Vajra

Ritual vajras are traditionally cast in bronze or other metal alloys, ranging from small hand-held implements a few inches long to large ceremonial versions. Vajras vary in the number of prongs at each end — commonly five, symbolizing the transformation of the five mental afflictions into the five wisdoms — though single-, three- and nine-pronged forms also exist for specific ritual purposes.

In the Kathmandu Valley, Newar metalworkers have long been renowned makers of vajras and other Vajrayana ritual implements, using lost-wax casting techniques passed down through generations of craft lineages.

The vajra's original meaning as a thunderbolt weapon (associated in earlier Vedic mythology with the god Indra) was adopted into Buddhist symbolism to represent a spiritual force that is both indestructible, like a diamond, and irresistibly powerful, like a thunderbolt.

Held in the right hand during ritual, the vajra represents upaya (skillful means), complementing the ghanta (bell) held in the left hand, which represents prajna (wisdom); together they express the union of method and wisdom central to Vajrayana practice.

The vajra is used throughout Vajrayana ritual — held, rung together with the bell, or placed on a shrine — and gives its name to the entire Vajrayana ("Diamond Vehicle") tradition. Vajrayana deities are frequently depicted holding a vajra as a primary attribute, including Vajrasattva, whose name itself means "vajra-being."

1. The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism — L. Austine Waddell, W. H. Allen & Co. (1895) · Link

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