The shok shing is the central channel, or "life tree" of the statue. In smaller statues there are certain syllables which are to be located at specific points on the shok shing, which correspond to specific points in the interior of the statue. You can see this on the left. The one on the right has been wrapped in cloth and five colored string. Next to that is a mantra roll, of which many are placed in the statue, different mantras at different levels and different points. All according to instructions. At the bottom of the photo you can see part of an unrolled page of mantra. This is just a glimpse of some of what is used to transform the ordinary object of a metal statue into a living presence of the Enlightened Mind in form...