Ghau, gau. Tibetan Buddhist pendant, tangka painted by hand. Deity Phurba. Brass case. Auspicious signs of Buddhism

The ghau is a kind of transportable altar in which the image of the chosen deity of the possessor is kept. The vast majority of Tibetans use the ghau at home and carry it during their travels. They keep it on a real altar at home. During travels, it is hung on the back belt. It serves as a protective symbol during travels and also allows its owner to prove his devotion to his deity.

Ghau, gau.
Tibetan Buddhist pendant,
Tangka handcrafted by Tibetan painters based in Nepal specializing in the sacred paintings of Buddhism as shown in the video also available on our youtube channel, via this link
https://youtu.be/8fAcNmO-ZEM

Deity Phurba in yab yum. (description of the deity, below)
Brass case.
8 Auspicious Signs of Buddhism on the Back (Description and explanation below)

Dimensions of the ghau: 64mm high by 41.5mm wide by 9mm thick.
Weight of 38 grams.
Comes with a red cord of 34cm (possibility to change the cord, contact us.

To discover our entire collection "Buddhist protections", please click on this link
https://www.etsy.com/fr/shop/DongmeietJeremyZG?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=23827698

Our entire shop, via this link
https://www.etsy.com/fr/shop/DongmeietJeremyZG?

PHURBA OR VAJRAKILAYA
Vajrakilaya or Vajrakila (tib. Do-rje Phur-ba) "the adamantine dagger", also called Vajrakumara (tib. Dor-je gzhon-nu) "the young diamond".
He is the extremely wrathful form of Vajrasattva Buddha, the semi-wrathful form being Vajra Vidharana (Tib. Dorje Namjom) and the wrathful form Vajrapani.

Vajrasattva is a Buddha of the Vajrayāna current. Purifier of karma, it concentrates the energies and wisdom of the five dhyani Buddhas of which it is sometimes described as the essence. Vajrasattva's practice is centered on confession and purification.

One of the main deities of the ancient tantras, wrathful heruka, Vajrakilaya is the yidam deity who embodies the enlightened activity of all Buddhas and whose practice is famous for being the most powerful to remove obstacles, destroying forces hostile to compassion, purifying spiritual pollution and promptly attaining ordinary and supreme achievements.

He is the deity of the magical dagger phurba, symbol of the sharp tip of immobile wisdom on the power of goodness. This archetype has a very specific yogic use and is not simply considered an external deity to worship or manipulate in ritual activities.

Vajrakilaya is shown in formidable union, or Yab Yum with his paredre consort Diptachakra, together they represent the union of wisdom and method, which is active compassion. Its crown with 5 skulls represents the 5 addictions (or Kesla) transformed into 5 wisdoms.

Vajrakilaya is one of the eight Kagye deities, the eight great teachings of Sadhana, sets of mahayoga teachings or transmissions entrusted to Padmasambhava and the eight vidyadharas of India.

The shape of this statue, the most usual, is taken from the "root tantra of the Adamantine wrath" (rTsa- rgyud- rdo- rje khros- pas). Heruka with three heads, six arms and 4 legs, brandishing vajra (tib. dorje), lightning spraying the ignorance of his right hands. A mass of flame and more occasionally a trident of his left hands.

From his 4 legs, he tramples the male and female mahadeva (aversion and desire).

It spreads two huge Adamantine wings with sharp edges, and bears the macabre ornaments of mass graves.
Diptachakra (tib; Khorlo Gehedepma) offers him with his right hand a kapala (skull cup) filled with blood and from the left a kartika, or kartrika, a small ritual skinning knife in the shape of a crescent used in the. Tantric ceremonies of Vajrayana Buddhism. Kartari is said to be "one of the attributes par excellence of wrathful tantric deities". It is commonly referred to as the "knife of the dakinis". Its shape is similar to that of the Inuitsulu or women's knife, which is used for many things, including skin cleansing.

While the kartari is normally held in the right hand of a dakini in the iconography and spiritual practice of vajrayana, it can sometimes be seen held by esoteric male deities, such as some forms of Yamantaka. It is also frequently found in the iconography of Chöd's Tibetan Buddhist spiritual practice.

In the same way that the bell and the vajra are usually paired ritual elements in the spiritual practice and iconography of the vajrayana (one is held in the right hand and the other simultaneously held in the left), the kartika usually appears as a pair with the kapala or "skull-Cup".

The shape of the kartika, or trigug, with its crescent shape and hook at the end, is derived from the shape of a traditional form of the Indian butcher's knife.

Enthroned on a lotus and a cushion of sunshine, Vajrakilaya sits in the middle of a devouring brazier similar to that of a kalpa.

THE 8 AUSPICIOUS SIGNS OF BUDDHISM
The 8 auspicious signs of Buddhism or Astamangala were originally a set of Indian offerings presented to a king at his investiture. Jainism first took up these auspicious symbols probably before Buddhism.

