What is the Luck of the Eight Fortunes?

On history and artwork drawn from sutras and ancient scriptures.

In designing the new collection to kick start 2018, LIULI studio craftsmen drew from the deep and millennia-old traditions of Buddhist scriptures and Eastern philosophy.  The collection, titled “Implement Auspiciousness, the Rest will Follow,” radiates with sheer opulence while maintaining a grounded feeling of wisdom and serenity.

The three-part collection showcases an allusion to the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama’s journey to enlightenment, a Hindu-inspired set of lavishly adorned elephants, and the fiery spirit of a determined and charging bull.  Here, we outline some of the history and inspiration behind each mini-series, the overture to a new year, and the new fortunes that await.

EIGHT AUSPICIOUS OFFERINGS

In Buddhism, “auspiciousness” translates to more than mere material fortunes and riches; it is a blessing of hope for a fulfilled life—a life of meaning.  To have an auspicious life filled with wonder and meaning comes from our deepest desire for a stable world and a peaceful heart.

LIULI craftsmen understood that to a bring artwork that truly wished for the fortunes of a new year, they would have to create something that is intrinsically good for the heart and spirit.  Beyond the opulence that may satisfy one’s physical needs, art—or artifacts and offerings—serve to remind one of mindfulness, and of clarity.

SIX TUSKED ELEPHANT UNIVERSAL LIGHT

In this Hindu art-inspired mini-series in the grand 2018 New Year collection, artists take painstaking detail to the next level in the rich and baroque-like ornamentation of Buddhist-aesthetic elephants.

Titled, “Six Tusked Elephants of Universal Light,” the artwork here draws from ancient Buddhist scriptures that allude to the step-by-step attainment of universal light and dharma.  In a deep vow for the practice of dharma, the artwork here in all its extravagance symbolizes the wish to strive for kindness, the commitment toward not only tranquility and peace but to mindfulness.

The elephants, sacred in their wisdom and benevolence, are illuminated here in pure transparent crystal.  Together, they bring a blessing of compassion, practicing mindfulness for self and for all living beings on Earth.  And in that way, one’s existence in the universe can be immediately illuminated like the light of a thousand candles.

FEARLESS AND UNDOUBTED

To conclude the three-part overture here, in anticipation of a bright future full of riches and fortune, LIULI artists all the sentiments of these artworks and charge forward—quite literally.  Departing from the ornamented style of the series, craftsmen purposefully sculpt a piece that expresses a spirit of determination.

In taking that spirit of persistence, we are reminded that fortunes and mindfulness are not mere attainments, but a state of mind that must be practiced.  The wish, inspired by dharma and ancient wisdom, is more than just a blessing—it is practicing the good in our hearts; it is being eternally mindful and benevolent.