Tashi Targye - The 8 Auspicious Symbols

The Eight Auspicious Symbols, Tashi Targye, are signs of good fortune, success, and spiritual victories. Their origins can be traced back to ancient India where Buddhism originated.  Some of the symbols were associated with ancient royal rituals in India and some actually originated later in Tibet.  They are seen printed on prayer flags, painted on temple walls and carved into alters. 

Here are their meanings:

 THE PARASOL (གདུགས་ Dug) protects from all evil, sickness and harm. The top of parasol symbolizes the wisdom and the hanging skirt represents compassion.

 GOLDEN FISH (སེར་ཉ་ Sernya) symbolizes happiness and beings saved from the sea of suffering. The symbol also represents the agility and swiftness of Enlightened Mind. . 

 THE ENDLESS KNOT (པ་ཏྲ་ Palbeu)  The eternal knot overlapping without a beginning or an end symbolizes perfect meditation and the union of infinite wisdom and compassion. As it is endless, it also represents the illusory nature of of life and time.

 THE TREASURE VASE (གཏེར་གྱི་བུམ་པ་ Bumpa)  Topped by the flaming wish-fulfilling jewel, the Treasure vase contains the nectar of immortality so symbolizing long life, and prosperity. It is also a sign of inexhaustible riches of the Buddha's teachings.

 THE LOTUS (པད་མ་ Padma) represents purity and spiritual unfoldment. As its muddy surroundings do not stain the lotus; it thrives in it. The Buddha thrives in this imperfect world, free from emotional hindrances and obscurations.

 THE CONCH (དུང་དཀར་ Dungkar) proclaims fearlessly the teachings of the enlightened ones; the sound of Dharma that awakens sentient beings from the sleeping state of ignorance.

 VICTORY BANNER (རྒྱལ་མཚན་ Gyaltsen)  Signifies the Buddha’s victorious enlightenment and the victory of Buddha’s teachings over death, ignorance, disharmony and all the negatives of this world. This symbol also signifies the victory of the good over the evil that hinders the success of noble goals.

 THE WHEEL OF DHARMA (འཁོར་ལོ Khorlo)  The symbol of Universal Law, the eight-spokes point to the eight directions and symbolize the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. The hub of the Wheel of Dharma symbolizes moral discipline, the eight-spokes symbolize analytical insight, and the rim symbolizes meditative concentration.