The Meaning of Our Logo
Bodhi Leaf
Signifies that bodhicitta is your heart practice. Your aim is to benefit beings, to develop your centre, and to cause all sentient beings to have bodhicitta. It is the main aim. Light beams emitting from the leaf—signifies the spreading of the light of Dharma in the ten directions to all sentient beings and dispelling the darkness of all.
The Dragons
Signify strength—to be very strong in one’s heart and mind, strong in Dharma practice, strong in higher training (morality, the vows, higher concentration, wisdom) and also to overcome all obstacles (the inner obstacles and delusions, and the outer obstacles such as financial needs.
The Lotus
Signifies coming out of the mud, and that sentient beings minds’ are by nature pure, unstained by true existence, like the lotus born from mud but unstained. It also signifies the Sangha—the pure nuns and monks as wish-fulfilling jewels bringing all sentient beings to achieve the whole path to enlightenment.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche wants all the centres to have a strong, auspicious logo, so we can harness the power of the logo for our centre. We spent several months researching the elements Rinpoche said we absolutely, positively had to include , and here are their meanings…
The Vajra
A Sanskrit term for the ‘indestructible, diamond–hard, mighty one’. The indestructible hardness and brilliance like a diamond, which cannot be cut or broken. It symbolises the impenetrable, indestructible state of enlightenment of Buddhahood.
Piles of Jewels
The jewels signify wealth—not only external wealth, but the inner wealth of the Dharma and realisations. They help the Sangha to fulfill the wishes of all sentient beings. They create the cause to have success and all the realisations from guru devotion up to enlightenment, and to fulfill the wishes of all sentient beings.
The World
Signifies the place and all the sentient beings in this world and other worlds. The implement being on top of the world signifies that the centre exists to benefit all beings, and that the whole world is supporting the centre.