Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text provides a concise instructional guide on the ritual and meditative application of the vajra and bell, treating these implements as embodiments of enlightened wisdom rather than mere tools. The author outlines a dual approach to accomplishment: first, through external ritual purity, involving the protection of a five-pronged crystal vajra and the offering of scents during recitation; and second, through internal visualization. The text commits the practitioner to a specific meditative process where the syllable HŪṂ serves as the seed for the vajra, representing the five primordial wisdoms and the essence of all Buddhas. Simultaneously, the bell is conceptualized as the integration of body, speech, and mind, specifically identified with the deity Vajradhātvīśvarī. By situating this deity within the maṇḍala of the source of phenomena (dharmodaya), the text transforms the physical act of holding ritual implements into a sophisticated exercise in non-dual visualization and deity yoga.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise on the characteristics of the vajra and bell, the Vajraghaṇṭalakṣaṇa belongs to the Other Wisdom Tantras. It was translated into the Tibetan language by Kaśmīri Parahita and lo tsA ba nag tsho dge slong shes rab rgyal mtshan, and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཤ, where it extends over four pages. This classical Tibetan work enacts a ritual and meditative guide for the accomplishment of the vajra and bell. It instructs the practitioner on the use of physical implements—such as a five-pronged crystal vajra—and the offering of fragrant scents during recitation. Central to its practice is the visualization of the syllable HŪṂ as the essence of the five primordial wisdoms and the abode of all Buddhas, while the bell is conceptualized as the integration of body, speech, and mind. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to understand the specific meditative processes and ritual requirements used to transform these physical tools into embodiments of enlightened wisdom.
Sanskrit title
Vajraghaṇṭalakṣaṇa
Indian author
not recorded
Tibetan translators
Kaśmīri Parahita, lo tsA ba nag tsho dge slong shes rab rgyal mtshan
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The Unique Characteristics of the Vajra and Bell” (Toh 1718), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1718
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its illustration of how material objects in Vajrayana Buddhism are semiotically linked to specific wisdoms and deities. It demonstrates the transition from ritual performance to internal meditative absorption, reflecting the tradition's emphasis on the transmutation of ordinary perception into pure vision.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-2
Ritual Accomplishment
Instructions on the physical requirements and ritual conditions necessary for the accomplishment of the vajra.
3-4
Meditative Visualization
Guidelines for visualizing the vajra and bell as the five primordial wisdoms and the deity Vajradhātvīśvarī.
Themes
Ritual Purity and Offerings (2)
The Five Primordial Wisdoms (3)
Deity Yoga and Visualization (4)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaThe Unique Characteristics of the Vajra and Bell·
In the language of India: Vajraghaṇṭālakṣaṇa-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Rdo rje dril bu’i mtshan nyid ces bya ba (The Characteristics of the Vajra and Bell). Homage to the Buddha! I shall explain the accomplishment of the vajra. For those who hold it, it is taught as a constant [attainment]: with a golden vajra of four, ten, twelve, sixteen, eight, or twenty finger-widths, one attains the state of a vidyādhara of the earth-lords and always achieves the most excellent [state]. With a copper vajra, one achieves the desires of a supreme king of kings. With a stone vajra, one shakes all the lords of the asuras and the yakṣas. With iron, all purposes are accomplished; with a single piece of iron, one gains great glory, health, and all wealth. With khadira wood, [one subdues] all the planets. With madhuka wood, one accomplishes the yakṣas. Through that, one accomplishes the purpose of the Dharma. With divine wood, one becomes free of enemies. With human bone, one snatches away the life-force of humans. With crystal, everything appears like a rainbow. For activities of hatred, use neem. With the vābhu wood, killing, withering, and the accomplishment of piśācas are always most excellent. All gandharvas and yakṣas are accomplished. With suru-candana [wood]. With earth, one transforms into another form. With rākṣasa [wood], one accomplishes the place of birth. With a vajra made from the aśoka tree, wealth increases. With red or white sandalwood, whatever is desired is thoroughly attained.
If one performs the recitation in the presence of the Victorious One while constantly protecting a five-pronged [vajra] with crystal, it will be accomplished. If one performs the recitation with a peaceful mind and speech, holding the vajra while making offerings of fragrant scents, it will be accomplished. The practitioner should grasp the mantra. Having taken up the nameless vajra, one should do so with a one-pointed mind. Having thoroughly summarized the characteristics of whatever material the vajra is made from, one pays homage; thus, the wisdom and primordial wisdom (jñāna) are not to be written in detail. Having described the characteristics of the vajra, the characteristics of the bell (ghaṇṭā) are to be understood from what follows below. One should grasp the five-pronged [vajra] made of gold, which has a beautiful luster and three parts. The various tips are to be distinguished. First, regarding the explanation of the bell's face: there are the glorious face, the lotus face, and the ox face, in the shape of a hollowed-out vessel. Such a perfect bell will arise. With the glorious face, all activities of enrichment (puṣṭi) are accomplished. The lotus face is made in the shape of a lotus and performs the activity of magnetizing (vaśya). The bell made with an ox face bestows the activity of pacifying (śānti). Those measuring seven, eight, or twelve finger-widths (aṅgula) belong to the nature of wisdom and method. The aspect of self-arisen wisdom is the recollection of the bell's color and the shape of the source of phenomena (dharmodaya). By means of the method of the five possessing primordial wisdom, the vajra abides above. Within the source of phenomena, one should meditate on that from the syllable HṚĪṂ. That bell is the Sovereign Lady of the Dharmadhātu, the Mother of all Buddhas.
From the syllable HŪṂ, one should recollect the vajra, the essence of the five primordial wisdoms. This is the king of all Vajradharas and the abode of all Buddhas. The bell that arises in this manner is the aspect of the three—body, speech, and mind. The body of the bell is to be recollected as the abode of the Vajra Body of all Buddhas. Above that is the eight-petaled lotus, the Vajra Speech. Above that is the vase of meditative concentration, perfectly filled with bodhicitta. Above that, one should meditate on the Vajra Mind. Upon the lotus are the aspects marked by the four Tathāgatas: the wheel, the jewel, the lotus, and the crossed vajra. The fifth, the Vajradhara himself, is perfectly situated at the crown. The aspect of the base of the body is the goddess Buddhalocanā, who is perfectly situated there. The aspect of water is Māmakī, who is made to be perfectly situated in the vase. The aspect of fire is the nature of Pāṇḍaravāsinī. The aspect of the wind within the interior, viewed in the center, is Tārā. In the center of emptiness is the speech of the moving vajra tongue. Space is the Protector Vajradhara, who is perfectly situated above the vase. Kṣitigarbha and the Protector Lokeśvara are other Vajradharas. The garland encircling the top of the symbols is expressed in the manner of those three. The monkey face is the deity of the Bodhisattva. Its face, above the aspect of the vajra garland, is the gatekeepers and the sixteen great heroic wrathful deities.
The bell, which is the aspect of the insight of all buddhas, is the Vajradhātvīśvarī of the vajra meditative absorption of Vajrasattva. One should meditate on her as white in color, residing upon a variegated lotus in the field of the maṇḍala of the source of phenomena (dharmodaya). This completes the characteristics of the vajra and the bell. Translated by the paṇḍita Parahita and the translator, the monk Nagtsho Sherab Gyaltsen.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.