Snow Lion

The Snow Lion, sometimes also Snowlion, (Tibetan: གངས་སེང་གེ་, Wylie: gangs seng ge; Chinese: 瑞獅; pinyin: ruìshī) is a celestial animal of Tibet. It symbolizes fearlessness, unconditional cheerfulness, east and the earth element. It is one of the Four Dignities. It ranges over the mountains, and is commonly pictured as being white with a turquoise mane.

The Snow Lion resides in the East and represents unconditional cheerfulness, a mind free of doubt, clear and precise. It has a beauty and dignity resulting from a body and mind that are synchronized. The Snow Lion has a youthful, vibrant energy of goodness and a natural sense of delight. Sometimes the throne of a Buddha is depicted with eight Snow Lions on it, in this case, they represent the 8 main Bodhisattva-disciples of Buddha Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha. Associations: main quality is fearlessness, dominance over mountains, and the earth element.

The Four Dignities, Rudy Harderwijk

Read more about Snow Lion:  The Snow Lion As National Emblem of Tibet, Snow Lioness Milk, The Snow Lion in Buddhist Art, Roar, Tibetan Lion Dog, Attributes, See Also

Famous quotes containing the words snow and/or lion:

    It had been cold since December. Snow fell, first,
    At New Year and, from then until April, lay
    On everything. Now it had melted, leaving
    The gray grass like a pallet, closely pressed;
    And dirt. The wind blew in the empty place.
    Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)

    The lion shall never lie down with the lamb. The lion eternally shall devour the lamb, the lamb eternally shall be devoured. Man knows the great consummation in the flesh, the sensual ecstasy, and that is eternal. Also the spiritual ecstasy of unanimity, that is eternal. But the two are separate and never to be confused.
    —D.H. (David Herbert)