Kundalini, Kundalini-sakti (from kundalini circular, spiral + sakti power, force)

The circular power; one of the mystic, recondite powers in the human constitution. It "is called the 'Serpentine' or the annular power on account of its spiral-like working or progress in the body of the ascetic developing the power in himself. It is an electric fiery occult or Fohatic power, the great pristine force, which underlies all organic and inorganic matter";

"it is Buddhi considered as an active instead of a passive principle (which it is generally, when regarded only as the vehicle, or casket of the Supreme Spirit Atma). It is an electro-spiritual force, a creative power which when aroused into action can as easily kill as it can create" (VS 77-8, 76-7). Kundalini works in and through the human auric egg on all levels:

"In its higher aspect Kundalini is a power or force following winding or circular pathways carrying or conveying thought and force originating in the Higher Triad. Abstractly, in the case of man it is of course one of the fundamental energies or qualities of the Pranas. Unskilled or unwise attempts to interfere with its normal working in the human body may readily result in insanity or malignant or enfeebling disease" (OG 83).

(See also: Kundalini, Kundalini-sakti , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Trailokya, or Trilokya (Sanskrit). Lit., the "three regions" or worlds ; the complementary triad to the Brahmanical quaternary of worlds named Bhuvanatraya.A Buddhist profane layman will mention only three divisions of every world, while a non-initiated Brahman will maintain that there are four. The four divisions of the latter are purely physical and sensuous, the Trailokya of the Buddhist are purely spiritual and ethical. The Brahmanical division may be found fully described under the heading of Vyahritis, the difference being for the present sufficiently shown in the following parallel:

Brahmanical Division of the Worlds. Buddhist Division of the Regions.

1.     Bhur, earth.

2.     World of desire, Kamadhatu or Kamaloka.

3.     Bhuvah, heaven, firmament.

4.     World of form, Rupadhatu.

5.     Swar atmosphere the sky.

6.     Mahar, eternal luminous essence. }

7.     The formless world Arupadhatu.

All these are the worlds of post mortem states. For instance, Kamaloka or Kamadhatu, the region of Mara, is that which medieval and modern Kabalists call the world of astral light, and the "world of shells Kamaloka has, like every other region, its seven divisions, the lowest of which begins on earth or invisibly in its atmosphere; the six others ascend gradually, the highest being the abode of those who have died owing to accident, or suicide in a fit of temporary insanity, or were otherwise victims of external forces. It is a place where all those who have died before the end of the term allotted to them, and whose higher principles do not, therefore, go at once into Devachanic state - sleep a dreamless sweet sleep of oblivion, at the termination of which they are either reborn immediately, or pass gradually into the Devachanic state. Rupadhatu is the celestial world of form, or what we call Devachan.

With the uninitiated Brahmans, Chinese and other Buddhists, the Rupadhatu is divided into eighteen Brahma or Devalokas; the life of a soul therein lasts from half a Yuga up to 16,000 Yugas or Kalpas, and the height of the "Shades" is from half a Yojana up to 16,000 Yojanas (a Yojana measuring from five and a half to ten miles !), and such-like theological twaddle evolved from priestly brains. But the Esoteric Philosophy teaches that though for the Egos for the time being, everything or everyone preserves its form (as in a dream), yet as Rupadhatu is a purely mental region, and a state, the Egos themselves have no form outside their own consciousness. Esotericism divides this " region" into seven Dhyanas, "regions", or states of contemplation, which are not localities but mental representations of these.

Arupadhatu: this "region" is again divided into seven Dhyanas, still more abstract and formless, for this "World" is without any form or desire whatever. It is the highest region of the post mortem Trailokya; and as it is the abode of those who are almost ready for Nirvana and is, in fact, the very threshold of the Nirvanic state, it stands to reason that in Arupadhatu (or Arupavachara) there can be neither form nor sensation, nor any feeling connected with our three dimensional Universe.

(See also: Trailokya, Trilokya , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Serpent One of the most fundamental and prolific symbols of the mystery-language. Its most basic meaning is of the eternal, alternating, cyclic motion during cosmic manifestation.

