The Art of Living Is The Art of Dying
My first try at drawing the flower of life. I did some research and found tons of interesting theories and math. This symbol is etched on ancient buildings thousands of years old. An egg goes through similar divisions of cells before becoming an individual.
14 x 11, mixed media paper, ink and prismacolored pencils.
Skulls
A skull cup (Sanskrit, kapala) is a bowl made from a cranium. It can serve as a support for contemplation of our impermanence, reminding us to do our practice since death can come at any time. European monks and scholars kept skulls on their desks to serve as momento mori -- reminders of the immanence of death -- for much the same reasons. Sometimes it was sufficient to "hide" the skull in the composition of a painting.
More Symbolic Meanings
Guru Rinpoche and Vajrayogini both are depicted carrying a khatvanga or staff upon which are impaled three severed heads. The topmost one is a skull, the middle one is not yet dry, the bottom one is described as "fresh." They stand for the three times (past, present and future.)
*Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.
Some may think that the qualities and attainments of the 3 Jewels (Skt. triratna) are inaccessible, but by using methods that work with real-life experience -- that is, by means of the 3 Roots we can actualize these qualities.
Three Roots: Guru, Yidam and Dakini/Dharmapala.
The Guru (and qualities he or she embodies) represents both aspiration and goal. It is linked to The Buddha.
The Yidam (or deity-practice) is the method we use to get there, like the Dharma.
The Dharmapala (or Dakini) is a companion who may exert an influence, just like the sangha -- brothers and sisters in dharma.
Vajrayana practitioners who choose to take the 3 Inner Refuges: Lung, Tsa and Tigle [winds, channels and bindus or drops] may attain the realization that the 3 Jewels and their qualities are within the physical body.