Evam
The Wisdom Seat adopted as its logo the EVAM – a profound and widely recognized seal of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The EVAM is comprised of 2 Sanskrit letters which proclaim the essence of Vajrayana Buddhism: the inseparability of Emptiness & Luminosity.
As Changling Rinpoche commented: E is “the emptiness that possesses the excellence of all aspects” and VAM is “the unchangeable great bliss wisdom” This is known as Coemergent wisdom. A wonderful reference for further teaching on EVAM can be found in Glimpses of The Profound, on the inseparability of the vastness of the feminine principle and the dynamism of the masculine principle.
Our particular logo form and color selection was designed by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the lineage of Trungpa Tulkus used the EVAM as a signatory seal for centuries.
CTR placed great emphasis on transmitting the Vajrayana teachings through tone, presence and atmosphere – the aesthetics of banners, flower arrangements and object placement; the presence of social decorum and poise in public settings and the atmosphere and tone of household environments.
The Wisdom Seat found it fitting to select the EVAM in recognition of this approach to transmitting his wisdom.
The chosen colors might be considered outlandish but John Weber – a student who worked closely with CTR on a wide range of design and aesthetics – offered this recollection of CTR’s design choice:
"I can’t quite take credit for the color combination, it was the Vidyadhara’s. He chose it for the original dharma art pin. He said warm red, chartreuse, and turquoise were a very sophisticated color combination. I think it looks good and it is very dynamic as well.” John Weber
The Wisdom Seat would like to acknowledge Diana Mukpo for allowing us the permission to use this logo.