The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism

I just finished putting up all my new bangles, here on artfire. The last bangle I put up was this one - Tibetan silver Auspicious Symbols Bangle.

 http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/shangrilacraft/4578499/Tibetan_Silver_Auspicious_Symbols_Bangle/Jewelry/Bracelets/Silver 

I was trying to write the product description and I came up with everything and nothing all at once! haha! I had too much to say and I didn't even know where to start. So, I thought I'd give just a brief description and then get it all out here in a blog. 

 The eight auspicious symbols that each represent a part of Buddhism and are lucky on their own and luckier when together. They can be seen everywhere in Tibet and Shangri la; paintings, books, temples, banners, everywhere. 

These are the eight symbols- 

 Parasol- looks like an umbrella. Symbolizes royalty and spiritual power. Represents protection from suffering. 

Golden Fishes - look like two fish, facing upward. Symbolizes good fortune, fertility and salvation. 

Treasure Vase - looks like a tall vase. Symbolizes spiritual and material abundance. The vase is thought to be filled with precious things and no matter how much is taken out, it will always be full, symbolizing long life and prosperity. 

 Lotus - looks like a large, white lotus flower. Symbolizes mental and spiritual purity. The lotus symbolized the path of enlightenment. The roots are deep in the mud, the stem grows through the muddy water, the blossom rises above and opens in the sunlight. 

Conch Shell - looks like a large, white conch shell. Symbolizes the fame of Buddha's teachings. This represents the sound of the Dharma reaching far and wide, awakening people from ignorance. 

Endless Knot - looks like the lucky Chinese knot. Symbolizes infinite wisdom of the Buddha. It also represents cause and effect and the union of compassion and wisdom. 

Victory Banner - looks similar to the umbrealla, but has long banner hanging from the top. Symbolizes victory of the Buddha's teachings and wisdom over ignorance. It also represents passion, fear of death, pride and lust. 

Wheel -looks like a large eight spoke wheel. Symbolizes the teachings of the Buddha. The Dharma wheel is one of the most well-known symbols of Buddhism. The Wheel has eight spokes, representing the Eightfold Path. The Wheel was first turned when the Buddha delivered his first sermon after his enlightenment. 

 hope that helps explain the bangle a little better. Each of these symbols are very lucky, but its thought that when they are together they multiply their luckiness! So, this is one Lucky bangle!

 This is me in Shangri la at the Temple. If you can see just behind, the dark brown cloth hanging over the wall. Those are all of the auspicious symbols. 

Also, the teaser image, its a close up and better shot of the same wall. 

I took these in Shang-ri la at the temple. At the top of the stairs there were eight signs, one for each of the auspicious symbols. Really interesting and useful, but as you can see they are all in Chinese.