Gold Sanskrit Seed Words

The Tantric practitioner believes that, so long as he practices the Three Vajras (body, speech, and mind), he can attain Buddhahood. Of these, the Vajra of speech deals with Dharani ritual speech. This was the language used by Buddhist disciples to recite the scripture, but it gradually was simplified into a system of seed words, allowing it to condense the scriptures and stories of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas into the simplest elements possible.

These two charms are shaped as a single Sanskrit seed word, commonly used at the end of an incantation and symbolizing the celestial Buddha Vairocana. Reciting this word one time is the equivalent of reciting 10,000 mantras. This practice was very popular among Ming aristocrats.