On Jan 7, 2007, at 9:58 AM, Richard J. Williams wrote:
Vaj wrote:
Yes, I was referring to it's use in Bon tantric practices
which pre-date the introduction of Tantric Buddhism to
Tibeto-Himalaya. The original phurbas--called "kilas"...
I wonder if that's actually "kiila":
Probably not - the pre-Buddhist inhabitants of Tibet didn't speak
Sanskrit or any common Indian prakrit. Bon religionists probably spoke
a dialect of Mongol or Chinese before the arrival of Padmasambhava.
The big difference is that the Bon cult used the magic dagger for
mundane purposes while the Buddhist tantrics used it as an
iconographic symbol for transcending and acoomplishment (siddhi).
We were actually talking of it's Sanskrit name, as per Vedic praxis,
and thus the name "kila". Kila's are described for Vedic use in the
Artha Shastras, which show the usage in Vedic Natural Law. They were
important sacrificial tools.
The Kila is NOT used for transcending (nor for that matter is a
yantra), it is used for "kilana", "nailing" or subjugation of
negativity and the clearing of sacred space. In other words, in it's
Buddhist usage it is used for creating peace (not sacrifices like
with Vedic Sacrificial "Science").
In Vedic use it was often smeared with feces and/or urine and used to
destroy enemies.
