Phurba

Rituals, spells, prayer, meditation and magical acts.
Locked
User avatar
Nefastos
Posts: 3029
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 10:05 am
Location: Helsinki

Phurba

Post by Nefastos »

I am not a Vajrayana Buddhist myself, and my knowledge of its symbolic practices is very limited. I have a question for the people who know its ritual implements better.

I have a phurba dagger as an instrument I've used similarly to vajra, only with the different devotional archetypes. The triangular base on which my phurba dagger rests has however somehow suffered in a way that makes it not optimal in holding the phurba. Now I'm thinking how important the base is for the keeping of the dagger. Naturally it is its feminine sheath, and the "earth" the nail has been driven to. But is this particular instrument seen as more dangerous unsheathed than a regular ceremonial dagger? Should it remain sheathed in vertical fashion while not in use?

Any other thoughts about phurba are welcome also. I can start the secondary discussion by mentioning to our not Finnish speaking readers that the sometimes almost 1:1 similarity between Sanskrit & Finnish words can be seen here. Tibetan phurba is the sname for Sanskrit kîla or vajra-kîla, and "kîla" (spelled kiila) is still a modern Finnish word having the same meaning of an instrument that is staked inside in order to move or bar something, just like phurba nail.
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
Angolmois

Re: Phurba

Post by Angolmois »

A good synchro to my rune work if nothing else. In the Ansuz rune poem it reads "The mouth of the river is the course of most currents but the sheath is that for swords."

I have been contemplating on the meaning and of course the most apparent meaning seems to point toward a metaphysical meaning of Peace, but I think there are More meanings also to this ancient rune poem. One could be an earthing of the Intellect in the meaning of common sense which has its place in Esoterism as well.

https://runesecrets.com/rune-meanings/a ... g-analysis
obnoxion
Posts: 1806
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 7:59 pm

Re: Phurba

Post by obnoxion »

Boreas wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 5:36 pm A good synchro to my rune work if nothing else. In the Ansuz rune poem it reads "The mouth of the river is the course of most currents but the sheath is that for swords."
As Kilas are used to control the Nagas, and thus control weather and water distribution, this corresponds quite nicely.
Nefastos wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:56 am Any other thoughts about phurba are welcome also.
I find that Phurba is a hidden theme in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", (I consider that the Tantric and the Gothic overlap more often and more significantly than is commonly recognized):

As kila is the tip of Indra's life-giving vajra, and it is used in rituals to animate corpses and attain the magical zombie-state (vetala-siddhi); in the same way Victor Frankenstein harnesses the life-giving lightning to reanimate his corpse-built monster.

So there is a similarity between Shelley's "Frankenstein" with tantric ritual. This point is highlighted in the early filmatisations, the thundering reanimation being the most iconic scene in most if not all of these movies.
One day of Brahma has 14 Indras; his life has 54 000 Indras. One day of Vishnu is the lifetime of Brahma. The lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva.
User avatar
Nefastos
Posts: 3029
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 10:05 am
Location: Helsinki

Re: Phurba

Post by Nefastos »

obnoxion wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:35 pmAs kila is the tip of Indra's life-giving vajra, and it is used in rituals to animate corpses and attain the magical zombie-state (vetala-siddhi); in the same way Victor Frankenstein harnesses the life-giving lightning to reanimate his corpse-built monster.

Like I always want to point out, what the later adaptations of the Shelley use to forget, the "monster" was actually a lofty and perhaps even physically attractive creature, who turned to revenge only because his creator first abandoned him without a cause, simply because of fear what he had done: the shock of the tantric kind of the ritual. In Victor's fear we see this result of inadept discharge of the electric currents in one's psyche so to say – the badly placed feeling of penitence against hubris that actually was not there at all, but only appeared when he started to run from it. Exactly like in the story of Oedipus' prophecy, which came self-creating (pun intended). Even doctor Frankenstein's name (victor = the winner) seems to indicate that he was the classic Greek anti-hero who faced defeat with courage, but was not able to face his triumph. Hubris in its original meaning of too much good acknowledged → Nemesis; revenge of jealous gods.

So, the "zombie power" aspect of the vajrakîla technique could be used in good or bad. In a recent article I wrote (but not yet published) for our site I touch the subject how the aspirant must do work tirelessly, but still not become a heartless golem or a robot in doing it. This working tirelessly and yet remain as a living being by heart is actually very heart lesson in any karma yoga we do, and which every succesful adept must have accomplished to the great degree. Making oneself a zombie of work so to say, and still remain among the soulfully living, filled with vital fluids and humor. This aspectual turning of the Martian mystery of the ritual blade and the Mercurial one of humour seems to be happening right now.

