Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Initiation Cards

ཙཀ་ལི་དཀར་ཆག། ནང་པ་དང་བོན། 灌顶时所用的法像(佛教与苯教)
(item no. 72464)
Origin Location Tibet
Date Range 1800 - 1899
Lineages Bon
Material Ground Mineral Pigment on Paper
Collection Private
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Object/Concept

Interpretation / Description

Svastika (Sanskrit Language, sva + asti, meaning auspicious) Yungdrung (Tibetan Language, meaning ever-lasting). (See other examples of the yungdrung depicted in Bon art).

In the Buddhism of the Himalayas, Tibet and Mongolia the svastika is used essentially as a decorative element. In China it is common to find a svastika outlined over the heart of a Buddha figure, painting or sculpture.

The yungdrung is the principal symbol of the Bon Religion, also known as the Yungdrung Bon, Ever-lasting Truth. Letters are sometimes added to the legs of the yungdrung which can represent the elements of nature or mental states.

Jeff Watt 3-2007

Secondary Images
Related Items
Thematic Sets
Subject: Svastika - Yungdrung Main Page
Collection of Dolanji Monastery (Initiation Cards)
Subject: Yungdrung (Bon)