The characteristics of the elephant are his strength & steadfastness. There for it become a symbol of physical & mental strength, as well as responsibility & earthiness. In Indian mythology we hear about the flying elephants & Airavata, the white elephant who become the vehicle of Indra & appeared from the churning of the milky ocean. Therefore white elephants are considered very special & with the power to produce rain. They are identified as rain-bearing clouds, which explains the belief in the flying elephants. In Indian society elephants were considered to bring good luck & prosperity. They were owned by the kings & used in wars. In buddhism the elephant is a symbol of mental strenght. At the beginning of one's practice the uncontrolled mind is symbolised by a gray elephant who can run wild any moment & destroy everything on his way. After practising dharma & taming one's mind, the mind which is now brought under control is symbolised by a white elephant strong & powerful, who can be directed wherever one wishes & destroy all the obstacles on his way. Buddha Shakyamuni was born as elephant in some of his previous incarnations. In his last incarnation as Siddharth Gautama he sings: descended from the Tushita pure land & entered his mother's womb in the form of a white elephant. In buddhist iconography we find the elephant faced deity Gangpati or Ganesh as an emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Another aspect, representing the worldly aspect of the same evergy he is trampled upon by same other deities such as Mahakala, Vajra Bhairava & others. In the mandala offering ritual one offers to the Buddha the Precious Elephant, with the strength of 1000 elephants & who can circumdbulate the whole universe 3 times in 1 day. Also the elephant tusks are one of the 7 Royal Emblems. The elephant is the vehicle of the Tathagata Aksobhya & the deity Balabadra. The elephant also appears as a guardian of the temples & of Buddha himself.
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