Iconography

Each side has 2 brown-maned Snow Lions facing 4 Auspicious symbols grouped together; a Parasol, the Dharma Wheel, 2 Golden Fish & a lotus Blossom depicted as a throne. The Snow Lion is the national emblem of Tibet.  The Snow Lion resides in the East & represents unconditional cheerfulness, a mind freed from doubt, clear & precise. It has a beauty & dignity resulting from a synchronized body & mind. The Snow Lion has the youthful, vibrant energy of goodness & a natural sense of delight.  Sometimes, the throne of a Buddha is depicted with eight Snow Lions on it.  In that case, they represent the 8 main Bodhisattva-disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha.  Associations: main quality is fearlessness, dominance over mountains, & the earth element. The parasol & the shade it casts symbolize wisdom.  Its hanging skirt indicates compassion, so the parasol becomes a symbol of protection from the painful heat of the suffering human incur from the spiritual poisons of desire, hate, greed & ignorance.  In three parts, the Dharma 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 & complete, like the teachings of the Buddha. The pair of golden fish, having complete freedom in water, represent happiness, fertility, & abundance.  On a spiritual level, they represent the boundless abundance of the Buddha’s energy , which never diminishes, no matter how much is given away.

The colorful top has a utpala & 3 Cintamani. The lotus flower  is another natural symbol & represents earth.  Tibetan Buddhist mystics imagined the earth floating like a lotus flower on the oceans of the universe. The heart of the flower is the cosmic mountain, the axis of the universe. The generally acknowledged meaning of the lotus flower is purity of mind or divine creation. From the muck of a pond, where the roots of the lotus reside, an immaculate white flower emerges to rest on the surface of the water as a metaphor for the harmonious unfolding of spirituality. The lotus is an important Buddhist motif.  Images of the Buddha & other important persons often are shown seated on a lotus throne.  The growth of the lotus, with its roots in mud, growing through water, & emerging as a wonderful plant above thesurface, is seen as an analogy of the soul’s path from the mud of materialism to the purity of enlightenment. The 3 stages of the lotus, bud, utpala (mid-blossom) & the full blossoming throne represent the past present & future respectively.

Cintamani are wish-granting jewels & additionally represent wisdom.  When depicted in sets of 3, they represent the body, speech & mind of Buddha such as the practitioner may possess & go hand in hand with the mantra on each end of the box.  Cintamani are also referred to as the “Thinking Jewel” & symbolize the importance of teaching & as well as the enlightened mind.

The mantra on each end of the box is OM AH HOM, which is the "Body~Speech~Mind" of Buddha, as in one's acquisition of these properties.