the book mean to you what it needs to mean to you. As I have learned reading Crowley, don't let yourself get stuck on a meaning as the meanings will change in time.
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"As to the idea of having infinite interpretations; I don't buy that. "If a word can meaning anything you want, it means nothing at all." - my 9th grade English teacher. There's a difference between the word "meaning" and the word "meaning." Choose ye well.
Meaning = definition?
Meaning = value?Let the book mean to you what it needs to mean to you. As I have learned reading Crowley, don't let yourself get stuck on a meaning as the meanings will change in time."
Not to get OT,
Thank you for sharing that.
My nine year old daughter has been asking a lot of big questions this week, and hit me up with the classic** What is the meaning of life **.I struggled to find the words to share with her that what my life means to me, is going to be different then what her life means to her, but that over all life itself has it's own value.
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@Veronica said
"My nine year old daughter has been asking a lot of big questions this week, and hit me up with the classic** What is the meaning of life **."
It's a Monty Python film, right?
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@Jim Eshelman said
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@Veronica said
"My nine year old daughter has been asking a lot of big questions this week, and hit me up with the classic** What is the meaning of life **."It's a Monty Python film, right?"
Too funny,
Giggling MAO because that is exactly the movie I played that night for Telly time!
I taught my parrot the chorus for Brightside of Life.
I love those guys...