Here is the third of the Eight Auspicious Symbols, the treasure - TopicsExpress



          

Here is the third of the Eight Auspicious Symbols, the treasure vase and its significance. This comes from Robert Beers definitive presentation of these in both his Handbook of Tibetan Symbols (shmb.la/handbook-tibetan-symbols) and the even more comprehensive Encyclopaedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs (shmb.la/encylopedia-tibetan-symbols). THE TREASURE VASE (Skt. nidhana-kumbha; Tib. gter-gyi bumpa) The golden treasure vase, or ‘vase of inexhaustible treasures’, is modeled upon the traditional Indian clay water pot. This pot is known as a kalasha or kumbha, with a flat base, round body, narrow neck, and fluted upper rim. This womb-like sacred kumbha is venerated in India at the great religious ‘pot festival’ of the Kumbh Mela. This festival (Skt. mela) is held in rotation every three years at the cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik, and Ujain, and commemorates the spilling of the divine nectar of the gods (Skt. amrita) at these four sacred sites (see Appendix 1). The treasure vase is predominantly a symbol of certain wealth deities, including Jambhala, Vaishravana, and Vasudhara, where it often appears as an attribute beneath their feet. One form of the wealth goddess Vasudhara stands upon a pair of horizontal treasure vases that spill an endless stream of jewels. As the divine ‘vase of plenty’ (Tib. bum-pa bzang-po) it possesses the quality of spontaneous manifestation, because however much treasure is removed from the vase it remains perpetually full. The typical Tibetan treasure vase is represented as a highly ornate golden vase, with lotus-petal motifs radiating around its various sections. A single wish-granting gem, or a group of three gems, seals its upper rim as a symbol of the Three Jewels of the Buddha, dharma, and sangha. The great treasure vase (Tib. gter chen-po’i bum-pa), as described in the Buddhist mandala offering, is fashioned from gold and studded with a multitude of precious gems. A silk scarf from the god realm is tied around its neck, and its top is sealed with a wish-granting tree. The roots of this tree infuse the contained waters of longevity, miraculously creating all manner of treasures. Sealed treasure vases may be placed or buried at sacred geomantic locations, such as mountain passes, pilgrimage sites, springs, rivers, and oceans. Here their function is both to spread abundance to the environment and to appease the indigenous spirits who abide in these places. For more information on this anf the other seven Auspicious Symbols, see the Handbook of Tibetan Symbols: shmb.la/handbook-tibetan-symbols Or the more comprehensive Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and motifs: shmb.la/encylopedia-tibetan-symbols
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 15:28:00 +0000

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