Object Description and Materials
The bell and dorje (Tibetan: drilbu and dorje; Sanskrit: ghanta and vajra) are paired ritual implements fundamental to Tibetan Buddhist practice. Used together in virtually all Tantric ceremonies, they represent the union of wisdom and compassion, the complementary aspects of enlightened consciousness that must be integrated for spiritual realization.
The dorje (vajra) is the ritual scepter described extensively in this collection's entry on the Vajra. In the bell and dorje set, it is typically a five-pronged implement sized to fit comfortably in one hand, usually 4-6 inches in length. The dorje represents upaya (skillful means) or compassion, the active masculine principle that works for the liberation of all beings.
The bell (ghanta or drilbu) is a hand bell featuring a half-dorje handle projecting from its crown. The bell body is typically bronze or brass, cast to produce a clear, sustained tone when struck or rung. The handle incorporates vajra symbolism, with the lower half of a vajra forming the grip and the prongs becoming the crown of the bell. The bell represents prajna (wisdom) or the feminine principle that realizes the empty nature of reality.
The bell's surface typically bears decorative elements including the faces of enlightened beings (often deities of wisdom), lotus patterns, mantra syllables, and vajra motifs. These decorations vary by tradition, region, and quality level. Master craftsmen produce bells with specific acoustic properties, the tone quality being considered important to the bell's ritual efficacy.
The set is designed to be held simultaneously, the dorje in the right hand and the bell in the left, and brought together or crossed in various ritual gestures (mudras). This simultaneous holding and manipulation symbolizes the practitioner's work of integrating wisdom and compassion, method and realization, in the path to enlightenment.
Origin and Creation Story
The bell and dorje as a paired set emerged with the development of Tantric Buddhism in India during the 6th-8th centuries CE. While the vajra had ancient roots in Vedic religion as Indra's thunderbolt, and bells were used in various Asian religious traditions, their pairing as complementary ritual implements appears distinctively Buddhist and specifically Tantric.
Indian Tantric masters developed the bell-dorje symbolism within broader frameworks of duality-in-unity central to Vajrayana philosophy. The masculine-feminine, method-wisdom, compassion-emptiness pairs that structure Tantric thought found material expression in these implements. Using them together enacted and reinforced the integration these pairs represent.
When Tantric Buddhism spread to Tibet beginning in the 7th-8th centuries, the bell and dorje became central to Tibetan Buddhist practice. Padmasambhava and other early masters established traditions of ritual use that continue today. The implements became essential equipment for qualified practitioners, marks of having received Tantric transmission.
Tibetan traditions elaborated both the symbolism and the craftsmanship of bell and dorje sets. Different lineages developed characteristic styles of decoration and construction. The making of fine ritual bells became a specialized craft, with master makers passing knowledge through generations. The implements themselves became valued objects passed from teacher to student.
From Tibet, bell and dorje practice spread throughout the Himalayan region and eventually to the global Tibetan Buddhist diaspora. Contemporary practitioners worldwide maintain traditions established centuries ago in India and Tibet, using implements that follow ancient specifications even when made with modern techniques.
Ritual Uses and Practices
The bell and dorje are used together in virtually all Tibetan Buddhist Tantric rituals, from daily personal practice to elaborate ceremonial empowerments. The practitioner holds the dorje in the right hand and the bell in the left throughout ritual sessions, manipulating them according to the specific practice being performed.
During sadhana practice (deity meditation), the bell and dorje mark transitions between sections, accompany mantras, and express various symbolic meanings through their positioning. The bell's sound punctuates practice, calling attention, marking completions, and creating sacred atmosphere. The dorje's presence represents the practitioner's identification with enlightened compassion.
Empowerment ceremonies (abhisheka) prominently feature bell and dorje. The vajra master uses them to confer transmission, touching the implements to the student's body at specific points, ringing the bell to seal the transmission, and eventually bestowing a bell and dorje set on the student upon completion of advanced practices. Receiving one's own implements marks major progress on the Tantric path.