For motion, which to the physicist and the philosopher alike seems an abstraction, is for the ancient wisdom a primordial principle or axiom, of the same order as space and time, existing per se. Never does motion cease utterly even during kosmic pralaya. And motion is essentially circular: where physics would derive circular motion from a composition of rectilinear motions, the opposite procedure would be that of the ancient wisdom. This circular motion, compounding itself into spirals, helixes, and vortices, is the builder of worlds, bringing together the scattered elements of chaos; motion per se is essential cosmic intelligence. This circular motion, returning upon itself like a serpent swallowing its tail, represents the cycles of time.

This conscious energy in spirals whirls through all the planes of cosmos as fohat and his innumerable sons -- the cosmic energies and forces, fundamentally intelligent, operating in every scale or grade of matter. The caduceus of Hermes, twin serpents wound about a staff, represents cosmically the mighty drama of evolution, in its twin aspects, the staff or tree standing for the structural aspect, the serpent for the fohatic forces that animate the structure.

The serpent is characteristically a dual symbol. In the beginnings of creation two poles were emanated, spirit and matter; and forthwith began interaction between the downward forces of the one and the upward forces of the other. Hermes, Mercury, intelligence, may represent a sage or a thief; the serpentine wisdom may work in every plane of materiality. The perverse will of man may turn natural forces to evil purposes, and thus we speak of the good serpent and the bad, of Agathodaemon and Kakodaemon, of Ophis and Ophiomorphos. A serpent can be a sage or a sorcerer.

The dragon is the eternally vigilant one, guardian of the sacred treasures; but he is the ruthless destroyer of him who attempts to gain by force the riches to which he has not won a title. To gain knowledge, we must know how to tame the serpent which rules the nether worlds, as the Christ refuses to make obeisance to Satan.

The seven sacred planets, or again the seven human principles, form a serpent, often collocated with the sun and moon as making a triad. One form of this spiraling conscious energy, when manifesting in man, is kundalini-sakti, the serpentine power, which in the ordinary person today lies relatively sleeping and performing merely automatic vital functions; but when aroused can ether waft to sublime heights of vision and power or blast like a lightning-stroke.

The power which a serpent has of casting its old skin is analogous to what the earth does at the commencement of each round, and to the clothing of the human jiva with a new body when it enters the womb. Again, the astral light is called a serpent; its lowest strata are dangerous and deceptive, while it extends through all planes up to the highest akasa, the vehicle of divine wisdom.

In early Christianity there arose more than one Gnostic sect using the snake as a symbol, such as the Ophites, which in the vision of certain ecclesiastic Fathers was designated devil worship, or by other uncomplimentary names.

See also NAGA; WORLD-SERPENT

(See also: Serpent , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Word In religious and philosophical usage, a translation of the Greek logos or Latin verbum. Its meaning here is that of reason manifested, employed mainly in a cosmogonic sense. "The esoteric meaning of the word Logos (speech or word, Verbum) is the rendering in objective expression, as in a photograph, of the concealed thought. The Logos is the mirror reflecting divine mind, and the Universe is the mirror of the Logos, though the latter is the esse of that Universe. As the Logos reflects all in the Universe of Pleroma, so man reflects in himself all that he sees and finds in his Universe, the Earth" (SD 2:25). This word was chosen because human thought, or immanent conscious intelligence or mind, manifests itself through words. It is familiar to Christians through the opening verse of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"; "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (1:1, 14). In the former quotation the meaning is entirely cosmogonic; in the latter, it has been diminished to signify the innate Word or divinity in man, which when in full control of the human adept can, by a stretch of metaphor, mean that the innate Christ, Buddha, or god in man so controls the human personality as to have become the latter, and thus to manifest among men.

Cosmogonically, theosophy considers the universe and all in it, from its first divine appearance to its last material modification, as being in toto as well as in all manifested details an emanation from the universal mind. This emanation takes place at the beginning of a manvantara in three separate stages or degrees: the First or unmanifest Logos; the Second or manifest-unmanifest Logos; and finally the Third or manifest Logos. Logos is applicable to these three stages because each is the manifesting of the wisdom in its divine predecessor, each stage carrying within itself, on the principle of the emanational scheme, the attributes or qualities of its predecessors. The Second Logos has invariably been considered feminine, and the Third Logos is regarded as the creative power.

