White Copper Tibetan Sipaho Motif Vajra Talisman Pendant

Tibetan amulet plaques mostly reduce temple images onto a small plaque, with a figure or an implement on the front and sometimes a mantra on the back. They hang from a cord at the neck, and some are sewn into a gau box. This one follows the vajra-amulet line, with a vajra design on the face, offered with a Chopin chain or as the plaque alone. Vajra figures stand or sit, and a small face usually takes a half-length. The plaque is cast, and the mould lines left at the edge disappear once it is polished. The rim carries a raised line, a hard edge under the finger.

The three characters of the name are a Chinese transliteration of Tibetan, written more than one way, and what exactly they refer to varies in regional usage. Buying a plaque like this, design and workmanship are a more practical guide than the exact wording, and not pinning the word down does not stop you wearing it. Tibetan transliteration has no single standard, so one word gets several renderings that sound alike and are written differently. Plaques like this are common in Tibet and scarce in the interior. Different spellings, similar sounds, and the ear can match them.

In Tibet a vajra amulet is a thing carried on the body. The careful have a monk recite over it, and others treat it simply as an ornament. This one is shop stock: it has not been through any ritual and holds no consecrated filling, and bought, it is a piece of copper. That should be said first. Having a monk recite at a temple involves a donation, which is a separate matter from buying the plaque. The back carries no pattern and turns over flat. The copper itself has no mantra cut into it; the face is all of it.

The plaque is small, the corners rounded, and it does not press when worn close. A Chopin chain is fine and suits a small plaque; a cord sits closer to the skin and is more comfortable for anyone who sweats. The hole is at the top edge, the knot tied behind the plaque so nothing shows in front, visible only from the back. Cord at chest length puts the plaque inside the collar, seen only when you look down; a thick cord pushes at the neckline, and only a thin one lies flat. Cotton cord does not feel cold on skin.

White copper in its own colour, hollows darkening. The vajra lines are fine, so do not pick the dirt out with a needle, which snaps a line. It contains nickel; take it off for showers, since copper darkens faster with soap on it. The plaque is light, and sleeping on it does no harm, but the knot loosens and needs tightening now and then. A fine chain suits a small plaque, while a thick one drags it down. The copper is light enough that after a while you forget it is there.