double vajra

The double vajrayana, ("thunderbolt of awareness") shown above is a symbol often used in tibetan buddhism. tibetan buddhism is partly buddhism and partly the (animist) bon religion that existed in tibet before buddhism arrived.
buddhism has been molded and twisted into many different things wherever it has spread in the world. in some cultures, buddhism is a full-blown "religion", complete with gods and scriptures. in other cultures buddhism is just a way of approaching life.
when buddhism traveled from india, through china, to japan, it was influenced by chinese taoist thought, and became what we know as zen buddhism.
my favourite version of buddhism is the soto zen buddhist lineage, which traces back to a 13th-century japanese monk named dogen. dogen wanted to strip away everything but the very essence of buddhism... which is "zazen" (just sitting). zen is awareness gained through direct experience, rather than theoretical ideas (thinking), beliefs (mysticism), or a dependence on religious texts. (thinking is a tool, and is something we need to do, but it can lead to self-delusion and mental grasping. texts are used, but only with the knowledge that words can never express reality.)

having said that, i admire what i know about the tibetan culture. it is a culture that includes long-term thinking in its plans. we can learn a lot by studying the tibetan culture.
i think the world could use more buddhist-style thought and awareness. awareness needs to be cultivated... especially in a world where intolerance, hatred, vengence, greed and profit-seeking seem to rule the land.
when people are more aware of their true realities, then they see clearly that altruism, peace and harmony are actually the most selfish things we can do.
that's how i see it, anyway.

regarding the image... i scanned a black and white drawing and played with it in photoshop.