The Vajra and Bell

The vajra and bell are sacred objects used in Buddhist Tantric ritual. Their appearance may be familiar to us from Tibetan Buddhism but how much do we know of the depth of their significance? In this book, Vessantara aims to enrich our understanding of these powerful symbols. The vajra embodies the attributes of a thunderbolt, a diamond, a philosopher's stone, and a royal sceptre. The vajra-bell goes far beyond the usual symbolism of bells, leading us into a world that is timeless and immeasurable. It represents a mandala - sacred circle of a Tantric deity - and emptiness - the open-ended ungraspable nature of everything. Going even further into their symbolism, we find the deeper meaning of the vajra and the bell. We discover that they embody all masculine and feminine spiritual qualities, transcendental compassion and wisdom, bliss and emptiness. Be reflecting deeply on this perfect pair, we too can become sources of wisdom and compassion for the world.