双象鼻耳宣炉

明代宣德年间所造的铜香炉，简称“宣炉”明才子冒襄说：[ 宣炉妙在色，其色内融，丛黯淡中发其光，正如好女子肌肤，柔腻可掐，热火久灿烂善变。] 据记载，宣德所做的炉仅五千余个。根据中国文字书写中的讳省习惯“德”字中“心”上一横笔常被省略了。落款虽然有各种不同，但款上楷书的字体字字完整，颗颗圆浑晶莹。但今天凡铜炉都称之宣炉了！！！

Nine eyes Dzi

Ten years ago, a friend showed me this very unique & beautiful nine eyes Dzi to me. I got a shock at that moment, when I hold this Dzi in my hand I can feel some kind of energy going through my body. In my mind how wonderful it would be if I can own this treasure. I ask him to sell it to me but he refused and said time is not ripe yet.

Three years later he visited me and said you are the most suitable person who can own this nine eyes Dzi. I am so happy now to put in my post to show a token of appreciation.

Heaven Earth Dzi bead 天地天珠

From Wikipedia,

Dzi bead (pronounced “zee”) is a bead stone of mysterious origin worn as part of a necklace and sometimes as a bracelet. In several Asian cultures, including that of Tibet, the bead is considered to provide positive spiritual benefit. These beads are generally prized as protective amulets and are sometimes ground up into a powder to be used in traditional Tibetan medicine. Beads subject to this process have small “dig marks” where a portion of the bead has been scraped or shaved away to be ground into the medicine.

Beads that are broken are believed to have a diluted benefit, because they have taken the brunt of the force that it is assumed would have otherwise impacted the wearer.

The most highly prized dzi beads are made of natural agate. Others were apparently manufactured in ancient times. There are also modern imitations made for decorative purposes.

Design

Dzi stones are made from agate, and may have decorated symbols composed of circles, ovals, square, waves (zig zags), stripes, lines, diamonds, circles, squares, waves, and stripes and various other natural archetypal symbolic patterns. Colors will mainly range from browns to blacks with the pattern usually being in ivory white. Dzi beads can appear in different colours, shapes and sizes.

The number of “eyes” on the stone is considered significant. “Eyes” are the circular dot or eye-like designs, and depending on their number and arrangement, they represent different things.

Sometimes the natural patterns (usually “layered” swirls) of the agate can be seen underneath or behind the decorated symbols and designs, and sometimes not. Some dzi beads sport what are referred to as “blood spots” which can be seen as red dots in the white areas, and these are indicative of cinnabar content. This is highly desirable, but more rare. Another desirable effect is something called “Nāga skin” or “dragon skin,” which refers to the cracking patterns on the surface of the bead, that simulates scales.

The word “waxy” is often used to describe dzi bead surface, which is the smoothing which occurs over a long period of time (presumably from wear), giving the bead a waxy appearance. Some dzi beads are simply polished agate and sport only the agate’s natural patterning as decoration.

There are beads referred to as “chung dzi” or simply “chung beads” which are often highly polished agate designs, can be any variety of colors, may include hand carved designs, or they look very similar to a dzi bead but because of their depictions (for example, the shape of Quan Yin) are not true dzi. Chung dzis include such designs as yin-yang symbols, dragons, and other “newer” designs that were not around during the time true dzi beads were supposedly created. Chung dzi are believed to embody similar properties as dzi but should not be confused with true dzi beads (they often cost much less than true dzi).

Origin

Dzi stones may have made their first appearance between 2000 BC to 1000 BC, in ancient Tibet: a few thousand were brought back by Tibetan soldiers from Persia. Dzis were crafted using agate as the base stone and then fabricated with lines and circles using unique ancient methods and techniques by Persian craftsmen. Scientific bead makers can now manufacture apparent dzi stones in bulk, but the techniques and methods used by ancient craftsmen still are not completely understood.^[1]. Fear of the “evil eye” was taken very seriously by these people, so they created talismans with “eyes” on them as a “fight fire with fire” form of protection.

While the origin surrounding dzi beads is quite uncertain, it is socially accepted today that they are called “Tibetan beads”. They are found primarily in Tibet, but also in neighbouring Bhutan, Ladakh and Sikkim. Shepherds and farmers pick them up in the grasslands or while cultivating fields. Because dzi are found in the earth, Tibetans cannot conceive of them as man-made. One reason the beads may be found near the surface in places such as freshly tilled fields, for example, may be because ancient monks were burned in funeral pyres (wearing the beads), and long after the remains were gone, the beads therefore remained, and were found at later dates. Since knowledge of the bead is derived from oral traditions, the beads have provoked controversy concerning their source, method of manufacture and even precise definition. In Tibetan culture they are believed to attract protector deities^[2]

Lord Buddha

From Wikipedia,

Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism.^[1] He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha (Sammāsambuddha) of our age. The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c. 563 BCE to 483 BCE; more recently, however, at a specialist symposium on this question,^[2] the majority of those scholars who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha’s death, with others supporting earlier or later dates.

