Phurba
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:56 am
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.
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.