The Rigden is upright and relaxed, united in meditation and post-meditation experience. His robes have a relaxed quality, and the colors represent different aspects of enlightenment. The jewelry and the hair represent transcendence of samsara, of not being caught in dualism or doubt.

The hand gesture indicates the turning of the wheel of dharma. It rests at eh heart center, where the heart and mind come together, like the Great Eastern Sun.

The Dharmachakra (or wheel of Dharma) symbolizes how every moment teaches us wisdom and basic goodness.

The four dignities are the bodhisattvas manifested as animals: tiger, lion, garuda, dragon. The lion's roar proclaims the truth. Garuda and dragon are transcendent of the heavens, the lion and the tiger are transcendent of the earth; heaven and earth join together.