The Seal on the Cover
Dave Monroe
monropolitan at yahoo.com
Wed Mar 7 11:14:10 CST 2007
--- JD <wescac at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm sorry, I haven't been following the list
> super-close lately but someone just told me
something
> about the seal... they looked at it and swore that
> it must be "Mt. Meru and a snow lion".
>
> "want to say this is used to indicate the western
> realm in the Tibetan Buddhist cosmology."
>
> not sure if anyone's made that connection yet.
"I started Against the Day yesterday and immediately
was struck by the red mandala image on the cover.
Unless Im mistaken, that is Mt. Meru and a snow lion.
I want to say this is used to indicate the western
realm in the Tibetan Buddhist cosmology. I cant make
our the inscription around the stamp. Can anyone
confirm, shoot down, or further speculate on the
stamp?"
http://covers.fwis.com/againsttheday
Where to begin, where to begin, where?
The cover?
Ok. Several commentators, you know the type,
Pynchonadoes, have remarked on the triplicate fonts of
the title on the cover and thrashed out much
speculation about the meanings of the fonts that cast
shadows other than their own.
And some have even correctly noted that the little red
seal in the lower left corner arrives from Tibet. And
one sharpie even translated the language around the
seal: The Tibetan Chamber of Commerce. Ha, ha, Tom,
like a true sailor, always joking.
But you know Tom (by the bye, he usually is involved
with the design of his book covers). His jokes often
have a purpose.
That chamber of commerce stamp recurs on the page just
in front of the text. I think we're meant to pay
attention to it.
There is a snow lion in the center and Mt. Meru (see
photo below) behind. The snow lion is a sacred symbol
in Tibetan Buddhism incorporated in the country's
flag. The snow lion is a symbol of the country's unity
of spiritual and secular life.
http://wc5.worldcrossing.com/webx?14@@.1de103c9/31
But you might want to add that here ...
http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#cover_seal
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