| Product Tags | Tibetan Statue, Samantabhadra Statue, Gold Plated Statue, Metal Craft, Idol, Sculpture, Statue |
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Old Stock Statue of Samantabhadra Full Gold Plated Last Piece
Weight: 0.25 kg
Size: 7x6x3 cm
Material: Copper
About the Product
Finishing: Full Fire Gold Gilded
Detailed Description of Mercury Gilding - Source wikipedia
Fire-gilding or Wash-gilding is a process by which an amalgam of gold is applied to metallic surfaces the mercury being subsequently volatilized leaving a film of gold or an amalgam containing 13 to 16% mercury. In the preparation of the amalgam the gold must first be reduced to thin plates or grains which are heated red-hot and thrown into previously heated mercury until it begins to smoke. When the mixture is stirred with an iron rod the gold is totally absorbed. The proportion of mercury to gold is generally six or eight to one. When the amalgam is cold it is squeezed through chamois leather to separate the superfluous mercury; the gold with about twice its weight of mercury remains behind forming a yellowish silvery mass with the consistency of butter.
When the metal to be gilded is wrought or chased it ought to be covered with mercury before the amalgam is applied that this may be more easily spread; but when the surface of the metal is plain the amalgam may be applied to it directly. When no such preparation is applied the surface to be gilded is simply bitten and cleaned with nitric acid. A deposit of mercury is obtained on a metallic surface using quicksilver water a solution of mercury(II) nitrate the nitric acid attacking the metal to which it is applied and thus leaving a film of free metallic mercury.
The amalgam is equally spread over the prepared surface of the metal the mercury is then sublimed by heat just sufficient for that purpose; for if it is too great part of the gold may be driven off or it may run together and leave some of the surface of the metal bare. When the mercury has evaporated which is known by the surface having entirely become of a dull yellow color the metal must undergo other operations by which the fine gold color is given to it. First the gilded surface is rubbed with a scratch brush of brass wire until its surface is smooth.
It is then covered with gilding wax and again exposed to fire until the wax is burnt off. Gilding wax is composed of beeswax mixed with some of the following substances: red ochre verdigris copper scales alum vitriol and borax. By this operation the color of the gilding is heightened and the effect seems to be produced by a perfect dissipation of some mercury remaining after the former operation. The gilt surface is then covered over with potassium nitrate alum or other salts ground together and mixed into a paste with water or weak ammonia. The piece of metal thus covered is exposed to heat and then quenched in water.
By this method its color is further improved and brought nearer to that of gold probably by removing any particles of copper that may have been on the gilt surface. This process when skillfully carried out produces gilding of great solidity and beauty but owing to the exposure of the workmen to mercurial fumes it is very unhealthy. There is also much loss of mercury to the atmosphere which brings extremely serious environmental concerns as well.
This method of gilding metallic objects was formerly widespread but fell into disuse as the dangers of mercury toxicity became known. Since fire-gilding requires that the mercury be volatilized to drive off the mercury and leave the gold behind on the surface it is extremely dangerous. Breathing the fumes generated by this process can quickly result in serious health problems such as neurological damage and endocrine disorders since inhalation is a very efficient route for mercuric compounds to enter the body. This process has generally been supplanted by the electroplating of gold over a nickel substrate which is more economical and less dangerous.
Fire Gold Plating In Nepal
Making Process: Lost-Wax System
Samantabhadra: An Introduction to Samantabadra
The image of Samantabhadra is one of the oldest & among the most complex Buddhism because of its simplicity & because the figures bear no symbolic objects (accoutrements) which otherwise define the form. Yet most people realise that there is some profound underlying meaning behind the form. The represents the realisation & flowering of pure consciousness. Owing to its simplicity there are several Samantabhadra interpretations & meanings attached to the form.
The central concepts regarding the image
1. The original self which is perceived a pure awoken consciousness [Skt. bodhi]. The Awoken self [viz. spiritual nature] which realises the delusion of the material world which is the common perception of reality & in doing so is liberated.
