A review / critique of the book
BUDDHIST ASTROLOGY (2003)
by Jhampa Shaneman and Jan Angel
Published by Llewellyn Publications,
St. Paul, Minnesota

by Zachary Casper

BUDDHIST ASTROLOGY is a very interesting work. Basically, it attempts to link some standard astrological concepts with Buddhist methods of spiritual practice, particularly meditation systems and styles. I think that this book may be something of a first, at least in the West, as I cannot really remember seeing anything similar in print.

The book can be divided into roughly five sections, at least according to my perception: 1) The first two chapters contain the basic life story of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who was later to become the Lord Buddha after the renunciation of palace life and his years of spiritual asceticism. 2) The next three chapters are a condensation or distillation of Buddhist perception of the world and philosophical framework. 3) The next eight chapters discuss astrological conditions and influence, starting with the houses, the planets, the planets in the houses, and the aspects. 4) This section deals with specifically Buddhist meditations. Chapter 14 deals with the types of Buddhist practice that are most suitable to individuals who have certain prominent planets and aspects in their charts, and the penultimate chapter discusses meditation in a very brief and general way. 5) The final chapter deals with Jhampa's own spiritual journey. Finally, there is also a glossary of Buddhist terms.

Jhampa (who is a recognised Buddhist teacher in his own right) probably had more to do with the specifically Buddhist sections of the work, while I am speculating that perhaps Jan had more to do with the specifically astrological sections. Both Jhampa and Jan are clear and concise writers. That is good to see and better to study. It makes reading the book easier and in fact somewhat pleasurable. Now let's examine each of the above-mentioned five sections, as they are somewhat different in content.

The horoscope of the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama

The first section, consisting of two chapters, is a reasonably standard approach to the life story of the Buddha. What is exceptional and remarkable is that in chapter 2, the authors present the actual horoscope of the Buddha (in their opinion), or to be more accurate let us say Prince Siddhartha Gautama, as such was his birth name. This is a very courageous, even a bold step on their part. That is because there is such disagreement in the Buddhist world about the actual year that he was born. On many websites, you will find the figure of 630 or 632 B.C. Some Buddhists think the birth was even earlier, possibly as long ago as almost 1,000 B.C. Theravada Buddhists (Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand) would probably accept a figure of 544 B.C. as being most correct, because they celebrated the Buddha Jayanti (2,500th anniversary of Buddha's birth) in the year 1956. Thus Jhampa and Jan are brave mortals to weigh into the controversy with a chart cast for 575 B.C.! The amazing thing is that I think they may well be correct. The chart that they present is one of the most powerful I have ever seen, and they do make a very compelling case for the accuracy of this date. Their book is worth purchasing if for no other reason than to study this horoscope; in my experience it is the first of its kind that I have seen in print.

However, amidst the euphoria over finding what may well be the true horoscope of Prince Siddhartha in print for the first time, I was very surprised to find that neither author appeared to understand the true esoteric significance of what they had printed in their own book. And this is the amazing triple conjunction of the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (in the sign of Taurus), which becomes an even more powerful stellium with the presence of the Sun there as well. Although their brief interpretations of the single aspects of this triple conjunction on pages 40 and 41 are alright, they appear to be entirely ignorant of the fact that this great triple conjunction occurs at intervals of approximately 100,000 years! They don't mention this very important astrological time cycle anywhere in the book, and yet it is staring in the face anyone who studies their chart of Prince Siddhartha's birth. This is a strange oversight, in my opinion.

Second section: an overview of Buddhist tenets

As mentioned, chapters 3 - 5 contain a discussion of some basic Buddhist tenets, such as the pervasiveness of impermanence, interdependence, karma, love and compassion, and so on. This is fairly well done although, as might be expected, it is intended for the general reader whose knowledge of Buddhist philosophy is rudimentary. Even so, it is interesting reading, even for those who already have a fair knowledge of these tenets. The authors also continue the astrological thread by presenting the progressed horoscope for when Prince Siddhartha renounced his palace and royal position, and became a wandering mendicant, as well as the progressed horoscope for the time of his enlightenment, when he became the Lord Buddha.

