Amulet is a special kind of article, which protects people's lives by strength. There are many kinds of similar objects in Tibetan society, some of which are difficult to be summarized by the word "amulet", but their meanings are similar.

gemstone

A traditional concept in Tibetan society holds that some rare gems have many special functions, including protecting the body from evil spirits, that is, wearing this gem can prevent monsters from invading and preventing the harm caused by evil spirits, such as some strange diseases. People love a kind of gem named "Si", and there is a mysterious legend about it among the people. Today, the importance of "four" in society, its high price and the role of mysticism are amazing! Fakes are rampant. The Tibetan-Chinese Dictionary defines "Si" as "agate and cat's eye". A gem, commonly known as nine eyes. There are three kinds of gemstones: eyeless, long strip and eye. Taking medicine can cure cerebral hemorrhage. "At this point, the interpretation in Chinese is slightly different from that in Tibetan:" # "In the sea of Chinese, there is no sub-agate phrase, only" agate "(not written as horse brain), and agate is different from opal. It is different from the "opal stone" (green and shiny, changing like a cat's eye) that we usually see as a hand ornament. So there is still a lack of scientific identification and classification of "cat's eye". It is said that there are several kinds of "silk", including red, white, yellow, flowered and gray. Among them, "red" is particularly rare, and it is a rare treasure, mostly black and white.

Tibetan doctors believe that "thinking" can cure cerebral hemorrhage, while Tibetan legends believe that cerebral hemorrhage is a disease spread by fierce Luo. Fierce nature is classified as "evil spirits", and wearing "sacrifice" also means avoiding evil spirits and preventing diseases.

In addition, agate, jadeite, pine ear stone, gold, silver, ruby and sapphire are endowed with the function of avoiding evil spirits.

This idea that rare treasures can ward off evil spirits has a long history. Humans in primitive times (such as Neolithic Age) also had similar ideas and put them into practice, which was classified as "spiritual worship" by contemporary anthropologists. These treasures have two functions. First, as a human body ornament, it is processed into various ornaments according to its own aesthetics and concepts. Second, these treasures themselves are considered to have magical effects, which can protect the human body and prevent the invasion of those mysterious forces. For people in primitive times, these two functions are integrated, and it is difficult to say that there is a clear division. Tibetan society has similar views on human body ornaments. Yu said in "The Present Situation, Origin and Symbols of Labrang Lama": "They have bracelets, rings and earrings. They think that no matter where they take these things, they are the caves of human life, and evil can enter from here, which is harmful to their health. If they wear these things, they can block the way of life, evil can't get in and life can't get out. (See New Northwest 1942 Volume V) As far as contemporary Tibetan society is concerned, the decorative value and aesthetic angle of gems in secular society are far higher than the original idea of avoiding evil spirits, or people have forgotten it a lot, or just left it in the memory of the elderly.

Yi Shi le lei

Tibetan is called "bracket", which translates to tiantie or leishi. The traditional explanation of Tibetan people is that when it thunders, iron blocks come down and are buried in the ground, and they do not rust for a long time, showing various shapes. If people find such things, they can use them as amulets to ward off evil spirits. Tibetan doctors also use this medicine, which is said to cure stroke and other diseases. Contemporary scholars believe that most of these so-called thunder and lightning belong to the relics of early humans, including arrows, small copper and iron pieces of various shapes, and fossils of marine life. But judging from the name of Thunderbolt, some of them may belong to meteorite fragments.

The famous Italian scholar Tuqi collected many scaffolds in Tibetan archaeology, most of which were metal ornaments of our ancestors. The ornaments used by these ancient plateau nomads include geometric figures such as triangles, circles and crosses, as well as animal figures. Brackets in different places have different shapes, but similar styles, belonging to craft decorations. It can be inferred that when the ancient nomadic people used these metal ornaments, in addition to being practical and beautiful, they also contained a religious significance, that is, wearing these objects also had the function of protecting themselves. This is in line with the function of human body ornaments endowed by early humans, and also spread to later Tibetan society. For the later Tibetan society, these ornaments were naturally cherished and deified by people because they came from underground, were ingenious in shape, were particularly rare, or fell during the thunder, or were left behind during the struggle of the gods. The existence of "stent" caters to the simple psychological needs. Become a "sacred thing" and get attention. It is difficult for people to regard it as a specific decorative item, but more of a mysterious thinking and the idea that things are rare and expensive.

