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Gems 'N' Jewels
Tibetan Singing Bells
DORJE AND BELL
Tibetan= dorje [pronounced Door- Jay]
Sanskrit= Vajra
English paraphrase= Diamond or lightning sceptre
Tibetan= dril bu [pronounced Dill- boo ]
Sanskrit= Ghanta
English paraphrase = Bell
The dorje and bell are the primary Ritual Tools of Tibetan Buddhism. Always kept  together they represent many layers of intricate symbolism and meaning and are used in almost all Tibetan ritual ceremony, chanting and magical operations. Primarily dorje and bell represent the masculine and feminine principles in the cosmos and in the individual’s energy body. The dorje is always held in the right hand and the bell in the left as these are the sides of the right and left channels in the body.
As the archetypal male principle the dorje is the quintessential symbol of the 'diamond mind of enlightenment' so hard that it is able to cut through all illusions and doubts and arrive at the clear light of truth in its two forms. These two forms of truth are symbolised by the two pronged dorje and are relative truth - needed for daily living i.e: science, practical knowledge etc., and absolute truth which reveals the inner nature of the universe. The central hub from which the prongs arrive represents the sphere of actual reality. From this sphere arise two eight petalled lotuses crowned by two full moon 'discs' from which emerge the five upper and lower prongs. These five represent the Five Buddha families, the five elements, and the five skandhas [form- feeling - perception - motivation and consciousness- which the outer four are curved into and merge with at the tip.] As such the dorje is the great alchemical symbol and represents the creation of the 'philosopher’s stone'. In Tibetan dorje means the indestructible stone. The dorje is considered the ultimate spiritual weapon in that it is used to banish the forces of darkness, ignorance and disharmony with its power of lightning and clear truth. It is held in the right hand and twirled according to the pattern of the particular ritual, where it also represents the 'skilful method' of Buddhism.
As the archetypal feminine principle the Dill boo [bell] represents the perfection of wisdom which directly perceives the primordial nature of shoon-ya-ta [emptiness]. Its sound describes emptiness as the sound which arises from silence and dissolves back into silence. As such it represents the mandala of creation and dissolution; the bottom rim of the bell represents the disc of emptiness from which all arises, these being symbolised by the ring of lower dorjes, the garlands of hanging pearls, the upper horizontal dorjes, all forming the base for eight seed syllables of the eight goddesses. The main feature of the handle is the face of Vajra-para-mita, the greatest Goddess representing the union and perfection of all wisdom and awareness. From her elaborate crown rise the five wisdom jewels which form the vajra cap to the bell.
The 8 goddesses and their offerings:-
1. Kek par ma offers beauty
2. May tok ma offers flowers
3. Teng ba ma offers garlands
4. Dook ter ma offers incense
5. Doo ma offers song
6. Mar may ma offers light
7. Gar ma offers dance
8. Di chap ma offers perfume
Ting Sha
The Endless Tone of the Clear Mind
 Ting sha are Tibetan 'instruments' and whilst they can be considered to be a form of Tibetan ¼bell¹, they are used in folk music and ritual. This large Ting sha has been manufactured from the highest quality bell metal bronze and has the most beautiful sound of all the ting sha available. It resonates for a long period and is often used for healing, clearing the mind and atmosphere, and for meditation on endless sound.
A simple meditation to clear the mind -
Sound the Ting Sha whilst sitting quietly and listen following the sound to the very end, following then for a moment the ¼emptiness¹ at the end. Then repeat and you will discover that at each successive toning the sound appears to resonate longer and longer reaching deeper and deeper into the silence and clarity and moving closer and closer to the great ¼emptiness¹. Perhaps after a dozen tones you will notice the ¼harmonic sounds¹ continue in the atmosphere in one long stream of clear mind. This has a very healing, calming, clearing and expanding effect on the mind, preparing it for either daily life or as a preliminary to other meditation practices, or at the end of the day to alleviate stress, and prepare for relaxation or sleep.
The ting sha can also be used in healing by sounding at the chakra points in the body to attune and harmonise the body’s energy. |
