Dorje

views updated

Dorje (Tib., rdo-rje). ‘Lord of stones’. It was originally the thunderbolt (vajra) weapon of the Hindu god Indra, and thus the source of the name for Vajrayāna Buddhism. The dorje became identified with the immoveable and indestructible, as a diamond, and from there it shifted to the clear, translucent essence of all reality, which is emptiness of all qualities, śūnyatā. In Tib. Buddhism, the dorje is the masculine symbol of the skilful (upāya) path to enlightenment, while the ritual bell (drilbu) is the feminine symbol of the path of wisdom (prajña).

More From encyclopedia.com