Sensei of Shambala - Sensei of Shambala. Book IV

They were surprised that people of this culture were able to build cities-megapolises, melt metal, had a unique technology of ceramics manufacture and in general they lived comfortably and prosperously. It was a quite friendly, quiet, non-aggressive people. And it’s still a big puzzle for agcheologists till now its unusual ideology shown even in such details as nicely decorated earthenware crockery and terracotta statuettes. It’s a mystery for them that this people expressed words in its art by symbols including those which became later very important for cultures of ancient China, India, Egypt located far from that place. These were signs of ‘Yin-Yan’, swastika, world tree, unusual ‘striped’ pictures which became typical later for ancient Egyptians as elements of the dress. But the most interesting thing wasn’t yet ‘discovered’ by modern archeologists. This people raised not just ‘burial mounds-sanctuaries’. This people knew about pyramidal structures and spiritual practices connected with them. And it not only knew but also raised such ‘pyramids’ in certain places in conformity with certain star disposition. And similar ‘structures’ exist till now.”

“Really?” Kostya was surprised together with us. “Does it mean that these pyramids are not found yet?! But why?”

“As usual, because there is either no good chance or information. But as they say, there is time for everything… So, as far as places concerned which were visied by Osiris. Not by occasion the ancient name of Volga river is Ra. And not by occasion such an untypical for those places plant as lotus flower was brought there. And surely not for appearance the so called today ‘Altai princesses’, and in fact ‘virgins of Knowledge’ made themselves special tatoos from symbols in ancient times. All of that has the same roots of origin of this knowledge. So, the one who wishes will get knowledge…” Sensei looked attentively at curious faces of the guys and continued his story. “So, Boddhisattvas, when among people, not only took care of people like about babies in the cradle but it was natural that they communicated with representatives of other civilizations… And there is nothing extraordinary in it. In principle the humankind has a chance to develop to such a level during the next hundred years that it can freely visit other worlds. And at those times this communication between Boddhisattvas and representatives of other worlds were normal. And it’s quite natural because however developed is the material civilization it will strive to communication with more developed creatures, particularly when, as I have already said, Boddhisattvas were for quite a long time present among people that time.”

“Was it something like a unique chance for representatives of other worlds to cognize more than they know?” Victor made a conclusion.

“Right you are,” Sensei nodded. “That’s why the presence of that cosmodrome not far from Egypt, on the territory of modern Libya, it’s preserved by the way till now…”

“Cosmodrome?!” we asked almost unaminously.

“Yes,” shrugging shoulders Sensei calmly replied to our general surprise. “Now it is called by scientists as ‘Baalbek verandah’. It’s a huge platform built from gigantic blocks, each of them weighs 360 tons, with special holes on each side of the platform. Archeologists still rack their brains over its destination. Though unlike world-views of people from previous epochs they started at least to guess that it looks like a cosmodrome,” Sensei grinned. “Their naivety is striking! They look for traces of soot from spaceship’s fuel and mean by fuel the one with its components which is known nowadays.” Sensei stated with surprise. “What tanks should one have with such fuel in order to go to, for example, Sirius and to come back?! They are so ridiculous, they look for traces of combustive-lubricating stuff and even don’t assume that there are a lot of other sources of alternative energy which are more economical and environmenally safe.Well, as they say, everybody relies on information available to him.”

Apart from ‘Baalbek verandah’ there were other cosmodromes which didn’t require such a big landing place. There was a region in the immediate bottom of the Nile ‘flower’ for such spaceships. It’s natural that this intensive traffic was noticed by people that’s why quite curious ancient legends about that time were preserved in the memory of generations.

“Which legends, for example?” Nikolai Andreevich asked.

“For example, the legends about ancient city of Khem which was later called as Letopolis by Greeks. It was situated near the ‘bottom of flower’, on the Western coast of Rosette arm of the Nile. There are some legends that in antiquity it was called a ’city of thunderbolt’ and according to religious sources Khem is known as a ‘road sign that shows a way for Osiris to the sky’. They considered this city an earthly reflection of Sirius. It was connected with one of ancient names of god Horus. As you remember, his was depicted as a winged disc, and a falcon, and a man with falcon’s head.

