We ' ve got one here in Asheville as well . I live right behind it . It ' s overpriced but there ' s some good people there and there ' s a great atmosphere . And it ' s saved me a few times when my orders arrived a little bit late . <| sep |> Garnet ' s LB ftw ! <| sep |> That ' s an image of the historical Buddha , Shakyamuni . It ' s a less common variation , where the Buddha holds a lantern and a lotus bud . The lantern represents the light of awakened mind shining to all beings and every corner of the universe . It also hearkens to the Buddha ' s famous entreaty Be a light unto yourself . The lotus represents the flowering of the spiritual path . Growing out of mud and muck , like us beings stuck in dull suffering , a very pure flower emerges . This points to the possibility of using our mundane situation in order to gain liberation and unfold great compassion and all kinds of benefits . Like the lotus , we don ' t lose our connection to the mundane world , but we can simultaneously rise above it , transforming pain into healing , ignorance into wisdom . So this image in particular is an invitation and encouragement to take up the path of awakening to be a lamp to yourself and all others , and to unfold purity within your everyday life .