The skullcup (kapala), symbolic of the transitory nature of existence, is an essential part of the Tantric tradition in Vajrayana Buddhism. Skulls are gathered from the charnel fields, or reportedly bequeathed by the monks themselves. They are never taken from living persons killed for the purpose of obtaining their skull. In the Chakrasamvara meditations, the practitioner or Yogin creates a mandala of impure substances, the five nectars and the five meats, in the skullcup. These meditational substances symbolize all the negativity possessed by that individual. The practitioner would then visualize boiling this negativity into a mercury-like elixir, into which a ritual staff (khatvanga) is melted. Once produced, the liquid is consumed, symbolizing the complete destruction of all negativities, and the practitioner is purified and, thus, prepared for the completion stage of the meditations. This skullcup is made from a section of an actual cranium, The interior is lined with silver on the sides. In the center is a silver lotus medallion inlaid with turquoise. The exterior rim is ringed by a row of grinning skulls made of bone set in silver. The lid is openwork repoussé copper electroplated with silver in the form of two writhing dragons and two precious jewel clusters risinig out of swirling water with precious jewel terminals. The lid is surmounted by a five-pronged thunderbolt (vajra) made of cast brass electroplated with silver. The triangular stand on which the skullcup rests has three large skulls at the corners and ocean waves replete with precious jewels on the upper sides. The lower part of the stand is a double lotus base. The flat base is triangular and has stylized water motifs on the top, geometric designs on the sides, and a coil border on the bottom edge. See also M.79.243.4.