C painted surface

In ancient times, many ethnic groups and tribes had the custom of painting, especially among American Indians and Australian aborigines. The content of painting is varied, each with its own function and purpose, but self-defense is its main purpose. The early inhabitants of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau also had similar habits. "History of the North" (Volume 97) records that "both men and women paint their faces with color and change them several times a day." But in the Oriental Girl Country, it is best to paint your face green (Biography of the Oriental Girl Country in the New Tang Dynasty), while in Tubo, it is best to paint your face ochre (Biography of Tubo in the New Tang Dynasty). "Losing your parents is a shame ...". (ditto) Tibetan historical works often refer to the "red-faced people" of their own nationality and hometown as "the land of red-faced people", all of which are based on face. The custom of color painting has lasted for a long time in Tibetan society and is still practiced in some remote areas today.

In today's Tibetan society, it is very common to draw a black line on the nose with pot bottom ash or kitchen ash when taking the baby out (especially at night), which is considered to ward off evil spirits and protect the baby from evil spirits and ghosts. Why can you draw a black line to ward off evil spirits? This is a relic of the early Tibetan society, that is, before Buddhism became the main belief, it was similar to the custom of Tibetan people painting "Dai" (blue and black pigment) when mourning. It is a disguise to prevent evil forces from recognizing their true colors. Black itself is interpreted as an ominous, sad or sometimes evil color in Tibetan society, and it is often used in magic killing ceremonies. It is suitable for infants because their vitality is not strong enough and they are the most vulnerable. Therefore, it is a common phenomenon for children to wear amulets in Tibetan society.

D amulet

The so-called amulet here is called "#" in Tibetan, which means "wheel guard". The Tibetan-Chinese Dictionary explains: "Tantric Buddhism forms a protective circle, and drugs, spells and hallucinations can be used to prevent disasters." The guard wheel here is a mysterious pattern composed of "spells" and so on-the real "symbol", which is also the most common amulet. The composition and symbolic meaning of its patterns are quite complicated, which embodies the blending of Buddhist tantric culture and Central Plains Zhouyi culture and has a strong mysterious cultural color.

Symbol drawing

According to the Tibetan document Manjusri Bodhisattva can get rid of all hardships and steal the mirror (free translation of the title), the specific drawing method is as follows: first, draw the center and seven circles on clean cloth or white paper, in which the center pattern is drawn as nine squares, and write "#" on the square in the middle of the nine squares, and the squares below and around the words are nine palaces. Then fill in the spell "#" in the first circle outside and the wearer's wish (that is, the main purpose of wearing this amulet). The second circle draws eight petals of lotus, in which the eight diagrams are drawn from the south. If you are not familiar with gossip, please fill in the name of gossip. Draw the zodiac in the third circle, that is, horse snake in the south, sheep in the southwest, monkey chicken in the west, dog in the northwest, pig and mouse in the north, cow in the northeast, tiger and rabbit in the east and dragon in the southeast, or write the names of the zodiac. On the eight-petal lotus in the fourth circle, it says # in the east, # in the south, # in the west and # in the north. In the fifth circle, write stars, obsidians, land gods and other spells. The sixth lap is also full of spells. Write a prayer with the same spell in the seventh circle and the first circle. Draw a turtle lying on its back on the outside of the seventh circle, with its head facing south, a volcano on its head, trees on its east, a world or sickle shape on its west, a waterline on its tail, a pattern on its limbs and a "#" in it.

Among them, the arrangement of gossip is different from that of innate gossip (Fuxi gossip) and acquired gossip (Wang Wen gossip). For comparison, the arrangement is as follows:

* If you look at the gossip in the amulet from the outside to the inside, it will be lost in the west, changed in the east, shocked in the northeast and rooted in the southwest. The other four pictures are the same from the inside. Therefore, the order of the eight diagrams in the amulet is different from the famous order of heaven and earth, and relatively speaking, it is slightly close to the so-called eight diagrams of King Wen. The main difference from Wang Wen's positioning of eight diagrams lies in Kun Gua, Kun Gua and Zhen Gua. In the amulet, Kun hexagrams are placed in the east, which seems to be related to the collocation of the five elements in the picture, because hexagrams symbolize wind and wood, while trees are painted in the east in the amulet. In addition, the arrangement of the eight diagrams in the amulet is characterized by two corresponding images, namely, separation and column, training and right, shock and root, and dry and Kun. From this point of view, the arrangement order of gossip in amulets has its own meaning, not random arrangement.

