\u201cMandarom Shambhasalem, or \u2018Sacred Mountain\u2019, is the Temple of the universal religion, AUMISM. A synthesis of religious traditions and a fusion of unity have been achieved there in a form suited to the new age.\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/a> It is a symbol of religious peace.<\/p>\n \u201cAll human beings must be able to come together in this place of prayer, open to all without distinction.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cReviving the tradition of the monk builders of our Middle Ages, the Knights of the Golden Lotus have built over the years the most fantastic cathedral of modern times, a great open-air golden book in which God is celebrated in the many forms and faces that are part of humanity\u2019s spiritual heritage.\u201d[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n In the south of France, at a bend in the road leading to Lake Castillon, above Castellane, after taking a departmental road that climbs to 1,200 metres, you discover the City of Light, the Holy City of Mandarom Shambhasalem, stretching over several hectares on the mountainside.<\/p>\n It is also a Monastery and the Temple of the Universal Religion, Aumism.<\/p>\n The Holy City was founded in 1969 by His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH.<\/p>\n You have had a brief overview of His initiatic journey, which led Him to found this living museum of all the religions and traditions of the Earth.<\/p>\n Before showing you pictures of the monastery, I will, as mentioned in the previous talk, recall some of the titles and tributes conferred by great Sages on His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH.<\/p>\n The titles of Acharya and Mahacharya (Instructor teaching what he has himself realised) were given to him on several occasions by Hindu and Jain masters. One of them even conferred on him, an unheard-of event for a Westerner, the title of ADINATH (First Master, Great Patriarch), reserved for a few rare realised Beings regarded as Divine Incarnations (AVATARS).<\/p>\n In 1971, the great yogi Shri Yogeshwarananda conferred on Him the title of Shri 108 Maharaja Yoga Acharya.<\/p>\n A renowned yogi, Balyogi Premvarni, bears witness: \u201cAs I feel a very close and very special connection between the Alps and my own home, the Himalayas, I felt very much at ease and happy during my stay here. I was also very pleased to see how Lord Hamsah Manarah has so successfully expressed the synthesis and essence of so many of the world\u2019s religions and traditions in this centre of Light and Wisdom of the Golden Lotus.\u201d[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n His Holiness received the initiation of MILAREPA and was named KARMA TENSING DORJE by HIS HOLINESS THE 16th KARMAPA during his visit to Mandarom on 7 October 1977. This confirmed His affiliation to the Lineage of the Masters of the Lotus (Marpa, Tilopa, Gampopa, Naropa, Milarepa\u2026). In the Tibetan tradition, Tensing means \u201cHe who teaches\u201d. Several great Lamas recognised in Him a MAHASIDDHA, a \u201cperfectly accomplished Being\u201d.<\/p>\n One of the guarantees of a Spiritual Master\u2019s authenticity is his affiliation to a Lineage or initiatic chain within which knowledge has been passed on from master to disciple without interruption. Heir to the main spiritual lineages of East and West, SHRI MAHACHARYA HAMSANANDA SARASVATI ADINATH thus found himself at the crossroads of the traditions of which he is the living synthesis. This unique experience made Him a PURNA YOGI, or complete master, able to initiate in several paths and to guide each person from their own religion of origin, according to their tendencies and aspirations.<\/p>\n Following the example of the Christian Desert Fathers or of great Tibetan yogis such as MILAREPA, on his return to France the Lord settled in an isolated cave in the Vaucluse, where he subjected himself to severe ascetic practices, praying and meditating day and night, with only a worm-eaten plank for a bed\u2026 In this icy place, open to the wind and rain, he lived through the harsh winter of 1962-63, reduced to melting snow to drink and wash\u2026 It was there that he experienced the first higher states of consciousness that yogis call \u201csamadhis\u201d and that are known by other names in other traditions: illumination, fusion in God, satori, nirvana\u2026<\/p>\n His secret wish was to lead permanently a hermit\u2019s life of solitude and silence, but the pressing call of souls thirsting for light obliged him to leave his retreat.<\/p>\n He first founded an Ashram not far from his beloved cave, which soon became too small for the growing number of disciples.