At first glance, the Tibetan dorje symbol appears to be a weapon. But the dorje symbol is not a weapon, it is a ritual object. In Tibetan Buddhism, the dorje symbol is inseparable from the bell. In Tantric Buddhism, the bell represents the feminine and the dorje represents the masculine, or the dorje represents lightning and the bell represents a diamond. The bell can also represent the body, while the dorje represents the mind. In Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies, the bell and the dorje are always used together. The dorje can be used to ring the bell. When holding the dorje and the bell together, the dorje is held in the right hand and the bell in the left hand.
The Tibetan Buddhist deity, Vajrasattva, is commonly shown holding the dorje in his right hand and the bell in his left hand. Other Buddhas depicted with the dorje are Vajrapani and Padmasambhava. In Tibetan, dorje translates as “noble stone.”
The dorje symbol came to Tibetan Buddhism from Hinduism. In Sanskrit, dorje is called ‘vajra’. Vajra means ‘lightning bolt’ or ‘diamond’, and the vajra is indestructible. The vajra is like a diamond, because it can destroy, but it cannot be destroyed. The vajra represents spiritual power. In Hinduism, the vajra is the weapon of Indra (the god of rain, lightning, and the sky). The vajra symbol also destroys ignorance. The vajra is the symbol of Vajrayana Buddhism, one of the three main branches of Buddhism. Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as the ‘way of lightning’ or the ‘way of diamond’.
The vajra is often used as a tool in meditation. Practitioners can meditate on the vajra to achieve the ‘lightning experience’. The lightning experience is a symbol of the union of relative and absolute truths. Relative truth is what we experience in everyday life, on the contrary, absolute truth is the timeless state of being one with nature and everything around us. The symbol of the bell and the dorje can also be meditated on, because we must balance the masculine and feminine elements within us to achieve enlightenment.
Each part of the dorje symbol has a certain meaning. The two spheres of the dormje joined in the middle represent the two sides of the brain. This dual nature in the dorje itself can also represent the body, the mind, or male, female, etc. As in other types of Eastern philosophy and religion, such as the yin yang symbol, this duality is represented in the dorje.
The spheres represent sunyata, the primordial nature of the universe. There are two sides of the dorje, and these represent two conjoined lotus flowers, one side is for the phenomenal world (samsara), the other is for the noumenal world (nirvana). The three rings in the center of the dorje represent the spontaneous bliss of Buddha nature as emptiness, effortlessness, and signallessness. The upper eight petals represent the eight bodhisattvas and the lower eight petals represent their consorts. Above the lotuses, there are three rings. These rings represent the six perfections, patience, generosity, discipline, effort, meditation and wisdom.
The double dorje symbol is known as the vishvavajra. It is also known as the double cross. This symbol is made when two dorjes are mounted together. The double dorje symbol is often used as a seal or seal, being placed on the bottom of statues and pendants. When the dorje or double dorje sign is worn as a pendant, it reminds the wearer of the indestructibility of knowledge.
In Hinduism, Indra’s lightning bolt has split ends. There is a legend that Shakyamuni took Indra’s vajra weapon and brought the points together to make the dorje a peaceful instrument rather than a weapon.
