MORE ABOUT THE SYMBOLS ON “THE SACRED TREASURES” ELECTRIC INCENSE BURNER
In Buddhism, the word treasure has both a spiritual and material meaning. “The three riches” are the Buddha, the teaching and the spiritual community. “The seven treasures” are the seven varieties of gemstone: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, shells, agates, pearls and carnelian, which correspond to the seven elements of practice and listening: correct teaching, believing in it, keeping the precepts, engaging in meditation, practicing assiduously, renouncing attachment and reflecting on oneself.
Examining the burner from bottom to top, we can see that it is not just a talisman for obtaining material wealth, but is actually an object for contemplating spiritual wealth. “The Sacred Treasures” imagery is depicted on a black background. Black in Buddhism represents primordial darkness. This darkness must be overcome to achieve enlightenment. The motifs on the burner are all gold, a metaphor for knowledge, enlightenment, purity, happiness and freedom. Combining gold with other metals is considered sacrilegious in Buddhism. This is why Buddhist objects always have a very intense gold coloring. This intense gold is intended to simulate radiation from within.

Around the lid and on the edges of the burner is a Hui (return) and Wen (pattern) symbolizing the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

The motif in the background of the burner is the character 禄 lù and/or 子 zi, meaning “prosperity”, “promotion”, “well-being” and “son”, “offspring”. The lu or zi symbol represents the design of the Supreme God of Heaven (Tiān 天) from Chinese tradition.

There are two medallions on the burner containing ten coins and three ingots. The coins are seen as lucky symbols with a square inside a circle, a metaphor for the sky surrounding the earth. There is a ying and a yang side to each coin, creating a harmonious balance. China has a long history of producing magic charms in the form of coins. Coins, as a form of money, represent power. Coin-shaped charms are therefore a very compact form of energy. In China, a group of ten coins represents perfection and is considered a good omen.
Beneath the ten coins are three packages of “Sycee” or “Yuan Bao” silver. These were gold or silver ingots used in Imperial China and were originally designed after coin purses. In present-day China, these ingots remain symbols of wealth and prosperity, and are commonly used as decoration during the Lunar New Year festivities. In Chinese culture, three is a very important number. It represents heaven, earth and the human being. Philosophically, “Tao” means harmony between these three elements. This harmony brings good luck.

Represented on the other medallions is a group of Chinese symbols that form the anagram: zhao cai jin bao – 招財進寶 . This character doesn’t actually represent a word, but a talisman artistically written in calligraphy; like four intertwined symbols welded together. Often used during the lunar new year, it means: When you look for the positive, you find treasures.
找 “Zhao” meaning “Look for”, can be found at bottom right.
財 “Cai” means positive and is found to the left of “Zhao”. The left side of “Zhao” becomes the right side of “Cai”.
進 “Jin” means to enter, go forward, is on the far left.
寶 “Bao” the top part of the character means precious and crowns the group of symbols. The lower part of “Bao” represents perfection and is also considered auspicious.
“The Sacred Treasures” burner, is designed as a meditation or ritual tool; to bring success on material, emotional and spiritual levels.

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