Materials: Three-headed Phurba Vajra, cast, red copper (excluding base)

Size: 16 cm (approximate)

Description:

Three-faced Phurba Vajra (Sanskrit: Vajrakilaya, also known as Vajra, Dorje Phurba) is an important wrathful deity (Yidam) in Tibetan Buddhism. He is typically depicted with three faces (blue representing the enlightened mind, red representing the enlightened speech, and white representing the enlightened body), six arms, and four legs. He holds a Phurba (a three-bladed ritual dagger), symbolizing the destruction of the three poisons (greed, anger, and delusion) and the transformation of negative energy. These three faces emphasize his fully enlightened qualities. The central wrathful face represents the elimination of ignorance, the left face symbolizes compassion, and the right face symbolizes wisdom. He appears with his consort, the Diptachakra (a combination of wisdom and compassion).

Influential Status in Tibetan Buddhism

Vajrakilaya holds a high position in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly as one of the core deities of the Nyingma school (the ancient tradition). Regarded as the embodiment of the wrathful activities of all Buddhas, it is specifically used to remove spiritual obstacles, purify negativity, and protect practitioners. As one of the eight Heruka deities, it is associated with the family of Amitabha Buddha and represents fearlessness and indestructible power. It is also widely practiced within the Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug traditions. For example, the Sakya tradition has an ongoing annual Vajrakilaya ceremony; the Dalai Lama has received empowerment and practiced in retreat; and other eminent monks such as Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, and Sakya Trizin actively teach it. Its influence lies in its powerful ability to remove obstacles, earning it the title "the foremost remover of obstacles." It is particularly suitable in modern society for combating negative states such as stress, anger, and delusion, helping practitioners achieve the goal of enlightenment in a single lifetime. Historically, disciples of Guru Padmasambhava, such as Yeshe Tsogyal, achieved siddhi (supernatural powers) through the practice of this method, and there are reports of miracles such as the resurrection of corpses, highlighting its central role in tantric practice.

Origin of Usage

The practice of Vajrakilaya originated in 8th-century Indian Tantric Buddhism and is said to have been brought to Tibet from India by Guru Padmasambhava. While practicing Yangdak Heruka in the Asura Caves (present-day Pharping) in Nepal, he encountered demonic obstacles and subdued them using the Kila Vitotama Tantra (Phurba Tantra) he brought from India. Later, it was first taught to 25 disciples at Samye Monastery in Tibet, using it to dispel obstacles to the spread of Buddhism, such as subduing local deities and evil spirits. This marked the systematic transmission of this method within Tibetan Buddhism, which was later absorbed into various schools and discovered through the Terma (terma) tradition by masters such as Jigme Lingpa. Hypotheses of the phurba's origins include: it may have originated from ancient nomadic tent pegs, used to pin down evil spirits; or similar to Mesopotamian foundation pegs, used in architectural rituals to ward off evil spirits; others suggest a connection to early Indian "sky pegs" or shamanic traditions, symbolizing the axis mundi connecting the energies of heaven and earth. In Tibet, Guru Padmasambhava used iron pegs driven into the ground to purify the land and build temples (such as Samye), laying the foundation for its ritual use.

Major methods of use include:

- **Visualization and Self-Generation**: Practitioners visualize themselves as Vajrakilaya, embodying its qualities and purifying their body and mind. This practice requires empowerment from a qualified lama.

- **Mantra Recitation**: A core mantra, such as "Om Vajrakili Kilaya Sarva Vighnam Vam Hum Phat," is used to cut through negative energy and can be recited alone or incorporated into multi-day rituals (such as the Drupchen ritual). - **Ritual Application**: A phurba is held and thrust into the ground or into a dough figure (linga, representing evil spirits) to symbolically fix and transform obstacles. It is used to ward off evil spirits, cure illness, purify land for temple construction, pray for rain, or protect the Dharma. In shamanic rituals, such as the Gubajus of the Xinwa tribe, phurba is immersed in water to cure children's illnesses, or monks direct it at evil spirits during dances to cast spells.

- **Four Activities**: These phurba correspond to the four types of phurba: peace, growth, strength, and wrathful. They are connected to different Buddhist families and are used for specific purposes such as purification or gain.