Iconography

Frame:
The red and 24kt gold zigzag kyungbur adorning the frame is the transition of passion into compassion and the resultant Buddha like purity of actions and thoughts. The 24kt gold continuous ‘T’-wave just under the top edge of the of the offering cabinet is also called the thunder wave. This is the thunder of the vajra (diamond scepter, dorje in Tibetan), symbolizing skilful means, compassion, samsara. This compassion is an active quality rather than mere sympathetic feelings not transformed into action. Compassion refers to action that is exactly consonant with whatever is occurring and that is not self-referential.

Front:
Gracing the front doors are Champaka blossoms seeming to explode like fireworks on the left door and an Ashoka blossom on the right door; with Cintamani, and elephant tusks; accompanied by red coral and durva grass in an atmosphere of Mahamudra (one mare's tail cloud on the right door). The left door with the Champaka blossom that leads to a second blossom higher up in the thick of the Mahamudra Mists symbolizes the reincarnation effect that a bodhisattva will experience. The fronds of the lower Champaka blossom are durva grass (long life) and the fronds of the upper are kusha grass; purity and freedom of defilement. The Champaka is a white blossom from the wish-fulfilling tree & is an attribute of Maitreya, conferring love, compassion & beauty. Cintamani are referred to as the “Thinking Jewel” and symbolize the importance of teaching and as well as the enlightened mind. When depicted in sets of 3, they represent the body, speech and mind of Buddha such as the practitioner may possess.  Pictured here are 6 flaming jewels.  The top blue Cintamani with gold flames is Chakravartin's Precious Jewel; the elephant tusks represent the entire elephant and is another of Chakravartin's 7 Precious Possessions. Durva grass is a symbol of long life.  Because grass is highly resilient, it is believed to be immortal.  Therefore, it proclaims the end of samsara, the successive death & rebirth of all beings  It usually takes a long time to overcome samsara, & a longer life span will allow greater progress in moving towards enlightenment within a given cycle. The Cintamani stack on the right door, in addition to the gold flame has Kusha grass representing flames. The flames around the border of the Cintamani are symbolic of the burning away of false desires and ignorance, giving way to enlightenment; in this depiction the flames are kusha grass. Kusha grass grows to a height of two feet and is used to purify defilements.  Those wishing purification sleep in a field or patch of kusha grass for ritual purification.  Placed under a pillow at night before initiation, Kusha grass is believed to produce clear dreams; it is also used to enhance the clarity of visualization and meditation.  Kusha is the grass of choice for the manufacture of sacred meditation mats. Flanking the stack of Cintamani are two offerings of gold coral.

The front upper-right panel features an Ashoka blossom surrounded by durva grass and all is set in the Mahamudra mists. The Ashoka, the second of the  trinity of holy flowers, sprouts from the holy water-font of the Amitayus, one of the forms in which the Buddha Amitabha appeared (symbolizing the transformation from greed to discriminating wisdom).  The sprout materialized from a tear that Buddha Amitabha shed when hearing of the deeds of the great warrior Ashoka that overcame all of his enemies to win freedom for his oppressed people. True spiritual freedom comes from overcoming the sins and lusts that enslave the soul. Ashoka was a great historical leader 2200 years ago that put his subjects interest above his own; while supporting Buddhism he advocated the tolerance of other religions and encouraged open dialog.

The bottom front-right panel has a double Dorje flanked by Ashoka blossoms. The Double Dorje or  Vajra (The hard or mighty one): In Buddhism, this symbol relates to the rock-hard state of reality that is the enlightenment of Buddhism. The Vajra comes in many forms, both wrathful & peaceful.  When presented in the crossed presentation pictured here, it is called the double Dorje (Tibetan) thunderbolt or double diamond (visvavajra in Sanskrit).   It has four heads, representing the four Dhyani Buddha.  Of these, it is associated primarily with Amoghasiddhi, Lord of the North, the Karma Family Buddha, whose name means Unfailing Accomplishment.  The double Dorje represents the indestructibility of all phenomenal essence.  It serves as a symbol of harmony, unchangeableness, & all -knowingness. The Dorje also symbolizes skilful means & compassion in overcoming samsara.  Compassion here is the active quality of kindness, rather than merely sympathetic feelings which are not transformed into action. 

Ends:
The left end-panels are a continuation of the theme presented on the front & back panels. The lower panel has rock cliffs with kusha grass growing out of the tops set in the Mahamudra Mists. The rock/cliff formation represents the syllable "E" which appears in the opening stanza of early Buddhist scriptures, ("'thus,' I have heard"). The red and green cliffs represent the unmoving nature of the mind when enlightenment has been attained. The upper panel has an Ashoka blossom set in the Mahamudra mists.

The drawers on the right side have red white and blue Chrysanthemums on the lower drawer and a stack of Cintamani on the upper drawer. The chrysanthemum symbolizes autumn and the gathering of the harvest. In this case, it is a metaphor for achieving the goal of enlightenment and its accompanying peace. the blue represents compassion; red is the transmutation of passion into compassion; the white tips denote purity. The top Cintamani in the stack is actually Chakravartin's Precious Jewel; an eight-faceted jewel, as in having eight magical properties. It cools when the days are hot, warms when the days are cold, illuminates the darkness of night, causes rain to fall or a spring to appear when one is thirsty, it brings to fruition what ever the bearer desires, it heals emotional afflictions, and cures all of the diseases of those who are in its range of its light and lastly prevents untimely death as in fathers passing on before sons.

Back panels:
The upper left panel has a Dharma Wheel with a toma offering symbol in the hub, once again it is flanked by the Champaka flower. This is flanked by two rainbowed mountains with rainbows in the background, all set in the Mahamudra Mists. The  Dharma Wheel ~~Sanskrit chakra ~ Tibetan `khor lo. In three parts, the wheel exists as a hub, the center of the world.  The 8 spokes denote the 8 paths to enlightenment. These 8 steps work together, not separately.  1. right understanding . 2. right attitude  3. right speech  4. right action  5. right work    6. right effort  7. right mindfulness  8. right meditation  The rim represents the attribute of limitation.  All are contained within a circle, which is perceived to be perfect and complete, like the teachings of the Buddha.

The lower back left panel is quite colorful, loaded with meaning. In the center is a large stack of Cintamani with the top jewel once again Chakravartin's Precious 8-faceted jewel, here flanked by coral and elephant tusks. there are two mountains flanking the cintamani with rainbows in the background and everything is set in the Mahamudra Mists. The rainbow is eternity’s expression of momentary delight. This is auspicious & takes on a supernatural meaning: the demise of a great teacher & his rebirth.  Rainbows materialize & dissolve into nothingness, & in Tibetan tradition, it is the “Body of Light” or the “Rainbow Body”  & refers to a great master who has attained Mahamudra & no longer perceives the world as a conceptual concrete dimension; rather, he now permeates space as mist, also known as the ultimate form of reality. The self is now permeating space with luminescence transparency, with nothing solid or any sharp lines of separation. This leads way to the Mahamudra mists, so in concept, the Mahamudra & the rainbow are cousins.  Mahamudra is the billowing clouds, or mist, which represents the union of compassion & wisdom -- the ultimate realization of one’s true nature as we can now approach the ultimate source of all things by our behavior and thinking.  They are represented as the transformation of our vices into the 4 powers of regret, vow, reliance, & remedy, so the practitioner will realize purification & enlightenment.  This is also the basic meaning of the "Heart Sutra."

 

The right upper and lower panels are the same as the left end panels in iconography.