The amulet is painted with volcanoes, trees, knives and waterlines in four directions, symbolizing fire, wood, gold and water respectively, with earth in the middle. The orientation of the five elements is consistent with the traditional orientation of the five elements in China. The theory of five elements first appeared in Shang Shu Hong Fan (there are different opinions about the author and the time of its completion), and it is considered as one of the cores of China traditional culture. The five elements theory also has a great influence on Tibetan culture, especially in traditional Tibetan calendar, medicine, divination and so on.

In the printed amulet, Nine palace map has no figures, and these figures will be filled in during further production. Generally speaking, the figures in Nine palace map, Tibet are exactly the same as those in mainland Nine palace map, namely:

4 9 2

3 5 7

8 1 6

The origin of Jiugong source is quite complicated, and it is often associated with the so-called "Hutuluo", namely Jiugong source and Hutuluo. Yi Zhuan says, "Rivers paint, Luo writes, and sages write." However, the specific content of the Book of Hutuluo has been inconclusive and controversial. The Song Dynasty was divided into two schools, namely, Cai's "Hutuluo" and "Hutuluo". Contrary to Cai, Cai's river map is Luo Shu, and Cai's Luo Shu is a river map. Nine palace map in Tibetan areas, like Cai's Luo Shu and his river map, is numbered "Dai Yi, left three right seven, two four shoulders, six eight feet, five hearts, and fifteen books." According to ancient legends, in Fuxi era, a magical dragon horse came from the Yellow River with a' river map', and a turtle came from Luoshui with a letter on its back. Fuxi draws eight diagrams according to the Yin and Yang points on the river map and Luo Shu. The Tibetan amulet painted on the turtle's back must be based on the theory of "letters on the turtle's back". There is a saying in Tibetan works in the Han Dynasty that everything in the world is formed by a turtle. Fuxi's theory of creating gossip based on Hutuluo calligraphy is mostly abandoned by contemporary scholars, but Tibetan tradition still pursues this theory. Therefore, the eight diagrams and nine palaces in Tibetan culture are inseparable, and often appear as a whole in calendars, divination, sacrifices and other documents. In the Mirror History of Religious Schools in Tuguan Lausanne, there are descriptions about the legend of the river map and Luo Shu, but the story of Luo Shu is different from the story we said above, which was told by Yu Xia. Of course, this is not the author's own creation, but someone told him when he was in the Central Plains. Therefore, during the Qing dynasty, Tibetan scholars also learned about the disputes in the academic circles of the Central Plains, such as the Eight Diagrams of the Book of Changes. However, when using the Eight Diagrams and Nine Palaces in calendar, medicine and religious ceremonies, we only pay attention to practicality and symbolism, and seldom take into account academic opinions such as origin.

As mentioned above, "Eight Diagrams and Nine Palaces" is regarded as a god in Tibetan areas, juxtaposed with other gods and buddhas in sacrificial literature, and is the object of sacrifice, giving it a more magical side. Some eminent monks in Tibetan Buddhism even think that the thought of Zhouyi is not similar to that of Tantric Buddhism. The Mirror History of Religious Schools contains: "We have a moral guru and a clever game, King Kong Ceng Yun. The Upanishads of the Book of Changes can be said to be integrated with the supreme secret. "This is what his disciples said." (Translated by Liu Liqian) King Kong is the author's teacher, Zhang Jiaruo, a great country teacher in the Qing Dynasty. He is proficient in Tibetan, Chinese, Manchu and Mongolian, and has his own understanding and research on China traditional culture. His words are quite weighty, which shows that he compared the Supreme Yoga Department, the highest method of Tantric Buddhism, with the most extensive and profound classic I Ching in China, and it was not a rash assertion. It also shows that the gossip culture represented by Yijing has always been valued by Tibetan Buddhism and has become an integral part of Tibetan traditional culture. The tortoise, the five elements, the Zodiac (earthly branch), the Eight Diagrams and the Nine Palaces in the amulet symbolize the origin of the universe and life and their operating rules, thus avoiding disasters and seeking happiness, which has profound cultural connotations. In addition, Jiugong is a typical Rubik's Cube mathematics, and ancient humans were extremely superstitious about similar Rubik's Cube mathematics, believing that it has various magical effects and can protect people's lives. Indians also have the habit of using the Rubik's Cube as a talisman, and the Arab world also attaches great importance to the role of the Rubik's Cube (see Xia Nai's History of Archaeology and Technology). Therefore, using the Rubik's Cube as a talisman is not unique to Tibetans.