“Or here is another city which was situated not far from Khem (almost on the same geographical latitude) at the ‘bottom of the flower’ and known in antiquity as Iunu (as you remember, it’s Bible’s On, or in Greek version Heliopolis, that is the ‘city of Sun’). There is also a legend about a sacred hill in Iunu where the Sun rose for the first. Then the sacred column was erected on that place in memory of past, later it was replaced by not less sacred relic from ancient times, the Ben-Ben stone shaped as rounded cone (later it was transformed in legends into the Greek work ‘pyramidon’.).

The ancients ascribe this stone to extraterrestrial origin. In the opinion of people it is considered ‘lost long time ago’. It was depicted in sacred signs together with Phoenix bird which was sitting on it. At first sight all these stories seem to be just a fairy-tale. Most of all modern scientist may assume that the ancients invented a story and took the ordinary aerolite for a ‘sacred stone’ which fell from the sky. Even if they will investigate the root ‘ben’ and will know that it means ‘seed’, ‘insemination’ and will connect it with the legend about Phoenix which flies to people from time to time from the East and bears a new cycle. In the best case they will attribute it all to religious primitive connected with the cult of fertility and will be satisfied with that. But in fact it’s all not so simple…”

Sensei looked at the position of the sun on the sky and made a suggestion, “Let’s… make a break. It’s time to swim, don’t you mind, guys?”

“It’s high time,” Nikolai Andreevich agreed with him and glanced over our company, “since everybody became ruddy like a cake.”

“Well, it’s always like that, you interrupt on the most interesting place!” groaning Eugene started to stand up together with other guys. “By the way, you said something about cakes… Do we have something good to eat?!”

Since Eugene addressed this question to Tatyana, she answered merrily, “We’ll find!”

* * *

We decided first to swim. Though nobody actually swam earnestly. We just plunged a few times because the water seemed too cold after our long sitting under sun. As soon as me and Tatyana entered the water, we immediately jumped out of it and went to the tent with fool. Nobody wanted to spend too much time for cooking a lunch that’s why we prepared quickly sandwiches for all. Meanwhile by initiative of Nikolai Andreevich the guys made our beach more cosy by stretching a big tent over our beach towels in order to protect all of us from direct burnings sun beams and to provide more comfort for our further rest. They have done it quite well. The blowing light breeze seemed to me in the tent’s shaddow to be even more ‘refreshing’. We arranged an improvised table with sandwiches and mineral water on the beach towels. After all of us have well stuffed ourselves Sensei continued his fascinating story. This time I ’equiped’ myself with a note-book with a pen and began to record Sensei’s story in details.

“So, as far as Imhotep concerned,” Sensei began to tell. “This man used skillfully and praiseworthly the knowledge revealed to him by the Sokrovennik. Soon due to his tireless work Imhotep became famous among people as a skillful doctor and was invited to the court of the pharaoh who is known today in history under the name of Djoser (though his name sounded in Ancient Egypt differently), the king of the third dynasty who founded his capital in the city of Memphis. To put it more precise, at those days this city was called by Egyptians also differently, ‘Khet-Ka-Ptah’, which meant ‘chamber of the soul of god Ptah’ (or the ‘palace of the soul of god Ptah’) since god-craftsman Ptah was believed to be a supreme god of this city. And before that it was simply called a ‘city with white walls’. Memphis is already a Greek interpretation of the more ancient Egypt name of this city ‘Menepher’ (‘Good haven’). If you look at modern map and this city was situated not far from modern Cairo in the strategically important location of the Nile delta. Now there are only ruins left from this city, they are buried under a thick sand layer. By the way, in the Old Testament this city was named as Nof.

