Materials: Handmade, Nepalese, embossed red copper
Size: 11.5 cm x 6 cm (approximate)
Description:
Handmade, Nepalese, embossed red copper.
Dharma Protector Cup. Dharma Protector Cup. A Buddhist esoteric offering vessel used to make offerings to Dharma protectors. Some believe the double-layered offering is for the Dharma protector deity on the upper side and the Dharma protector's retinue on the lower side. Others believe nectar (wine) is offered on the upper side, while sweets and delicacies are offered on the lower side.
Dharma Protector Cups are important offering vessels in Tibetan Buddhism, often used to worship Dharma protectors to pray for protection, dispel obstacles, and increase merit. The origins of these cups are closely tied to the worship of Dharma protectors. In Tantric practice, Dharma protectors are viewed as guardian deities, able to assist practitioners in overcoming internal and external obstacles.
**Story and Origin of the Dharma Protector Cup**
The history of Dharma Protector Cups can be traced back to ancient Indian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. In Tantric practice, Dharma protectors are divided into supramundane Dharma protectors (such as Mahakala and Yamantaka) and mundane Dharma protectors (such as the Devas and the Eight Immortals). These Dharma protectors are offered various forms of offerings, with offerings of water, wine, and tea being common.
In Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and private practices, offering cups (Dharma protector cups) are considered pure offerings, symbolizing pure wisdom and merit. The custom of offering water originated in ancient Indian Buddhism and later developed into more elaborate offering rituals in Tibet. For example, offering cups are often placed in groups, representing the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, or symbolizing the Three Disciplines of Sīla, Samadhi, and Wisdom.
Furthermore, the use of Dharma protector cups is associated with stories of the Dharma protectors' responses. For example, in some Tibetan Buddhist traditions, practitioners have received blessings, averted disasters, or achieved spiritual breakthroughs through sincere offerings to Dharma protectors. These stories emphasize the importance of offering to Dharma protectors and remind practitioners to offer with a pure heart to secure their protection.