B method of blessing and opening amulet

When the amulet is finished, a ceremony will be held to bless the amulet. If there is no blessing program, it will be as ineffective as ordinary drawings. This is the universal law of Tibetan Buddhism. The opening method of amulets also emphasizes the basic contents such as self-purification, visualization and chanting. First, imagine yourself as a Manjusri Bodhisattva or other gods in Miao Yin. Imagine an eight-petal Huang Lian on the ethereal five-element accumulation wheel. From its center, there is a golden Manjusri Bodhisattva, with a sword in her left hand and Prajna Sutra in her right hand. She is wearing a robe and a silk robe and sits on it. Its east comes from the pale green mother of # Wood Goddess, whose color is green, with branches in her right hand and jade rosary in her left. In the south, Vulcan from "#" can burn mother, and the color is red. She holds a lamp that can illuminate the three realms in her right hand and a coral rosary in her left hand. To the west, the golden girl from "#" can break her mother, with white color, iron hook in her right hand and white crystal prayer beads in her left hand. In the north, the goddess who comes out of # can wet her mother, and the color is blue. She holds a nectar bottle in her right hand and a string of silver rosaries in her left. Around, from No.4 Middle School, Miao Mountain is held in the southeast and right, and the rosary is held in the left hand. Imagine that the eight-day girl is the headdress of Manjusri Bodhisattva, and every heart is a shining seed (#). Light is like an iron hook to welcome the wisdom god into itself. Then offer offerings, recite the mantra # 1000 times, the fourth secret mantra, and scatter flowers. Reflection shines from the wheel, the deity (heaven) and so on. Eliminate any harm to the amulet seeker and eliminate all evils. Relapse, the emotional device melts into the wheel god, and the eight-day girl eats the heart of the Lord God. I want it to become light again. This round (that is, the amulet) has the ability to realize my wish. Then I folded the amulet, wrapped it in five-color thread into a cross, and wrapped it in cloth. I want the amulet to turn into light and blend into the wearer's body to realize my wish.

The above is a simple description of the opening and blessing method of amulets according to the literature. Its Tao belongs to tantric law, or is established according to tantric law. The manjusri in his vision and the symbolic significance of the eight-day girl show the background of cultural exchange after discharge. As mentioned above, Tibetan areas have always described the original givers of medicine, calendar, geomantic omen and divination in the Central Plains as Manjusri Bodhisattva, so the main god in related teachings is Manjusri Bodhisattva. Qu Jima, a Taoist priest in Lausanne during the Qing Dynasty, criticized this. He said: "The origin of the study of calendars in China is only as mentioned above, and the elders in Tibet are said by Manjusri of Wutai Mountain in the early Han Dynasty. Or worship the head of the goddess. Or it was told by the lotus nut and made up all kinds of lies. ..... "(Mirror History of Religious Schools translated by Liu Liqian). But most people still act according to the legend of the past, or this legend is produced to adapt to the whole tantric cultural system, so it can be boldly and widely absorbed. The imaginary eight-day woman represents the five elements. Among them, the four-day girl symbolizes the earth, and the other four-day girls represent the four lines of wood, fire, gold and water respectively. It also seems to imply the law of yin and yang, that is, the five actions are yin and the Lord is yang, which is the same as the matching characteristics of the Lord and the princess in the Supreme Yoga Department, that is, the integration of yin and yang. We can say that after the Central Plains culture was introduced into the plateau, it was constantly absorbed and integrated by Tibetan Buddhism and given a new interpretation, which made people feel that the typical traditional culture of China, such as Yin and Yang, five lines of gossip Jiugong and so on, contained in the tantric cultural system did not appear isolated and abrupt, or did not appear inconceivable and incomprehensible. These two cultures have merged to form an organic system. Obviously, this blending shows that the two cultures have some similarities in connotation. As Zhang Jiayi quoted earlier, the two cultures are not mutually exclusive and antagonistic on the surface. In addition, the mysterious meaning and incredible origin of "gossip" can also arouse tantric believers with strong mysticism and try to add gossip culture to Tibetan Buddhism. This kind of absorption and integration has achieved amazing success and has been popularized and applied. There is hardly a scholar who does not know the meaning of gossip, and there is not a believer who does not believe in the mysterious function of gossip.

The use of amulets

According to the literature, this amulet has many uses, mainly the following:

Protect life

Protect the body

Growth momentum

Increase luck

Grow one's soul

In addition to disaster.

The disaster of four taboos (the fourth branch before and after each branch is the "four taboos" among the twelve branches)

Eliminate the annual disaster,

Eliminate the difficulty of magic,

Eliminate bad omen,

Get rid of the dead and protect the children.

Reproduce offspring for future generations

Eliminate the disaster of livestock.