Gautama, also known as Śākyamuni or Shakyamuni (“sage of the Shakyas“), is the key figure in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to Gautama were passed down by oral tradition, and first committed to writing about 400 years later. Early Western scholarship tended to accept the biography of the Buddha presented in the Buddhist scriptures as largely historical, but currently “scholars are increasingly reluctant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha’s life and teachings.”^[3]

Cakrasaṃvara 胜乐金刚

From Wikipedia,

Cakrasaṃvara, Chinese: 胜乐金刚 shènglè jīngāng; Tibetan: Korlo Demchog (Tibetan: འཁོར་ལོ་སྡོམ་པ / བདེ་མཆོག; Wylie: khor lo sdom pa / bde mchog) is a heruka (and known simply as Heruka to Gelugpa Buddhists) and one of the principal iṣṭha-devatā, or meditational deities of the Sarma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Cakrasaṃvara sadhana is considered to be of the mother class of the Anuttara Yoga Tantra. Cakrasaṃvara is typically depicted with a blue-coloured body, four faces, and twelve arms, and embracing his consort Vajravarahi (in Chinese 金刚亥母 jīngāng hàimǔ)in the yab-yum position. Other forms of the deity are also known, with varying numbers of limbs. Cakrasaṃvara and consort are not to be thought of as two different entities, as an ordinary husband and wife are two different people; in reality, their divine embrace is a metaphor for the union of great bliss and emptiness, which are one and the same essence.

Vajrasattva 金剛薩埵

From Wikipedia,

Vajrasattva (Tibetan: Dorje Sempa, Japanese: Kongōsatta, Chinese: 金剛薩埵 Jīn gāng sà duǒ) is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana and Vajrayana buddhist traditions. Vajrasattva’s name translates to Diamond Mind. In the Japanese Vajrayana school of Buddhism, Shingon, Vajrasattva is the esoteric aspect of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra and is commonly associated with the student practitioner who through the master’s teachings, attains higher and higher levels of esoteric practice.

Vajrasattva appears principally in two Buddhists texts: the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra. In the Diamond Realm Mandala, Vajrasattva sits to the East near Akshobhya Buddha.

In some esoteric lineages, Nagarjuna was said to have met Vajrasattva in an iron tower in South India, and was taught tantra, thus transmitting the esoteric teachings to more historical figures.^[1]

Mahakala 大黒天

From Wikipedia,

Mahakala is a Dharmapala (“protector of dharma“) in Vajrayana Buddhism (Tibetan Buddhism and Japanese Shingon Buddhism).

In Japanese Buddhism, Mahakala (大黒天, Daikokuten^?), belongs to the fourth hierarchy of deities (tenbu).

Name

Mahākāla is a Sanskrit bahuvrihi of mahā (“great”) and kāla (“black”). The literal Tibetan translation is “Nagpo Chenpo” (Wylie: gnag po chen po) though, when referring to this deity, Tibetans usually use the word “Gonpo” (mgon po) [the translation of the Sanskrit word Nāth meaning "lord" or "protector"] instead.

Description

Mahakala is relied upon in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. However, he is depicted in a number of variations, each with distinctly different qualities and aspects. He is also regarded as the emanation of different beings in different cases, namely Avalokiteshvara (Tib: Chenrezig) or Chakrasamvara (Tib: Korlo Demchog, Wylie: ’khor-lo bde-mchog).

Mahakala is typically black in color. Just as all colors are absorbed and dissolved into black, all names and forms are said to melt into those of Mahakala, symbolizing his all-embracing, comprehensive nature. Black can also represent the total absence of color, and again in this case it signifies the nature of Mahakala as ultimate or absolute reality. This principle is known in Sanskrit as “nirguna“, beyond all quality and form, and it is typified by both interpretations.

Mahakala is almost always depicted with a crown of five skulls, which represent the transmutation of the five kleshas (negative afflictions) into the five wisdoms.

The most notable variation in Mahakala’s manifestations and depictions is in the number of arms, but other details can vary as well. For instance, in some cases there are Mahakalas in white, with multiple heads, without genitals, standing on varying numbers of various things, holding various implements, with alternative adornments, and so on.

