Buddha Vajrasattva
(Tib: Dorje Sempa རྡོ་རྗེ་སེམས་དཔའ།)
Dechen Choekhor Buddha Vajrasattva practice thangka
Lineage History:
Lineage of King Dza
Lineage Transmission:
Buddha Vajrasattva → King Dza → number of Indian Mahasiddhas including Viryapa → Lama Marpa brought into Tibet → Milarepa → after number of Lineage Holders → Tsangpa Gyare → → → The 1st Drukpa Choegon & Drukpa Yongzin Rinpoches of Dechen Choekhor Ling about 500 years ago.
Deity Introduction:
Vajrasattva, the Buddha of primordial purity is dedicated to the purification of negativities. The practice of Vajrasattva, or Dorje Sempa in Tibetan, cleanses all obscurations, particularly those related to transgressed vows and broken samayas. Buddha Vajrasattva made this great aspiration of achieving enlightenment, "When I attained perfect Buddhahood, may all beings be purified of their obscurations, their negative deeds, and their dense darkness of ignorance, simply by hearing my name, seeing my form, thinking of me, or reciting the mantra that contains my name."
Brief Description:
Vajrasattva resides on the level of the Sambogakaya. He sits on an eight-petalled lotus of purest white in full vajra posture. His body is brilliantly white and radiant like a snow mountain shined upon by a thousand suns. He is typically depicted holding a golden Vajra in his right hand at heart level, and a silver bell in his left hand, resting upon his left thigh. In our lineage, Vajrasattva is visualized with a consort.
Objective & Benefits of the Practice:
Lord Buddha Shakyamuni taught innumerable methods of purification, but meditation and recitation on Vajrasattva, is said to be the most profound among all.
Vajrasattva practice is regarded as one the most important and fundamental practices of Vajrayana Buddhism, and is highly revered for its role and swiftness in purifying negative karmas and transgression of samayas. It's one of the Four Main Essential Practices of Drukpa Kargyu.
Since time immemorial, in the countless aeons of our past, we have accumulated endless negative karma, set forth as the dense obscuration that concealing one's Buddha nature. Coupled with the downfalls in one's practices, particularly the violations of vows and transgressed samayas, creating further obstacles and hindrances for one to progress on the path to enlightenment.
Practiced correctly, the great blessing power of Vajrasattva is able to purify all negativities, repair the broken samayas and cleanse even the subtlest obscurations of the body, speech and mind enabling one realizing the primordially enlightened nature within oneself.
The Benefits of the Vajrasattva Meditation and Mantra Recitation according to the Sadhana:
Vajrasattva is the embodiment of the infinite qualities and the deeds of the body, speech and mind of all Buddhas of the three times. Therefore, the Vajrasattva practice is the most supreme practice among all the tantric practices, and there is no meditational deity and mantra practice, which is not integrated in this.
1) Simply by hearing the name of Vajrasattva, has the advantage of purifying and cleansing the heinous actions of a tantric practitioner.
2) One hundred-time chanting of the Vajrasattva mantra, has the benefit of purifying all the transgressions of vows and saving the practitioner from plunging into the three hell realms.
3) Chanting the mantra with visualization, practitioner will be held and protected as the son of the Buddhas, in this life, and after death; he will surely become a son of the victorious ones.
4) The practice of Vajrasattva bestows the privileges of cleansing of unpurified sins; accomplishment of merits; attainment of spiritual insights; and perfection of wisdom.
5) Confessing and purifying the misdeeds with strong regret and proper remedies, Vajrasattva practice helps the tantric practitioner to purify all his negative karmas accumulated from beginningless time, and those created through the violation of the tantric precepts and vows.
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Listen to the Buddha Vajrasattva Prayer chanting by Dorje Jinpa Choegon Rinpoche.