Third section: the astrology of the houses, planets, and planetary aspects

This section is the main corpus or body of the work. Chapter 6 is a discussion of the meaning of the twelve houses of the horoscope chart. This discussion is fairly standard, although presented from a slightly Buddhist perspective. Chapter 7 deals with the planets, and is also interesting reading. However, I do believe that most astrologers would disagree with Messrs. Shaneman and Angel in regard to their interpretation of the influence of Pluto, the outermost body in our solar system. They refer to Pluto's influence as "body intuition", and explain this as the body's response to situations. I certainly would disagree with this, and I believe most astrologers would as well. Body intuition, in my humble opinion, is more directly related to the Rising Sign / Ascendant, as well as some of the influence of the Moon. Interestingly enough, the authors do not bother to discuss the influence of the Ascendant or Rising Sign in this book. They state that they do not use this influence (much) in their readings. At least they are being honest. Most astrologers, though, including myself, would place a lot of importance on the influence of the Ascendant in any chart. The next three chapters deal with the influence of the various planets in the various houses of the chart. Once again, the perspective is from the Buddhist view of the development of wisdom and compassion / love, which is an interesting approach. Chapters 11 - 13 treat the influence of the planetary aspects, once again from a Buddhist perspective. For me, these last two chapters were the most interesting of this section.

Fourth section: different styles of Buddhist meditation related to planets and planetary aspects

Chapter 14 was, for me, probably the best and most illuminating chapter of the entire book. As far as interest goes, it was surpassed only by Jhampa's personal journey of spiritual discovery in the last chapter. One thing about Jhampa which I find very refreshing, and thus very appealing, is the fact that he has experienced different styles or systems of Buddhist meditation apart from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition (in the Gelugpa sect) that is his strength and obvious forte. In current Buddhism, especially in the West, one finds many practitioners who are convinced of the superiority of their own tradition, whether it be Vipassana, Zen, or the various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. In contrast to this somewhat narrow approach, Jhampa discusses the benefits of each of these meditative traditions. While it is obvious that his main focus was and still is the Tibetan Buddhist tantric meditations from the Gelugpa sect, he certainly recognises the value of other Buddhist meditation systems. Even more interestingly, he relates these different systems to prominent planets and aspects found in the charts of potential Buddhist meditators. Apart from the publication of the horoscope of Prince Siddhartha, this is probably the most valuable contribution of the entire book, at least in my opinion.

Fifth section: Jhampa's personal journey

Chapter 16, Jhampa's own biographical sketch, makes fascinating and compelling reading. It brings the other chapters out of the realm of theory or mere potential, and in a sense grounds or focuses them into the actual story of Jhampa. As he states, he has had a most interesting life. During his many years in India and Nepal, he had the excellent karma to connect with some very enlightened and advanced Tibetan Buddhist teachers, in particular Lama Yeshe, the Dalai Lama, and Ling Rinpoche. Also the details of his meditation practices, especially the long retreats of some years in India, are quite fascinating. He also provides the interested reader with the necessary data to cast his own horoscope (which is an unusual one), study it, and make their own conclusions. The glossary at the end of the book is also worthwhile reading.

Philosophical shortcomings in the book

For what this book is and purports to be, it is an excellent work. And yet, there are some ramifications - quite important ones, in my opinion - of spiritual philosophy that appear to have completely eluded or escaped both authors. BUDDHIST ASTROLOGY is a work that deals with exactly that, a Buddhist approach to astrological influences and aspects, and how astrology can help interested students approach Buddhist meditation. But wait!! I asked myself on more than one occasion during the reading. Just WHY should astrology be SPECIFICALLY Buddhist? Aren't the stars, planets, and houses of the horoscope relevant to ALL humans breathing and walking on the earth? And if we need a book specifically on Buddhist astrology, then logically and of necessity, don't we also need works on Christian astrology, on Jewish astrology, on Hindu astrology, Muslim astrology, Zoroastrian astrology, and so on? As mentioned, this important philosophical point seems to have entirely escaped either author.

In my humble opinion, astrology is really meant as a (potentially!) enlightening and relevant esoteric study for ALL humans, of any religion. In fact, the existence of the planetary and zodiacal energies is beyond any particular religious boundary, whether Buddhist, Christian, atheist, or whatever. These energies exist in the heavens and impact the earth, and thus affect all people, whatever their professed creed. Astrology, in my opinion, has the potential to be the unifying factor ABOVE and BEYOND any particular religious philosophy, belief, or ideology.

