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Tashi Tagye with
Om Mantra
In Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries
there is a long-standing tradition of using silk
brocades to adorn the entire vicinity and
especially the main assembly hall and shrine. As
you can imagine, the use of vast quantities of
brocades, combined with impressive statues,
thangka paintings and murals, fine incense and
the light of butter lamps serve to engender a
strong sense of sacred space - not unlike,
perhaps, the sort of divine splendor one might
encounter in the pure lands of the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas.
 Over
time, as it became easier and relatively more
affordable to obtain silk brocade, the tradition
of adorning the home and personal shrines with
dharma themed brocades has become popular with
the Buddhist lay community. 100% silk brocades
are one of our specialties, and we have a
variety of styles and designs available. A good
quality brocade such as the one on auction here
truly enriches any room and needn't be thought
of as something that is only for your meditation
/ practice space. Due to their sublime Buddhist
subject matter, you can think of them as a
useful mindfulness cue that also happens to be a
beautiful furnishing accessory.
This brocade features the 8 auspicious symbols
and the mantra, Om Mani Padme Hung, woven onto a
horizontal panel. Note that the designs are not
embroidered on to the silk but rather part of
the weft fibers - actually woven into the
brocade. The 8 auspicious symbols are an
important and commonly employed theme in Tibetan
Buddhist art. Each of the 8 symbols represents
an important characteristic or quality of the
Buddha's teachings.
The mantra, pronounced "om mani peme hu" by
Tibetans, is the sacred 6 syllable mantra of
Chenrezig (Avalokiteswara). This mantra has
innumerable qualities including the power to
cultivate compassion in the mind stream of
beings who hear or repeat it. It is also capable
of ensuring a favorable rebirth - one where
circumstances are conducive to practicing the
dharma.
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