Ritual Dagger (Phurba) and Stand

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ritual utensils are the essential tools of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism practice, used to drive away the delusions that act as impediments to enlightenment. The phurba (Sanskrit: kila) dagger seen here was designed to symbolically consume the triple poisons of ignorance, greed, and delusion that impede spiritual progress. The phurba is the embodiment of the Vajrakila Buddha, who is empowered to suppress all evil in the world. Its ritual use is first described in the Vajrakilaya Tantra, a Vajrayana text dating to the eighth century or earlier.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art