Phurba pendant #3

The phurba is a ritual triangular knife common in vast territories of Asia, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan and others. There is no exact data on the duration of the use of phurba for ritual purposes, but according to references in the annals and finds from excavations it can be established that is has been used at least 3500 years.  

There are multiple ways in which the phurba is used. In many traditions it is used during ritual actions for its protective qualities, keeping the space safe from distortion by dark spirits and protecting the souls of the participants from getting lost. For this reason, before going into deep trance, Nepalese Orthodox Shamans (Jakri) stick the phurba into the ground on their left side to keep dark spirits at a distance.  

Also the phurba can be used as an attribute for healing, using it to expel evil spirits and entities from the human body and as a tool for directing energy and giving blessings.

In the appearance of a phurba there’s a lot of symbolism to be seen. Lengthwise it symbolizes the axis of the world and the three levels of Middleworld, Upperworld and Underworld can be recognized. The three facets of the faces and the blade symbolize all kinds of trinities, like in time (past, present, future) or state (creation, preservation, destruction).

In these pendants the phurba is combined with the symbol of the dorje; a widespread symbol in both Buddhism and Hinduism, which can be found on for example depictions and statues of the buddha, decorations on ritual attributes, furniture and fabrics. The word 'dorje' (or in Sanskrit 'vajra') translates both as 'lightning bolt' and as 'diamond'. 

The dorje symbolizes the true nature of the universe and reality; the endless, ultimate emptiness in which all possibilities exist. The dorje is often held in the right hand during meditation practices, to support in 'cutting through the crap of the mind', finding a clear path through the diversions of the 'monkey-mind' and ego-chatter, seeing what's real and what's not. The dorje is said to destroy all kinds of ignorance and in this way helps in gaining true insights.

These nice little phurba pendants are made in Tibet. They are made of silver colored metal and decorated with little glass stones. They measure 55 millimeters length. Weight is approximately 9 grams.

Please note; these pendants are not of particularly high quality, but can of course still be a very nice item for all your personal crafting purposes.

Sold per piece.