Manjusri 文殊師利菩薩

Orange Manjusri

White Manjusri

From Wikipedia,

Manjusri (Ch: 文殊 Wénshū or 文殊師利菩薩 Wénshūshili Púsà; Jp: Monju; Tib: Jampelyang; Nepalese: मंजुश्री Manjushree) is a bodhisattva (emanating enlightened being) in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism. Manjusri is the bodhisattva associated with wisdom, doctrine and awareness and in Vajrayana Buddhism is the meditational deity (yidam), who embodies enlightened wisdom. Historically, the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures assert that Manjusri was a disciple of Gautama Buddha, although he has no mention in Pali scriptures.

The Sanskrit term Mañjuśrī can be translated as “Gentle Glory”^[1]. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller Sanskrit name of Mañjuśrī-kumāra-bhūta.^[2]

Avalokiteśvara 觀世音菩萨

From Wikipedia,

Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर , Bengali: অবলোকিতেশ্বর, lit. “Lord who looks down”, Chinese: 觀世音) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism. In China and its sphere of cultural influence, Avalokiteśvara is often depicted in a female form known as Guan Yin. (However, in Taoist mythology, Guan Yin has other origination stories which are unrelated to Avalokiteśvara.)

Avalokitesvara is also referred to as Padmapāni (“Holder of the Lotus”) also Thirumai (Tirupati) or Lokeśvara (“Lord of the World”). In Tibetan, Avalokiteśvara is known as Chenrezig, and is said to be incarnated in the Dalai Lama,^[1] the Karmapa^[2][3] and other high Lamas. In Mongolia, he is called Megjid Janraisig, Xongsim Bodisadv-a, or Nidüber Üjegči.

Etymology

The name Avalokiteśvara is made of the following parts: the verbal prefix ava, which means “down”; lokita, a past participle of the verb lok (“to notice, behold, observe”), here used in an active sense (an occasional irregularity of Sanskrit grammar); and finally īśvara, “lord”, “ruler”, “sovereign” or “master”. In accordance with the rules of sound combination, a+iśvara becomes eśvara. Combined, the parts mean “lord who gazes down (at the world)”. The word loka (“world”) is absent from the name, but the phrase is implied.^[4]

It was initially thought that the Chinese mis-transliterated the word Avalokiteśvara as Avalokitasvara which explained why Xuanzang translated it as Guan Zizai instead of Guan Yin. However, according to recent research, the original form was indeed Avalokitasvara with the ending svara (“sound, noise”), which means “sound perceiver”, literally “he who has perceived sound” (the cries of sentient beings who need his help). This is the exact equivalent of the Chinese translation Guan Yin. This name was later supplanted by the form containing the ending -īśvara, which does not occur in Sanskrit before the seventh century. The original form Avalokitasvara already appears in Sanskrit fragments of the fifth century.^[5]

The original meaning of the name fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a bodhisattva. The reinterpretation presenting him as an īśvara shows a strong influence of Shaivism, as the term īśvara was usually connected to the Hindu notion of a creator god and ruler of the world. Attributes of such a god were transmitted to the bodhisattva, but the mainstream of the Avalokiteśvara worshippers upheld the Buddhist rejection of the doctrine of any creator god.^[6]

An etymology of the Tibetan name Chenrezig is chen (eye), re (continuity) and zig (to look). This gives the meaning of one who always looks upon all beings (with the eye of compassion).^[7]

Padmasambhava 蓮花生上师

From Wikipedia,

Padmasambhava (Tibetan: པདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས; Wylie: padma ‘byung gnas, Chinese: 蓮華生上師; pinyin: Lian Hua Sheng Shang Shi ) The Lotus Born, is said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century. In those lands he is better known as Guru Rinpoche (“Precious Master”) or Lopon Rinpoche,^[1] where followers of the Nyingma school regard him as the second Buddha. He said: “My father is the intrinsic awareness, Samantabhadra. My mother is the ultimate sphere of reality, Samantrabhadri. I belong to the caste of non-duality of the sphere and awareness. My name is the Glorious Lotus Born. I am from the unborn sphere of all phenomena. I consume concepts of duality as my diet. I act in the way of the Buddhas of the three times.”

He was born into a monarchic Brahmin family.^[2]

His Pureland Paradise is Zangdok Palri (the Copper-coloured Mountain).^[3], ^[4].

He is further considered an emanation of Buddha Amitabha^[5] and traditionally even venerated as “a second Buddha”.^[6]