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Tibetan And Symbolism

There are some common symbols being displayed by the Tibetans during their religious rites or ceremonies.
Some of the symbols includes the following:

(1) Dorje (Vajra, Diamond scepter)
Pronounce as Door-jay

  • Dorje in Tibetan means ‘indestructible.’
  • The Dorje is the Tibetan Buddhist equivalent of the double terminated Hindu ritual tool known as the Vajre, or thunderbolt.
  • It represents masculine force, sudden inspiration, the ‘cutting’ of ignorance and illusion. In rituals it is always paired with the bell, or Ghanta, its feminine counterpart. The spoked ends represent the closing of the spokes of the wheel of Samsara; the attainment of enlightenment.
  • A ritual gesture is performed crossing the tools over the chest, representing union of the male and female principals.
  • A “double Dorje” is two dorjes crossed is the emblem of Amoghshiddhi, the fifth Dhyani Buddha.

(2) Dharma Wheel (Dharmachakra, Wheel of Law)

The Dharmachakra is a Buddhist emblem of Hindu origin. It resembles a wagon wheel with eight spokes, each representing one of the eight tenets of buddhist belief. The circle symbolizes the completeness of the Dharma, the spokes represent the eightfold path leading to enlightenment: Right faith, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right endeavor, right mindfullness, and right meditation.
It is drawn from an Indian symbol, but instead of representing Samsara, or endless rebirth, it symbolizes overcoming obstacles.

(3) Kalachakra (Wheel of Time, tenfold powerful one, ten fold seed syllable)

The kalachakra seed syllable is a complex Buddhist emblem symbolizing the Kalachakra, or wheel of time. the seven intertwined letters (rendered in Lantsa, a Buddhist version of Sanskrit used for mantras and sacred texts) represent the seven words of the kalachakra mantra- “Ham Ksha Ma La Va Ra Ya.”
The seven letters, combined with the crescent and full moons and the nada (wisp), make up the ten elements that give the emblem its name.
(4) Kartika (Drigug, Grigug)
See below right-hand picture.

In Tibetan Buddhism, the Kartika, or Drigug, is a ritual flaying knife used in burial rituals, with the handle crafted as a dorje. A tool of the wrathful female deities known as Dakinis, the kartika symbolizes the cutting of all things material,
(5) Phurba (Phurbha, Phurpa, Kila)
(see below picture)

Pronounce as Fur-bah
The Phurba is a special triple sided Tibetan ritual dagger or stake, patterned after an ancient Vedic tool which originated as a stake that tethered sacrifical animals.
It is used ritually to create stability and areas of protected space, often staked into the ground in circles prior to rituals. Only one initiated into its use may possess a phurbha, all others are forbidden.

(6)Stupa(see below picture)

A Stupa is a tower or steeple erected atop Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist temples. The stupa is a symbol for the elementary organization of the universe according to Hindu cosmology. It is composed of four parts (from the base, up), symbolizing the five Tattwas/elements: earth, air, fire, water, spirit or spirit/aethyr

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