True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury – Vajrasattva

【Vajrasattva Mudra :】

Mudra 1:
The right hand makes a fist facing inward with the thumb outside the fist. The left hand makes a fist facing outward with the thumb inside the fist. Hold this mudra in front of the chest.

Mudra 2:
Cross the arms with the right hand on top of the left hand while each hand is making a fist facing inward. Make a circle by touching the tip of the index fingers with the thumb tip of each hand.

Guru Performs Vajrasattva Mudra:

【Vajrasattva Seed Syllable :】

Hum (white in color and emitting great white light)

【Vajrasattva Mantra :】

Heart Mantra (short Hundred Syllable Mantra)：「Om, be-dza, sah-do, ah, hum, pei」
Hundred Syllable Mantra：

「Om, be-dza, sah-do sa-ma-ya, ma-nu bah-la-ya, be-dza sah-do deh-nu-pah-deh-cha, zhe-jo mi-bah-wa, soo-do ka-yu mi-bah-wa, soo-poo ka-yu mi-bah-wa, an-nu-la-do mi-bah-wa, sa-er-wa, sid-di, mi-bu-la-ya-cha, sa-er-wa, ka-er-ma, soo-cha-mi, ji-ta-moo, see-li-yam, gu-ru hum, ha-ha-ha-ha-hoh, bah-ga-wan, sa-er-wa, da-ta-ga-ta, be-dza, ma-mee mun-cha, be-dzi-ba-wa, ma-ha sa-ma-ya, sah-do-ah, hum, pei.」

【Vajrasattva Dharmalakṣaṇa Introduction】

Vajrasattva is white and magnificent in appearance. He wears a Five-buddha Crown, multi-layered celestial garments, and is adorned with various precious jewels. Vajrasattva sits upon a moon disc in an eight-petaled lotus. While both hands form the Wrathful Mudra, his right hand holds a vajra sceptre at the chest and the left hand holds a vajra bell atop his left leg.

Vajrasattva is also depicted as yellow in color.

【Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Dharma Talk – Vajrasattva Background and Magnificence】

In Vajrayana, Vajrasattva is the most distinguished bodhisattva. Vajrasattva emerged when Vairocana Buddha entered the Samantabhadra samadhi of all tathagatas within the mandala of the Diamond Realm.

The Adibuddha is the primordial buddha, Dorje Chang. He is also called Samantabadra Tathagata, Adharma Buddha, and Vajradhara. The Adibuddha emanates as the Five Dhyani Buddhas: Center Vairocana Buddha; West Amitabha Buddha; East Akshobhya Buddha; South Ratnasambhava Buddha; and North Amoghasiddhi Buddha.

Vajrasattva is the dharma prince of the Five Dhyani Buddhas and the bodhi vajra heart of all tathagatas. He is an emanation of the Five Dhyani Buddhas for the purpose of enlightening sentient beings and is the dharma prince of all tathagatas. Only Vajrasattva can represent Vajrayana.

When Nagarjuna Bodhisattva encountered Vajrasattva upon opening the Iron Pagoda in southern India, Vajrasattva transmitted the dharma of the Diamond Realm and the Womb Realm to Nagarjuna in its entirety. This was the beginning of the transmission of Vajrayana and the beginning of the Vajrayana lineage. Hence, Vajrasattva is the founder of Vajrayana.

”Vajra” means ”indestructibility,” ”emptiness:” ”sattva” means ”bodhisattva.” ”Vajrasattva” is the Vajra Bodhisattva.

The Truth Body, Enjoyment Body and Emanation Body of Vajrasattva are as follows:

    ”Vajrasattva” is the original body of the bodhisattva representing ”compassion;”
    ”Vajrapani” symbolizes power and represents ”expedient means;”
    ”Vajra Heart Bodhisattva” symbolizes ”mind” and represents ”the essence of the buddhadharma.”

Vajrasattva turns out to be the quintessence of ”mind,” ”dharma power,” and ”all wisdom.” For the most part, all vajra deities are emanations of Vajrasattva.