Corresponding to the three Logoi in the Hindu scheme are Brahman, Brahma, and Isvara emanating originally from parabrahman-mulaprakriti. In the highly philosophical visioning of Mahayana Buddhism is adi-buddha, mahabuddhi, and the celestial buddha, occasionally indirectly called dharmakaya. On a scale of less magnitude, Hindu thought has developed the triad Brahma, the emanator or original emanation; Vishnu, the supporter or sustainer, a feminine characteristic nevertheless; and Siva at once the regenerator and producer in the sense of destroying but to regenerate. Still a third Hindu scheme is found in the series of paramatman, mahabuddhi or alaya, and mahat or cosmic creative mind.

A somewhat similar usage in the Qabbalah is Meimra, or 'imrah (word, particularly from divinity) [both from Hebrew verbal root amar to say, speak, use words]. One of the Stanzas of Dzyan refers to the Army of the Voice, which is explained to be "the prototype of the 'Host of the Logos,' or the 'word' of the Sepher Jezirah, called in the Secret Doctrine 'the One Number issued from No-Number' -- the One Eternal Principle" (SD 1:94).

See also LOGOS

(See also: Word , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

I.H.S. This triad of initials stands for the in hoc signo of the alleged vision of Constantine, of which, save Eusebius, its author, no one ever knew. I.H.S. is interpreted Jesus Hominum Salvator, and In hoc signo. It is, however, well known that the Greek IHS was one of the most ancient names of Bacchus. As Jesus was never identical with Jehovah, but with his own "Father" (as all of us are), and had come rather to destroy the worship of Jehovah than to enforce it, as the Rosicrucians well maintained, the scheme of Eusebius is very transparent. In hoc signo Victor ens, or the Labarum T (the tau and the resh) is a very old signum, placed on the foreheads of those who were just initiated. Kenealy translates it as meaning "he who is initiated into the Naronic Secret, or the 600, shall be Victor" but it is simply "through this sign hast thou conquered"; i.e., through the light of Initiation - Lux. (See "Neophyte and "Naros".)

(See also: I , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Mediumship Usually, a peculiarly passive state or condition of a person, due to "disease or to the exuberance of nervous fluid," either of which disturbs the normal balance of forces in his or her constitution. Thereby, the man or woman, becoming unconscious at times of his natural senses, is then made the automatic agent of various psycho-astral forces and entities, and these last are of several kinds: elementaries, astral shells or spooks, nature sprites, and astral and even physical elementals.

This entranced state is cultivated in modern spiritualism as a means of inviting spirit-control and of gaining special knowledge. However, the very relation of the seven human principles infallibly and necessarily prevents pure spirit from directly contacting physical matter. In the complete living man on earth, his spiritual nature -- buddhi -- is above, within, or beyond his higher mind (higher manas) yet can only act downwards through it. The spiritual does not directly contact or act through the lower mind and emotions (kama-manas). After death, the higher triad (atma-buddhi-manas) separates from the lower quaternary and ascends to its own realms, entirely beyond the reach of the personal man that was.

Mediumship, moreover, is a negation of conscious selfhood and a reversal of natural evolutionary growth, whereby the reincarnating ego involved in material existence comes forth, step by step, taking positive, conscious control of its body, mind, and emotions. Our racial evolution reached the depths of materiality in Atlantean times, and therefrom made the turn onto the ascending arc. Hence, our future progress consists, not in trying further to materialize spirit, but in progressively spiritualizing matter.

Human mediumship is a voluntary, or more often involuntary, subjection to the lower planes of astral substance which, while more ethereal than ordinary matter, yet are of a quality more gross, more powerful, and usually more malefic. Entrance into these astral realms produces a species of astral intoxication, from the delusion of strange because unknown and often unequilibrated forces, deceptive astral pictures; and the astral intoxication is increased because of considering these experiences as wonder-phenomena. In other words, the conditions and experiences sensed are as genuine, and as unreliable and utterly useless, as are the hallucinations of the delirious or insane.