In the Buddhist tradition, these 8 auspicious signs represent the offerings presented by the great Vedic gods – an ancient civilization of India at the origin of Hinduism – to Buddha Siddharta after his Awakening. Brahma was the first of these gods to appear even before the birth of the Buddha by presenting him with a wheel with a thousand gold rays, as a symbolic request to the Buddha to transmit his teachings by "turning the wheel of The Dharma". Indra, Lord of Heaven and god of war and storm – and incidentally king of the gods – appeared following, offering the white conch for the Buddha to "proclaim the truth of the Dharma."

In the Buddhist tradition, the eight auspicious signs form the body of Buddha.

the umbrella represents its head,
the two fish his eyes,
the vase his neck,
the lotus his tongue,
the golden wheel his feet,
the banner of victory his body,
the conch his word
the endless knot his mind.

In the first form of Indian Buddhism, the Buddha was painted aniconically, that is, without being represented in a human form, usually by an empty throne under a parasol and under the Tree of the Bodhi or by a stone marked with his divine imprints, which contain several auspicious symbols such as the insignia of the Buddha's divinity: the banner of victory, the lion throne, the trident, the Three Jewels, the eternal knot, the swastika, the conch, the pair of fish and the most common, the lotus and the wheel.

The Tibetan Endless Knot or Infinite Knot is a Buddhist symbol that represents the movement of what is eternal, intertwined spiritual paths and time.
The form of the Endless Knot is evocative of wisdom and compassion in Tibetan Buddhism. The top and bottom of the symbol symbolize the interaction of opposing and dual forces, which eventually come together and unite in the universe.
The Tibetan infinite knot also represents the inseparability of the Void and the reality of existence.
Finally, since the Knot has no beginning or end, it is also defined as the Wisdom of Buddha.

A traditional instrument of Tibet, the conch is considered to be the symbol of the power of the Buddha's word. The dextrorotatory conch winds to the right and is the rarest and most conducive to the practice of Tibetan Buddhism. It symbolizes the sound of the Dharma that awakens beings from the sleep of Ignorance, thus inspiring them to do their own good for the good of others. It is also the protection of the Jewel of the Dharma, the progression from step to step towards the ultimate realization, Awakening or Enlightenment.

The Dharma wheel remains the most important symbol of Tibetan Buddhism, it symbolizes Buddhist law as well as the teaching of the Buddha who was the first to set this Wheel in motion. The Dharma Wheel represents the eternal movement of the cycle of rebirths (or karma). It is also the continuity of the Buddha's teachings, in all its forms and in all directions, that lead to Happiness and Liberation.
The Dharma Wheel is often depicted with four or eight branches, embodying the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Steps.


Symbol of absolute purity and Awakening, emblem of spiritual elevation, the lotus has the particularity of taking root in mud or mud, its stem bathing in water while its flower blooms majestically on the water.
The lotus represents the elevation of the soul, first purely materialistic through its roots, then tasting the experience of water through its stem, to finally achieve enlightenment and awakening through its flower.


Tibetan Buddhists see through the Lotus the true nature of Beings, the stem being samsara (cycles of life and death), the flower symbolizing peace and serenity.

The Tibetan victory banner is the symbol of Buddha's teaching, triumph over ignorance, Buddha's doctrine over the forces of evil: passion, fear of death, pride and lust.

It particularly symbolizes the Buddha's renunciation of all the mental disturbances and illusory appearances of samsara.

The Treasure Vase represents a multitude of wealth, intellectual and prosperity. It is a Tibetan symbol of long life and abundance.

It also symbolizes moral discipline, the study and practice of the Dharma, especially through the good that one can bring to others and the development of altruism.

When wearing a Tibetan jewel representing the treasure vase (it is not by chance that these pendants are often said "ghau" or "gao", simply because they can be filled), remember to slip inside everything that you think is beneficial for you and all living beings. This can be Tibetan mantras, or photos of people who are especially important to you, or thoughts or prayers...

Originally, the two fish were the symbol of the Yamuna River and the Ganges, but they later became the symbol of good fortune for Hindus and Buddhists.
Among Tibetan Buddhists, the golden fish represents living beings who practice dharma, and who should not fear drowning in the ocean of suffering, since they can freely swim as fish do in water, in order to choose their rebirths.

The parasol symbolizes the activity that protects men from all evils: diseases, accidents, evil spirits. It also protects beings from the lower worlds. In Tibetan Buddhism, the umbrella protects us from suffering. The Tibetan umbrella is the guarantor of wisdom.

From a Buddhist point of view, the umbrella represents a form of protection and welcome to anyone who would like to enter the path of Dharma and progress on the path of Enlightenment.