Hand Made Copper Alloy in Oxidation Finish with Silver Plated 4" Kapala Set

Ritual Kapala Set

Kapala

The skull cup, known as Kapala in Sanskrit, is fashioned from the oval upper section of a human cranium. It serves as a libation vessel for a vast number of Vajrayana deities, mostly wrathful. As a ritual implement, the selection of the right skull is of immense importance for the success of the ritual. The skull of a murder or execution victim is believed to possess the greatest tantric power; the skull of one who has died from a violent or accidental death, or from a virulent illness, possesses a medium magical power; the skull of a person who died peacefully in old age has virtually no occult power. The skull of a child who died during the onset of puberty also has great potency, as do the skulls of miscegenated or misbegotten child of unknown paternity, born from the forbidden union of castes, out of wedlock, from sexual misdemeanor, or particularly from incest. The 'misbegotten skull' of a seven or eight-year-old child born from an incestuous union is considered to possess the greatest power in certain tantric rituals. Here the vital force or potential of the skull's 'previous owner' is embodied within the bone as a spirit, rendering it as an effective power object for the performance of tantric rituals.

Use of Kapala

Kapala holds the nectar used for performing higher esoteric rituals. It is used during higher tantric meditation in order to achieve a transcendental state of thought and mind within the shortest possible time. It is used to offer liberation to gods and deities to ensure their devotion. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Kapala or Skull Bowl is used ritually in a number of ways. For example, the Lama may use it as an offering bowl on the altar, filled with wine or blood as a gift to the Yidam Deity or all the Deities in the Mandala. Through the force of the practice of tantric visualizations based in deep philosophical study and meditation, a sort of transubstantiation will occur, and the wine or blood will be transformed into the Wisdom Nectar, a liquid form of the Enlightened Mind of the Deity or all of the Deities in the Celestial Palace of the Mandala. That can then be ritually imbibed by the yogi, or the Lama can choose to share it with members of His Heart Family, as in a Vajrayana Empowerment ceremony.

About this Ritual Item

These two matching Kapalas are made of copper alloy in oxidation finish with silver plated and is beautifully hand carved. This fine quality of Kapala set is hand crafted by the master artisans of Patan, Nepal.