TIBETAN BUDDHISM: ANIMAL IMAGES IN SHAMATHA INSTRUCTIONS
The article reveals the features of animal imagery in the instructions on shamatha. The author explains the animal symbols in Tibetan Buddhism basing on the artifacts from the collection of the State Museum of the History of Religion and outlines the characteristics of two main meditation practices in Buddhism. Also he explores the images of elephant, rabbit, monkey, explains their meaning and emphasizes that using natural images to denote various states of consciousness is natural for Buddhism.