The crossing of dorje and bell, held in front of the heart, forms the vajra-humkara mudra representing the union of wisdom and compassion in the practitioner's own being. This gesture appears at key moments in many practices, expressing the integration that is both the path and its goal.
Offerings to deities include symbolic presentation of bell and dorje among other items. These offerings acknowledge the implements' sacred status and their association with enlightened qualities. The presence of bell and dorje on altars maintains their symbolic presence even when not actively used in practice.
Sound is integral to bell practice. The bell's tone accompanies mantras and prayers, the ringing thought to extend the mantras' power through space. Different ways of ringing, from soft taps to sustained vibration, serve different purposes. The quality of the tone matters, with clear, pure, sustained notes preferred.
Symbolism and Meaning
The bell and dorje together symbolize the union of wisdom (prajna) and compassion (upaya) that defines enlightened consciousness. Wisdom alone, realizing emptiness, could become passive; compassion alone, acting for others, could become misguided. United, they guide each other, wisdom directing compassion, compassion expressing wisdom.
The dorje represents the masculine principle, not in any biological sense but as the active, dynamic aspect of enlightenment that works for the liberation of beings. Its indestructible diamond nature shows that compassion cannot be broken or corrupted; its thunderbolt power shows that compassion actively penetrates delusion and suffering.
The bell represents the feminine principle, the receptive, space-like nature of wisdom that realizes emptiness (shunyata). The bell's sound symbolizes the "sound of emptiness," the voice of wisdom teaching the ultimate nature of reality. Its hollow interior, visible when inverted, represents the empty nature of all phenomena.
The bell's half-dorje handle symbolizes the inseparability of wisdom and method. Even when considered separately, they contain each other; the bell carries the dorje within itself, just as wisdom without compassion remains incomplete. The implements cannot be fully separated conceptually, and they should not be separated physically in practice.
The bell and dorje represent the fundamental polarity structured into Buddhist Tantric practice. Deity visualization pairs masculine and feminine forms (yab-yum), practice alternates between dynamic and receptive states, the path requires developing both aspects simultaneously. The implements make this structure tangible and physical.
Together, bell and dorje represent enlightenment itself as the union of wisdom and compassion. The goal is not either quality alone but their integration. Holding both implements, the practitioner literally holds enlightenment's two aspects, working to realize their union within their own consciousness.
Associated Deities and Figures
Vajradhara, the primordial Buddha in many Tantric systems, appears with arms crossed at the chest holding bell and dorje. This iconography, known as the vajra-humkara mudra, represents the union of wisdom and compassion that Vajradhara embodies. All Tantric lineages ultimately trace to this primordial figure holding the paired implements.
Vajrasattva, the purification deity central to preliminary practices, holds bell and dorje in the standard manner, dorje in right hand and bell in left. Practitioners visualizing Vajrasattva identify with this pose, seeing their own bell and dorje use as participation in the deity's enlightened activity.
Many other deities hold bell and dorje among their attributes, either as their primary implements or among multiple objects held in their many hands. Heruka Chakrasamvara, Vajrayogini (in some forms), and numerous other Tantric deities display the implements, showing their relevance across the Tantric pantheon.
Lineage masters are often depicted holding or associated with bell and dorje. Padmasambhava's iconography sometimes includes these implements among his many attributes. Historical lamas may be shown with their personal bell and dorje sets, connecting contemporary practitioners to their lineage through these material objects.
The dakinis, female enlightened beings who serve as protectors and transmitters of Tantric teachings, associate with the bell's wisdom aspect. Their characteristic cry, said to echo through emptiness, parallels the bell's sound. The bell's feminine principle connects to dakini energy throughout Tantric practice.
Contemporary masters continue the tradition, using bell and dorje in teaching and ceremony. Their handling of the implements demonstrates proper technique while their presence marks legitimate Tantric transmission. Students receive their own sets from their teachers upon appropriate progress, physically connecting to the lineage.
