Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture: An Investigation of the Nine Best-Known Groups of Symbols (Wisdom Advanced Book - Blue Series)

The Queen's Earrings. The Fur-Bearing Fish. The Endless Knot. Tibetan Buddhism is filled with rich, colorful symbols. But what do they all mean? In this fascinating study, Dagyab Rinpoche not only explains the nine best-known groups of Tibetan Buddhist symbols, but also shows how they serve as bridges between our inner and outer worlds. As such, they can be used to point the way to ultimate reality, and to transmit a reservoir of deep knowledge formed over thousands of years. Through complex systems, such as language, art, and ritual, symbols function as bridges that join together alternative realities in a way comprehensible to conceptual thought. This book presents the nine best known groups of Tibetan Buddhist symbols, tracing their evolution through Tibetan and Indian rituals and sacred texts. 4 color plates. 35 line drawings. 3 charts.