A phurpa, sometimes called a "magic
dagger", is a tantric ritual object used to conquer evil spirits and to destroy
obstacles. It is utilized in magic rituals by high level tantric practitioners.
The word phurpa is used primarily in Central Tibet, while the word phurbu is
used more often in Kham, Amdo and Ladakh.
The component phur in the word phurpa is
a Tibetan rendering of the Sanskrit word kila, meaning peg or nail. The phurpa
is an implement that nails down as well as binds. It was thus by stabbing a
phurpa into the earth, and thereby nailing and binding the evil spirits, that
Padmasambhava, regarded as the inventor of this implement, consecrated the
ground on which the Samye monastery was established in the eighth century.
Whatever the original shape of the Indian kila may have been (none has
survived), it seems very likely that in Tibet the form of the phurpa, with its
three-sided blade, was suggested by the pegs that were driven into the earth to
hold the rope stays of the tent. Due to the essentially nomadic nature of life
in ancient Tibet, the tent was an important part of their routine. While
traveling it was used by all, the peasants, the traders, the royalty, nobility
and even the exalted monks. Indeed, the peg of the tent is the prototype of the
phurpa. Its triple blade is really not a dagger but a peg, precisely the kind of
peg used to secure tents.
The triple blade of the phurpa
symbolizes the overcoming or cutting through of the three root poisons of
ignorance, desire, and hatred, and also represents control over the three times
of past, present and future. The triangular shape represents the element of fire
and symbolizes wrathful activity. The tenacious grip of the makara-head at the
top of the blade represents its ferocious activity.
When using the phurpa, the practitioner
first meditates, then recites the sadhana of the phurpa, and then invites the
deity to enter the phurpa. As he does so, the practitioner visualizes that he is
frightening and conquering the evil spirits by placing the evil under the point
of the phurpa. Or sometimes the practitioner visualizes throwing the phurpa in
order to impale and subdue the spirits. The success will depend on the
practitioner's spirituality, concentration, motivation, and his karmic
connections with the deity of the phurpa and the evil spirits.
