Ceremonial Objects Of The Buddhist Faith, page 1

Prayer Wheel (mani lag Îkhor)  
  Tibetan Buddhists believe that through rotating the metal canister of the prayer wheel (which is filled with a paper roll of printed prayers and mantras), they will accumulate merit and virtuous karma which will in turn assure them of rebirth in one of the three higher realms of cyclic existence (samsara, Îkhor ba), i.e., the realms of the gods, demi-gods, and human beings. Prayer wheels are usually used by lay Buddhists in conjunction with other popular lay-practices such as mantra recitation and circumambulation of pilgrimage sites. Lay people, lacking the time and expertise, probably favor such practices over the more rigorous and technically demanding practices employed by religious specialists. Each rotation of the wheel is thought be equivalent to reciting however many mantras are inside the canister, allowing the practitioner to rapidly amass the merit necessary to avoid unwanted suffering in future lives. The rotation of the canister is maintained by deft movements of the wrist, aided by a weight which is attached to the canister by a short length of wire chain.



Ritual Scepter and Bell (vajra-ghanta, rdo rje dril bu)  
The ritual scepter (vajra, rdo rje) and bell (ghanta, dril bu) are the most important ritual elements in Vajrayana Buddhism. The vajra, from which Vajrayana Buddhism takes its name, symbolizes the active male aspect of enlightenment often equated with skillful means, compassion, or bliss. The vajra evolved from the thunderbolt-scepter wielded by the Vedic god Indra. When used in ritual, the vajra is paired with the bell which represents the feminine principle of wisdom. These twin principles of compassion and wisdom are indispensable to the attainment of enlightenment. Although the use of the vajra and bell varies from ritual to ritual, they are used primarily in tandem with ritual gestures (mudra, phyag rgya) to evoke the Buddhas and Bodhi-sattvas, or to make musical offerings to various deities.

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