The Dadar (Tibetan; Wylie: ''mda' dar''), or arrow often though not always dressed with rainbow ribbon, is a teaching tool, ritual instrument symbol for

Nyingmapa Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...

and

Bonpo ''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initially developed in ...

Dzogchen Dzogchen (, "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bon aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. ...

pa and is a particular attribute for Mandarava and

Saraha Saraha, Sarahapa, Sarahapāda (or, in the Tibetan language མདའ་བསྣུན་, anün Wyl. mda' bsnun The Archer), (''circa'' 8th century CE) was known as the first sahajiya and one of the Mahasiddhas. The name ''Saraha'' means "the ...

. An aphorism "to shoot the arrow" of

Jigme Lingpa Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798) was a Tibetan '' tertön'' of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the promulgator of the Longchen Nyingthig, the Heart Essence teachings of Longchenpa, from whom, according to tradition, he received a ...

is rendered into English by Gyatso (1998: p. 85); it refers:

...to the need to seek students with whom there is a "karmic connection"; the point is that the bodhisattva cannot always be helpful to everyone, and so one should direct one's efforts at those who are already predisposed to one. Khanpo Palden Sherab commented that the tantric master does not remain isolated but wanders in the world and occasionally is on the mark, that is, has the satisfaction of helping others attain buddhahood.

Simmer-Brown (2001: p. 359) asserts that linguistic devices, such as a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

, are common teaching tools in

tantra Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the India ...

and

vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

and provides the following

homonym In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones ( equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definitio ...

ic example:

The word for ''arrow'' is ''mda'', which is identical in pronunciation to the word for ''symbol'', ''brda'.''Simmer-Brown, Judith (2001). ''Dakini's Warm Breath: the Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism''. Boston, USA: Shambhala. (alk. paper). p. 359.

Notes

References

* Gyatso, Janet(1998). ''Apparitions of the Self, the Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary''. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. (cloth: alk. paper) p. 85 * Beer, Robert (2015) The Arrow-Banner or Silk Arrow (Tib. mda’-dar) / ''The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols''. Shambhala. 9780834824232 {{Buddhism topics Buddhist ritual implements Buddhist symbols Ritual weapons

See also

Notes

References