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ON THE RELIGIOUS USE OP VARIOUS STONES 303
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white
chalcedony. At the apex of the leafy oval rests a representation in
white chalcedony of a crescent moon, above is a sun in yellow stone
from which springs a coral flame, symbolizing the radiance of wisdom (nada). Although
the Dalai Lama was anxious to avail himself of the aid of French art
for the embellishment of his altar, he took due precautions that the
religious character of the vessel should be properly conceived and
maintained, and therefore sent one of his high-priests to Europe to
choose the artists best fitted for the execution of the vessel, and
this priest took the pains to make a special trip to Leghorn in order
to select the coral appropriate for the sacred utensil. As will be
noted, this material, so greatly prized by the Tibetans, is that most
prominent in this temple incense-vase. The dragons attached to the
silver-gilt platter have been placed there to honor the Chinese, and
are so affixed that they can be removed when no Chinese
representatives are present at the ceremonies. In the older tse-boum, to
take the place of which this Paris product was executed, the red-tinted
ivory was used where coral appears in the newer vessel. The employment
of this color is due to the fact that it is the sacred color of
Amitabha.36
Within
the sacred precincts of the temple of Cho Kang, in Tibet, is a
splendid, life-size image of the Buddha formed of solid gold. The
priests teach that it is of supernatural origin, and ascribe its
execution to the creative energy of Visvakarma, a personification of
the formative energy in the cosmos. The gold in this image is, however,
not absolutely pure, but is alloyed with silver, copper, zinc and
iron, the choice of these four metal alloys being dictated by the
significance of the five metals in union as symbols of the world. The
precious-stone adornment of this wonderful
"
J. Deniker, " The Dalai Lama's new Tee-bourn from Paris," Century
Magazine, vol. lxvii, No. 4, Feb., 1804, pp. 582-583, with
illustration.
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