Ashtamangala

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Ashtamangala: first row (left to right): parasol, pair of golden fish, conch; second row: treasure vase, lotus; Last row: infinite knot, victory banner and wheel.

The Ashtamangala (

romanized: Aṣṭamaṅgala) is a sacred suite of Eight Auspicious Signs featured in a number of Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The symbols or "symbolic attributes" (Tibetan: ཕྱག་མཚན་, THL: chaktsen) are yidam and teaching tools. Not only do these attributes (or energetic signatures) point to qualities of enlightened mindstream, but they are the investiture that ornaments these enlightened "qualities" (Sanskrit: guṇa; Tibetan: ཡོན་ཏན་, THL
: yönten). Many cultural enumerations and variations of the Ashtamangala are extant.

Carved wooden door with 8 auspicious signs (Ashtamangala) in Nepal

Buddhism

Groupings of eight auspicious symbols were originally used in India at ceremonies such as an investiture or coronation of a king. An early grouping of symbols included:

Shakyamuni Buddha immediately after he gained enlightenment.[1]

Tibetan Buddhists make use of a particular set of eight auspicious symbols, ashtamangala, in household and public art. Some common interpretations are given along with each symbol although different teachers may give different interpretations:

Conch

Śaṅkha
Auspicious symbol – conch Rewalsar

The right-turning white conch shell (Sanskrit: śaṅkha; Tibetan: དུང་དཀར་གཡས་འཁྱིལ་, THL: dungkar yénkhyil) represents the beautiful, deep, melodious, interpenetrating and pervasive sound of the dharma, which awakens disciples from the deep slumber of ignorance and urges them to accomplish their own welfare for the welfare of others.

The conch shell is thought to have been the original horn-trumpet; ancient Indian mythical epics relate heroes carrying conch shells. The Indian god Vishnu is also described as having a conch shell as one of his main emblems; his shell bore the name Panchajanya meaning "having control over the five classes of beings".[1]

Endless knot

Endless knot

The

Gautama Buddha's chest is mentioned in some lists of the Physical characteristics of the Buddha
.

Pair of golden fish

Pair of golden fish
Auspicious symbol. Two Golden Fish. Likir Monastery, Ladakh

The two golden fish (Sanskrit: gaurmatsya; Tibetan: གསེར་ཉ་, THL: sernya[5]) symbolise the auspiciousness of all sentient beings in a state of fearlessness without danger of drowning in saṃsāra.[citation needed] The two golden fishes are linked with the Ganges and Yamuna nadi, prana and carp:

The two fishes originally represented the two main sacred rivers of India – the Ganges and Yamuna. These rivers are associated with the lunar and solar channels, which originate in the nostrils and carry the alternating rhythms of breath or prana. They have religious significance in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions but also in Christianity (the sign of the fish, the feeding of the five thousand). In Buddhism, the fish symbolize happiness as they have complete freedom of movement in the water. They represent fertility and abundance. Often drawn in the form of carp, which are regarded in the Orient as sacred on account of their elegant beauty, size, and life-span.[1]

Lotus

padma
.
Auspicious symbol. Lotus – Padma. Likir Monastery.

The

padma; Tibetan: པདྨ, THL: péma) represents the primordial purity of body, speech, and mind, floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. The lotus symbolizes purity and renunciation. Although the lotus has its roots in the mud at the bottom of a pond, its flower lies immaculate above the water. The Buddhist lotus bloom has 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, 64, 100, or 1,000 petals. The same figures can refer to the body's 'internal lotuses', that is to say, its energy centres (chakra).[6][7]

Parasol

Jewelled parasol
Auspicious symbol - Parasol. Rewalsar.

The jewelled parasol (Sanskrit:

refuge
in the dharma under the auspiciousness of the parasol.

Vase

Treasure vase
Auspicious symbol – Vase. Rewalsar.