“Imhotep showed himself not only just as an outstanding doctor but also a wise man who knew well natural sciences (today these sciences are known as astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, physics, geometry) and as it turned out later who had a talent of speaker and excellent organizer. Soon the pharaoh Djoser appointed his to the position of his chief clerk, the first high official in the state after the pharaoh, someone like vizier or present prime-minister in Western countries. It was at all an extraordinary case at those times since this position was taken by people from hereditary aristocracy. Imhotep was an ordinary man by birth and reached this position, as they say, owing to his intellect and hard work.”

“Aha, owing to the knowledge given to him by the Sokrovennik,” Andrew said.

“Right but one thing is to get knowledge. Another one is to use it properly,” Sensei remarked. “For you to better estimate what this Human managed to do for people I will tell you briefly about the situation which was typical under the rule of pharaoh Djoser before Imhotep appeared among high authorities.

“The head of the state was worried about strengthening of his power. He tried to reinforce his position on the North and waged a war on the Southern border. He controlled copper mines on the Sinai half-isle which belonged to his predecessors in power. By and large he was more busy with solving his ‘strategic’ problems than needs of his people. His suite followed him.

“The priests were engaged in their political intrigues and confrontation among them fighting for domination of their theological system. Since that time each ‘sep’, or how Greeks named it later, ‘nome’ (in our words, regions into which the country was divided) had its own gods, its own religious concepts based, one should say, on the same more ancient knowledge. However, gods of that nome where the capital was located at that moment were announced as central gods of the whole country. But all influential priests claiming for big power wanted to live very well. That’s why each of them played his tricks in fight for power. For example, if the doctrine of competitive religious concept influenced more on the world view of people priests even added not only main statements of this concept to their systme but also the very attributes of the ‘competitive’ god to their ‘own’.”

“Well, though priests were in power, nevertheless they paid much attention to the world view of ordinary people,” Nikolai Andreevich remarked.

“Of course. And it may sound for you as a paradox but they depended on the world view of ordinary people! Since it’s bread of priests! They support only external illusion of their power that any religious position of their believers depends on the general decision of the ruling authorities of this religion. But in fact it’s only a small group of people who are afraid of losing their power if the majority of people will change their world view. Since together with this power they will lose their significance as ‘intermediaries’ between gods and people and therefore not only the political influence but also quite comfortable and prosperous existance which is provided to them by this power.”

“That’s true,” Nikolai Andreevich confirmed.

“So, at those times religion was more politics and it was profitable for priests to keep their flock obedient… Thus, the very nomes were ruled by governors appointed by the pharaoh, they were provincial aristocrats who have been spending their time mostly in idleness. And if they needed for some issues to get a support of the people they obtained loyalty as usual with the help of priests. Some of the governors of the nomes were relatives of the pharaoh because there was a custom among monarchs to take wives from daughters of nome governors or to conclude marriages between them and their children.”

“I see,” Nikolai Andreevich grinned. “It seems to be a quite actual modern ‘custom’.”

Sensei just smiled and went on telling. “However these political marriages brought to a provincial aristocracy not always a long waited connection with the ruling house. Sometimes it turned to an uncompromising enmity and competition. And when a pharaoh got a few off-springs from different wives, who were candidates for the throne, it could lead to plots and counter-plots with secret support of this process by several priests and interested aristocrats who in their turn also dreamt to advance their son or close relative to the nome governors.”

On hearing the last words Nikolai Andreevich laughed even more, “But really nothing has changed indeed!”

“In general almost everybody, starting from pharaoh, high ranked priests, aristocrats, nome governors and ending collectors of natural tributes were occupied with an actual problem, where to steal something, to capture more, to broaden the sphere of his influence. Whereas ordinary people were mostly deprived attention of authorities and were left by its own, as they say, they survivied as they could. The commercial activity of the country was controlled by big cities, or to be more precise by those who controlled them. Even Memphis which was an important handicraft and trade centre of the state with big multinational population lived by its own. Simply saying, everything was as usual. Everybody was occupied by his problems, some had nothing for a soup, others complained about small pearls.”