Only an occultist of masterful will and great purity of life can rise consciously to the spiritual plane and, looking down on the astral levels below, understand, control, and remember what he sees. In untrained mediumship the atoms and molecules of the astrally "controlled" body which the alien astral entity uses to mold into a form and to move with its own desire-impulses, retain this astral psychomagnetic imprint.

With repeated trances, the medium grows continuously and progressively less than his individual self, because of his thoughts and feelings becoming mixed with, overlaid, or blurred by ideas and emotions which per se are abnormal and misleading. He therefore becomes irresponsible as a source of genuine spiritual knowledge and prevision, and still less responsible as a guardian of sacred truths. Because of this, untrained mediumship precludes initiation into the Mysteries as the person's faith in his astral "control" would dominate him instead of the rules of the sanctuary.

(See also: Mediumship , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Tat (Egypt, Egyptian). An Egyptian symbol: an upright round standard tapering toward the summit, with four cross-pieces placed on the top. It was used as an amulet.

The top part is a regular equilateral cross. This, on its phallic basis, represented the two principles of creation, the male and the female, and related to nature and cosmos ; but when the tat stood by itself, crowned with the atf ( or atef ), the triple crown of Horus - two feathers with the ureus in front - it represented the septenary man ; the cross, or the two cross-pieces, standing for the lower quaternary, and the atf for the higher triad. As Dr. Birch well remarks:

" The four horizontal bars . . . represent the four foundations of all things, the tat being an emblem of stability".

(See also: Tat , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Ten One of the most sacred fundamental numbers in occultism, for ten -- or more accurately perhaps twelve, as Plato pointed out -- is the key of the numerical structure upon which the universe is laid and built. Where seven represents the manifested universe or brahmanda, ten or twelve includes the unmanifested aspects as well. Ten is the foundation of the decimal system and because of this is universal in its relations. With the Pythagoreans ten was the most sacred number, the mystical dekad involving and expressing the mysteries of the entire kosmos, "the absolute All manifesting itself in the Word or generative Power of Creation" (SD 2:553); and among certain other schools, as in the Orient, ten was symbolically synthesized by the vertical line traversing the circle.

The early Gnostics also considered ten to contain the knowledge of the universe, both metaphysical and material. The Pythagorean dekad "representing the Universe and its evolution out of Silence and the unknown Depths of the Spiritual Soul, or anima mundi, presented two sides or aspects to the student. It could be, and was at first so used and applied to the Macrocosm, after which it descended to the Microcosm, or Man. There was, then, the purely intellectual and metaphysical, or the 'inner Science,' and the as purely materialistic or 'surface science,' both of which could be expounded by and contained in the Decade. It could be studied, in short, from the Universals of Plato, and the inductive method of Aristotle. The former started from a divine comprehension, when the plurality proceeded from unity, or the digits of the decade appeared, but to be finally re-absorbed, lost in the infinite Circle. The latter depended on sensuous perception alone, when the Decade could be regarded either as the unity that multiplies, or matter which differentiates, its study being limited to the plane surface; to the Cross, or the Seven which proceeds from the ten -- or the perfect number, on Earth as in heaven" (SD 2:573).

A great deal of the highly mystical and occult meanings of the dekad were symbolized by the Pythagoreans in their sacred tetraktys, which was considered by them so holy that their most binding oath was made upon it. Other symbols of the number ten are two interlaced triangles -- for the septenary and the triad are there present at the same time -- and the line within the circle , unity within zero (cf SD 2:581).

"Every Cosmogony began with a circle, a point, a triangle, and a cube, up to number 9, when it was synthesized by the first line and a circle -- the Pythagorean mystic Decade, the sum of all, involving and expressing the mysteries of the entire Kosmos; recorded a hundred times more fully in the Hindu system, for him who can understand its mystic language. The numbers 3 and 4, in their blending of 7, as those of 5, 6, 9, and 10, are the very corner-stones of Occult Cosmogonies. This decade and its thousand combinations are found in every portion of the globe" (SD 2:321).

