Iconography

The side of this box have two mongooses with a Wisdom Jewel or Cintamani in their mouths, flanking an offering bowl filled with Cintamani, the king's or Minister's earrings & two sets of elephant tusks. The earrings & elephant tusks are possessions of Chakravartin.The mongoose is a traditional enemy of Nagas & snakes, (both treasure guardians) & is usually seen spitting colored jewels of wisdom or Cintamani.  The symbolism may have its origin in the central-Asian custom of using a mongoose skin as a money bag. 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. Pictured here are 15 flaming jewels.

Chakravartin, or Wheel Turner: In Hinduism, the term refers to an ideal ruler, but in Buddhism, Chakravartin has come to mean a Buddha whose all-encompassing teachings are universally true.  Chakravartin has an army of 4 divisions: infantry, cavalry, elephants, & chariots. Chakravartin is the lineage of 25 Kulika kings or enlightened monarchs, the 25th of which will finally defeat the "non-believers." The Precious King's or Minister's Earrings heavy earrings are taken as a symbol of comprehension of the Buddha’s teachings.  The weight of the earrings caused the wearer's earlobes to elongate.  The long earlobes of the Buddha are a symbol of his detachment from all things earthly. Like the Buddha, the King represents a wealth of faith, morality, honesty, modesty, learning, renunciation, & wisdom. The King is also referred to as the Precious minister. His intelligence is razor-sharp, with a great ability for patience & listening.  He desires to do only good works to promote the Dharma, to protect & benefit all beings. The Precious Elephant is a symbol of the strength of the mind in Buddhism. Exhibiting noble gentleness, the precious elephant serves as a symbol of the calm majesty possessed by one who is on the path. Specifically, it embodies the boundless powers of the Buddha, which are miraculous aspiration, effort, intention, & analysis.  Elephant tusks, when depicted, are symbolic of the whole elephant.

The Tibetanized Sanskrit on the top is a mantra "OM AH HOM OM MANI PADMI HUM." OM MANI PADME HUM ~ OM HA HUM. The first part of the script, OM HA HUM, is the head, throat & heart.  It speaks to the Channel-Wheel system. This is the last 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.