The plane of Earth’s orbit projected in all directions forms the reference plane known as the ecliptic. Here, it is shown projected outward (gray) to the celestial sphere, along with Earth’s equator and polar axis(green). The plane of the ecliptic intersects the celestial sphere along a great circle (black), the same circle on which the Sun seems to move as Earth orbits it. The intersections of the ecliptic and the equator on the celestial sphere are the vernal and autumnal equinoxes(red), where the Sun seems to cross the celestial equator.
The Earth in its orbit around the Sun causes the Sun to appear on the celestial sphere moving along the ecliptic (red), which is tilted 23.44° with respect to the celestial equator (blue-white)
As seen from the orbiting Earth, the Sun, appears to move with respect to the fixed stars, and the ecliptic is the yearly path the Sun follows on the celestial sphere. This process repeats itself in a cycle lasting a little over 365 days.
Earth rotating within a relatively small-radius geocentric celestial sphere. Shown here are stars (white), the ecliptic (red, the circumscription of the Sun’s apparent annual track), and the lines of right ascension and circles of declination (cyan) of the equatorial coordinate system.
The twelve ecliptic signs. Each dot marks the start of a sign and they are separated by 30°. The intersection of the celestial equator and the ecliptic define the equinoctial points: First Point of Aries () and First Point of Libra (). The great circle containing the celestial poles and the ecliptic poles (P and P’), intersect the ecliptic at 0° Cancer () and 0° Capricorn (). In this illustration, the Sun is schematically positioned at the start of Aquarius ().
The 12 astrological signs represented by their symbols
Aries
The Ram
Taurus
The Bull
Gemini
The Twins
Cancer
The Crab
Leo
The Lion
Virgo
The Maiden
Libra
The Scales
Scorpio
The Scorpion
Sagittarius
The Archer (Centaur)
Capricorn
The Goat
Aquarius
The Water-bearer
Pisces
The Fish
The zodiac signs in a 16th-century woodcutThe zodiac constellations
Yamantaka, Destroyer of the God of Death. Distemper painting on cloth, early 18th centuryTibet
“I shall not fear.
Fear is the mind killer.
Fear is the little death
That brings obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me
And through me.
And when it is gone past me
I will turn to see fears path.
Where the fear had gone
There will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”
from Dune
by Frank Herbert
“My name is Professor June Bauer, and this semester I will guide you to the threshold of your humanity…”
“The most important tool is respect…
And the reason I know respect is a tool is because it is clearly not a natural thing and we forget to use it all the time. And then we start competing with each other, exploiting each other, humiliating each other and controlling each other. And we lose each other.
And without each other, we’ll go extinct.”
-Jeff Winger (Community: Anthropology 101)
“Uh, we learned that working together is better. Heh, whatever.”
May the footprints I lay, evermore, be found upon the way.
From: Three Principle Aspects Of The Path
by: Jé Tsongkhapa
…
Without a pure determination to be free,
there is no means to achieve peace owing to fixation
on pleasurable effects of the ocean of existence.
Embodied beings are thoroughly bound by craving for existence;
therefore, in the beginning, seek a determination to be free.
…
If this determination to be free is not influenced by a pure mind of enlightenment,
it will not become a cause for unsurpassable enlightenment,
the perfect bliss;
therefore the intelligent should generate a mind of enlightenment.
…
Without the wisdom realizing the ultimate nature of existence,
even though you familiarize yourself with the determination to be free and the mind of enlightenment,
the root of cyclic existence cannot be cut;
therefore make an effort to realize dependent arising.
…
When you have realized the essentials
Of the three principle aspects of the path,
accordingly, seek solitude and generate the power of effort,
and quickly actualize your ultimate purpose.
From: A Lamp For The Path To Enlightenment
by: Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana
…
5. Those who, through the personal suffering,
truly want to end completely
all the suffering of others
are persons of supreme capacity.
…
9. With strong faith in the Three Jewels,
kneeling with one knee on the ground
and your hands pressed together,
first of all take refuge three times.
10. Next, beginning with an attitude
of love for all living creatures,
consider beings, excluding none,
suffering in the three bad rebirths,
suffering birth, death and so forth.
11. Then, since you want to free these beings from the suffering of pain,
from suffering and the cause of suffering,
arouse immutably to resolve
to attain enlightenment.
…
18. Having developed the aspiration for enlightenment,
constantly enhance it through concerted effort.
To remember it in this and also other lives,
keep the precepts properly explained.
…
Vow of active altruistic intent
26. “In the presence of the protectors,
I arouse the intention to gain full enlightenment.
I invite all beings as my guests
and shall free them from cyclic existence.
27. “From this moment onwards
until I attain enlightenment,
I shall not harbor harmful thoughts,
anger, avarice or envy.
28. “I shall cultivate pure conduct,
give up wrong-doing and desire
and with joy in the vow of discipline
train myself to follow the buddhas.
29. “I shall not be eager to reach
enlightenment in the quickest way,
but shall stay behind till the very end,
for the sake of a single being.
30. “I shall purify limitless
inconceivable lands
and remain in the ten directions
for all those who call my name.
31. “I shall purify all my bodily
and verbal form activity.
My mental activities too, I shall purify
and do nothing that is non-virtuous.”
…
Wisdom and skillful means
38. Without the attainment of calm abiding,
higher perceptions will not occur.
Therefore make repeated effort
to accomplish calm abiding.
…
42. To eliminate all obstructions
to liberation and omniscience,
the practitioner should continually cultivate
the perfection of wisdom and skillful means.
…
45. Apart from the perfection of wisdom,
all virtuous practices such as the perfection of giving are described
as skillful means by the Victorious Ones.
…
47. Understanding emptiness of inherent existence
through realizing the aggregates, constituents
and sources are not produced
is described as wisdom.
…
50. Moreover, when all phenomena are examined
as to whether they are one or many,
they are not seen to exist by way of their own entity,
and thus are ascertained as not inherently existent.
…
55. The nature of this worldly existence,
which has come from conceptualization
is conceptuality.
Thus the elimination of conceptuality
is the highest state of nirvana.
…
58. Having ascertained through scripture
and through reasoning that phenomena
are not produced nor inherently existent,
meditate without conceptuality.
lam rim: (Tibetan) literally meaning “the gradual path” or “the stages of the path,” used to refer to both the graduated path to enlightenment and also the text which outline such a systematic path.
Traditional Latin transliteration of Greek letters.
Α α Alpha A a
Β β Beta B b
Γ γ Gamma G g
Δ δ Delta D d
Ε ε Epsilon E e
Ζ ζ Zeta Z z
Η η Eta Ē ē
Θ θ Theta Th th
Ι ι Iota I i
Κ κ Kappa C c, K k
Λ λ Lambda L l
Μ μ Mu M m
Ν ν Nu N n
Ξ ξ Xi X x
Ο ο Omicron O o
Π π Pi P p
Ρ ρ Rho R r, Rh rh
Σ σ/ς Sigma S s
Τ τ Tau T t
Υ υ Upsilon Y y, U u
Φ φ Phi Ph ph
Χ χ Chi Ch ch, Kh kh
Ψ ψ Psi Ps ps
Ω ω Omega Ō ō
Vowel combinations:
(αι, οι, ει, ου⟩ as ⟨ai, oi, ei, ou⟩
) and First Point of Libra (
). The great circle containing the celestial poles and the ecliptic poles (P and P’), intersect the ecliptic at 0° Cancer (
) and 0° Capricorn (
). In this illustration, the Sun is schematically positioned at the start of Aquarius (
).