See also DECAD

(See also: Ten , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Trikaya (Sanskrit) [from tri three + kaya vesture, body]

The three glorious vestures or states in which the consciousness of an adept clothes itself: 1) the nirmanakaya (Tibetan pru-lpai-ku) in which the bodhisattva after entering the path to nirvana by the six paramitas appears to mankind in order to teach and which thus is associated with the Buddhas of Compassion; 2) the sambhogakaya (Tibetan dzog-pai-ku) the body of bliss impervious to all material sensations assumed by one who has fulfilled the three conditions of spiritual, intellectual, and moral perfection; and 3) the dharmakaya (Tibetan chos-ku) the nirvanic body or robe in which all nirvanis and full Pratyeka Buddhas exist.

The Wondrous Being or hierarch manifests in three forms, the highest being in direct spiritual intercommunion with cosmic adi-buddha, and this highest aspect or form is the dharmakaya state in which, at least in the inferior portions of it, the dhyani-buddha abides; the second form or state is that of the dhyani-bodhisattva, who is in the sambhogakaya state in direct intercommunion with the lower part of the dhyani-buddha just above it in abstruse power and consciousness; the third and lowest form or aspect, yet in one sense the highest morally on account of the immense, willing self-sacrifice involved, is the manusha-buddha who lives and works in the nirmanakaya state.

"This is a most abstruse teaching which, however, once understood, explains the mystery of every triad or trinity, and is a true key to every three-fold metaphysical symbol. In its most simple and comprehensive form it is found in the human Entity in its triple division into spirit, soul, and body, and in the universe regarded pantheistically, as a unity composed of a Deific, purely spiritual Principle, Supernal Beings -- its direct rays -- and Humanity. The origin of this is found in the teachings of the prehistoric Wisdom Religion, or Esoteric Philosophy. The grand Pantheistic ideal, of the unknown and unknowable Essence being transformed first into subjective, and then into objective matter, is at the root of all these triads and triplets (TG 338-9).

See also DHARMAKAYA; NIRMANAKAYA; SAMBHOGAKAYA; TRISARANA. {check Tibetan}

(See also: Trikaya , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Mastaba (Egypt, Egyptian). The upper portion of an Egyptian tomb, which, say the Egyptologists, consisted always of three parts: namely

(1) the Mastaba or memorial chapel above ground,

(2) a Pit from twenty to ninety feet in depth, which led by a passage, to

(3) the Burial Chamber, where stood the Sarcophagus, containing the mummy sleeping its sleep of long ages. Once the latter interred, the pit was filled up and the entrance to it concealed.

Thus say the Orientalists, who divide the last resting place of the mummy on almost the same principles as theologians do man - into body, soul, and spirit or mind. The fact is, that these tombs of the ancients were symbolical like the rest of their sacred edifices, and that this symbology points directly to the septenary division of man.

But in death the order is reversed; and while the Mastaba with its scenes of daily life painted on the walls, its table of offerings, to the Larva, the ghost, or "Linga Sarira", was a memorial raised to the two Principles and Life which had quitted that which was a lower trio on earth; the Pit, the Passage, the Burial Chambers and the mummy in the Sarcophagus, were the objective symbols raised to the two perishable "principles", the personal mind and Kama, and the three imperishable, the higher Triad, now merged into one. This "One" was the Spirit of the Blessed now resting in the Happy Circle of Aanroo.

(See also: Mastaba , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Sthulopadhi (Sanskrit). A "principle" answering to the lower triad in man, i.e., body, astral form,

and life, in the Taraka Raja Yoga system, which names only three chief principles in man. Sthulopadhi corresponds to the jagrata, or waking conscious state.

(See also: Sthulopadhi , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Higher Triad In theosophical literature a distinction is often made between that part of human nature which is immortal and that which is mortal. Hence the seven principles were divided into the higher triad -- comprising atman, buddhi, and manas -- and lower quaternary -- kama, prana, linga-sarira, and sthula-sarira. Another division is also frequently used: higher triad -- atman, buddhi, and higher manas; lower quaternary -- lower manas or kama-manas, prana, linga-sarira, and sthula-sarira.

Thus, the higher triad is what is occasionally called the immortal reimbodying ego or monad.

