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In Buddhism[edit]





In Hinduism, the conch is an attribute of Vishnu along with the Sudarshana Chakra. Vaishnavism holds that Gautama Buddha is an avatar of Vishnu.[citation needed]

Endless knot[edit]

The endless knot (Sanskrit: śrīvatsa; Tibetan: དཔལ་བེའུ་, THL: pelbeu)[4] denotes "the auspicious mark represented by a curled noose emblematic of love".[1] It is a symbol of the ultimate unity of everything.[5] Moreover, it represents the intertwining of wisdom and compassion, the mutual dependence of religious doctrine and secular affairs, the union of wisdom and method, the inseparability of śūnyatā "emptiness" and pratītyasamutpāda "interdependent origination", and the union of wisdom and compassion in enlightenment (see namkha). This knot, net or web metaphor also conveys the Buddhist teaching of interpenetration.[citation needed]


Pair of golden fish

The two goldfish (Sanskrit: gaurmatsya; Tibetan: གསེར་ཉ་, THL: sernya[6]) symbolise the auspiciousness of all sentient beings in a state of fearlessness without danger of drowning in saṃsāra.[citation needed] The two golden fishes are linked with the Ganges and Yamuna nadi, prana and carp:



The lotus flower, or padma.

The lotus flower (Sanskrit: padma; Tibetan: པད་མ་, THL: péma), represent the primordial purity of body, speech, and mind, floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. The lotus symbolizes purity and renunciation. Although the lotus has its roots in the mud at the bottom of a pond, its flower lies immaculate above the water. The Buddhist lotus bloom has 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, 64, 100, or 1,000 petals. The same figures can refer to the body's 'internal lotuses', that is to say, its energy centres (cakra).[7][8]


Jewelled parasol

The jewelled parasol (Sanskrit: chatraratna; Tibetan: རིན་ཆེན་གདུགས་, THL: rinchenduk[1]), which is similar in ritual function to the baldachin or canopy: represents the protection of beings from harmful forces and illness. It represents the canopy or firmament of the sky and therefore the expansiveness and unfolding of space and the element æther. It represents the expansiveness, unfolding and protective quality of the sahasrara: all take refuge in the dharma under the auspiciousness of the parasol.


Treasure vase

The treasure vase (Tibetan: གཏེར་ཆེན་པོའི་བུམ་པ་, THL: terchenpo'i bumpa) represents health, longevity, wealth, prosperity, wisdom and the phenomenon of space. The treasure vase, or pot, symbolizes the Buddha's infinite quality of teaching the dharma: no matter how many teachings he shared, the treasure never lessened.[9]





Victory Banner[edit]

The dhvaja (Sanskrit; Tibetan: རྒྱལ་མཚན་, THL: gyeltsen) "banner, flag" was a military standard of ancient Indian warfare. The symbol represents the Buddha's victory over the four māras, or hindrances in the path of enlightenment. These hindrances are pride, desire, disturbing emotions, and the fear of death. Within the Tibetan tradition, a list of eleven different forms of the victory banner is given to represent eleven specific methods for overcoming defilement. Many variations of the dhvaja's design can be seen on the roofs of Tibetan monasteries to symbolise the Buddha's victory over four māras. Banners are placed at the four corners of monastery and temple roofs. The cylindrical banners placed on monastery roofs are often made of beaten copper.[10]

Sequences of symbols[edit]

Different traditions order the eight symbols differently.


  1. Endless knot
  2. Lotus flower
  3. Dhvaja
  4. Dharmacakra (fly-whisk in Nepali Buddhism)
  5. Bumpa
  6. Golden Fish
  7. Parasol
  8. Conch

The sequential order for Chinese Buddhism was defined[11] in the Qing dynasty as:

  1. Dharmacakra
  2. Conch
  3. Dhvaja
  4. Parasol
  5. Lotus flower
  6. Bumpa
  7. Golden Fish
  8. Endless knot

Hindu symbols[edit]


Jain symbols[edit]

Adinath image with Ashtamangala placed in front of it, according to Digambara tradition
Ashtamangala, according to Svetambara tradition, on Jain manuscript cover, LACMA M.72.53.22
(from left)Swastika, Vardhmanaka (food vessel), Pair of fish, Kalasha (pot), Bhadrasana (seat), Srivatsa, Nandavarta, Darpan (mirror)


In the Digambara tradition, the eight symbols are:

  1. Parasol
  2. Dhvaja
  3. Kalasha
  4. Fly-whisk
  5. Mirror
  6. Chair
  7. Hand fan
  8. Vessel

In the Śvētāmbara tradition, the eight symbols are:

  1. Swastika
  2. Srivatsa
  3. Nandavarta
  4. Vardhmanaka (food vessel)
  5. Bhadrasana (seat)
  6. Kalasha (pot)
  7. Darpan (mirror)
  8. Pair of fish

See also[edit]


  2. ^ Source: bkra-shis-rtags brgyad.
  3. ^ a b c Source: [1] (accessed: January 18, 2008) Archived 13 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Source: Dpal be'u
  5. ^ Hyytiäinen, Tiina. "The Eight Auspicious Symbols". In Saloniemi, Marjo-Riitta. Tibet: A Culture in Transition. Vapriikki. p. 198. ISBN 978-951-609-377-5. 
  6. ^ Source: gser nya
  7. ^ Hyytiäinen, Tiina. "The Eight Auspicious Symbols". In Saloniemi, Marjo-Riitta. Tibet: A Culture in Transition. Vapriikki. p. 197. ISBN 978-951-609-377-5. 
  8. ^ Powers, John. Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism: revised edition. Snow Lion Publications. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-55939-282-2. 
  9. ^ Hyytiäinen, Tiina. "The Eight Auspicious Symbols". In Saloniemi, Marjo-Riitta. Tibet: A Culture in Transition. Vapriikki. p. 196. ISBN 978-951-609-377-5. 
  10. ^ Hyytiäinen, Tiina. "The Eight Auspicious Symbols". In Saloniemi, Marjo-Riitta. Tibet: A Culture in Transition. Vapriikki. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-951-609-377-5. 


External links[edit]