The dorje (or diamond scepter, vajra, in Sanskrit) and the bell are used together by monks in Tibetan Buddhism, held in both hands, symbolizing the union of compassion and wisdom.

Examples of two sets from the Potala Palace Collection were included in the exhibition Treasures from Snow Mountains: Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, 2001, Shanghai Museum, catalogue, no. 49, in gilt bronze, with Xuande (1426-1435) reign marks of the early 15th Century; and no.51, in jade, dated to the Qianlong (1736-1795) reign period. Another set, previously in the Potala Palace Collections of the second, third and fifth Dalai Lamas, was included in the exhibition, Monarchy and Its Buddhist Way, 1999, National Palace Museum, Taipei, catalogue no. 8.