<\/p>\n When, accompanied by his most courageous disciples, he settled on this new land at 1,200 metres above Castellane, there was neither road nor electricity. The beginnings were heroic: a large tent bought from an army surplus served at once as temple, dormitory, refectory and workshop. Water had to be fetched from a spring a kilometre away!<\/p>\n But faith moves mountains and, reviving the tradition of the monk builders, the Lord and His Disciples began to build what would become Mandarom.<\/p>\n Over the years they built the largest open-air cathedral, where God is celebrated in His many forms and Faces, which are part of humanity\u2019s spiritual heritage.<\/p>\n MANDAROM means \u201cSacred Mountain\u201d and SHAMBHASALEM \u201cCity of happiness and peace\u201d.<\/p>\n This City is a monastery where monks and nuns live all year round.<\/p>\n This Monastery was founded by His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH in 1969. In 1990 it became the world headquarters of the Aumist religion. Aumism, derived from the sound AUM (OM), the Word of God and Mother of all sounds, has as its only dogma the UNITY OF THE FACES OF GOD, which is why Temples, symbols and Statues of all the different Religions stand side by side in perfect harmony in the monastery.<\/p>\n Let us enter the Temple of the Adi Buddha Maitreya, dedicated to the religion of Buddhism, founded 5 centuries before Jesus Christ by the Buddha Shakyamuni. In this temple, the Statue of the Adi Buddha Maitreya is seated in the Western way rather than cross-legged as in the East, in keeping with the prophecy of the return of the Buddha Maitreya (the reincarnation of the Buddha Shakyamuni) in the West. On the right are the symbol of the Hexamide and the great prayer wheel.<\/p>\n Maria Cosmica is the divine and cosmic mother, the maternal and feminine aspect of God, present in various traditions. In Christianity she is the mother of Christ, Our Lady, the Virgin Mary; in Hinduism the womb of Creation; Tara in Tibetan Buddhism; Kuan Yin in Chinese Buddhism, and so on. She carries the torch of Knowledge, which lights the way, and the shield of protection.<\/p>\n The function of Maria Cosmica within Creation is \u201cto protect the Mission of the Messiah\u2026 to advocate the ideal of unity\u201d. To carry out her ministry, Maria Cosmica is accompanied by the four Archangels of the Throne of God at the four cardinal points of the universe: north, east, south and west. With their weapons, the archangels eliminate evil; with their shields, they protect the good.<\/p>\n The statues of Christ and the Buddha, erected in the same place at Mandarom and facing each other, embody the spirit of tolerance and unity of Aumism. They bear witness to \u201cthe Fusion and the Covenant\u201d that Lord HAMSAH MANARAH brought about between East and West.<\/p>\n The greatest symbol of Unity: the Buddha facing Christ, Christ facing the Buddha.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMore than a technical feat of which the Knights are rightly proud, the giant Buddha and the Cosmic Christ crystallise an ideal: that of the transformation of the human condition, that of the realised Being beyond all sects, schools and religions. For all those who contributed to this extraordinary achievement, it meant both building a sign of love and peace for the world and working on the architecture of their own perfection.\u201d[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe gaze of Christ, fused with that of the Buddha, is the symbol of tolerance and of the coming together of peoples\u2026 the fusion of East and West has been accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n These two statues \u201cmark the union of East and West, through the energies of Love in Strength of the Cosmic Christ and of wisdom in action of the Adi Buddha. They put an end to millennia of divisions, sectarianism and quarrels.\u201d[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Here is the Statue of the Cosmic Christ, whose iconography corresponds to the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians written at the base of the statue: \u201cYour feet shod with zeal, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit and the helmet of salvation.