2. The eternal Present moment which from the Awoken Mind of bodhi realises the union of the past present & future.
3. According to Vajrayana Buddhism all Deities & Dakinis arose out of Samantabhadra. This idea is especially connected ot the Dhyana Buddha Familiies of Amitabha Akshobhya Amoghasiddhi Ratnasambhava & Vairochana
4. Bodhissatva & figure of the Lotus Sutra [Skt. Avatamsaka Sutra] made the 10 vows to guide a bodhisattva.
Iconography
Samantabhadra also known as Visvabhadra is naked called 'sky clad' presented embracing figures the white female figure is called Samantabhadri in an body position [Skt. Asana] called Yib-Yum togetherness known as the body of blissful union called Sambhogakaya. The word Samantabhadra means Universal loving Virtue. A union of the inner and outer world. The principle of duality is visualized in male & female dark-light love-hate day & night. The co-emergence [Skt. Sahaja] of wisdom [Skt. Prajna] with fitness of action [Skt. Upaya] which is similar to compassion leads one to a state of Great Bliss [Skt. Mahasukha]. The state of Great Bliss is akin to individual Nirvana.The eight embedded jewels represent the Eightfold Path realised by Sakyamuni. There is a small mirror [Skt. Aina or Darpana] representing introspection sight or form together with a jewel offering in the foreground. The two hand symbols [Tib. Ting Sha] represent the sense offering of sound. The rainbow beams arising from the crimson nimbus around the head of Samanta Bhadra represent a mastery of Boddhi Nature & one manifestation of the Sambhogakaya is the Rainbow Body. There is a small mirror [Skt. Aina or Darpana] representing introspection sight or form together with a jewel offering in the foreground. The two hand symbols [Tib. Ting-Sha] represent the sense offering of sound. The rainbow beams arising from the crimson nimbus around the head of Samanta Bhadra represent a mastery of Boddhi Nature & one manifestation of the Sambhogakaya is the Rainbow Body. The co-emergence [Skt. Sahaja] of wisdom [Skt. Prajna] withfitness of action [Skt. Upaya] which is similar to compassion leads one to a state of Great Bliss [Skt. Mahasukha].Commentary1. The image of Samantabhadra represents a return to & understanding of our original self . This original self is perceived as a pure & blissful (happy). This position of understanding is perceived as pure awareness devoid of the delusion generated by greed [thirst - Skt. tanha]. & hatred [Skt. Dhosa]. Greed for instance makes us accumulate material wealth an emotional & physical dependence on material things. Hatred is perceived as jealousy envy. These obscure our original nature & the real happiness. This causes suffering which is cyclical [Skt. Samsara] & self-perpetuating. The paradox here is that the freedom of self is attained by having less & not more. By giving not taking by relinquishing not gathering & so forth. The position of pure understanding is a position attained through deep thought & applied understanding. As we proceed we awaken to the pure consciousness [Skt. bodhi]. The word Buddha is Sanskrit which means to be awake or to be awoken.
Take the example of a carefree spontaneous & happy child compared to a stressed tired & unhappy adult. But this state of pure consciousness does not mean we have to become children again. This is merely a good example of how change can not always be for the better. The Sambhogaya state which Samantabhadra is depicted is attained though understanding & by realising the delusion of the material world. The blissful union is one of transcendent understanding & liberated awareness rather than the spontaneous naivety of a child. B. 1b. The union of the sun & moon which themselves represent time {place} & the human condition respectively. It is beyond the common perception of the cyclical sun & moon that a person can enter the Dharmakaya & 4th Vajrakaya realms.
2. Samantabhadra symbolises the union of two. In Hinduism this union is perceived as a union of the atman [the self] with the Brahman [infinite universe]. But in Buddhism the Brahman is perceived as merely another aspect of form & so in being a described form a veil hindering the realisation of pure consciousness. In Buddhism this union usually refers to two leading ideas which are A. The eternal Present Moment which from the origin the Awoken Mind of bodhi realises the union of the past present & future within the ever flowering moment of conscious reality. The blue figure of the past embraces the white figure representing the future within the eternal present. In this way Samantabhadra presents timeless awareness who was existing befoe the very notion of time itself.
