Alternative to possibly toxic metal kapalas

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Ayu
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Re: Alternative to possibly toxic metal kapalas

Post by Ayu »

Grigoris wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:35 am
Ayu wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:07 am Anything from human bones is illegal in Germany, AFAIK. We are only allowed to burry or cremate human bones - or to use them for science with certain permission.

But anyhow, thank you @all for this thread. I wasn't informed yet about this, but that dosn't mean anything 'cause I'm an absolute beginner and in addition I do not understand much.
Now I'm inspired to draw a skull and patch it on my little bottle. I think, that's nice.
They also sell nice little metal bowls with ornaments, but I wasn't attracted to buy such.
I made a kapala once using copper sheet. It is quite easy. I just used a rounded skull sized rock to beat the copper sheet over and then I painted the outside with white enamel paint and left the inside copper red. Copper actually purifies anything placed in it, that is why saddhu urns and ayurvedic cups are made from it.

kapala.png


Interesting... :namaste:
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Re: Alternative to possibly toxic metal kapalas

Post by kirtu »

Grigoris wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:35 am I made a kapala once using copper sheet. It is quite easy. I just used a rounded skull sized rock to beat the copper sheet over and then I painted the outside with white enamel paint and left the inside copper red. Copper actually purifies anything placed in it, that is why saddhu urns and ayurvedic cups are made from it.
That's an idea.

One of my lamas mentioned using a kapala as part of a practice. He did this in passing. I walked into a little Tibet store that was open for less than 6 months total and looked around. The person there asked me what I was looking for (and this store did have a very wide range of Tibetan practice tools that I had not seen in public before). I mentioned I was looking for a kapala. She didn't know what that was so I said I was looking for a ritual skullcup. She was aghast and said "A shrunken head?" "No, not a shrunken head." Amazingly there was a little, apparently antique kapala by her register and she let me have it for some $50 or so. I have used it since. This may not be a real kapala but it looks like one.

Kirt
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"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche

"Most all-knowing Mañjuśrī, ...
Please illuminate the radiant wisdom spirit
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Re: Alternative to possibly toxic metal kapalas

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kirtu wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 1:30 pm
Grigoris wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:35 am I made a kapala once using copper sheet. It is quite easy. I just used a rounded skull sized rock to beat the copper sheet over and then I painted the outside with white enamel paint and left the inside copper red. Copper actually purifies anything placed in it, that is why saddhu urns and ayurvedic cups are made from it.
That's an idea.

One of my lamas mentioned using a kapala as part of a practice. He did this in passing. I walked into a little Tibet store that was open for less than 6 months total and looked around. The person there asked me what I was looking for (and this store did have a very wide range of Tibetan practice tools that I had not seen in public before). I mentioned I was looking for a kapala. She didn't know what that was so I said I was looking for a ritual skullcup. She was aghast and said "A shrunken head?" "No, not a shrunken head." Amazingly there was a little, apparently antique kapala by her register and she let me have it for some $50 or so. I have used it since. This may not be a real kapala but it looks like one.

Kirt
It is probably a monkey skull.
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Re: Alternative to possibly toxic metal kapalas

Post by kirtu »

Grigoris wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 2:01 pm
kirtu wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 1:30 pm
Grigoris wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:35 am I made a kapala once using copper sheet. It is quite easy. I just used a rounded skull sized rock to beat the copper sheet over and then I painted the outside with white enamel paint and left the inside copper red. Copper actually purifies anything placed in it, that is why saddhu urns and ayurvedic cups are made from it.
That's an idea.

One of my lamas mentioned using a kapala as part of a practice. He did this in passing. I walked into a little Tibet store that was open for less than 6 months total and looked around. The person there asked me what I was looking for (and this store did have a very wide range of Tibetan practice tools that I had not seen in public before). I mentioned I was looking for a kapala. She didn't know what that was so I said I was looking for a ritual skullcup. She was aghast and said "A shrunken head?" "No, not a shrunken head." Amazingly there was a little, apparently antique kapala by her register and she let me have it for some $50 or so. I have used it since. This may not be a real kapala but it looks like one.

Kirt
It is probably a monkey skull.
It is quite small and may not be a real skull at all but looks like a miniature kapala that my lamas use.

Which was the point for me.

Kirt
Kirt's Tibetan Translation Notes

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche

"Most all-knowing Mañjuśrī, ...
Please illuminate the radiant wisdom spirit
Of my precious Buddha nature."
HH Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
Varis
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Re: Alternative to possibly toxic metal kapalas

Post by Varis »

Pema Rigdzin wrote: Sat Nov 03, 2018 5:41 pm
Malcolm wrote: Fri Nov 02, 2018 8:43 pm Use a glass tea light insert.
In that case, I think a small mason jar (about 2 inches high, 2 inches wide) should do the trick. And it has a lid to keep the Amrita from evaporating, or spilling if I bump my little puja table.
They have skull-shaped tea light holders, they're made out of glass and the hole is big enough for liquids. Since it's shortly after Halloween you can probably get them for cheap.
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Re: Alternative to possibly toxic metal kapalas

Post by pemachophel »

Grigoris, We use unlined ones. But I never asked Him.about this. Now He'S gone so cannot ssk. You can try asking Lama Jigme at potalagate.com . HE'S an expert on skullcups.

Aside: I ate out of an unlined skullcup during retreats back when I was in my early 30s. But that was a long time ago. Still have that skullcup which many Teachers have remarked on in the last sevreal years. Not that I still have. Remarked on the skullcup itself.
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Re: Alternative to possibly toxic metal kapalas

Post by Mantrik »

Grigoris wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:35 am
Ayu wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:07 am Anything from human bones is illegal in Germany, AFAIK. We are only allowed to burry or cremate human bones - or to use them for science with certain permission.

But anyhow, thank you @all for this thread. I wasn't informed yet about this, but that dosn't mean anything 'cause I'm an absolute beginner and in addition I do not understand much.
Now I'm inspired to draw a skull and patch it on my little bottle. I think, that's nice.
They also sell nice little metal bowls with ornaments, but I wasn't attracted to buy such.
I made a kapala once using copper sheet. It is quite easy. I just used a rounded skull sized rock to beat the copper sheet over and then I painted the outside with white enamel paint and left the inside copper red. Copper actually purifies anything placed in it, that is why saddhu urns and ayurvedic cups are made from it.

kapala.png
Very nice. Strangely, I was reading just now that our UK coinage is a filthy mass of germs precisely because they no longer use copper or silver.

There was a kapala in the local market today with a silver inlaid Mahakala head on the outside surface for £220. Very skillfully made but didn't feel right.
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