Tibetan scorpion pendant, Buddhist protection amulet of padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) 925 silver and copper, mantra on the belly

Buddhist scorpion pendant from padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) 925 silver and copper, mantra on the belly. Weight of 25 grams of silver.

GURU RINPOCHE's Scorpion

The scorpion of padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) in his eighth manifestation (Guru Senge Dradog) is said to remove obstacles and remove negative energy.

It comes from Dudjom Rinpoche's Mind Terma and is used for protection against harmful forces. Guru Senge Dradog (Wylie: gu ru seng-sgra-sgrogs, Skrt: Guru Simhanada) of Nalanda University, the Debating Lion, promulgator of Dharma in the six realms of beings.

He is shown in a very fierce, dark blue, imitative form of the mighty Bodhisattva Vajrapani, holding a scepter of lightning in one hand and a scorpion in the other.

An amulet is a charm that serves to protect. (A talisman is one that brings good fortune.) The image of a scorpion, often as a woodcut on rice paper, appears widely in Himalayan cultures for this purpose.

A scorpion wheel charm is associated with a Tibetan Buddhist practice Yamantaka. The legend of Begtse, the Mongolian god of war, relates how he converted to Buddhism in the 16th century upon seeing the Dalai Lama's transformation into Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. As a result, he became a symbol of pacification and the last in the series of 8 (or 9) Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Protectors or Dharmapalas. "He is depicted with all the ornaments of the Dharmapala, brandishing a sword in his right hand, the hilt of which is shaped like a scorpion, his left hand holds an enemy's orange heart close to his mouth, clutching the same He tramples the corpse of a man with his left foot and the carcass of a horse with his right foot, his three eyes are full of fury against the enemies of Dharma.~Nitin's February 2001 essay at Exotic India Art.

Scorpion in Tibetan is digpa ratsa means a negative or harmful action and also, a threat. As in the symbolism of Beg-tse, it evokes the power of Buddha-Dharma to transform bad circumstances, even mortal ones, into beneficial ones.

For example, in the fire puja for Vajradaka (Tib. Dorje Khadro) who is a fierce and wrathful deity invoked to purify negative actions, black sesame seeds are used to represent problems and regrets. They are arranged in the shape of a scorpion which is then consumed by fire as practitioners visualize all physical, psychological and emotional obstacles being compassionately annihilated by Dorje Khadro happily devouring them for us.

The tradition of the scorpion's transformative power makes it an appropriate symbol for Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhist masters. It is often used as a personal seal or stamp. This stylized scorpion has 3 eyes, 8 five-segmented legs and a 5-jointed tail. The numbers add up to 52, the number of weeks in a year. The print can be colored blue, green and red to represent one of the three traditional elements: space/ether, air and fire. The Ngak'chang Rinpoche has a scorpion seal, and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's red scorpion can sometimes be seen on his calligraphy.