Although the school of Yogācāra evolved in the 4th CE much later than the original idea of Samantabhadra the figure of Samantabhadra is just as useful for meditating on the Principle. The discourse is founded on the existential truth of the human condition: there is nothing that humans experience that is not mediated by mind. Yogācāra thinkers did not focus on consciousness to assert it as ultimately real (Yogācāra claims consciousness is only conventionally real since it arises from moment to moment due to fluctuating causes and conditions) but rather because it is the cause of the karmic problem they are seeking to eliminate. This is to say understand original nothingness it is worthwhile reflecting on momentariness & the transitionb of one moment to the other. In Buddhism consciousness-only or mind-only [Skt. vijñapti-mātratā citta-mātra] is a theory according to which unenlightened conscious experience is nothing but false discriminations or imaginations. Also known as "Yogācāra-Svatantrika-Mādhyamaka" by the Tibetan tradition. In his view the Mādhyamika [aka. Sunyavada position is ultimately true and at the same time the mind-only view is a useful way to relate to conventionalities and progress students more skillfully toward the ultimate.
3. The image of Samantabhadra embodies the idea origin of phenomena which is perceived as nothingness. Phenomenal Thought-Form including the painting of Samantabhadra itself is believed to be derived from an original simple form. This original form is itself a illusion & ultimately nothingness. That all objects are dependent on causes & conditions which caused the object to be form which were themselves in turn dependent on others causes & conditions & so on & the ultimate emptiness of the constantly changing nature of all things. Since everything is nothingness there is a lack of autonomous existence [Skt. Nihsvabhava]. This is related principle of dependent origination of phenomena [Skt. Pratityasamutpada]. [Skt.] By the 11th CE Tibetan Buddhists in such as Patsap Drak categorised this idea into Prasangika & Svatantrika. Out of which all form is derived & within to which all form dissolves into Nothingness. This is realisation of the Sunyavada [Madyamanka] & Yogacara Schools & is more completely explained in the Nagarjuna Tablet.
4. Samantabhadra is more commonly associated with emanation of Deific thought-form i.e. all the Vajrayana Buddhist Deities & Dakinis which arise out of the original inception of Samantabhadra. This idea is particularly connected to Nepalese & Tibetan Buddhism & the concept of Dhyana 'Transcendent' Buddha Families of Amitabha Akshobhya Amoghasiddhi Ratnasambhava & Vairochana. However the Kagyu & Gelug schools use Vajradhara to represent the Original Buddha.
5. Samantabhadra is a key figure in the Flower Garland Sutra particularly the last chapter the Gandhavyuha Sutra. The Gandavyuha Sutra details the journey of the youth Sudhana who undertakes a pilgrimage at the behest of the bodhisattva Manjushree. Sudhana will converse with 52 masters in his quest for enlightenment. The antepenultimate master of Sudhana's pilgrimage is Maitreya. It is here that Sudhana encounters The Tower of Maitreya which along with Indra's net is one of the most startling metaphors for the infinite to emerge in the history of literature across cultures. In the middle of the great tower... he saw the billion-world universe... and everywhere there was Sudhana at his feet... Thus Sudhana saw Maitreya's practices of... transcendence over countless eons [Skt. kalpa] from each of the squares of the check board wall... In the same way Sudhana... saw the whole supernal manifestation was perfectly aware it understood it contemplated it used it as a means beheld it and saw himself there. In the climax of the Gandhavyuha Sutra the student Sudhana meets the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra who teaches him that wisdom only exists for the sake of putting it into practice; that it is only good insofar as it benefits all living beings.Application in Daily LifeModern day living is increasingly complex which often prevents us from appreciating the simple things in life. Complexity also induces stress fatigue and disillusionment. Our mind become increasingly cluttered & attached to meaningless experiences & possessions. The thought form of Samantabhadra suggests a return to original simplicity & appreciation that phenomena is impermanent & delusory. The formation of a candle originated in an idea the materials forming the candle arose in other conditions & the candle ultimately will return to nothingness. 2. Samantabhadra is the origin of the transcendent Dhyana Buddhas which serve to free us from the suffering.
Mantra of Samathabhadra
