The moonstone depicts a central void that is surrounded by successive half bands of lotus petals, vegetation, hamsas (geese), more vegetation, auspicious Buddhist animals (elephant, horse, lion, and bull), and flames in the outermost band. One interpretation is that moonstones represent a symbolic passage from the everyday world onto the threshold of spiritual enlightenment. In particular they could represent a lotus pond, belonging symbolically both to the natural and to the spiritual worlds.