AMULETS

Both sacred and practical, amulet boxes are referred to in Tibetan as gao, and their contents as ten, meaning receptacle, objects that encapsulate the blessings, protection, and power of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or holy beings.

Worn around the neck or across the body, Tibetan amulets or gao can be incorporated into jewellery, providing the wearer with a place to store precious and useful items known as tens. Tens come in many forms: small statues, clay stamps of religious figures or deities, sacred mantras written or printed on small pieces or rolls of paper, relic pills that can be blessed by lamas or contain the remains of highly realised beings, or materials from sacred sites; anything associated or infused with spiritual power and realisation. Amulets, given by lamas expressly for protection, are called sungkhor. 

They consist of geometric diagrams traced on paper, accompanied by mantra formulas and images, then folded and wrapped in threads of the five sacred colors. Tibetans wear these around their necks or inside a gao to protect themselves against misfortune, especially during travel, injury during battle, illness, harmful spirits, and any potential danger.

Gaos come in various shapes and sizes, from a few centimeters in height to larger reliquaries with flat bases that can double as traveling altars. Their materials and decorations vary considerably, reflecting their owners' social or religious status or gender.

They can be wood, copper, silver, or gold. They are carved with traditional motifs of the eight auspicious symbols, the Four Friends, the animals of the twelve yearly cycles, or any other decorative elements.

Smaller gaos, often round or star-shaped and preferred by women, are worn around the neck; many have come to form the central pieces of women’s jewelry, heavily decorated with turquoise and pearls and reserved for special occasions. 

Larger gaos,  rectangular with a decorative peak, are slung across the shoulder and are often part of men’s attire in the Kham and Amdo regions.