The Seven Tibetan Monk Skulls VII. Rebirth Keeper
The Seven Tibetan Monk Skulls
VII. Rebirth Keeper
Photo by Noriaki Fukushima
Every end returns to the beginning.
His eyes see the light that sprouts in death.
A person who quietly watches over the gate of reincarnation.
In Tibetan Buddhism, death is not the end;
**Considered as a transition to a new existence (Bardo)**.
The soul wanders through the world of Nakaari, heading for the next life.
This skull is the guardian who stands at that "threshold".
The turquoise and coral colors embedded in the decoration are
It symbolizes life, blood, and the circulation of the earth.
The brilliance that resides in the silence,
It is a look that looks beyond death to “life.”
ZOCALO's prayers also look to the next light without fear of the end.
Jewelry leaves one person and passes into another.
Through this repetition, prayers are passed down without interruption.
Rebirth is the inheritance of existence.
This skull's quiet gaze speaks the truth.
Every ending returns to a beginning.
Its eyes behold the light that sprouts within death.
A silent keeper at the gate of rebirth.
In Tibetan Buddhism, death is not an extinction
but a transition — the Bardo,
a passage between dissolution and becoming.
The soul drifts through this in-between realm,
guided by the wisdom of those who guard its threshold.
The turquoise and coral inlays of this skull
speak of the eternal cycle — blood, earth, and sky intertwined.
Its calm gaze reflects not despair, but renewal:
the quiet knowing that life never ceases,
it only transforms.
In ZOCALO’s vision, rebirth is woven into creation itself.
Jewelry leaves one hand, enters another,
and the prayer continues — a living cycle of spirit and form.
Rebirth is continuity.
The Keeper watches, as silence becomes light again.
This final chapter is a “meditation on reincarnation” that concludes the entire series.
The silent prayer that began in I becomes light here and illuminates life once again.
In other words, this chapter is not the "end" but the "beginning of an endless cycle."
ZOCALO's 25-year journey and a prayer for creation that will lead to the next generation.
All of this overlaps with this “Rebirth Keeper”.