Potala Palace: Embroidery with the Kalacakra Monogram

CHINA, Tibet, Lhasa

The Kalacakra Monogram is one of the well-known symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. The ornamental ring of fire is comprised of ten elements, which are a combination of seven Sanskrit seed syllables written in a stylized Lantsa script, together with three additional components consisting of a nada at the top, disc, and crescent. These ten elements are associated with body, awareness, space, wind, fire, water, earth, stillness, movement, and gods seen and uncreated. On the left and right of the symbol are Lantsa syllables representing emptiness and bliss.