A gold and silver-inlaid iron sacred ritual sceptre, khatvanga, Ming dynasty, Yongle period | 明永樂　鐵鋄金銀喀章嘎天杖

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44 cm Himalayan Art Resources (HAR) item no. 204704 喜馬拉雅藝術資源編號204704 來源 美國私人收藏 Anthony Carter Ltd，倫敦 展覽 Robert A.F. Thurman 及 David Weldon，《Sacred Symbols. The Ritual Art of Tibet, New York》，紐約，1999 年，編號62 This magnificent ritual sceptre, probably commissioned by Imperial order from the iron workshops at Derge, is amongst the finest quality ritual objects from the Tibetan tantric tradition to remain in private hands. Within the ritual and contemplative practice of the Mother Tantras of Tibetan Buddhism, especially the Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini Tantras, the khatvanga is the implement that encapsulates and expresses the fundamental elements that constitute the path to the enlightened state of buddhahood, that is reachable through the Vajrayana, or Diamond Vehicle. There are two main types of khatvanga, one with a vajra at the top and one with a trident. The former type belongs to the Later Diffusion Mother Tantras, such as those mentioned above, and the latter type is used by Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche and belongs to the Early Diffusion Heruka Tantras. Robert Beer, in The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, Michigan, 1999, states that the form of the Buddhist khaṭvanga derives from the emblematic staff of the early Indian Shaivite yogis, known as kapalikas or "skull-bearers". The early Buddhist tantric yogins and yoginis adopted the same goddess or dakini attributes of the kapalikas. These attributes consisted of bone ornaments, an animal skin loincloth, marks of human ash, a skull-cup, damaru, flaying knife, thighbone trumpet, and the skull-topped Tantric staff or khaṭvanga. The symbolism of the khatvanga in the Vajrayana of Tibetan Buddhism, particularly the Nyingma school founded by Padmasambhava, was a direct borrowing from the Shaiva Kapalikas, who frequented places of austerity such as charnel grounds and crossroads as a form of "left-handed path”. In Padmasambhava's iconographic representations, the khatvanga represents his scribe, biographer and spiritual consort Yeshe Tsogyal. The weapon's three severed heads denotes moksha from the three worlds (Trailokya); it has a rainbow sash representing the Five Pure Lights of the mahabhuta. Holding the khatvanga signifies that the adept has gained mastery of the yogic subtle nervous system, especially its central channel (avadhuti), which runs from the mid-brow up to the crown of the skull, then down to the base of the spine and beyond to the tip of the sexual organ. The topmost vajra symbolises the adept's extremely subtle subjectivity, compassion turned to great bliss infinitely aware of the clear light ultimate reality. The three heads symbolise at one level, the overcoming of the three poisons, ignorance, lust, and hate, or at another level, the mastery of the three subtle mind states, luminance, radiance, and imminence. The vase symbolises that all mundane impurities have been alchemically transmuted into the elixir of immortality, and the vajra cross below the vase symbolises the grounding of the adept's buddhahood in the diamond nature of reality. The shaft is eight-faceted, symbolising its unity with the noble eightfold path, and the bottom is a five-pronged vajra. This rare example was created during an important moment in the history of Tibet. It was during the late 14th and early 15th centuries that the emerging Chinese Ming dynasty was seeking to create the kind of close bond with Tibetan spiritual masters that the Mongols had enjoyed since Kublai Khan. The leaders of the Buddhist orders in Tibet were invited to administer to the spiritual welfare of Ming emperors, especially the Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-24). The emperor had his gifts to Tibetan religious leaders marked with the imperial insignia. An almost identical khatvanga, inscribed with the reign mark of the Yongle Emperor is preserved in the British Museum (accession no. 1981,0207.1), formerly in the collection of Sir Harry and Lady Garner. The Tibetans are renowned for their ironwork, and the traditional centre for this expertise is the town of Derge in the region of Kham in eastern Tibet. The extraordinary quality of the workmanship of this khatvanga may be linked to the artists from this centre. Iron is the medium preferred by Tantric adepts for the construction of ritual implements, and this example shares with the khatvanga in the British Museum the most exquisite gold and silver decoration. It is only the highest order of initiates that would have had the use of a khatvanga such as this. 此件喀章嘎天杖，工藝精湛，氣勢非凡，應屬德格鐵作坊奉御鑄造，乃現存私人收藏佛教法器中最為尊貴者。天杖在藏傳佛教母續傳統中，尤其是勝樂金剛續與金剛亥母續，不僅為法器，更是象徵修行者通往佛國之道，涵蓋了金剛乘的核心。天杖形制有二，金剛杵或三叉戟式；前者屬於後弘期的母續，後者為為蓮花生大士所持，屬於前弘期的赫嚕迦續。 Robert Beer，《The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs》，密西根，1999年，述及天杖形式源自早期印度濕婆派瑜伽行者，或稱「持骷髏者」之法杖。早期佛教密宗的修行者採納與濕婆教相同的女神或空行母儀軌，如骨飾、獸皮腰衣、塗抹人灰、嘎巴拉盌、法鼓、剝皮刀、股骨號角，以及頂端置骷髏之法杖，或天杖。 藏傳佛教金剛乘，以蓮花生大士創立的寧瑪派中，天杖之象徵承襲自濕婆派瑜伽行者，屬於「左道」的修行方式。蓮花生大士造像中，天杖象徵他的侍書、傳記作者與靈修伴侶——益西措嘉。杖首三顆斷首象徵解脫，超越三界，其上繫有虹彩飾帶，代表五淨光的顯現。 手執天杖，象徵精通瑜伽修行之道，相應人身中央脈系，自眉心上行至頭頂，再下行至脊柱基部，直至蹊部。杖頂金剛杵呼應修行者極微主觀，將慈悲轉化為極樂，無限覺知本質之光明。三斷首意謂克服三毒，無明、貪欲、嗔恨；又指修道三態，光明、光耀，與近悟。寶瓶喻意塵世俗念已冶鍊成長生不朽之甘露，下方金剛交杵象徵覺悟已根植於金剛性之中，不再動搖。杖身八稜，意謂八正道合而為一，與杖尾五叉金剛杵相接。 天杖珍稀罕見，作於西藏歷史的關鍵時期。十四世紀末至十五世紀初，時值明朝初期，朝廷試圖與西藏佛教領袖建立密切聯繫，以延續自忽必烈以來，元朝所享有的宗教支持。各朝皇帝屢邀西藏各大佛教派別上師赴京主持宗教儀式，以永樂朝為最。永樂皇帝（在位1403–1424年）賜禮多刻有御製款識，以彰顯帝王的護持與宗教外交的意涵。倫敦大英博物館現藏一件幾乎相同的天杖（館藏編號1981,0207.1），刻永樂御製款，原屬 Sir Harry Garner 加納爵士伉儷收藏。 藏族以精湛的鐵器工藝聞名，此傳統以東藏康區的德格為中心。本品工精細膩，應出自此地的能匠之手。鐵器是密宗法器的首選材質，本杖與前述大英博物館藏品相同，皆錯以精緻華美的金銀鑲嵌，應專為宗教領袖打造之。

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