Why are vajra, mala and bell called “practice supports” and what do they actually represent? Why is a Vajrayana Buddhist practitioner expected to always carry a vajra, mala and bell, at least symbolically? How can they be used in our daily, mundane lives to symbolically strengthen this bond? What are the guidelines for the use of a vajra, mala and bell?
All three, together, represent, the most important veneration objects of Refuge in Buddhism: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Together represent the Sacred Body, Speech and Mind of the Enlightened Buddha. Importantly, they also represent Method, Dharma, and Wisdom.
The vajra and bell are virtually synonymous with advanced Vajra yana tantric practice — together with the ubiquitous mala. Advanced practitioners also always have a one-handed Dhamaru drum representing blissful activity and wisdom.
A Tibetan practitioner is rarely separated from these powerful meditational and ritual symbols, just as the vajra, mala and bell should never be separated from each other. In Tibetan, the sanskrit term Vajra translates as Dorje. The Bell, in Sanskrit is called a Ghanta. Even non-Buddhists might recognize the symbolism of vajra and bell immediately, among the most widely recognized symbols used in Buddhism.
Literally, each time we meditate with the vajra, mala and bell, we are engaging with a symbolic compendium of teachings of the Buddha: the Body, Speech and Mind of Buddha. We think of them in that order: Body, Speech and Mind of Buddha, or Compassion, Dharma and Wisdom, or Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
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