About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 217. Not illustrated. Chapters: Buddhist Symbols, Hindu Symbols, Jain Symbols, Sikh Symbols, Lingam, Bhavacakra, Kīla, Gankyil, Aum, Udumbara, Ashtamangala, Kamandalu, Hindu Iconography, Physical Characteristics of the Buddha, Yantra, Ashoka Tree, Vajra, Dharmacakra, Nandi, Indra's Net, Buddhist Symbolism, Tilaka, Buddhist Flag, Dung-Dkar, Kalasha, Trishula, Dhvaja, Namkha, Padma, Sri Yantra, Ik Onkar, Endless Knot, Om Parvat, Dakshinavarti Shankh, Khata, Srivasta, Ghat, Khanda, Dadar, Chhatraratna, Kartika, Jain Flag, Mandala of the Two Realms, Star of Lakshmi, Bumpa, Janehu, Gajavidala, Shatkona, Nandavart. Excerpt: The kla (Sanskrit Devanagari: IAST: kla; Tibetan: Wylie: phur ba, pronunciation between pur-ba and fur-pu, alt. transliterations: phurpa, phurbu or phurpu) is a three-sided peg, stake, knife, or nail like ritual implement traditionally associated with Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Bon, and Indian Vedic traditions. The kla is associated with the meditational deity (Srkt: ishtadevata, Tib. yidam) Vajrakla ( ) or Vajraklaya (Tib. Dorje Phurba). Most of what is known of the Indian kla lore has come by way of Tibetan culture. Scholars such as F. A. Bischoff, Charles Hartman and Martin Boord have shown that the Tibetan literature widely asserts that the Sanskrit for their term phurba is klaya (with or without the long i). However, as Boord describes it, "all dictionaries and Sanskrit works agree the word to be kla (or klaka). I suppose this to result from an indiscriminate use by Tibetans of the dative singular klaya. This form would have been familiar to them in the simple salutation namo vajraklaya (homage to Vajrakla) from which it could easily be assumed by those unfamiliar with the technicalities of Sanskrit that the name of the deity is Vajraklaya instead of Vajrakla. It should also be noted that the term (vajra)klaya i...
