Dorje (Vajra)

The dorje and drilbu (Sanskrit: vajra and ghaṇta) are the most important ritual implements of Vajrayana Buddhism. The dorje, or thunderbolt, symbolizes the unbreakable absolute. Paired with the drilbu, or bell, it represents compassion and the “male” aspect; the bell symbolizes supreme knowledge, seen as “female.” Together they represent the necessary ingredients for salvation. A practitioner holds the dorje in the right hand, and the drilbu in the left and enacts a series of elaborate ritual movements. Both wrathful and benevolent deities are depicted holding dorje and drilbu.