81

81. This implement may be a form of the khaṭvāṅga. Cf. No. 80.

82.

82. This attribute (Tib. dbyugs pa dkar po rdo rje'i rtse mo can mi mgo rlon pa ser pos mtshan pa) is held by a rare form of Red Yamari.

83.

83. Stick with a skull-and-vajra top (Sanskr. kaṅkāladaṇḍa, kapāladaṇḍa; Tib. thod skam gyis mtshan pa'i dbyug pa, thod dbyug), an attribute of a number of deities.

84A. Club topped with a skull, similar to the previous attribute despite an outward affinity with No. 84B. These three attributes seem to have a single source.

84B

84B. Club of bone with a skull (Sanskr. kaṅkāladaṇḍa; Tib. thod byung, zhing chen gyi dbyug pa, keng rus dbyung), wielded by Dharmarāja and certain other deities. The skull may be crowned with a jewel or half-vajra.

85

85. Walking stick of mendicant Buddhist monks (Sanskr. khakkhara; Tib. 'khar gsil). The complex symbolism of this attribute is explained in detail by Robert Beer.

86.

86. Walking stick of Tsagaan Ubegun or Tseringduk (the White Old Man), an ancient deity of Central Asian nomadic tribes and a revered figure in the Buddhist pantheon.

87.

87. Walking stick with a sack, an attribute of the Mahāsiddha Dhokaripa and certain other figures.

88.

88. Walking stick (Sanskr. daṇḍa; Tib. sdong bu), an attribute of Serlingpa (Tib. gSer gling pa), a teacher in the Lamrim lineage.

89

89. Firebrand or tongue of flame (Sanskr. agni; agnidaṇḍa; jvaladaṇḍa; Tib. mе, me mgal, me dpung, ye shes me dpung), wielded by a few figures in the pantheon. The human tongue (Sanskr. jīhva; Tib. lce) is also depicted in the form of a tongue of flame as an attribute of the deity Vajra Speech (rDo rje smra ba) in the retinue of Sarvavid Vairocana.

90. Bundle of incense sticks (Sanskr. dhūpa; Tib. bdug spos), one of the offerings traditionally placed on the altar. This implement may be personified by the female deity of the same name. It should not be mistaken for the firebrand.

91.

91. Club (Sanskr. gaḍā; Tib. be con), wielded by certain wrathful deities. The notched wooden club often held by Lhamo in her right hand is known as the “crossed stick of the demons” (Tib. bdud kyi khram bam).

92.

92. Chin support (Sanskr. acalādaṇḍa; Tib. sgom shing), used by certain yogins in order to remain motionless during long periods of concentration. Lama Mipham is frequently depicted with this implement.

93.

93. This implement, which outwardly resembles Nos. 91 and 92, is a stylized representation of a trumpet, an attribute of the Mahāsiddha Bhinapa.

94.

94. Stick crowned with a lotus flower (Sanskr. padmadaṇḍa; Tib. pad mas mtshan pa'i dbyug ра), wielded by Hayagriva.

95.

95. The present drawing represents any opened flower blossom, as in both thangka paintings and sculptures, flowers usually appear in a highly stylized form, and the botanical features of real plants are practically unrecognizable. Most commonly employed in Buddhist iconography is the lotus, symbolizing, above all, purity, as its magnificent flower seems to have nothing in common with the mire from which it grows. The lotus is the emblem of the “lotus family” and one of the “eight auspicious symbols”. All varieties of lotus except the blue are often referred to simply as “lotuses”, although they have names of their own. Buddhist texts usually indicate the colour of a lotus when it appears as an attribute of a deity. There are several colours of lotus: a) white (Sanskr. padma, puṇḍarīka, kamalā, kahlāra, sitotpala; Tib. pa dma, pa dma dkar po), although, strictly speaking, some of these are not lotuses at all; b) blue and blue-green (Sanskr. utpala, nilotpala, kuvalaya; Tib. ut pa la, ma 'dom ma, ku ba la); and c) red and pink (Sanskr. kumuda, raktotpala; Tib. ku mu da). Yellow (Sanskr. pītotpala; Tib. pa dma ser po) and violet lotuses are much rarer. It may be helpful to remember that the white padma and sitotpala lotuses blossom only during the day, while the blue kuvalaya lotus and red kumuda lotuses blossom only by night.

Flowers other than lotuses that occur in Buddhist iconography are all placed under No. 95. They include the red (or, less frequently, yellow) flower of the aśoka tree (Sanskr. aśoka; Tib. mya ngan 'tshang; Jonesia Aśoka Roxburghii), the white and yellow flowers of the champaka (Sanskr. campaka; Tib. tsam pa ka; Michelia Champaka or Oroxylum indicum (L.) Vent), the white flower of the naga tree, or nagapushpa (Sanskr. nāgapuṣpa; Tib. klu'i me tog; Mesua Roxburghii, Rottlera Tinktoria, or Bombax ceiba L), and finally a generic flower (Sanskr. kusuma; Tib. me tog).

The flower is one of the most common attributes in Buddhist iconography. It often serves as a support for other implements, such as the sword, book, etc. In such cases, we regard the flower and the object it supports as two distinct attributes.

96A

96B

96. Myrobalan (Sanskr. harītaki or āmalaka, dhātrī, oṣadhi; Tib. a ru ra; Terminalia chebula Retz, Emblic Myrobalan, Fructus Myrobalanae, and other appellations). As a symbol of medicinal plants, it is an attribute of figures associated with medicine, primarily the Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguru. There are other representations of myrobalan, but all of them have one feature in common – an elongated oval in the centre.

97.

97. Branch (Sanskr. śākhā, pallava; Tib. yal ga), an attribute of a number of deities.

98

98. Leaf (Sanskr. pattra; Tib. lo ma, 'dab ma), an attribute of Vaiyu.

99.

99. Edible plant the name of which remains unclear.

100. “Forest wreath” (Sanskr. vanamālā; Tib. nags tshal gyi do shal), an attribute of Maitri-dakini.