Vajrasattva holds the vajra in his right hand and a bell in his left hand.

Vajra (Devanagari: वज्र) is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond and is ritual tool or spiritual implement which is symbolically important to both Buddhism and Hinduism, but is particularly important in Buddhism. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (669x990, 191 KB) Vajrasattva statue, Tibet (ca. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (669x990, 191 KB) Vajrasattva statue, Tibet (ca. ... Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari (early 19th century) DevanāgarÄ« (देवनागरी — in English pronounced ) (ISCII – IS13194:1991) [1] is an abugida alphabet used to write several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri and Nepali from Nepal. ... The Sanskrit language ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. ... Typical cartoon representations of thunderbolts A thunderbolt is a traditional expression for a discharge of lightning or a symbolic representation thereof. ... // A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ... Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: बुद्ध धम्म, the teachings of the awakened one) is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. ... Hinduism (Sanskrit: , , also known as , ) is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ...

The equivalent word in Tibetan is dorje (Wylie: rdo-rje; ZWPY: dojê), which is also a common male name in Tibet and Bhutan. Dorje can also refer to a small sceptre held in the right hand by Tibetan lamas during religious ceremonies. The Tibetan language is spoken primarily by the Tibetan people who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, as well as by large number of Tibetan refugees all over the world. ... The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating the Tibetan script using the keys on a typical English language typewriter. ... The Peoples Republic of Chinas Tibetan Pinyin (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zàngwén PÄ«nyÄ«n; Tibetan: བོད་ཡིག་གི་སྒྲ་སྦྱོར་) is the official transcription system for the Tibetan language in China. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Ethnolinguistic Groups of Tibet, 1967 ( See entire map, which includes a key) Ethnic Tibetan autonomous entities set up by the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The vajra destroys all kinds of ignorance, and itself is indestructible. In tantric rituals the Vajra symbolizes the male principle which represents method in the right hand and the Bell symbolizes the female principle, which is held in the left. Their interaction leads to enlightenment. Also the Dorje or Vajra represents the "Upaya" or method Tibetans name Vajra as "Dorje". Made to be worn as a pendant, it reminds the wearer, and the viewer, of the supreme indestructibility of knowledge.

In Buddhism the vajra is the symbol of Vajrayana, one of the three major branches of Buddhism. Vajrayana is translated as "Thunderbolt Way" or "Diamond Way" and can imply the thunderbolt experience of Buddhist enlightenment or bodhi and also implies indestructibility, just as diamonds are harder than other gemstones. Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: बुद्ध धम्म, the teachings of the awakened one) is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. ... Chinese :   金剛乘   jin gang cheng A mandala used in Vajrayana Buddhist practices. ... Diamond Way Buddhism is the name used to describe an international association of Buddhist centers founded by Lama Ole Nydahl, a Danish student of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. ... Bodhi, the Pāli and Sanskrit word for awakening or enlightenment, is an abstract noun formed from the verbal root budh (awake, become aware, notice, know or understand), corresponding to the verbs bujjhati (Pāli) and bodhati or budhyate (Sanskrit). ... // A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ... A selection of gemstone pebbles made by tumbling rough rock with abrasive grit, in a rotating drum. ...

In the tantric traditions of both Buddhism and Hinduism, the vajra is a symbol for the nature of reality, or sunyata, indicating endless creativity, potency, and skillful activity. The term is employed extensively in tantric literature: the term for the spiritual teacher is the vajracarya; instead of bodhisattva, we have vajrasattva, and so on. The practice of prefixing terms, names, places, and so on by vajra represents the conscious attempt to recognize the transcendental aspect of all phenomena; it became part of the process of "sacramentalizing" the activities of the spiritual practitioner and encouraged him to engage all his psychophysical energies in the spiritual life. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Śūnyatā, शून्यता (Sanskrit, Pali: suññatā), or Emptiness, is a term for a concept or set of concepts playing an important role in some versions of the Buddhist metaphysical critique, but also having important implications for Buddhist epistemology and phenomenology. ... In Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva (Pali: bodhisatta; Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: púsà; Japanese: 菩薩 bosatsu; Korean: ë³´ì‚´ bosal ; Tibetan changchub sempa (byang-chub sems-dpa); Vietnamese: Bồ Tát; Thai: พระโพธิสัตว์) is a being who is dedicated to assisting all sentient beings in achieving complete Buddhahood. ...

An instrument symbolizing vajra is also extensively used in the rituals of the tantra. It consists of a spherical central section, with two symmetrical sets of five prongs, which arc out from lotus blooms on either side of the sphere and come to a point at two points equidistant from the centre, thus giving it the appearance of a "diamond sceptre", which is how the term is sometimes translated. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Binomial name Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. ...