“Therefore Imhotep got ‘hereditary’ from his forerunner not the best situation in the country. Moreover as a man of Knowledge he understood reasons of what was happening around. He was aware that the main Egypt’s trade routes were secretly controlled by people of the Archons and that they profited by such a situation in the country and by concern of people with their own problems. Knowing that Imhotep acted in a very wise way.

Practically for the short period of time he put the country in order. First of all he dismissed people of the Archons and replaced them with responsible people whom he trusted and who knew well their work. He reorganized bureaucracy and forced clerks to work. He established severe discipline among them: any theft, deceit, bribery, mercenary use of position were stopped and strictly punished. He made the pharaoh the protector of all people, grown-ups and young. Due to Imhotep they introduced fair laws which were strictly kept. Anyone in this state even if it were a poor commoner who was treated unjustly had a right not only to complain about his offender even he was a high and mighty but, to say in our language, to sue him and to win the case. Imhotep organized groups which checked quite quickly and effectively complaints from population. And if these complaints were justified, the guilty person was punished immediately. That’s why common people began to name Imhotep as ‘Kind friend of poor people’, ‘Enemy for all law-breakers and genuine Truth-seeker’, ‘Wiseman who gives valuable advices without any reward’, ‘The one who is respected by the most esteemed men’. Later they began to attribute these people’s epithet to pharaohs of next dynasties.”

“At the same time Imhotep brought to order the irrigation system. He put responsible and professional people at the head of works on canal building and solved in short time one of the main problems for Egyptians, the problem which was a heave burden on the ‘shoulders’ of the pharaoh and namely distribution and use of water both for everyday and agricultural needs. Since in the hot dry climat e of Egypt where the average annual temperature of air is about thirty five degree, the lack of water provoked hunger and national troubles. The irrigation system existed also before but it was in bad state. However after bringing it to order the result was not only improvement of conditions of life of common people but also significant growth of the crop. It led to excess of the grains which attracted merchants from other countries and to additional income. The pharaoh’s treasury began to get replenished quickly (it was already in peaceful time, without wars!).

“Due to initiative and care of Imhotep they started to open schools everywhere, the so called ‘Houses of life’, “Houses of Wisdom’, and knowledge became available not only to priviledged minority. First Imhotep organized special schools at pharaoh’s court where he taught personally together with his assistants gifted young people (usually it were children of clerks) those professions which were at that moment quite necessary for the state for putting it in order, it were clerks, accountants, organizers fo different works. They were taught to read, to calculate, to write and other sciences and skills necessary for their profession… By the way, they wrote hieroglyphs on earthenwary crocks, leather, pieces of limestone. But it was Imhotep who introduced specially processed stems of marsh plant papirus which grew abundantly on the banks of the Nile as a writing material.

“This time and money investment into education of talanted young people justified itself so much that Imhotep managed soon to achieve general opening of such schools in temples where they started to prepare future clerks, lawyers, doctors. And what is most remarkable is that they began to select there also talanted gifted children of common people. And later they opened schools in some state organizations where gifted children (even from poor families) were prepared to the concrete profession chosen in advance by the pupils themselves, for example, profession of sculptor, merchants, bricklayer etc.

“And the more gifted and talented was the young man, the more he was initiated into more profound sciences. Imhotep did so that the youth was itself interested in obtaining solid and high-quality fundament of knowledge. Why? Because the more talented, professional and gifted was the man, the more opened the state career opportunities before him and it improved his life conditions. The most revolutionary was that it didn’t matter to which family a person belonged (a poor or a rich one) since his abilities and high morality were valued most of all. Finally the result of such policy was that people were given a real opportunity to show their better qualities and abilities. For example even an ordinary clerk who had high morality and professional as well as organizational skills had a chance to become a governor of a city (like a royal governor) and even of a nome, that means to join the privileged class. Briefly saying, he was able to realize himself as a Personality, due to his talent.

Do you understand what has happened?! They began to intensively advance talented people, starting from highest layers of power and ending with the lowest, starting from management structures of the state and ending with science, education, medicine and art. It became a fashion to have moral principles, to be polite, clever, educated, to set high goals. And why? Because the state began to actively stimulate moral and intellectual achievements of its citizens.

