Tibetan Bell and Dorje Set, Vajra, Brass, Handmade in Nepal

Bell: 4.5 X 2 X 2 Inches / Dorje: 2.5 inches This item includes one X Large Bell, one Dorje, and one wood striker. You can use the wood striker just like you would with a singing bowl by rubbing it around the bottom of the bell. The dorje and bell are the primary Ritual Tools of Tibetan Buddhism. Together they represent many layers of intricate symbolism & meaning & are used in almost all Tibetan ritual ceremony. DORJE As the male principle the dorje is the quintessential symbol of the 'diamond mind of enlightenment' so hard that it is able to cut through all illusions & deceits and arrive at the clear light of truth in its two forms. These two forms of truth are symbolized by the two pronged dorje. The central hub from which the prongs arrive represents the sphere of actual reality. From this sphere arise two eight petaled lotuses crowned by two full moon 'discs' from which emerge the five upper & lower prongs. These five represent the Five Buddha families, the five elements, and the five skandhas. It is held in the right hand and twirled according to the pattern of the particular ritual, where it also represents 'skillful method'. BELL As the archetypal feminine principle the Dill boo [bell] represents the perfection of wisdom which directly perceives the primordial nature of shunyata [emptiness]. Its sound describes emptiness as it the sound arises from silence and dissolves back into silence. As such it represents the mandala of creation & dissolution; the bottom rim of the bell reps the disc of emptiness from which all arises, these being symbolized by the ring of lower dorjes. The main feature of the handle is the face of Vajra-para-mita, the greatest Goddess representing the union and perfection of all wisdom and aware.