法螺【英】

Dharma Conch

定义

法螺是佛教举行宗教仪式时吹奏的一种唇振气鸣乐器，用同名软体动物“法螺”的贝壳制成，源于印度。法螺作为佛教法器的历史非常悠久，传说释迦牟尼在鹿野苑初转法轮时，帝释天等曾将一支右旋白法螺献给佛祖，从此右旋白海螺即作为吉祥圆满的象征在佛教中广为应用。法螺随佛教传入中国。现在中国的藏、蒙古、满、纳西、傣、京、汉等民族依然采用。法螺是藏族的八瑞相（亦称八吉祥徽、藏八仙和藏八宝）之一。

An aerophone played at Buddhist ceremonies, using embouchure to produce sound. It originated in India and is made from the Triton’s Shell (Chironea tritonis). As a Buddhist musical instrument, the conch has a very long history. It is said that when Shakyamuni gave the first discourse on Buddhism at Sarnath, Sakra and other celestial beings offered him a white conch with right-turning spirals, which has been widely used in the world of Buddhism ever since as a symbol of auspiciousness. The conch came to China with Buddhism and is still played by such ethnic groups as the Tibetans, the Mongols, the Manchus, the Naxi minorities, the Dai, the Gin, and the Han. It is considered one of the Ashtamangala (Eight Auspicious Symbols) by Tibetan Buddhists.