Iconography

The most striking of the symbols on the front of this cabinet are the Shou symbol on the lower doors. There are several variations seen on Tibetan Offering cabinets, this variation has a boxed trefoil in the upper and lower parts. This symbol recalls the the dream of the Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu, who having dreamed that he was a butterfly joyously flittering around posed the question; "Did Chuang Tzu dream he was a butterfly? Or is the butterfly still dreaming that he is Chuang Tzu?" The caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly are unified symbols of transmutation, resurrection and immortality. They may be best described in the aphorism: "What the caterpillar perceives as the end of all things, the rest of the world perceives as the beginning of the butterfly."

The panels to the side of the lower doors have a four petaled flower with stylized durva grass pointing out from the top and bottom. The 4-petaled flower is symbolic of the 4 Noble truths, the middle way and the first teaching of Buddha. 1. Life is suffering. 2. Ignorance is the cause of suffering. 3. The cessation of suffering is the goal of life because it transcends pains and pleasure. 4. The way to the cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which aligns with the eight spokes of the Dharma Wheel. Grass (in Sanskrit, Durva) is a symbol for long (or Longer) life and is used in life-enriching rituals. grass, being highly resilient, is believed to be immortal and so proclaims the end of samsara, the successive death and rebirth of all beings.

The top doors have four clawed Tibetan dragons flying about with mare's tailed cumulus clouds and Mahamudra mists in the back and fore ground. Unlike its demonic European counterpart, the Tibetan dragon is a creature of great creative power; a positive icon, representing the strong male yang principle of heaven, change, energy, wealth and creativity. Dragons are shape shifters, able to transform at will, from as small as the silkworm to a giant that fills the entire sky. Dragons are depicted in one of two colors, green or brown.  The green, or azure dragon of Buddhism ascends into the sky at the spring equinox; it represents the light's increasing power in springtime and the easterly direction of the sunrise. The brown dragon is the autumn equinox, when it descends into a deep pool, encasing itself in mud until the next spring, but its spirit is still with the practitioner bringing wealth and health. The pearls, or jewels clutched in the claws of the dragon represent wisdom and health. The dragon can control the weather by squeezing the jewels to produce dew, rain or even downpours when clutched tightly. The dragon is the vehicle of Vairochana, the white Buddha of the center or the east. This dragon depiction dates this cabinet to about the year 1620-1630. The monastery converted to the Gelupka sect in the year 1616 AD. Five clawed dragons appeared after the year 1644 when the Qing dynasty was consolidating power and the new emperor of China, wanting to build relationships based upon the Choyon of of 1244 AD decided to continue the relationship, and further added that five clawed dragons were now permitted without Imperial edict. Intermixed with the Mahamudra mists are mare's tail cumulus clouds which are quite common in Tibet. One significance of these fast moving clouds and the pure clarity of the sky is metaphorically an illustration of the Buddha Mind. Clouds may come and go across the heavens, like the transitory thoughts or delusions which appear to obscure the mind's true nature, yet the nature of the sky remains unchanged. this is like the mirror, which is always unaffected by the appearances which arise in it, the sky is clear, transparent, infinite and immaculate. The small sideways "s" clouds 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, and remedy, so the practitioner will realize purification and enlightenment.  This is also the basic meaning of the "Heart Sutra."

Both side of this cabinet are similar, with a 4 petaled flower surrounded by linked trefoils on the top panel and a flute called Ti on the bottom panel. The trefoil is a cloud design representing the 3 syllablemantra OM AH HUM ~ the body, mind and speech of Buddha as the practitioner should posses. The flute is a classic design of the Ti, six holes with a silk ribbon around the center for carrying and holding while playing. The ti is part of Tantric rituals and song and dance revealed in such texts as the Hevajra Tantra, however this tradition has been waning in the last few centuries, but this flute depiction is a reminder of how important this was in the past.