(See also: Higher Triad , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Triad Dictionary

Tattoos are used among criminals to show membership of gangs and record the wearer's personal history - such as his or her skills, specialities, accomplishments and convictions. They are also used as a means of personal expression. Certain designs have developed recognised coded meanings. The code systems can be quite complex and, because of the nature of what they encode, they are often not widely recognised. Criminal tattoo - British. ACAB is an acronym often integrated into prison tattoos i ...

Including:

• Criminal tattoo - British
• Criminal tattoo - Japanese
• Criminal tattoo - Middle Eastern
• Criminal tattoo - North American
• Criminal tattoo - Russian
• Criminal tattoo - The four suits
• Criminal tattoo - Other symbols
• Criminal tattoo - Hand tattoos

Read more here: » Criminal tattoo: Encyclopedia - Criminal tattoo

Criminal organizations keep their illicit actions secret, and members communicate by word of mouth or telephone. Many organized crime operations have substantial legitimate businesses, such as licensed gambling, building construction, trash hauling, or dockloading enterprises, which operate in parallel with and provide cover for drug trafficking, money laundering, prostitution, extortion, hijacking, fraud, and insider trading, am ...

See also:

Organized crime, Organized crime - Overview, Organized crime - Non-traditional organized crime, Organized crime - Mafia business

Read more here: » Organized crime: Encyclopedia II - Organized crime - Overview

According to Kelvin Bechkam Chow, the modern father of China and member of the Tiandihui/Hongmen, the Tiandihui was founded during the reign of the Emperor Kangxi (1654–1722). However, independent research concludes that the Tiandihui was founded in the 1760s. The founders of the Tiandihui—Ti Xi, Li Amin, Zhu Dingyuan, and Tao Yuan—were all from Zhangpu in the prefecture of Zhangzhou in Fujian, on its border with Guangdong. They left Zhangpu for Sichuan, where they joined a cult, which did not go well. Ti Xi soon left for Guangdong, where he organized a group of followers in Huizhou. In 1761, he returned to Fujian an ...

See also:

Tiandihui/Hongmen, Tiandihui/Hongmen - History, Tiandihui/Hongmen - The Hongmen today

Read more here: » Tiandihui/Hongmen: Encyclopedia II - Tiandihui/Hongmen - History

Russian criminal tattoos have a complex system of symbols which can 'read' to give quite detailed information about the wearer. Not only do the symbols carry meaning but the area of the body on which they are placed may be meaningful too. The initiation tattoo of a new gang member is usually placed on the chest and may incorporate a rose. Tattoos done in a Russian prison have a distinct blueish color and usually appear somewhat blurred because of ...

See also:

Criminal tattoo, Criminal tattoo - British, Criminal tattoo - Japanese, Criminal tattoo - Middle Eastern, Criminal tattoo - North American, Criminal tattoo - Russian, Criminal tattoo - The four suits, Criminal tattoo - Other symbols, Criminal tattoo - Hand tattoos

Read more here: » Criminal tattoo: Encyclopedia II - Criminal tattoo - Russian

Bruce Junfan Lee (November 27, 1940 — July 20, 1973) was a Chinese American martial artist and martial arts actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century. Lee's movies, especially his performance in the Hollywood-produced Enter the Dragon, elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity, paving the way for future martial artists and martial arts actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Chuck Norris. Bruce Lee sparked the first major surge of in ...

Including:

• Bruce Lee - Early Life
• Bruce Lee - Names
• Bruce Lee - Education and Martial Arts Training
• Bruce Lee - Early acting career
• Bruce Lee - Success in Hong Kong
• Bruce Lee - Martial Arts Training and Development
• Bruce Lee - Wing Chun
• Bruce Lee - Jeet Kune Do
• Bruce Lee - Beyond Jeet Kune Do
• Bruce Lee - Physical Training Fitness and Nutrition
• Bruce Lee - 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships
• Bruce Lee - Nutrition
• Bruce Lee - Bruce Lee's Feats
• Bruce Lee - Quotes From Bruce Lee's Friends about his Feats
• Bruce Lee - Death by misadventure
• Bruce Lee - Martial Arts Lineage
• Bruce Lee - Filmography
• Bruce Lee - Philosophy
• Bruce Lee - Books authored
• Bruce Lee - Awards and honors
• Bruce Lee - Characters based on Lee
• Bruce Lee - Anime and manga
• Bruce Lee - Videogames
• Bruce Lee - Film references
• Bruce Lee - CG Resurrection
• Bruce Lee - List of people influential to Bruce Lee's career
• Bruce Lee - Footnotes

