Iconography
The uppermost band of the barrel's side has a gold band that represents the purity of Buddha. Under the ring of the Victory Banner flaps are alternating Zipak & Double Dorjes, linked with a chain of blue & turquoise pearls. The victory banner stands foremost for the victory of Buddhist teachings over ignorance. It announces that all spiritual obstacles have been overcome & good fortune has arrived (as evidenced by the chain of pearls). According to one tradition, the Zeeba (Zipak) was created by the Hindu God Shiva. Zeeba, having been deprived of his prey & being gluttonous, devoured itself until only the head & hands were left. It serves as a reminder of what greed & gluttony can do. The Double Dorje, also referred to as the double thunderbolt, represents the indestructibility of all phenomenal essence. It is a symbol of harmony, unchangeableness & all-knowingness. The final band around the barrel is a lotus throne. The lotus is an important Buddhist motif, & images of the Buddha & other important deities often are shown seated on a lotus throne. The lotus, its roots in mud, grows through water to emerge as a wonderful plant above the surface. Consequently, it is seen as analogy of the soul’s path from the mud of materialism to the air of enlightenment. Just as the lotus blossom rises above the mud & is beautiful, so must you raise your thinking with pure, clean thoughts that are noble & praiseworthy. Then, you also will be beautiful. The mantra is OM MANI PADME HUM. The 6 syllables are the famous mantra of Avalokiteshvara, which is sometimes explained as ”The jewel in the heart of the Lotus.” The first OM refers to Buddha’s body, speech & mind, as in possessing this oneself; the MA of MANI is a jewel or treasure, (wisdom/thinking). The NI of the MANI is the altruistic mind. PADMI is the lotus flower, the nature of reality of Buddha’s wisdom. HUM is the determination & resolution to acquire & retain these qualities.The top is painted in a rainbow of colors symbolizing cosmic energy radiating from the prayer wheel.
