21

21. An attribute of the Mahāsiddha Kantapa.

22

22. Golden earring (Sanskr. suvarṇa kuṇḍala; Tib. gser gyi rna skor, rna rgyan). The Arhat Kalika holds two similar earrings (3, 359).

23

23. Appellation undetermined. An attribute belonging to Amoghadarshin. As this representation does not correspond to well-known Sanskrit or Tibetan texts, we were unable to establish its appellation. A similar object is depicted in the hand of the Arhat Bhadravaji and in the left hand of the Arhat Abheda (?).

24. An attribute of the Mahāsiddha Pachari (13, 68).

25

25. Chinese Yin-Yang symbol, an attribute of lamas Kunga Chogden (Tib. kun dga mchog ldan) and Sonam Senge (Tib. bsod nams seng ge). A similar symbol consisting of three segments is called in Tibetan rgyan khyil or dga’ ’khyil.

26A

26B

26. The Wheel of the Dharma (Sanskr. dharmacakra; Tib. 'khor lo, chos kyi 'khor lo, 'khor lo ribs brgyad), one of the most common attributes, symbolizing the teaching of Buddhist doctrine. This symbol usually crowns the pediment of Buddhist temples, flanked by a pair of recumbent male and female deer, a motif associated with the first sermon given by the Buddha in the Deer Park at Sarnath, which is inhabited by deer to this day. The eight spokes of the wheel symbolize the “Noble Eightfold Path” taught by the Buddha in this sermon: 1) Right View; 2) Right Resolve; 3) Right Speech; 4) Right Action; 5) Right Livelihood; 6) Right Effort 7) Right Awareness; and 8) Right Mental Concentration (samādhi).

The wheel, a symbol of the Vairocana family, is one of the “eight auspicious symbols” (Sanskr. aṣṭamaṅgala; Tib. bkra shis rtags brgyad):

1. the golden fishes;
2. the parasol;
3. the conch shell;
4. the knot of eternity;
5. the banner of victory;
6. the vase;
7. the lotus; and
8. the wheel. The Wheel of the Dharma is depicted with a sort of handle and is often shown wreathed in flames.

27

27. Shield (Sanskr. kheṭaka; Tib. phub zlum). Varieties of shield are held by a number of iconographic figures.

28A

28B

28C

28. Disk-shaped combat knife (Sanskr. cakra; Tib. 'khor lo), an attribute of certain deities; Nos. 28B and 28C are stylized representations of this attribute. Sometimes, because of the similarity in their names, thangka painters would depict this attribute interchangeably with No. 26. As Robert Beer points out, the image of the eight-pointed chakra is drawn as a protective diagram (Tib. drag po’i ‘khor lo), “to imprison the effigies of malignant spirits”.

29

29. Mirror (Sanskr. ādarśa, darpaṇa; Tib. me long), a very common attribute, which, as Saunders puts it, “symbolizes emptiness as it reflects all phenomena but deprives them of any substratum”. M. I. Lavrov points out that the mirror is a symbol of omniscience. The mirror may be depicted in the same way as attributes 30 and 31A. In some cases the mirror is embellished with a design, usually exhibiting central symmetry. An example of such a design may be seen on the mirror that is an element of attribute 169. Such a mirror, bearing four circles on its face, is used in divination rituals (Tib. mo me long, 'phrul gyi me long) . If a circular object is centred on a representation of an eye, as often occurs in icons of Avalokiteśvara (e.g., Inv. No. L-7030 from the collection of the Museum of Religious History, St. Petersburg), the attribute should presumably not be regarded as a mirror. There are cases in which the mirror has a rectangular shape.

30A

30B

30. This drawing may be interpreted in four different ways:

1. mirror;
2. disk;
3. disk of the moon (if white or silvery in colour);
4. disk of the sun (if red or golden in colour).
   If this attribute has a handle it usually represents a mirror.

31A. Such a drawing can apparently represent both a mirror and a jewel.

31B

31B. Jewel (Sanskr. ratna, maṇi, cintāmaṇi; Tib. dkon mchog, nor bu, nor bu me 'bar) wreathed in flames, a very common and polysemantic symbol.

32A

32B

32C

32. One more jewel representation. A jewel without flames cannot normally symbolize the chintamani, or wish-granting gem. The jewel that the four-armed Avalokiteśvara, who protects against dangers associated with water, carries on a stand resembling three lotus petals is a rock crystal (Sanskr. udakaharṣaṇa, candrakāntamaṇi; Tib. chu shel), which in Indian myth is endowed with the magical property of yielding water by moonlight. Attributes 32B and 32C represent a jewel held in the right hand of Yellow Jambhala, the deity of wealth. However, in some cases the jewel, as an attribute of Jambhala, is replaced by a sweet lemon or citron (Sanskr. bījapūra; Tib. gam bu ra), which according to Bhattacharya may also occur as an attribute of Jambhala. The same object is sometimes depicted in the hands of the Arhat Hvashang.

33A

33B

33. Chintāmaṇi (Sanskr. cintāmaṇi; Tib. nor bu me 'bar, yid bzhin nor bu, nor bu dgog 'dod spungs 'joms), the wish-granting gem, the “philosopher’s stone”. The attribute shown in 33A is a variant of 31B and forms part of 33B, one of the most typical representations of the cintāmaṇi. The cintāmaṇi is one of the “seven possessions of the Cakravartin (Universal Monarch)”. It may be red, blue, green, or multicoloured.

34A

34B

34C

34. Triple jewel (Sanskr. triratna; Tib. nor bu mig gsum pa, dkon mchog gsum), symbolizes the “Three Jewels” of Buddhist tradition. A very common attribute.

35

36

35, 36. Highly stylized form of No. 34

37

37. Wooden pestle (Sanskr. musalā; Tib. gtun shing), an attribute of Yamantaka and certain other deities.

38A

38B

38C

38. Vajra (Sanskr. vajra; Tib. rdo rje). Probably the most common and important attribute in Buddhist iconography. Vajrayāna, or the “Diamond Vehicle”, the system of Buddhist tenets dominant in the North, owes its name to this object. The vajra’s structure symbolizes Buddhism’s most essential points. Its five prongs represent the five skandhas, the five kleshas, the five wisdoms, etc. If there are nine prongs on either end of a vajra (No. 38B, ill.; Robert Beer writes that the nine-pronged vajra is depicted as a five-pronged vajra with open prongs), they symbolize the Nine Yānas, or Vehicles, the nine levels of the Teaching according to the Old (Tib. rNying ma) School of Tibetan Buddhism. The drawing of a single-pointed vajra (No. 38C, ill. Tib. rdo rje rtse gcig) is given here exclusively on the basis of materials published by Beer (the sources available to me relate the term to No. 49). Numerous attributes incorporate the vajra or half-vajra (Sanskr. ardhavajra) as a component. Most often the vajra is coupled with the bell, representing the practical method of Buddhist religion, i.e., the union of “skillful means” (Sanskr. upāya; Tib. thabs) and “wisdom”, or “discriminative awareness” (Sanskr. prajñā; Tib. shes rab).

39A

39B

39. Crossed vajra (viśvavajra, karmavajra; Tib. sna tshogs rdo rje, rdo rje rgya gram), formed by crossing two vajras (No. 38). Much rarer than the single vajra.

40

40. Vajra hammer (Sanskr. vajramudgara; Tib. rdo rje tho ba), wielded by a number of deities. When held by the deity Damchen Dorje Legpa, it is a foundry hammer (Tib. khro chu’i tho ba).