But Imhotep went even further. Not only that he awoke people’s interest in raising their professionalism, he also increased their significance before other people. He made almost every profession honourable and thus made people respect themselves and their labour, irregardless to which stage of social scale of ranks and to which class they belonged. It improved first of all the culture of communication between people due to it. All layers of society began to keep strict discipline, to respect law and order. Imhotep organized such conditions that people became to be more concerned with improvement of moral and quality of their work. As a result everyone was busy with work for the benefit of the state, starting from the pharaoh who has been dealing with public affairs during the whole day… By the way, it was namely Imhotep who convinced him to stop any wars, since as Imhotep used to say, ‘words are stronger than weapons… Even every prince received his concrete state position in the system of state employment elaborated by Imhotep, and he had to effectively fullfil his duties. Since the pharaoh declared (after he got a hint with this idea from Imhotep) that only the worthy heir will take his place. And it stimulated in its turn the wives of the pharaoh to actively help their sons in public affairs so that it were their sons who would become worthy of enthronement. Thus the state only benefited from the public affairs and everyday employment of the pharaoh’s wives. Since as it is known, lazy mind is a workshop of devil. But this way intrigues and plots were replaced with business efficiency and healthy competition.

“So, everyone was busy, starting from the pharaoh and ending with common people. And there was no place anymore in that country for idlers, lazybones, bribe-takers and thieves since the conditions for their flourishing disappeared and the very society rejected them. It led to the epoche of rushing progress as a result of such wise Imhotep’s policy for people.

“But the most unprecedental thing was that ideology which was formed in the society. Whereas unlike all earlier mentioned merits Imhotep even wasn’t specially occupied with its broad implementation for the masses. He was only the man whose example people wanted to follow: he lived simply, talked wisely and acted fairly and humanly. That’s why he and his world-view became so popular among people.

“Namely due to Imhotep’s popularity and fame his image became an ideal for ancient Egyptians, that is a man who doesn’t speak too much, who is wise and resistant to hardships and strikes of destiny, with humanic views, deeply human, with absolute belief in after-death existence of the soul. Many people from the following generation (not to mention those who lived in his time) were brought up with the following popular Imhotep’s proverbs and sayings:

“It’s better to be poor and to live in a desert but with a lotus in the soul than to be rich and to live among people but with emptiness in the soul”;

“There is no use in freedom for a man if he is blind to his soul”;

“Merits are measured by deeds performed by you”;

“During the time of a trial don’t look for friends and don’t blame enemies but set hopes upon God”;

“Only that man misses slavery who strives to dethrone a king who gave him freedom”;

“Only that man flourishes who helps people in need and not that one who makes others fear him”.

Many other sayings by Imhotep were used by priests and viziers of the next generations in their ‘teachings’ because the words by Imhotep were quite popular among people and were spreaded by word of mouth, from one generation to another.

“Imhotep had a quite tolerant attitude to all religious concepts of the state. He deserved a genuine respect and sympathies not only of the pharaoh but also influential priests of various religions because he acted very wisely and delicately even in respect of the priests’ policy. However his own firm position was belief based on Knowledge. He didn’t have doubts in what he was saying, he wasn’t hypocritical as it was typical to many priests and aristocrats. People felt a Man of Knowledge in him. That’s for why many people who found this invisible but quite perceivable strong belief in him Imhotep became a revealer of Truth. Mainly due to his life style and world view Egyptians got a concept and absolute belief that this life is temporary and it is given for a man to deserve better life in the after-death world by his righteousness, honesty of thoughts and deed before God (and not before people). In that society belief in the after-death life became dominating.

Certainly, this belief was begotten not on the empty place. Belief in the after-death world was inherent to Egyptians from ancient times and, as I have already told you, it was initially based on knowledge. Just with time the knowledge was partially lost and this belief gained a form of confusing and unclear religion. Therefore the majority of people, so to say, worshipped mechanically to ancient gods, mostly without understanding and going deeply into the very religion. It was for them just a tradition heredited from ancestors nothing more. However everything has changed due to invisible work of Imhotep.”

