Iconography

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.

Gracing the front doors are stylized Champaka blossoms accompanied by rainbows, rainbow mountains, and durva grass in an atmosphere of Mahamudra. The Champaka is a white blossom from the wish-fulfilling tree & is an attribute of Maitreya, conferring love, compassion & beauty. 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.  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." 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 lifespan will allow greater progress in moving towards enlightenment within a given cycle.

The front upper-right panel has a Dharma Wheel set in the Mahamudra, flanked by rock cliffs with Kusha grass growing from the tops of them. The Dharma wheel is in three parts:  (1) A hub, the center of the world.  (2) The 8 spokes, denoting the 8 paths to enlightenment. (These 8 steps work together, not separately.  a. right understanding b. right attitude  c. right speech  d. right action  e. right work    f. right effort  g. right mindfulness  h. right meditation)  (3) The rim, representing the attribute of limitation.  All are contained within a circle, which is perceived to be perfect & complete, like the teachings of the Buddha. The rock/cliff formation represents the syllable "E," which appears in the opening stanza of early Buddhist scriptures, ("thus, I have heard"). The blue, red & green cliffs represent the unmoving nature of the mind when enlightenment has been attained. Kusha grass grows to a height of two feet & 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 & meditation.  Kusha is the grass of choice for the manufacture of sacred meditation mats.

The bottom front-right panel has a Double Dorje with a red Ashoka blosson on each side surrounded by Durva grass. 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. 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 Akmoghasiddhi, Lord of the North, the Karma Family Buddha, whose name means Unfailing Accomplishment.  The double Dorje represents the indestructibility of all phenomenonal 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. 

The left end-panels are a continuation of the theme presented on the front & back panels. The upper panel has rainbows, mountains, Mahamudra mists and durva grass. The bottom panel has Cintamani with Kusha grass in place of the flames. This represents the pruification that has arrived by the burning away of ignorance, desire and the poisons. In the corners of the lower panel are two stylized Lotus blossoms. The lotus flower  is ar natural symbol and 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 back upper-left panel has a set of 6 flaming Cinatami set in the Mahamudra mists. 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.  Cintamani are also referred to as the “Thinking Jewel” & symbolize the importance of teaching & as well as the enlightened mind.

The lower  right-panel depicts a right spiraling (echoing the celestial movement of the sun, moon & stars) conch shell,  one of the oldest icons in Buddhism.  Made by nature, not man, a conch horn sounds in all directions, as do the teachings of the Buddha. Consequently, the conch is seen as a vehicle fearlessly proclaiming the truth of the dharma in all directions. It is also an emblem of power & authority & is thought to banish evil. The white conch shell was presented to Sakyamuni by the great sky god Indra. The drawers on the right ends again continue the theme of the front & back with lotus blossoms, Mahamudra & durva grass.