HU Trading Wooden Carved Buddhist Fixtures, Gokko Pestle, 15cm, Dharma Instrument, Vajra Pestle, Esoteric Buddhism Buddhist Instruments, G27894

A five-pronged vajra made from cypress wood. Size: Length 15cm, Width 3.5cm. The vajra is a ritual implement, likened to a weapon from Indian mythology, representing the Buddha's teachings that eradicate worldly desires and express bodhicitta (the desire for enlightenment). It is used in esoteric Buddhist rituals in Shingon and Tendai sects, as well as in Segaki (ceremonial offerings for the dead) ceremonies in Shingon, Tendai, and Zen sects. Its basic shape is rod-like, with a central handle (the "onime" part). The onime is visualized as Mahavairocana Buddha, and practitioners grasp its bulge as a form of becoming one with Mahavairocana Buddha. It has spear-like blades on both the top and bottom. There are several variations depending on the number and shape of the blades, each with its own name. The five-pronged vajra is said to have been introduced to Japan by seven of the Eight Masters who traveled to Tang China, excluding Huiyun. Originally a type of weapon (vajra) in India, in esoteric Buddhism it is the samadhi shape of various deities. There are various types of five-pronged vajra flags, but they represent the Bodhisattva mind, the five Buddhas and five wisdoms, and the ten paramitas, and are said to destroy ten kinds of worldly desires and attain the ten stages. They were used to fulfill wishes, improve luck, ward off disasters, and ward off evil. You can carry them with you as a talisman or keep them indoors.