Various figures in Tantric iconography are represented holding or wielding the vajra. Three of the most famous of these are Vajrasattva, Vajrapani, and Padmasambhava. Vajrasattva (lit. vajra-being) holds the vajra, in his right hand, to his heart. The figure of the Wrathful Vajrapani (lit. vajra in the hand) brandishes the vajra, in his right hand, above his head. Padmasambhava holds the vajra above his right knee in his right hand. Iconography usually refers to the design or creation of images and more specifically to the historical study of art which aims at the identification, description and the interpretation of the content of images. ... It has been suggested that dorje be merged into this article or section. ... Vajrapani (Sanskrit Vajra:thunderbolt/diamond, Pani:lit. ... Guru Rinpoche - Padmasambhava statue - near Kulu Padmasambhava (also Padmakara or Padma Raja) (Ch: 蓮華生上師; Tib: Padma Jungne), in Sanskrit meaning lotus-born, founded the Tibetan or Tantric school of Buddhism in the 8th century. ...

In Hindu mythology vajra is a powerful weapon having the combined features of sword, mace, and spear. It was created out of hard bones of sage Dadhichi who gave up his life willingly for a noble cause so that his spine could be used to build the weapon to be used for a noble cause. This was the weapon Lord Indra used to kill Vitrasur who had conqured heaven and terrorized gods. Due to this supreme sacrifice sage Dadhichi became a legend.

Symbolism

The vajra is made up of several parts:

In the center is a sphere which represents Sunyata, the primordial nature of the universe, the underlying unity of all things.

Emerging from the sphere are two eight petalled lotus flowers. One represents the phenomenal world (or in Buddhist terms Samsara), the other represents the noumenal world (or Nirvana). This is one of the fundamental dichotomies which are perceived by the unenlightened. Illustration depicting the transmigration of the soul. ... [ (Devanagari , Pali: Nibbāna निब्बान -- Chinese: 涅槃; Pinyin: niè pán), literally extinction and/or extinguishing (ie, of the passions) is a mode of being that is free from mind-contaminants (Kilesa) such as lust, anger or craving. ... A dichotomy is a division into two non-overlapping or mutually exclusive and jointly exhaustive parts. ...

Arranged equally around the mouth of the lotus are 2, 4, or 8 mythical creatures which are called makaras. These are mythological half-fish, half-crocodile creatures made up of two or more animals, often representing the union of opposites, (or a harmonisation of qualities that transcend our usual experience). The word Makara can refer to several different things. ...

From the mouths of the makaras come tongues which come together in a point.

The five pronged vajra (with four makaras, plus a central prong) is the most commonly seen vajra. There is an elaborate system of correspondences between the five elements of the noumenal side of the vajra, and the phenomenal side. One important correspondence is between the five 'poisons' with the five wisdoms. The five poisons are the mental states that obscure the original purity of a being's mind, while the five wisdoms are the five most important aspects of the enlightened mind. Each of the five wisdoms is also associated with a Buddha figure. (see also Five Wisdom Buddhas) In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Wisdom Buddhas (Jp. ...

The following are the 5 poisons and the analogous 5 wisdoms (with their associated Buddha figures in parentheses):

Amitabha Buddha and his two acolytes, Mahasthamaprapta and Avalokitesvara Amitābha is a celestial Buddha described in the scriptures of Mahāyāna Buddhism. ... An ancient painting of Akshobhya In Vajrayana Buddhism, Akshobhya (Sanskrit for Immovable One, Jp. ... The Daibutsu of Todaiji, a Kegon Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan. ... In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Dhyani Buddhas (Dhyani Skt. ...

See also

• Tibetan art
• Thunderbolt
• Palmette
• Phurba

Tibetan art refers to the art of Tibet and other present and former Himalayan kingdoms (Bhutan, Ladakh, Nepal, and Sikkim). ... Typical cartoon representations of thunderbolts A thunderbolt is a traditional expression for a discharge of lightning or a symbolic representation thereof. ... An antefix in the form of a palmette As an illustration of the way in which the palmette motif was seen by 19th century architects and decorators, who in Europe, America and elsewhere in colonial cities created their own unending variations on the motif as a kind of hallmark of... The Phurba (pronounced pur-ba, alt. ...

References

Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna L. Dallapiccola Ganesha as enshrined in Shri Mangesh Temple in Priol, Goa. ...

External links

• Online exhibition of dorje artifacts (large download size)
• Explanation of vajra and bell from Tibetan government website
• Ritual Implements in Tibetan Buddhism: A Symbolic Appraisal

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