Dharmapala Thangka CentreTibetan Antiques

This wooden printing block is elaborately carved with Tibetan characters. On one side, the text contains the names of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, which were also used in Tibet, in twelve small squares. The other side of the printing block shows Buddhist mantras of Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, Tara and some others.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, statues are always filled with mantras, sacred objects such as relics, precious pills and protective rice, and other substances such as incense, medicinal herbs and dried flowers before they are blessed and consecrated. The mantras are written or printed on paper for this purpose. For the printing of such mantra papers, printing blocks like this one are used. This wooden printing block was used to print papers with mantras. The size of the stamp shows that these must have been mantras used to fill statuary. Smaller mantra prints suitable for filling Tsa Tsas would require much smaller printing blocks.

The first two photos show the block in the original, the following two photos are then shown side to side to show the printed image created with it.

Mantras are sacred syllables, words or whole verses that have existed for thousands of years, especially in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. By repeating a mantra, vibrations are created that bring body, mind and soul into harmony. In Hinduism, Buddhism and yoga, the recitation of mantras is common during meditation as well as in prayer.