Dhruvasimha means 'steadfast lion'; in some Buddhist traditions it is the name of the lion-headed buddha, the buddha of the animal world. He is often shown with a book, and is associated with the power of language to ask questions. The beast asks no questions; to ask questions is to overcome bestial ignorance. Only by asking questions can one recognize that one's assumptions are not true answers.
Dhruvasimha
Sacred text in hand, the lion waits;
teaching is the path through golden gates
reaching other realms the mind has sought,
byssal depths of light beyond all thought.
Flawless question given, answers dissipate.
Past the first awareness is the seed,
source untouched by any craving need,
spark forever steadfast in its light,
constant in reflection and in fight:
thinker is but thought, and doer deed.
Lion for reflection on the plains,
Free of deep delusion, in the rains
sees the golden grasses and the sky;
golden eyes outlook all things that die.
Thoughts devoid of craving know no pain:
self once overcome, no self remains.
