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The Evolution of the Buddhist Vajra Symbol
Abstract
This article attempts to identify the main lines of development of the vajra symbol in pre-Tantric Buddhism. To accomplish this task, a critical synthesis of contemporary research findings is conducted, supplemented by references to selected source texts. It appears that the vajra understood as a thunderbolt became primarily a symbol of the ability to ward off all intentional or moral evil, while the vajra identified with a diamond mainly represented the independence from natural evil (including one's own evil inclinations). These two lines of development converged in the vajra symbol characteristic of Tantric Buddhism.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/kw.2025.40.157-180
Date of publication: 2025-12-31 22:58:17
Date of submission: 2025-08-25 18:46:10
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