Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture

by Rinpoche, Dagyab; Thurman, Robert A.F.

• ISBN13: 9780861710478
• ISBN10: 0861710479
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-11-01
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications

Summary

In this fascinating study, Dagyab Rinpoche not only explains the nine best-known groups of Tibetan Buddhist symbols but also shows how they serve as bridges between our inner and outer worlds. As such, they can be used to point the way to ultimate reality and to transmit a reservoir of deep knowledge formed over thousands of years.

Author Biography

Born in Tibet, His Eminence Loden Sherab Dagyab Rinpoche immigrated to Germany in the 1960s where he now lives and teaches Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Bonn.

Robert Thurman holds the Jey Tsong Khapa Chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University. After education at Philips Exeter and Harvard, he studied Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism for almost thirty years as a personal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has written both scholarly and popular books, and has lectured widely all over the world. As President of the American Institute for Buddhist Studies, he convened the First Inner Science Conference with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Amherst College in 1984. He is also a founding trustee of Tibet House New York.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Publisher's Note	xiii
Preface	xv
Introduction	3	(1)
Essentials of Tibetan Thought	3	(7)
Conventional Reality	3	(5)
Non-Conventional Reality	8	(2)
What are Symbols, and How Do They Affect Us?	10	(5)
The Nine Best-Known Groups of Symbols in Tibetan Culture	15	(98)
The Eight Symbols of Good Fortune	17	(24)
The Parasol	19	(2)
The Golden Fishes	21	(1)
The Treasure Vase	22	(1)
The Lotus	23	(1)
The Right-Turning Conch Shell	24	(1)
The Glorious Endless Knot	25	(2)
The Victory Sign	27	(3)
The Wheel	30	(2)
General Meaning of the Eight Symbols of Good Fortune	32	(4)
How the Eight Symbols of Good Fortune Are Used	36	(5)
The Eight Bringers of Good Fortune	41	(24)
The Mirror	44	(3)
The Ghiwang Medicine	47	(2)
The Yogurt	49	(1)
The Durva Grass	50	(2)
The Bilva Fruit	52	(2)
The Right-Turning Conch Shell	54	(2)
The Cinnabar	56	(2)
The Mustard Seeds	58	(2)
How the Eight Bringers of Good Fortune Are Used	60	(5)
The Seven Jewels of Royal Power	65	(20)
The Precious Wheel	67	(3)
The Precious Jewel	70	(2)
The Precious Queen	72	(2)
The Precious Minister	74	(1)
The Precious Elephant	75	(2)
The Precious Horse	77	(2)
The Precious General	79	(1)
How the Seven Jewels of Royal Power Are Used	80	(5)
Mandalas and Mandala Offering	80	(1)
Other Uses of the Seven Jewels of Royal Power	81	(4)
The Seven Secondary Jewels	85	(6)
The Seven Gems	91	(4)
The Six Signs of Long Life	95	(4)
The Five Qualities of Enjoyment	99	(8)
The Three Realms of Existence	100	(3)
How the Five Qualities of Enjoyment Are Used	103	(4)
The Four Harmonious Brothers	107	(4)
The Three Symbols of Victory in the Fight against Disharmony	111	(2)
Conclusion	113	(2)
Notes	115	(16)
Glossary	131	(12)
Bibliography	143	(5)
About the Author	148