The Significance of the Vajra and Bell

The vajra and bell are sacred ritual implements for practitioners of the vajrayana path. They are symbols of the primordially awakened nature that all sentient beings naturally possess. The bell represents the great equanimity of emptiness, the source of all
phenomena, the feminine aspect of wisdom. The vajra represents the skillful activities of
compassion and the unchanging nature of luminous clarity. The union of emptiness and
compassion, the two aspects of the vajra and bell, are the heart of enlightenment.

For vajrayana practitioners who have been empowered into a mandala of deities, the vajra and bell are both symbols to remind the practitioner of their own true nature as well as ritual implements for tantric practices such as sadhana and tsok offerings. For dharma practitioners in general, the vajra and bell may be placed on the shrine as symbols of the awakened mind.