Eliminate satellite disasters

Eliminate men because men's luck is not available.

Damage caused by women's failure to participate in women's sports,

Eliminate decadent evil forces,

Eliminate the harm caused by female ghosts

Eliminate the damage of the ghost of Jiabo.

Eliminate the damage of "Gangbo" spectre.

Eradicate leprosy

Eliminate the harm of the land god

Eliminate the disaster of continuous death

When going to the strict land god, in order to eliminate disasters.

Eliminate major infectious diseases

fire prevention

Eliminate all bad luck and so on.

Amulets are widely used. In short, they can eliminate all disasters and bad luck. Especially the disaster that was originally destined to be on the day of the month. According to the literature, when you need to wear an amulet for a special purpose, you should write the relevant wishes on the first and seventh circles of the amulet, such as "eliminating the disaster caused by someone". In the central grid of Nine palace map, you should fill in numbers of different colors according to the five elements, then wrap the amulet with different lines and articles, add some articles to the amulet and wear it together. The articles mentioned in the literature for making thread, wrapping and adding amulets are listed as follows:

Paper, paper silk, green silk, black silk, gourd seeds or grapes, gold thread, nine-arrow platform soil, water, iron, iron (thunder stone), gold, silver, flint, fire crystal, fire sickle, charcoal, thirteen-eye spring thirteen bluestone, tiger meat, badger hair, rabbit, right ear and nine sons. Blacksmith's hair, white dog's heart, rabbit's skin, snake's skin, mad dog's teeth, peacock's feathers, frog's head, scorpion's horns, boots with magic spells, pig's teeth, horse's skin, marmot's skin, soil under the throne of the Great Lama, soil in the treasure house of the rich, sandalwood, calamus, aconite, musk and so on.

The items listed above include animals, plants or minerals, and there are many kinds. According to different purposes, use different items and wear them with amulets. It is also full of the legacy of primitive religion and the style of primitive witchcraft. From this point of view, this amulet embodies multiculturalism, at least we can say that it includes Central Plains culture, Indian farmers and herdsmen culture and plateau native culture.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that this amulet can be used not only for individuals, but also for groups. If there is a plague in a certain place, you can hang the amulet made according to law on the roof or stupa in the center of the place, thinking that the plague can be eliminated.

This kind of amulet is quite popular in Tibetan areas, and its mysterious implication, symbolic meaning, close relationship between people and geographical location, and its beautiful symbolic shape have left a deep impression on people. In addition, there are all kinds of pure Buddhist tantric amulets, such as the big Wade amulet, the horse head king amulet, the white umbrella cover amulet and so on. Most of their designs are also composed of multiple circles, which are filled with spells about the deity and painted with the objects held by the deity. Such amulets are also deeply believed by people.

E protection junction

Protective knot, that is, tie a knot on silk thread or cloth and tie it around the neck. Yellow or red is usually used, and other colors are rarely used. People believe that ordinary silk thread or cloth has become extraordinary and has magical effects, which can protect the body and eliminate disasters.

Whenever there is a living Buddha giving a lecture, people ask the living Buddha to bless and protect the knot, which shows that believers respect and believe in the tantric rituals and the living Buddha's ability to bless himself. Compared with the previous amulets, the protective knot itself lacks mystery or symbolic meaning, and has no complicated content. It is more a psychological feeling and an internal belief, which makes faith an energy to help realize self-desire. As far as believers are concerned, honesty is the key Only by believing in the magic of Tantric Buddhism and the actions of the living Buddha can we believe in the role of the body-protecting knot. The protective knot itself can't explain anything, it is just a "knot" that exists in the hearts of believers-inner belief. The dharma knot belongs to tantric Buddhism, and it is also a seemingly simple but profound dharma spirit.

F others

Kawu, which means small box, is also the most common ornament worn in Tibetan areas, and it is also an object to protect the spirit. Kau is made of gold, silver, copper and other metals. Exquisite carving, beautiful and generous, equipped with small Buddha statues or living Buddha statues and other protective objects. Gawu has dual functions, namely decoration and disaster prevention. As an ornament, Gawu shows exquisite craftsmanship and aesthetic taste, and it is also a luxury and wealth. The combination of the two functions embodies the combination and essential consistency between good wishes and good shapes.

In addition, wear master badges (including great men's badges), commemorative badges, prayer beads, etc. It is also considered to have the function of protecting the body and can also be regarded as a special amulet. There is also a kind of "protective bronze mirror", the pattern on which is similar to the "amulet" mentioned above, but the texture is different and it is the same type.