Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture:
An Investigation of the Nine Best-Known Groups of Symbols
Reviewed by Donna Seaman
Booklist
Vol.92 No.1
P.13
Sept 1. 1995
COPYRIGHT American Library Association 1995
Dagyab Rinpoche, Loden Sherap. Tr. by Maurice Walshe. Nov. 1995.
180p. index. illus. Wisdom, paper, $14.95 (0-86171-047-9). DDC:
294.3. Buddhism is flourishing in the West because it meets the
spiritual and intellectual needs of diverse, independently minded
people. More a practice than a faith, Buddhism is vital, fluid, and
open to the interpretations of inspired teachers, from the Dalai
Lama himself to interpreters like Sylvia Boorstein who are adept at
applying ancient precepts to contemporary life. This review begins
with books on core Buddhist beliefs and how they can be incorporated
into daily life, then moves on to some historical texts, and
concludes with an explication of Buddhist symbols. Steve Schroeder
prepared the review of the anthology, Buddhism in Practice. His
Holiness the Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) is not only one of the
world's most important and eloquent spiritual leaders, he is also
revered as the living Buddha, the champion of a culture in exile,
and a prolific author. Everything the Dalai Lama writes, whether
it's an introduction to a book about Tibet, his autobiography
(Freedom in Exile, 1990), or books such as this one, increases our
awareness of the nature of mind and the deep need for compassion.
Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart is the second in the Path
of Enlightenment series in which the Dalai Lama elucidates the core
teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. The first title, the very popular The
Way to Freedom [BKL D 15 94], provided a historical foundation. Here
the Dalai Lama introduces the practice that lies at the heart of
Buddhism, the training of the mind through meditation. The Dalai
Lama explains that the goal of mind training, or transformation, is
to awaken the mind and set it on course for enlightenment. As
always, the Dalai Lama's explanations are lucid, his examples
compelling, and his instructions manageable. His humanity and
compassion radiate from every page. Buddhism is puzzling to many
people with roots in Judeo-Christian religions because it has no
deity. Is it, then, a religion? This is one of the many questions
Ajahn Sumedho has posed and answered over the course of his 25 years
as Buddhist mendicant-expanding volume, gathers together 100 of
Ajahn Sumedho's talks, talks chosen for their wide appeal and
relatively clear link to everyday life. Ajahn Sumedho is articulate
and manence, nonattachment, and compassion in a manner that
satisfies the curiosity of pragmatic, spiritual, and philosophical
readers. Boorstein is a Buddhist teacher renowned for her wisdom,
common sense, humor, and ability to translate complex concepts into
everyday language. She brings these invaluable qualities to her
book, It's Easier Than You Think, a primer on the art of mindfulness
that begins, appropriately enough, with a section titled
"Demystifying SPirituality." Boorstein assures her readers that a
person can be spiritual without being "weird," that one can learn
how to "manage gracefully" within the context of any ordinary life.
Her paraphrasing of the four noble truths of Buddhism is succinct
and memorable. For instance, she translates the first truth as:
"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." Boorstein uses stories
from her life and the lives of friends and family to illustrate her
points about the malleability of mind states and to describe how
meditation can help us recognize and control them. Boorstein's
direct and elucidating approach to Buddhism will enlighten both
novices and practitioners. Lopez's anthology, Buddhism in Practice,
consisting of 48 texts translated by 33 scholars, conveys something
of Buddhism's vast geographical, linguistic, and traditional
variety. Each selection is preceded by a substantial introduction
accessible to general readers but also useful for scholars. The
arrangement of the texts according to the three jewels of
Buddhism--the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha--is a creative and
helpful approach to the great, not to say dizzying, array of voices.
Lopez's book is not for the casual reader, but it is appropriate for
those prepared to encounter a Buddhism so rich and varied as to be
more properly understood in the plural, as Buddhism, and is a
welcome addition to the body of Buddhist texts available in English
translation. Drinking the Mountain Stream is the third volume of
songs by Milarepa, a pivotal and influential teacher in the Tibertan
Buddhist tradition, to be published in English, and according to the
translators, it is the most valuable in terms of revealing
Milarepa's teaching style, paradoxical nature, feisty humor,
profound discipline, and deep wisdom. Milarepa, born in 1052, had an
"unusual, almost eccentric, personality," and is reputed to have
composed 2,800 songs, 800 of which were preserve. Milarepa was
mystical by nature but used his power destructively as a young man
when he murdered his aunt's entire family in revenge for the
mistreatment of his widowed mother, his sister, and himself. Deeply
regretting his crime and realizing how karmically obstructive it
was, Milarepa devoted the rest of his life to an austere practice
that combined Buddhism with yoga. His songs, which vary in style
depending on his audience and circumstances, reflect his meditations
on illusion and reality and offer keys to an effective Buddhist
practice. Anyone familiar with Tibetan art and culture will have
noticed the liberal use of Buddhist symbols on ritual objects,
furniture clothing, and building and wondered about their
significance. In Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture, Dagyab
Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama, succintly explains the source and meaning
of nine groups of commonly used Buddhist symbols, beginning with the
Eight Symbols of Good Fortune, which include the Wheel and the
Glorious Endless Knot. In his cogent introduction, he summarizes
Tibetan Buddhist thought and describes how Buddhist symbols are used
to remind practitioners of the "interrelations between inward and
outward, between mental activities and material appearances." Not
only do these intricate images serve as tools for meditation, they
also, Buddhists believe, influence the future. As Dagyab Rinpoche
defines each symbol, he further illuminates the concepts inherent in
Tibetan Buddhism, which is, in its earthly manifestation,
voluptuously visual.