The treasure vase (Tibetan: གཏེར་ཆེན་པོའི་བུམ་པ་, THL: terchenpo'i bumpa) represents health, longevity, wealth, prosperity, wisdom and the phenomenon of space. The treasure vase, or pot, symbolizes the Buddha's infinite quality of teaching the dharma: no matter how many teachings he shared, the treasure never lessened.[8]

The iconography representation of the treasure vase is often very similar to the

empowerment (Vajrayana) and initiations.[citation needed
]

Dharmachakra

The dharmachakra

The

Gautama Buddha and the Dharma teaching. This symbol is commonly used by Tibetan Buddhists, where it sometimes also includes an inner wheel of the Gankyil (Tibetan). Nepalese Buddhists
do not use the Wheel of Law in the eight auspicious symbols.

Instead of the Dharmachakra, a

pujas. Prayer wheels
take the form of a Dharmachakra guise.

Victory banner

Dhvaja
Auspicious symbol – Victory Banner. Likir Monastery.
Four auspicious symbols. Mandi.
Auspicious symbols. Mandi.

The dhvaja (Sanskrit; Tibetan: རྒྱལ་མཚན་, THL: gyeltsen) "banner, flag" was a military standard of ancient Indian warfare. The symbol represents the Buddha's victory over the four māras, or hindrances in the path of enlightenment. These hindrances are pride, desire, disturbing emotions, and the fear of death. Within the Tibetan tradition, a list of eleven different forms of the victory banner is given to represent eleven specific methods for overcoming defilement. Many variations of the dhvaja's design can be seen on the roofs of Tibetan monasteries to symbolise the Buddha's victory over four māras. Banners are placed at the four corners of monastery and temple roofs. The cylindrical banners placed on monastery roofs are often made of beaten copper.[9]

Sequences of symbols

Different traditions order the eight symbols differently.

Here is the sequential order of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Nepali Buddhism:

  1. Endless knot
  2. Lotus flower
  3. Dhvaja
  4. Dharmachakra (fly-whisk in Nepali Buddhism)
  5. Bumpa
  6. Golden Fish
  7. Parasol
  8. Conch

The sequential order for

Chinese Buddhism was defined[10] in the Qing dynasty
as:

  1. Dharmachakra
  2. Conch
  3. Dhvaja
  4. Parasol
  5. Lotus flower
  6. Bumpa
  7. Golden Fish
  8. Endless knot

Hinduism

In Indian and Hindu tradition,[11] the Ashtamangala may be used during certain occasions including: pujas, weddings (of Hindus), and coronations. The ashtamangala finds wide mention in the texts associated with Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. They have been depicted in decorative motifs and cultural artifacts.

Jainism

Adinath image with Ashtamangala placed in front of it, according to Digambara tradition
Srivatsa, Nandavarta
, Darpan (mirror)

In Jainism, the Ashtamangala are a set of eight auspicious symbols.[13] There is some variation among different traditions concerning the eight symbols.[14]

In the Digambara tradition, the eight symbols are:

  1. Parasol
  2. Dhvaja
  3. Kalasha
  4. Chamara
  5. Mirror
  6. Chair
  7. Hand fan
  8. Vessel

In the

Śvētāmbara
tradition, the eight symbols are:

  1. Swastika
  2. Srivatsa
  3. Nandavarta
  4. Vardhmanaka (food vessel)
  5. Bhadrasana (seat)
  6. Kalasha (pot)
  7. Darpana (mirror)
  8. Pair of fish

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Source: [1] (accessed: January 18, 2008) Archived 13 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Source: Dpal be'u
  3. ^ a b Sarat Chandra Das (1902). Tibetan-English Dictionary with Sanskrit Synonyms. Calcutta, India: mainly used in buddhismBengal Secretariat Book Depot, p.69
  4. ISBN 978-951-609-377-5
    .
  5. ^ Source: gser nya
  6. ISBN 978-951-609-377-5
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1-55939-282-2
    .
  8. ISBN 978-951-609-377-5
    .
  9. ISBN 978-951-609-377-5
    .
  10. ^ Zhou Lili. "A Summary of Porcelains' Religious and Auspicious Designs." The Bulletin of the Shanghai Museum 7 (1996), p.133
  11. ISBN 0-500-51088-1
    ) by Anna Dallapiccola
  12. ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 70.
  13. ^ Vyas 1995, p. 20.
  14. ^ Titze & Bruhn 1998, p. 234.

Sources

External links

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