Presents for Buddha (The Meaning of The Eight Auspicious Symbols in Tibetan Buddhism)

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The eight auspicious symbols, which play a central role in Tibetan Buddhism, have been considered since time immemorial as the original presents that the Vedic gods handed to the newborn Buddha.

The present book throws a different light on the millennia-old history of these auspicious symbols, retracing their origins in the Stone Age and revealing their earliest manifestations on various continents. The Tibetan auspicious symbols reflect a cultural world heritage of overwhelming colourfulness and almost inexhaustible richness of meaning. They are symbols of universal validity for outer, worldly realities as well as for inner, spiritual processes.

In his preface, the Dalai Lama writes: I am glad that the Institute is coming out with this book that not only explains the meaning of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, but also places them in context with the cultures of other historical traditions. It thus symbolises the very objective behind the setting up of the Tibet Institute: spreading awareness about Tibetan Buddhist cultural values and placing them in relation to the broader world.

"Presents for Buddha" was first published in 2018 on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Tibet Institute Rikon (Switzerland), the first Tibetan monastery in Europe. The monastery is under the patronage of the Dalai Lama and, according to his wishes, "has been a facilitator of dialogue between Tibetan Buddhist and Western cultures". This has become especially evident in this book: while in the first part Tibetan people, including the Abbot of the Rikon Monastery, explain the meaning of the auspicious symbols in their lives and their faith, in the second part Rudolf Hugger leads through an illustrated cultural history of the symbols that goes far beyond Buddhism. Thus, the originality of this book lies in the combination of personal accounts of religious lives and a cultural-historical portray.

DR RUDOLF HOGGER (born 1940), PhD, is the initiator and main author of this book. In Zurich, he studied Theology, History, German Literature and Depth Psychology according to C.G. Jung. During his professional life he worked in international development cooperation. His main interest has always been the question of cultural, religious and psychological backgrounds in human development. From 1988 to 2005 he was a Lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In his teachings, essays and books, he has always been concerned with stressing the connections and analogies amongst images and conceptual motives that emerge independently of each other in the most diverse cultures and religions. This goal is also pursued in the present jubilee book. From 2004 to 2016, Rudolf Hogger was President of the Foundation Board of the Tibet Institute Rikon. He is currently the vice-president.

Karma Lobsang, President of the Foundation Board Tibet Institute Rikon

Sincerely wishing someone happiness is a wonderful way of expressing personal connection to others. In this experience lies the timeless power of the eight Tibetan auspicious symbols. They reflect the Tibetan Buddhist notion of happiness, which entails much more than material prosperity. The auspicious symbols are omnipresent in the lives of Tibetans inside and outside the homeland. Although many of us know little about their origins and meanings, we often use them both in traditional religious occasions and in our modern daily routines; for instance, on special occasions, Tibetan people give each other as a present the khata, a silk scarf decorated with the auspicious symbols. Since the occupation of Tibet, these symbols have also spread throughout the world and are used today by people of different religious or national affiliations for a variety of purposes. They might now appear as tattooed body ornamentation of martial arts athletes or as garden decoration in a therapeutic group practice.

This book, which is published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Tibet Institute (TIR), is a wonderful present that Rudolf Hogger, longtime President of the Foundation Board of the TIR and main author of the book, gives to us all. It is a treasure chest, filled with many images and in-depth historical explanations of the origin and meaning of the auspicious symbols. The reading takes us on an exci-ting journey through the various cultural and religious interpretations attributed to these symbols of happiness, offering both a Tibetan and Western perspective. This allows us to recognise many revealing parallels that lead beyond social boundaries.

**Contents and Sample Pages**