0063 Iconograpy

The front has a wise, benevolent dragon clutching a flaming pearl or Cintamani jewel. Unlike its demonic European counterpart, the Tibetan dragon is a creature of great creative power.  It has the ability to change size at will -- at one time covering the skies, at another time being invisible.  It is a symbol of heaven & the power of spring.  At the spring equinox, it ascends to the sky, where it remains until the autumn equinox, when it descends to a deep pool, living in mud for the winter.  Accompanying the dragon is the elusive flaming pearl.  In Buddhist art, a pair of dragons are often seen fighting over the pearl, chasing it across the sky. The pearl or Cintamani, the thinking jewel, represents teaching & the enlightened mind that comes from the teaching.

The trunk's top has a (Vajra) Thunderbolt, or Double Dorje,  billowing Mahamudra with lotus blossom pointing inward from the sides.  There is also blue durva grass mixed with the Mahamudra.  In Buddhism, the symbol of the Vajra (the hard or mighty one) relates to the impermeable 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).  Its four heads represent the four Dhyani Buddha. Of these, it is associated primarily with Akmoghasiddhi, lord of the north, the Karma Family Buddha, whose mane means "Unfailing Accomplishment."  The double Dorje represents the indestructibility of all phenomenonal essence.  It serves as a symbol of harmony, immutability, & all-knowingness. The billowing clouds or mist are Mahamudra: the union of compassion and wisdom- the ultimate realization of one’s true nature; they are represented as the transformation of our vices into the 4 powers of regret, vow, reliance & remedy, so that the practitioner will realize purification & enlightenment. 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 and rebirth of all beings. It usually takes a long time to overcome samsara, & a longer lifespan will allow greater progress in moving towards enlightenment within a given cycle.

The lid's front edge has a Tibetanized rendition of Sanskrit. It begins with the Tibetan symbol of greatest respectful greeting and continues in the Romanized Tibetan mantra, OM MANI PADME HUM ~ OM MA MA HUM. The first 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 & keep these qualities. The second part of the script, after a spacer, OM MA MA HUM, is a commitment & holy promise to seek this "jewel in the heart of the lotus."

The sides have an offering bowl sitting on a lotus throne.   The lotus is an important Buddhist motif since images of the Buddha & other important deities often are seen seated on a lotus throne.  The growth of the lotus, its roots in mud & growing through water to emerge as a wonderful plant above the surface, is seen as an 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, & noble thoughts.  Then, you also will be beautiful.