Description
This small and simple gau is made of gold-colored metal. The top is threaded and is easily removable and secured. The form of Guru Rinpoche is printed on the gau as well as the syllable HRI and the Vajra Guru Mantra, OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG, in Tibetan.
gau: Tib. གའུ gau, is a Tibetan amulet or locket that contains holy relics, prayers, images, and other sacred substances. Smaller gau can be worn around the neck while larger ones are placed on shrines.
Guru Rinpoche: Skt. Padmasambhava or Skt. Padmākara, is known by the name Tib. གུ་རུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ Guru Rinpoche meaning ‘Precious Guru.’ or Tib. པདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས་ Padmajungnay, meaning ‘Lotus Born,’ referring to his birth from a lotus in the land of Oddiyana. He is the founder of Tantric Buddhism (Vajrayana Buddhism) in Tibet and was invited to Tibet from India by the 37th king of Tibet, King Trisong Detsen, in the late 8th-century. He is considered the second Buddha of our time and if often depicted in three layers of robes with a lotus hat crown, holding a katvanga, a vajra, and skullcup filled with divine nectar. Guru Rinpoche has many forms and is said to have taken eight forms or manifestations representing different aspects of his activity to benefit beings.