The other objection that I have to the book - not for what it communicates but for what it ignores - is the fact that (once again, in my opinion), it is not a truly esoteric work. A true esoteric work, in my opinion, will identify and discuss the causal, conditioning energies BEHIND the outer form or the material appearance. In this case, Jhampa and Jan have simply not been able to get past the specifically Buddhist form or appearance. Of course, they may not find this necessary. They may consider that simply to be a Buddhist, or a Buddhist meditator, is enlightening enough as is. I would disagree, however. I would point to such works as ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY by Alice A. Bailey (who was the amanuensis or channel for an enlightened Tibetan Master, known as the Lord Djwal Khul in esoteric circles), ASTROLOGY PLUS by Hilarion, and SOUL-CENTERED ASTROLOGY by Alan Oken, as true esoteric works. However, I must throw in a note of caution here. There ARE some mistakes or errors in the above-mentioned works. Although these are not many or major, in most cases, they do exist and therefore the student who wishes to study these works should rely upon the intuition as much as the intellect in trying to separate the wheat of wisdom from the chaff of ignorance in what is presented.

One glaring and outright error

There is one glaring error in BUDDHIST ASTROLOGY. This occurs on pages 81 and 82. Impartial students of Tibetan Buddism, particularly those who were born and raised in the West who have received the standard education that developed countries offered, can note that there is a very strong element of fantasy or fairy tales in most of these teachings. Tibetan Buddhism simply cannot live, or even exist, without this fantasy and fairy tale element. Although for some students these elements are interesting or even cute because they are such a stark contrast with Western rational or ultra-rational thought, for those who seek the truth these elements can be distracting or even a hindrance.

Jhampa really falls off the deep end when he relates one of these particular fairy tales on page 81. Specifically, that the five yogis or ascetics who accompanied the renunciate and spiritual searcher Siddhartha during his years of asceticism prior to his enlightenment and attainment of Buddhahood, had previously, IN THEIR IMMEDIATE FORMER LIVES, been incarnated as tiger cubs. The story goes that the Prince Siddhartha, a prince as well in that earlier incarnation, sacrificed his life to feed their tiger mother so that she and her litter of cubs could eat his flesh and thus survive. It is explained that this is the main karmic link that brought the ascetic Siddhartha together with the five yogis in the life in which he became enlightened as the Buddha, and the five yogis quickly followed his realisation. What utter nonsense! This simply illustrates the misunderstandings that Tibetan Buddhists and their teachers labour under concerning the true nature of rebirth. The theosophical teaching is that these five yogis would have been incarnated not only as humans, but also as spiritual seekers, for many, many lifetimes prior to their association with the ascetic Siddhartha and later the Lord Buddha. How any Tibetan Buddhist teacher could believe that in the lifetime just prior to the one in which they attained enlightenment / liberation / Nirvana, that yogis could actually incarnate as far down in the animal kingdom as tigers, is simply mind boggling.

And the fairy tale continues with Jhampa's assertion that after the ascetic Siddhartha went off to become the Buddha and then later met the five yogis he had been with prior to his liberation, that three of that group attained realisation (Nirvana) within minutes of seeing him. This is a fairly blatant distortion of the actual recorded or recounted history, which clearly states that only ONE of the ascetics, Anna Kondanna by name, actually attained enlightenment just after the Lord Buddha finished giving his very first sermon, the Great Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (NOT the Fire Sutra, as Jhampa mistakenly writes). The other four DID attain realisation, however, and possibly within weeks or months (it is not actually recorded how long) after their meeting with the Lord Buddha. Comparing this latter story to the Tibetan Buddhist version, we can see just how strong the fantasy element in the Tibetan version is (that three of the yogis attained realisation within minutes of rejoining him, even before they had heard him utter a single word). Fortunately for the reader, Jhampa only falls into such error once in the entire book.

I do recommend BUDDHIST ASTROLOGY. It is worth the $20 U.S. or $31 Canadian that Llewellyn Publications are asking. But in closing, I would like to quote from the Master Himself, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Lord Gautama Buddha:

"Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumour; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; not upon a bias towards a nation that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher'. (Kalama Sutta)

© Zachary Casper 2003