The Vajra is likened to an indestructible diamond or thunderbolt. It destroys all ignorance (Sanskrit: avidyâ; Tibetan marigpa) that obscures our own Buddha nature. In tantric rituals the Vajra symbolizes the male principle which represents method in the right hand and the Bell symbolises the female principle, which is held in the left. Also, the Dorje or Vajra represents the "Upaya" or method. The Tibetan word for Vajra is "Dorje" and is thus regarded as the principal symbol of Vajrayana Buddhism.
