Questions: Tibetan Gau traditions (hoping Caiyros sees this)

Which ones do you love to work with? Or, which ones do you have questions about?
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I especially am hoping Caiyros sees this question, as he's got knowledge of Tibetan beliefs and traditions. But anyone else who's got answers, please chime in, as well.

I showed a picture of a Tibetan Gau I just obtained, in the "What's in the Bag?" thread last week. I know that a Gau (which I've also seen spelled Ghau and Gao) is traditionally used to carry a picture of the person's deity, protective herbs, holy writings/mantras, etc. It can be used as a portable shrine.

Now, my questions. What herbs are normally carried, according to Tibetan traditions, and what are they for?

Also, I have other, unrelated herbs/powders/potions that I might want to carry instead, from outside Tibetan traditions. Would that be an offensive thing to do, to mix a non-Tibetan tradition with a Tibetan one, by putting a completely different sort of item or substance in a Gau? As much as I'd like to do it, if that would be considered a massive sacrelige or highly disrespectful to combine unrelated spiritual traditions, I won't do that. I don't have to adhere to others' traditions in order to show respect for them. (I hasten to add that it wouldn't be anything BA. I don't do BA, plus I'm reasonably sure that would be crossing an unacceptable boundary if someone put BA items in a Gau.)

OK, so those are the questions that I can think of at the moment. I want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing, so I will wait for answers before putting anything in the Gau. Thanks!

Edit to add: Oops. One more question. Here are pics of the front and back of the Gau. I am very interested to know if the designs and/or the colors have symbolic meanings beyond just being pretty patterns to the untrained eye.

Image

Image


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Hi L2R,
I used to be married to a Tibetan, so can help a little with identifying and the symbolism of your Gau pics:

The Front of the Gau: The central area is a Double Dorje/Vajra. The below definitions for both are from - http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Double_vajra

The double vajra (Skt. vishva-vajra; Tib. རྡོ་རྗེ་རྒྱ་གྲམ།, Wyl. rdo rje rgya gram) or crossed vajra is formed from four lotus-mounted vajra-heads that emanate from a central hub towards the four cardinal directions, and symbolizes the principle of absolute stability.

In the cosmographic description of Mount Meru a vast crossed vajra supports and underlies the entire physical universe. Similarly in the representation of the mandala, a vast crossed vajra serves as the immovable support or foundation of the mandala palace and here the central hub of the vajra is considered to be dark blue in colour with the four heads coloured to represent the four directions-white (East), yellow (South), red (West) and green (North). These also correspond to the five elements and the buddhas of the five families with blue Akshobhya in the center.

It’s also an emblem of the green buddha of the north, Amoghasiddhi, and represents his all-accomplishing wisdom as lord of the karma family of activity.

The raised throne upon which masters are seated when teaching is traditionally decorated on the front by a hanging square of brocade displaying the image of a crossed vajra in the centre, often with four small swastikas in the corners. This emblem represents the unshakeable ground or reality of the Buddha’s enlightenment.

The Back of the Gau: The Glorious Endless Knot (Skt. śrīvatsya; Wyl. dpal be'u)
The sign of interdependence, of how everything in the universe is interconnected.

Around the edges are Vajra tops for decoration. The red and blue stones are supposed to be turquoise and coral, two of the most abundantly used stones in Tibetan jewelry and offerings. No doubt there is a meaning for the use of these stone, as just about every single element on everything they do is symbolic.

I hope this helps. It is a lovely Gau by the way.


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Hello:)

I'm definitely not an expert in Tibetan teaching, but I did find similar symbols when I was looking for some info about magickal weapon.
For the colors, there are 2 colors in the pendant: red and blue. They could be as follow:
-Red = life force / preservation, associated with Buddha Amitabha
-Blue = purity / healing, associated with Akshobhya Buddha

Not sure though, better wait for confirmation from Caiyros or other more experienced persons:)


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Thanks! See, I knew this would be an ideal place to ask about Tibetan symbols. I know Caiyros has written about these things in the past, so I look forward to seeing his answers as well. But I also was sure that others here would be able to shed light on the subject, as we have got so many members from such a wide variety of backgrounds and geographic locations.

I have seen the red coral and turquoise used on other Tibetan items. For example, I've seen Snow Lion figures on eBay that are decorated with those stones. (Which, sadly, are way out of my price range. But I keep watching them when I find them anyway. I have Snow Lion spirits and I love them.) There are other Gaus with varying designs -- but they seem to always include the double dorje. And if they are set with stones, the most frequent types of stones seem to be turquoise and/or red coral. This is holding true no matter who the seller is or what site they're on. So I figured that there would be some significance to these things.

The metals in the Gau that I'm asking about are copper, brass, and silver. I don't know if those have specific meanings, as well, but I wouldn't be surprised. I've learned that in the metaphysical world, even ornamentation can be done with symbolism and have deeper meanings.


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Kuriosity wrote: The Back of the Gau: The Glorious Endless Knot (Skt. śrīvatsya; Wyl. dpal be'u)
The sign of interdependence, of how everything in the universe is interconnected.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that the Endless Knot is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols.
You can find endless info on these symbols by doing a Google search. :)


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Likes2Read wrote: The metals in the Gau that I'm asking about are copper, brass, and silver. I don't know if those have specific meanings, as well, but I wouldn't be surprised. I've learned that in the metaphysical world, even ornamentation can be done with symbolism and have deeper meanings.
I'm not sure about the other two, but I do know that silver is often associated with wealth, the moon, psychic awareness, conductive in two directions (I think a bit like a portal or gateway), and things like that. Now that I think about it, I think copper might have protective properties, as well as its conductivity.

If you were asking for beliefs on the metals specific to Tibet, I'm afraid I'm completely useless.


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Quick bump.


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