Tibet
ca. 17th century
This exquisitely crafted three-sided ritual dagger (Tibetan: phur ba; Sanskrit: kila) was never used in battle, but was still an effective weapon in esoteric meditation and ritual practices. In connection with visualization techniques, it has the power to pin down and annihilate negative energies, hindrances, evil forces, and, ultimately, all forms of attachment to one’s ego. Although ritual daggers can vary in their form, the handle and the blade are said to combine transcendent wisdom and skillful means, respectively. The triple blades arranged around the central axis of the dagger symbolize mastery over the three realms of desire, form, and formlessness.Frightening imagery such as the fang-bearing heads of wrathful Hayagriva on the dagger’s top and Garuda sinking its teeth in to the dagger’s blade, especially when amplified through tantric visualizations, are said to empower the practitioner and the blade with the essence of wrathful deities. Hindering spirits can then be nailed down and subdued, allowing a sacred space to be established.
This implement is used in tantric rituals and is also an attribute of wrathful deities. It symbolizes cutting through ignorance, desire, and hatred, the three “root poisons” that perpetuate the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Prescribed practices that carry symbolic meaning and value within a specific tradition and are intended to attain a desired outcome. Rituals are usually done as part of a ceremony or regular routine.
A religious movement that originated in India around the fifth to seventh century with sacred writings and esoteric teachings and practices transmitted from teacher to student through initiation. These remain an important part of Hinduism and Buddhism today.
Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.
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