\u201d The Cosmic Christ is also the Christ of the Last Judgement, who separates the wheat from the tares; this is no longer the crucified Christ but the risen and victorious Christ. On Christ\u2019s heart is the green and gold Svastika, a solar symbol several thousand years old that is found, among other places, on Hindu temples. Let us recall the Revelation of Saint John: \u201cIn righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself\u2026 and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Construction of the statue of the Maha Buddha began on 1 March 1981 and was completed on 24 June of the same year. This 22-metre statue, built using sprayed concrete on an iron framework, weighs 700 tonnes; it is an important symbol for Buddhism and here represents the mystical East. The Maha Buddha holds a Vajra in his right hand and a Diamond in his left. Vajra and Diamond symbolise perfection in the East and in the West. In front of him is the wheel of evolution. By its height, the Buddha of the monastery of Mandarom Shambhasalem is the largest in the West and the 4th largest seated Buddha in the world.<\/p>\n During its construction, our Spiritual Master Lord HAMSAH MANARAH fasted for seventy-two days while working on the site.<\/p>\n The Totem represents the natural and animist religions, such as that of the Native Americans or certain African traditions.<\/p>\n The Association of the Triumphant Vajra brings together the Disciples of His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH and runs the Monastery of Mandarom. Its members are the Knights of the Triumphant Vajra. The word \u201cKnight\u201d refers us to the West and the word Vajra to the East. The Vajra, the Eastern symbol of purity and perfection, is depicted on the stele. Here again we find the union of East and West.<\/p>\n The Motto of the Knights is: \u201cLove, forgive, serve, meditate, realise the Divine within oneself.\u201d<\/p>\n The stele also reads: \u201cLove and serve your neighbour, forgive offences, banish slander and jealousy, be humble but strong, become better, be tolerant, be good, work, pray, meditate. Vigilance, spiritual discernment. Your goal: Liberation.\u201d<\/p>\n He is the Buddha of infinite Light and the Creator of the Column of Light, which welcomes the souls of the departed. Made up of six branches, each with 21 planes of consciousness, it is the post-mortem spiritual university where souls must now perfect themselves before reincarnating.<\/p>\n Built in 1990, the statue of the Cosmoplanetary Messiah (33 metres high), one of the fundamental temples of the Aumist religion, symbolises the Unity of religions, the return of the Golden Age and the Unity of the Faces of God. It invites human beings to tolerance. It symbolises religious peace and the end of the atrocious scenes in which, in the Name of God, people kill, torture and massacre.<\/p>\n The Messiah is crowned with a tiara symbolising the UNITY OF THE FACES OF GOD. The Messiah holds a Vajra and the Sceptre of Unity.<\/p>\n On his robe are drawn 5 wheels, symbolising the 4 ages through which humanity passes (corresponding to the Buddhists\u2019 wheel of Karma), the Golden Age, Silver Age, Copper Age and Iron Age, and the Diamond Age revealed by the Messiah. These ages, which are also mental states, are described in other traditions such as Hinduism.<\/p>\n The Messiah revealed the Diamond Age, which is the state of absolute purity and mastery of the mind; the soul leaves the cycle of the four mental phases and becomes a pure ray of God; it incarnates from Age to Age to help all creatures evolve.<\/p>\n The statue of the Cosmoplanetary Messiah was destroyed by the French administration despite the existence of an official building permit.<\/p>\n The intolerant set upon the statue, which had a valid building permit, and had it demolished on 6 September 2001 amid enormous media coverage. From 5 a.m. the demolition teams were on site, backed by 150 armed gendarmes and police officers, who were no doubt afraid of the twenty or so monks and nuns present in the monastery, whose only weapon was prayer! What violence compared with the symbol of Peace that the MESSIAH represents!<\/p>\n It was not until 2006 that the court recognised the existence of a valid permit\u2026 but it refused to reimburse the exorbitant cost of the demolition!<\/p>\n But the message endures. In a small temple, a statue of the Cosmoplanetary Messiah can still be seen by visitors. It continues to remind everyone that one Light of the Eternal cannot be set against another Light of the Eternal.<\/p>\n This 11-metre-high temple was built by the Lord in 1977. \u201cIt symbolises the Order of the Golden Lotus\u2026, the dwelling of the Messiah, and the ideal of Spiritual Liberation and Illumination contained in the symbolism of the lotus flower which, born in the mud, rises through the murky waters to blossom in the sun.\u201d[8]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Other temples are dedicated to the various religions:<\/p>\n To Judaism:<\/strong> the GOLDEN TEMPLE<\/strong>, built in the autumn of 1989 according to the proportions of the famous golden ratio, like the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem; it is dedicated to Lord Melchizedek, king of Justice and Peace.