Historical Accounts and Records
Indian Tantric texts from the 6th-10th centuries CE describe bell and dorje use in ritual contexts. The Guhyasamaja Tantra, Chakrasamvara Tantra, and other foundational texts specify how the implements should be held and manipulated. These texts, preserved primarily in Tibetan translation, establish the doctrinal foundation for practice.
The transmission of bell and dorje traditions to Tibet is documented in Tibetan historical chronicles and hagiographies. Stories of Padmasambhava, Marpa, and other early masters describe their use of the implements and their transmission to students. These accounts establish the Tibetan lineages that continue today.
Archaeological finds include bell and dorje examples from various Asian sites. Museums hold examples spanning centuries, allowing study of changing styles and techniques. The metalworking traditions visible in surviving implements illuminate both religious history and craft traditions.
Tibetan commentarial literature extensively discusses bell and dorje symbolism and use. Major scholars from all Tibetan Buddhist schools have written on these implements, generating a substantial literature available in both Tibetan and translation. This scholarship provides detailed understanding of practice and meaning.
The Chinese occupation of Tibet and subsequent cultural disruption dramatically affected bell and dorje traditions. Many historic implements were destroyed; masters were killed or displaced; transmission was interrupted. The Tibetan diaspora has worked to preserve and rebuild these traditions in exile and globally.
Western scholarship has documented bell and dorje traditions from multiple perspectives. Art historians study the implements' aesthetics and iconography. Religious studies scholars analyze their symbolic functions. Musicologists examine bell acoustics. This academic attention ensures the traditions are documented and accessible.
Modern Use and Replicas
Contemporary Tibetan Buddhist practitioners worldwide use bell and dorje in daily and ceremonial practice. Dharma centers in Europe, the Americas, and throughout Asia maintain Tantric traditions requiring these implements. Both monastics and lay practitioners receive them upon appropriate progress in their training.
Traditional manufacturing continues in Nepal, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley, and in Tibetan refugee communities in India. Master craftsmen produce implements ranging from simple to elaborate, functional to museum-quality. The traditional lost-wax casting method and detailed finishing work continue, preserving centuries-old techniques.
Quality varies considerably in the modern market. Inexpensive sets suit beginning practitioners or decorative purposes. Fine implements, crafted by acknowledged masters with proper attention to detail and acoustic quality, command significant prices and may be treasured through generations. Practitioners are advised to obtain implements appropriate to their practice level and commitment.
Western converts to Tibetan Buddhism learn bell and dorje practice as part of Tantric training. The implements' foreign origin and unfamiliar symbolism require explanation, which qualified teachers provide. Many Western practitioners find the tactile, material dimension of bell and dorje practice helps make abstract teachings concrete.
Museums and academic institutions display and study historic bell and dorje examples. These collections document the implements' historical development and regional variations. Research continues on manufacturing techniques, acoustic properties, and iconographic programs.
The implements occasionally appear in contexts divorced from their religious meaning, as decorative objects or in New Age appropriation. Traditional practitioners generally discourage such use, considering the implements' power and meaning inseparable from proper context and transmission. The bell and dorje remain first and foremost tools of spiritual transformation.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
- Guhyasamaja Tantra. Various translations and commentaries
- Chakrasamvara Tantra. Various translations
- Tsongkhapa. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2000-2004
Secondary Sources
- Beer, Robert. The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs. Boston: Shambhala, 1999
- Snellgrove, David L. Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Shambhala, 1987
- Trungpa, Chogyam. Journey Without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha. Boston: Shambhala, 1981
- Powers, John. Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2007
- Cozort, Daniel. Highest Yoga Tantra. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1986
Online Resources
- Himalayan Art Resources: Extensive database of Tibetan Buddhist imagery
- Treasury of Lives: Biographical encyclopedia of Tibetan masters
- 84000: Translations of Tibetan Buddhist texts
Related Across the Mythos
Vajradhara
Primordial Buddha
Holds bell and dorje crossed
Vajrasattva
Purification Deity
Vajrayana Buddhism
Diamond Vehicle