THE
VAJRA (rDorje).
In:
THE CATALOGUE OF IMAGES:
THE BRANCHING
ARCHETYPE - The TREE.
From the One to the Many...
THE VAJRA (rDorje).
The
Vajra, or Sceptre, is a form of 3-Dimensional Yantra, in that its sculptural
form can be interpreted on multiple levels to reveal aspects of cosmic
structure. The Vajra contains exactly the same structural archetype as the
"Centre of the Conditions" ideograph, in that they both reveal the
process from the Centre into Differentiation, and vice versa. Lama Govinda
writes:
"As
a visible symbol the vajra takes the shape of a sceptre (the emblem of supreme,
sovereign power), and therefore it is correct to call it diamond sceptre. This
sceptre assumes a form corresponding to its function. Its centre is a sphere
which represents the seed or germ of the universe in its undifferentiated form
as 'bindu' (dot, zero, drop, smallest unit). Its potential force is indicated
in pictorial representations by a spiral issuing from the centre of the sphere.
From the undifferentiated unity of the centre grow the two opposite poles of
unfoldment in the form of lotus-blossoms, which represent the polarity of all
conscious existence."
From
this brief definition a wide range of routes branch off, the process of the
branching archetype is already in operation. We begin at the CENTRE.