The mirror is an ancient symbol throughout
Indian religions. In Tibetan iconography it may be understood as a symbol of emptiness () and pure () consciousness. The mirror is often depicted as an accoutrement of the
hagiographical signification of fully-realised , , and . The mirror may be understood as a quality of the mindstream that denotes perceiving experience as it is without obscuration formed by .
Mahayana The mirror is part of the iconography of
Akshobhya, one of the
Five Tathagatas, who is the embodiment of "
Mirror-like Awareness" (, which is "devoid of all dualistic thought and ever united with its 'content' as a mirror is with its reflections"; This type of wisdom is a transformation of the eighth consciousness, the
Alayavijnana.
Vajrayana The mirror may be engaged in the advanced Tantric of the . As the mirror, so the mind. The mirror
as the mind, following
Yogacara, reflects quality and form, though it is not directly altered and is 'beyond all attributes and qualities' (). In an essay accompanying the
curatorial notes of an exhibition for the
xylograph on silk entitled
Offerings to Mahakala, which depicts an 'array of ritual offerings' to the
Mahakala, Sawyer notes the importance of 'mirror' iconography to the :
Dzogchen The mirror motif is pervasive throughout Buddhist literature and is important to traditions of
Dzogchen, representing the
ground or
base.
Namkhai Norbu (1938–2018) writes that the term
base denotes "the fundamental ground of existence, both at the universal level and at the level of the individual, the two being essentially the same." This
base is "uncreated, ever pure and, self-perfected, it is not something that has to be constructed," however it "remains hidden to the experience of every being affected by the illusion of dualism." Jean Luc-Achard defines the basis as "the actual, authentic abiding mode of the Mind." According to Achard, Dzogchen tantras define the basis as "Great Primordial Purity" (
ka dag chen po). The
Tantra of the Beautiful Auspiciousness (
bKra shis mdzes ldan gyi rgyud) defines this as "the state abiding before authentic Buddhas arose and before impure sentient beings appeared." Namkhai Norbu relates that the metaphor of the mirror reflects the trifold nature of the
base: • The
essence, or 'fundamental voidness' of the
base, which cannot be changed, just as a mirror is not changed by the reflections it enfolds; • The
nature of the
base is 'to manifest', just as a mirror must reflect whatever is before it, without judging the content; • The
energy of the
base, or
dang, refers to how the 'world around us' arises due to the delusion known as 'karmic vision'; just as a mirror faithfully reflects any content,
dang "has the capacity to adopt any form". A number of texts use the mirror motif in their title, such as
The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva () which is one of the
Seventeen Tantras of the
Upadesha. == See also ==