<\/p>\n To Islam:<\/strong> the MOSQUE<\/strong> with 4 minarets, for the Muslim tradition. This 11-metre-high mosque was built in July 1989.<\/p>\n To Hinduism:<\/strong> the TEMPLE OF KALKI<\/strong>, a 15-metre-high column of Fire built in August 1989. It is the symbol of the Fire of Kalki, which purifies and regenerates. Beneath its vault there is an echo of about 15 seconds.<\/p>\n As an extension of these sacred buildings, planetary peace requires the construction of the TEMPLE PYRAMID OF THE UNITY OF THE FACES OF GOD<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The Temple Pyramid, respectful of diversity, will welcome without discrimination, beyond races, classes and religions, all those, believers or atheists, who long to see an era of harmony, fraternity and peace reign in the world. Its role is to contribute to the unity of beliefs, knowledge, peoples and civilisations. Its reconstruction is the guarantee of a better world.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Temple Pyramid of Unity will welcome all those, believers or not, who long to see harmony and fraternity reign in the world. Everyone will be able to meditate in this Temple of Unity, where all religions will be represented.\u201d[9]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n For more than 40 years, the monks living at the monastery and the outside members have taken part in all the masonry, ironwork and painting work for the construction and upkeep of the sacred monuments, thus reviving the tradition of the monk builders. For us, beyond any intellectual conviction, building places of prayer that honour God, His different Faces and His different Messages has been a concrete act of faith rooted in matter, a will to help bring about peace and unity among all the human beings of this Earth.<\/p>\n His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, the Creator, instigator and Founder of this magical and luminous Holy City, brought matter to life through His prayers, and He very often came in person to lend the workers a hand, handling tools and breeze blocks with a master\u2019s skill. He always set an example of courage, determination and perseverance and lovingly encouraged us throughout the years, and we thank Him from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us to be at His side in building this City of Light.<\/p>\n The very existence of this monastery is in itself an extraordinary message of tolerance, fraternity and unity in respect for differences.<\/p>\n It \u201cis a power station of spiritual Energy spreading its prayers over each and every one, beyond the divides of borders, races, peoples and religions\u201d.[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n It initiates the change of mentality that is essential to peace between all men, all peoples and all nations.<\/p>\n *******<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> La Loi d\u2019\u00c9volution des \u00c2mes<\/em>, p. 1.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> La R\u00e9volution du monde des vivants et des morts<\/em>, p. 413.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Les Combats du Messie attendu pour sauver la Terre et la Cr\u00e9ation<\/em>, p. 64.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> P\u00e9riple d\u2019un Yogi et Initi\u00e9 d\u2019Occident<\/em>, p. 151.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Les Combats du Messie attendu pour sauver la Terre et la Cr\u00e9ation<\/em>, pp. 65-66.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> L\u2019Unit\u00e9 des Visages de Dieu<\/em>, pp. 95-97.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Les Combats du Messie attendu pour sauver la Terre et la Cr\u00e9ation<\/em>, p. 82.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Les Combats du Messie attendu pour sauver la Terre et la Cr\u00e9ation<\/em>, p. 64.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> Le Livre des Sacrements de l\u2019Aumisme<\/em>, p. 171.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> Une Loi pour d\u00e9truire le Mal<\/em>, p. 87.<\/p>\nWe will now enter the monastery of Mandarom Shambhasalem<\/h3>\n
THE TEMPLE OF THE ADI BUDDHA MAITREYA<\/strong><\/h4>\n
MARIA COSMICA<\/strong><\/h4>\n
CHRIST AND THE BUDDHA<\/strong><\/h4>\n
THE COSMIC CHRIST<\/strong><\/h4>\n
THE STATUE OF THE MAHA BUDDHA<\/strong><\/h4>\n
THE TOTEM AND THE ELEMENTS OF NATURE<\/strong><\/h4>\n
THE STELE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF THE TRIUMPHANT VAJRA<\/strong><\/h4>\n
THE TEMPLE OF THE ADI BUDDHA MANARAH<\/strong><\/h4>\n
THE STATUE OF THE COSMOPLANETARY MESSIAH<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
THE LOTUS TEMPLE<\/strong><\/h4>\n