Nowadays one can rarely find all these arts in one place. They are the esthetical expressions of the philosophy of the Dharma, whose study is the focus of monastic life.

Contrary to most art theories the creator of the butter sculptures consciously uses material, which is perishable. The unchangeable content appears in a characteristic symbolic form: the teaching of the Buddha of the all pervading suffering and the possibility to transcend and overcome it through religious practice.

Colored yak butter is arranged in wooden plates, measuring 40-70 cm. Different symbols are presented, like the conch shell (an auspicious sign) which symbolizes the teaching, an eminent religious master Je Tsongkhapa of the 14^th century, and the palace of the Dalai Lama, the Potala in Lhasa.