Lately, I have been looking at auction sites for furniture and a few other things. I was scrolling through one page when a particular shape caught my eye:
I had always been a little confused by the translation of this item as an awl – it may have a point, but it's not particularly "awl-like." While I figured it was a visual reference to a known ceremonial or religious object, I had never looked it up. But, after seeing this, I had to look it up. BTW, I think the
auction site is using the wrong word to refer to it. They call it a "Vajra," but when I looked that up, it did not appear to be the correct implement. Eventually I found my way to what Wikipedia calls a "Kila" (however, it appears academics are debating the name, pronunciation, origin, and possibly the use of it...and the Wikipedia author thinks they're all wrong).
It is also known as a "Pjurba" and one of the epithets is, "Diamantine Dagger of Emptiness," which sounds way cooler than calling it an "awl." This article discusses some modern-day uses of the implement (and also Western misuses of it in entertainment media):
buddhaweekly.com/phurba-kila-potent-wrathful-ritual-implements-vajrayana-buddhism-symbolizes-karma-activity-buddhas/The
Wikipedia article is obnoxiously othering and academic, but I did think this part interesting in reference to Guardian, the novel:
"To work with the spirits and deities of the earth, land and place, people of India, the Himalayas and the Mongolian Steppe pegged, nailed and/or pinned down the land. The nailing of the kīla is comparable to the idea of breaking the earth (turning the sod)[citation needed] in other traditions and the rite of laying the foundation stone[citation needed]. It is an ancient shamanic idea that has common currency throughout the region; it is prevalent in the Bön tradition and is also evident in the Vajrayana tradition. According to shamanic folklore current throughout the region, "...the mountains were giant pegs that kept the Earth in place and prevented it from moving." (Kerrigan, et al., 1998: p27) Mountains such as Amnye Machen, according to folklore were held to have been brought from other lands just for this purpose. Stupa (compare cairn) are a development of this tradition and akin to kīla."
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laireshi
