Vajra

Museum number:
9-21915
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21090021915
Alternate number:
BY.T-97 (previous number) and T-97 (original number)
Description:
This is an old vajra. It is somewhat crude in its construction, lacking the detail and nuances of the other vajras in the collection.A vajra, (rdo-rje) is a ritual device used in Tantric meditation to destroy all obstacles to enlightenment. Its counterpart is the ghanta bell. The vajra, held in the right hand of the meditator or the deity, is identified with compassion, skillful means for helping others and for attaining enlightenment, the diamond, the thunderbolt of Indra, and the male sex. The ghanta bell is identified with wisdom and the female. Vajras in the collection: T-51, T-61, T-62, T-96, T-97
Collection place:
Tibet
Collector:
Theos C. Bernard
Materials:
Bronze (metal)
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
5.0 Use not specified (Ritual, Pageantry, and Recreation)
Production date:
18th-19th century
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 2 titled Vajra, accession number 9-21915, described as This is an old vajra. It is somewhat crude in its construction, lacking the detail and nuances of the other vajras in the collection.A vajra, (rdo-rje) is a ritual device used in Tantric meditation to destroy all obstacles to enlightenment. Its counterpart is the ghanta bell. The vajra, held in the right hand of the meditator or the deity, is identified with compassion, skillful means for helping others and for attaining enlightenment, the diamond, the thunderbolt of Indra, and the male sex. The ghanta bell is identified with wisdom and the female. Vajras in the collection: T-51, T-61, T-62, T-96, T-97Hearst Museum object 2 of 2 titled Vajra, accession number 9-21915, described as This is an old vajra. It is somewhat crude in its construction, lacking the detail and nuances of the other vajras in the collection.A vajra, (rdo-rje) is a ritual device used in Tantric meditation to destroy all obstacles to enlightenment. Its counterpart is the ghanta bell. The vajra, held in the right hand of the meditator or the deity, is identified with compassion, skillful means for helping others and for attaining enlightenment, the diamond, the thunderbolt of Indra, and the male sex. The ghanta bell is identified with wisdom and the female. Vajras in the collection: T-51, T-61, T-62, T-96, T-97

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