Boreas wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 5:36 pmthe sheath is that for swords. [---] Peace

We come to very interesting Johannite mystery here, which is a mystery of Red turning into White.

In the gospel of Matthew, when Peter tries to protect Jesus with the sword, Jesus stops him by saying that the sword should instead put into its place. In the gospel of John, however, he says that it should be sheathed. Now the outer meaning is clearly the same, but in Vulgata, we see how important is John's precise way of saying this:

Vulgata wrote:Dixit ergo Jesus Petro : Mitte gladium tuum in vaginam. Calicem, quem dedit mihi Pater, non bibam illum?

In Latin, gladius means not only sword, but also phallus, and vagina still retains its other meaning as well as sheath. So, Jesus' doctrine of utter balanced peace (even when facing personal harm) becomes in John, "the disciple of love", also the message of love as the balance between sexual opposites; namely, a symbolic coitus. For that is the way how the super-energy between the sexual archetypes gets grounded, the electric power of the nagas discharged, balanced, and/or turned into something fruitful. In later Christian theology, we see this grounding vajrakîla in the vagina-shaped wound of Jesus and the "World-turning" (spiritually reversing) nails. Three nails in four wounds become the seven of the new universe's aethereal birth.

This even brings to mind Melkisedek, the "Prince of Peace", as a name for master initiator. In the text Jesus speaks of calix (the chalice) given to him by Pater (the Father). In such an initiation, the parent's sex changes, like in the mystery of masculine-feminine Bythos, who gives birth to the "Bright Son of the Deep", Oeaohoo "the younger".
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
obnoxion
Posts: 1806
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 7:59 pm

Re: Phurba

Post by obnoxion »

Nefastos wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:01 pm Like I always want to point out, what the later adaptations of the Shelley use to forget, the "monster" was actually a lofty and perhaps even physically attractive creature, who turned to revenge only because his creator first abandoned him without a cause, simply because of fear what he had done: the shock of the tantric kind of the ritual.
Excellent point! These movie monsters are a farcry from the "monster" in the original text. It would be difficult to imagine the Frankenstein monster in the black and white classics quoting Milton, as he does in the book.
Nefastos wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:01 pm Vulgata kirjoitti:
Dixit ergo Jesus Petro : Mitte gladium tuum in vaginam. Calicem, quem dedit mihi Pater, non bibam illum?
This formula and your commentary on it were mind-blowing! It resolved four or five topics that I have actively contemplated.
Nefastos wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:56 am Any other thoughts about phurba are welcome also.
I'd like to share another myth of kila and it's "personification", Vajrakila or the "Adamantine Dagger" This myth establishes Vajrakila's family relation to that oft mentioned tantric archdemon, Rudra. I quote from "The Circle of Bliss - Buddhist Meditational Art" by John C. Huntington & Dina Bangdel:

"It is said [in Tibetan terma or "hidden text" tradition] that Vajrakila emerged in a previous eon during time of the Buddhas taming of the wrathful Shiva-Rudra, the arch-demon of pride and egoism. As a result of having broken the Tantric vows in his previous lifetimes, Shiva was, in his final birth, reborn as a powerful demon (rakshasa) in a malignant form of Rudra, "Wrath". Unable to peacefully convince Rudra to recognize his erroneous ways, the Buddhas in Akanishta heaven [the highest heaven in tantric buddhism, where Mahavairocana expounds esoteric teachings] emanated from themselves a powerful being to destroy him. The Buddhas' wrathful manifestation engaged in sexual union with Rudra's female consort, thus giving birth to a son called Vajrakila, who would eventually subdue Rudra. In reference to his maternal lineage, Vajrakila is also known by the epiteth Vajra Rakshasa, "Adamantine Demon". Another narrative records that Vajrakila was emanated as the son of all Buddhas from the heart of Vajrasattva in his form of Vajra Heruka. In this context, Vajrakila was born as the wisdom manifestation of all the Buddhas. He thus embodies the enlightened activities of Buddhas and has potential power to struggle against evil. On the other hand, he also orginates from Rudra and his retinue, who are symbolic of all the negative forces that would cause obstacles to the teaching and practicing of the esoteric path. In this sense, the Vajrakila incorporates the characteristics of both Buddhas and demons, manifesting in the most terrifying form yet profoundly compassionate nature in order to subjugate the delusion and negativity along the path to enlightenment. A practioner may, therefore, realize the absolute truth of every human condition, from the best to the worst, by meditating upon the single image of Vajrakila. Through recognizing and defeating one's own internal Rudra (demon), one may attain the liberation from samsara, the phenomenal mundane world and endless cycle of birth and rebirth."
One day of Brahma has 14 Indras; his life has 54 000 Indras. One day of Vishnu is the lifetime of Brahma. The lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva.
Locked