Page 45 - Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols

Handbook of Tibetan Buddhis#12B 9/1/10 11:38 AM Page 27

THE FIVE ATTRIBUTES OF

SENSORY ENJOYMENT

he ‘five desire qualities’ (Skt. pancha- Here they generally take the form of a mir-
Tkamaguna; Tib. ’dod-yon sna-lnga), or ror or small golden wheel, a pair of cymbals,
‘offerings of the five senses’, form a group of incense or a conch shell, a tray of fresh fruit
the most beautiful objects which can attract or sweets, and a piece of silk cloth. Small
or captivate the five senses of sight, sound, painted images of the five sense offerings, or
smell, taste, and touch. These offerings tra- any of the other groups of auspicious sym-
ditionally take the form of: (1) a mirror for bols, may be represented as rectangular
sight; (2) a lute, cymbals, or gongs for miniature paintings (Tib. tsak-li), which are
sound; (3) burning incense or a perfume- symbolically employed in many rituals. But-
laden conch for smell; (4) fruit for taste; (5) ter sculptures, modeled in the most exquisite
a silk cloth for touch. detail and colors, are also made of the five
As attributes of the most delightful sen- sense offerings, and various other offering
sory pleasures they are mainly represented groups, for specific rituals or festivals. The
as offerings to the peaceful deities and lin- most impressive of these festivals was the
eage gurus. Here they symbolize the desire Monlam Chenmo or ‘Great Prayer Festival’,
to please enlightened beings, and represent a held in Lhasa on the full moon of the first
gesture of sensual renunciation on the part Tibetan month, when the capital’s various
of the donor. They are traditionally placed monasteries would compete to create the
below the deity’s lotus seat or throne as a finest butter sculptures. Shaped like conical
composite group in an offering bowl, but ‘ritual cake offerings’ (Tib. gtor-ma), these
they may also be depicted as separate sym- sculptures were often over ten feet in height
bols, or held as offerings by the cloud-borne and the product of many weeks of intensive
celestial gods. In many Buddhist rituals these work. The competition was held at night
five symbolic offerings are momentarily pre- outside Lhasa’s main Jokhang Temple, and
sented as an offering to the presiding lama. the Dalai Lama judged the winning image.