The Container with Peacock Feathers

PremaSagar

Today I went to a local university and watched a couple of monks make a sand mandala. There was an altar nearby with a container close to the bell and vajra knife. Peacock feathers were protruding from the container; what is this altar accessory called ?

person

I'm not sure but I think its just called a vase. The peacock feathers represent the fact that a peacock can injest poison and be unaffected or use it to color their feathers in the same way a bodhisattva can live amongst the poisons of samsara but not be dragged down by them.

Jeffrey

I read something like that about peacock in one of the Dalai Lamas books about Dzogchen. One of the only things I understood haha. He mentioned a peacock feather above a crystal which I took to mean our prideful jubulent mind making waves in the empty phenomena (the crystal).

Sile

A really cool overview of the peacock in Buddhism and other religions:

http://www.khandro.net/animal_bird_peacock.htm

PremaSagar

@Sile thank you for the link I will definitely read the article. Thanks to @Jeffrey and @person for your responses !

Citta

Its called a Bumpa in Tibetan, In Sanskrit is called a Kumbha.
Incidentally if you have heard of the great ten year Hindu festival the Kumbha Mela, it is named after the initiation vase...Mela means festival or gathering.