The lineage of Vajrayana is as follows: Vajradhara – Five Dhyani Buddhas (the Five Vajra Holders) – Vajrasattva (the sixth Vajra Holder)
The actual wisdom lineage of True Buddha School (TBS) is: Vajradhara (the first Vajra Holder) – Five Dhyani Buddhas (the Five Vajra Holders) – Vajrasattva (the sixth Vajra Holder) – Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu (the seventh Vajra Holder) – Vajra Masters of TBS (the eighth Vajra Holders)

In Vajrayana, lineage is of utmost importance. I always mention my lineage gurus prior to every dharma discourse. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s masters are Reverend Liaoming of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism; Guru Sakya Zheng-kong of the Sakya sect representing the Sakya lineage; H.E. the 16th Karmapa, the leader of the Kagyu sect representing the Kagyu lineage; and Guru Thubten Dargye of the Gelugpa sect. Vajrayana is particular about lineage.

It wouldn’t be right for one to open a new shop because one thought that one had learned all of one’s master’s practices, would it? Since Grandmaster’s ”shop” is called ”True Buddha School” one might name one’s own shop ”True Suchness School” or ”True Dharma School.” One might name one’s school whatever one wants, right? The fact is, to leave Grandmaster and break the lineage wouldn’t be okay.

A tree has a trunk, branches, and roots. With those, it is called a tree. Breaking one’s lineage would be like breaking a branch off the tree. As a result, one would have no lineage. Without lineage, one has nothing at all.

This is why ”honoring the guru” is of utmost importance. As Padmasambhava said: ”Honor the Guru. Treasure the Dharma. Practice diligently.” ”Honoring the Guru” is first on the list.

Next is restoration of purity. There are many precepts in Vajrayana, such as the Fourteen Root Precepts and the Fifty Verses of Guru Devotion. If one violates the precepts one must repent, which requires one to recite a repentance mantra. What is the repentance mantra? The Hundred Syllable Mantra is a repentance mantra because it returns everything back to emptiness; one’s entire lifetime of virtuous and evil karma returns to emptiness; one transforms oneself into emptiness. One becomes uncontaminated. This is repentance.

Repenting to one’s root guru is repentance. Repentance to a senior reverend is also repentance. Recite the Hundred Syllable Mantra often. Vajrasattva is a repentance deity. To repent to the lineage patriarch, the founder of Vajrayana, one must frequently recite the Hundred Syllable Mantra.

Of the Four Preliminaries of Vajrayana ”Vajra Heart Bodhisattva Practice” is the most important practice and is considered one of the required lessons of Vajrayana. The Hundred Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva must be recited at least 100,000 times.

Vajrasattva’s Hundred Syllable Mantra can eliminate all one’s karmic transgressions from beginningless time and is able to make the tantric practitioner’s cultivation and will as firm as a vajra.

Therefore, when we recite the Vajrasattva Hundred Syllable Mantra this represents a kind of perfect emptiness. When we cultivate the repentance practice, our reciting the Vajrasattva Hundred Syllable Mantra helps us bring forth our empty nature and that empty nature represents perfection.

The Hundred Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva is extremely important and is the ”heart” emanated by Vajrasattva himself. This mantra is equivalent to the buddha-nature and contains four important meanings:

    Self-nature purity
    All-encompassing purity
    Vast self-nature purity
    Vast other purity

The ultimate principle and essence of the Mahamudra of Vajrayana is that transgressions originate from mind and one repents from one’s mind. The result is returning to the emptiness of the self-nature. This is root enlightenment of the principle of the empty nature of transgressions.

The merit of the secret meaning of the Hundred Syllable Mantra is magnificent. By reciting the mantra 3 times after a cultivation session any mistakes, errors, or omissions in the practice are completely rectified as if mended by the radiance of a great moon disc, and buddhas and bodhisattvas will not find fault with the practitioner.

By frequently reciting the Hundred Syllable Mantra one performs repentance and eliminates karmic hindrances. One is also able to stop evil thoughts so they don’t increase and persist. Additionally, one can eliminate afflictions and subjugate evil spirits, causing them to disappear without a trace. Moreover, one’s good fortune and virtuous behavior is enriched resulting in various good merits so that everything will turn out just as one wishes.

Vajrasattva Practice (of the Four Preliminary Practices)