“Invisible work? What do you mean under ‘invisible’?” Kostya asked. He listened to Sensei with the same enthusiasm as we did.

“Wait a minute, I will tell you right now.” Sensei made a few drinks of mineral water and continued his story. “All mentioned merits of Imhotep were only a visible part of that great work he managed to do during his life. But there was more valuable and significant invisible work which was thoroughly hidden from strangers. High position gave Imhotep a real opportunity to contribute his share to realization of the global world architectural project narrated to him by the Sokrovennik. It could bring an invaluable value to the humankind of the far future.”

“I see it was a man of great soul,” Nikolai Andreevich said thoughtfully. “When he was at the top of power he thought first of all about common people and took care about the future of humankind. I wonder whether there are such honest people in the upper strata nowadays.”

Sensei nodded but didn’t join this topic and went on telling. “Imhotep acted wisely in solving this very complicated problem. In fact, the visible part of his work was preparation to the main work. Because to realize Imhotep’s idea was possible only under the conditions of highly organized society. So he acted as follows. After he learnt well traditions morals and manner as well as psychology of the ruling elite, priests and especially the pharaoh, he used their weak points for the sake of realization of his plans which brought later invaluable spiritual help to many people. Imhotep suggested to Djoser a project which was completely unprecedented for that time, and the pharaoh couldn’t reject it. Since according to his belief Djoser, like other Egyptians, had to take care first of all about his life after death and as it was usual among pharaohs he was obliged to build his sepulchre still when he was alive. Imhotep proposed him an idea to erect an unusual burial-vault. It was unusual because it was not just a mastaba…”

“Mastaba? And what is it?” Yura asked politely.

“First it were rectangular wooden tombs of Egyptians. After that they began to build the tombs from brick turning them into constructions with decorative niches pointing out to the burial place and hiding it. Nevertheless ‘mastaba’ is not a Egyptian but an Arabian word meaning ‘bench’. They were called so by Arabian workers who worked with archeologists in Egypt in XIXth century.

So, Imhotep suggested to Djoser to build a stepped pyramid instead of a usual tomb, and moreover not from the simple adobe brick which was a widespread fragile building material but from hewn stone which provided for durability. It was a revolutionary decision for Egypt in those times. Imhotep’s idea to build ‘a staircase thrown from heaven for divine ascension of the pharaoh’ inspired Djoser so much that he ordered to start the works immediately, not sparing money for that, and entrusted it with Imhotep himself. I need to mention that a big brick mastaba for Djoser has been already built in Abidos, a place where pharaohs were traditionally burried.”

“It means that as Imhotep showed initiative, he was entrusted with it,” Stas grinned. “They say, iniative is always punishable!”

“But not in this case,” Sensei objected. “Imhotep was interested in this project more than others. He managed to interest in it not only the pharaoh but also influential priests because this project envisaged, apart from unusual burial-vault for the pharaoh, building of the whole complex including temples as well. Moreover, at the expense of the pharaoh’s treasury. And therefore it provided priests with future income from services in these temples. Furthermore he included into a site layout plan even a big granary, so to say, state owned. And I should mention that later due to big stock of grain kept there Egyptians were able to survive more or less well during the years of bad harvest and draught.

The place chosen by Imhotep for building of this truncated pyramid wasn’t occasional. It was located on the verge of plateau, the same very pateau which was only a few kilometers to North from the Great Sphinx. When Imhotep has been showing the site layout plan to the pharaoh, priests and aristocrats he explained the choice of this place of deserted plateau as a more close location to Memphis and a beautiful view from that place on Memphis. But in fact this place fully matched with one of the earth geographical coordinates marked on the ‘star map’ revealed to him still by the Sokrovennik. The Great Shpinx erected far earlier than that time (and not after the life of Imhotep as they assume it now as if it were during the time when big pyramids were built!) was an important reference point for precise and accurate location of this truncated pyramid.