Ritual daggers have long been vital accoutrements in the exercise of magic and sorcery. As a means of subduing demonic forces, their power of transfixion has long been a feature in rites of great ritual power. In India and Tibet, they are the center of a vast and ancient spiritual lineage of devotees, who use the dagger or phurba as a means of both exorcism and enlightenment.

Sharp Practice is an exposition upon 'Dagger as Deity' within Bon and Vajrayana Buddhism, and delineates the evolution of the Phurba as a ritual weapon. Examining its deific essence, as well as its iconography, the book concludes with a rite dedicated to the Three Jewels, inspired by each tradition.

Sharp Practice: The Ritual Dagger in Bon Sorcery and Vajrayana Buddhism, Robert Fitzgerald, Three Hands Press, Paperback, 70 pages, $17.95

Robert Fitzgerald is a writer specializing in the western esoteric tradition and has practiced various paths within Vajrayana Buddhism for over 20 years. His forthcoming book Malam, concerning the magical dimensions of discarnate intelligences, is forthcoming from Three Hands Press in 2021. He lives in California.