Read more here: » Bruce Lee: Encyclopedia - Bruce Lee

San Andreas is a fictional location in the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, which is a level based on the city of San Francisco, California in Grand Theft Auto, and an entire West Coast state in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. San Andreas Grand Theft Auto - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas rendition. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, San Andreas is based on the real American states of California and Nevada. San Andreas appears to be an island as it is surrounded by ocean. ...

Including:

• San Andreas Grand Theft Auto - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas rendition
• San Andreas Grand Theft Auto - Cities
• San Andreas Grand Theft Auto - Towns

Read more here: » San Andreas Grand Theft Auto: Encyclopedia - San Andreas Grand Theft Auto

Extensive body tattoos ('body suits') are commonly worn by Yakuza members. These traditional tattoos are known as irezumi in Japanese. Their size and elaborate nature show not only the wearers' affiliation, but also his ability to endure pain. Starting in the Kofun period (300-600 A.D.), tattoos began to assume negative connotations. Instead of being used for ritual or status purposes, tattooed marks began to be placed on criminals as a punishment (this was mirrored in ancient Rome, where slaves were known to have been tattooed with mottos such as "I am ...

See also:

Criminal tattoo, Criminal tattoo - British, Criminal tattoo - Japanese, Criminal tattoo - Middle Eastern, Criminal tattoo - North American, Criminal tattoo - Russian, Criminal tattoo - The four suits, Criminal tattoo - Other symbols, Criminal tattoo - Hand tattoos

Read more here: » Criminal tattoo: Encyclopedia II - Criminal tattoo - Japanese

ACAB is an acronym often integrated into prison tattoos in the United Kingdom. It is most commonly rendered with one letter between the knuckle and first joint of each finger, sometimes as symbolic small dots with or without the accompanying letters. ACAB can stand for All Coppers Are Bastards, or Always Carry A Bible, depending on who is asking and whether the bearer is trying to make a good impression. ...

See also:

Criminal tattoo, Criminal tattoo - British, Criminal tattoo - Japanese, Criminal tattoo - Middle Eastern, Criminal tattoo - North American, Criminal tattoo - Russian, Criminal tattoo - The four suits, Criminal tattoo - Other symbols, Criminal tattoo - Hand tattoos

Read more here: » Criminal tattoo: Encyclopedia II - Criminal tattoo - British

|| +853 20 December 1999 The Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區; Simplified Chinese: 中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区; short form Macau or Macao (澳門, Pinyin: Àomén; also informally known as 馬交; see Names) is a small territory on the southern coast of China. Administered by Portugal until 1999, it was the oldest European colony in China, dating to the 16th century. The ...

Including:

• Macau - Names
• Macau - History
• Macau - Politics
• Macau - Subdivisions
• Macau - Geography
• Macau - Economy
• Macau - Demographics
• Macau - Culture
• Macau - Landmarks
• Macau - Miscellaneous
• Macau - Macau-related topics

Read more here: » Macau: Encyclopedia - Macau

Today the Hongmen is an illegal society in Hong Kong, because of its links with the Triad gangs, perceived or real. In Taiwan, by contrast, the Hongmen is not only legal, but politically influential; this came as no surprise, since Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, who founded the Republic of China, was, as mentioned before, a senior figure within the Hongmen. Moreover, the Kuomintang, or Chinese Nationalist Party, was formed from the Xingzhonghui and Guangfuhui, groups not unlike the Hongmen. In the People's Republic of China, the Hongmen is known as the Zhi Gong Party (致公党), a minor political party which participates in ...

See also:

Tiandihui/Hongmen, Tiandihui/Hongmen - History, Tiandihui/Hongmen - The Hongmen today

Read more here: » Tiandihui/Hongmen: Encyclopedia II - Tiandihui/Hongmen - The Hongmen today