Dril-bu

The dril-bu (bell) along with the dorje (scepter) are indispensable liturgical instruments used during Buddhist ritual recitation. They are usually regarded as one object, are matched and used together. The bell is held in the left hand and the scepter in the right as both hands gracefully move in prescribed gestures that serve as a commentary to the recitation. As a pair, they reflect the two aspects of Buddhist practice: method and wisdom, intuition and compassion. The prongs emerging from the bell's handle have their roots in Indic mythology and recall the thunderbolt scepter of Indra, a Hindu warrior god who governs rain, clouds and lightning. Small dorjes appear at the bell's rim.