Provenance Lent by William Sturgis Bigelow, April 18, 1913; 1922 gift of William Sturgis Bigelow.

The bell, kenchi (gantha), and three types of kongosho (vajra) form a ritual assemblage used in Shingon Buddhism. The bell symbolises the connection between the phenomenal and real world, its sound implying the illusory nature of the former.

Resembling weapons wielded by deities described in the Vedas, ancient Indian religious scriptures, the vajra pestle (kongōsho) has long been used in Esoteric Buddhist rituals. The word vajra means diamond and thunderbolt in Sanskrit. Vajras are thus indestructible and powerful tools of Buddhism.

Kogosho, vajra in Sanskrit, is a ritual object in Esoteric Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. It became a ritual object by comparing the way Buddha's teachings destroy earthly desires and reveal aspiration for Buddhahood (mind seeking for enlightenment) to …

Five-Prong Vajra (Gokosho), or Buddhist Thunderbolt Other Titles Alternate Title: Gokosho (Vajra) Classification Ritual Implements Work Type vajra Date 12th century Places Creation Place: East Asia, Japan Period Heian period, Late, 898-1185 Culture Japanese Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/59904 Physical Descriptions Medium Gilt bronze Dimensions

2019年1月18日 · Resembling weapons wielded by deities described in the Vedas, ancient Indian religious scriptures, the vajra pestle (kongōsho) has long been used in Esoteric Buddhist rituals. The word vajra means diamond and thunderbolt in Sanskrit.

Mary Griggs Burke assembled an unparalleled collection of Asian art — more than one thousand Japanese, Chinese and Korean masterworks spanning five millennia — between 1963 and 2012.

This sashimono depicts a toko-sho, a vajra composed of two guadrangular spikes projecting symmetrically from the top and bottom of a stylized central lotus. The vajra and the lotus are frequently combined to symbolize the masculine and feminine elements of nature, a composite that can also be interpreted as a representation of supreme truth.

Resembling weapons wielded by deities described in the Vedas, ancient Indian religious scriptures, the vajra pestle (kongōsho) has long been used in Esoteric Buddhist rituals. The word vajra...

Vajra ritual object Double five-pronged vajra (go-ko) with three flames on each prong except central one. Central grip consists of two bands of bound lotus petals. Vajra is a Sanskrit term for a lightning bolt. It is carried as a weapon by various Hindu and Buddhist deities.