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We experience now. It does not prevent desire and attachment from recurring, however, because it has not attacked, let alone eliminated, the root cause or condition for desire and attachment to recur, namely grasping for truly established existence.Forms of Vajrasattva Utilized in Purification Practices Vajrasattva mantra and visualization meditation may be practiced for purification whether or not we have already received a tantric empowerment (dbang, Skt. abhishekha; initiation, “wang”) for some other Buddha-figure. In either case, we may practice Vajrasattva either with or without the subsequent permission (rje-snang; “jenang”) of Vajrasattva, though we at least need oral transmission (lung) of the mantra. If we practice Vajrasattva without any tantric empowerment, or if in conjunction with practice of any Buddha-figure from the first three classes of tantra, Vajrasattva is a single figure. The single form is white, with one face and two arms. If we practice Vajrasattva in conjunction with practice of any anuttarayoga tantra figure, Vajrasattva is a couple. Both members of the couple may be white, with one face and two arms, and with the male having either a peaceful expression of the mouth, as in Guhyasamaja and Yamantaka, or with a semi-forceful semi-peaceful mouth expression with fangs, as in Heruka Vajrasattva practiced in Chakrasamvara, Vajrayogini, and Hevajra. In Kalachakra, Vajrasattva is blue, the female partner green, and both have three faces and six arms. If we are practicing Vajrasattva without an empowerment for a Buddha-figure, we visualize ourselves in our ordinary form during the practice. We visualize all beings around us, each with a Vajrasattva on his or her head, and each also being purified. If we are practicing with having an empowerment for a Buddha-figure, we visualize ourselves as the Buddha-figure during the practice, but maintain very weak “pride of the deity” (lha’i nga-rgyal). We visualize on

A moon disc at our hearts ourselves in ordinary form, surrounded by all beings, with everyone being purified. “Pride of the deity” is a feeling of actually being the Buddha-figure. Nyingma and Sakya practice Vajrasattva as a Buddha-figure (yidam) as well, in which case there is also the possibility of receiving a Vajrasattva empowerment. If we have received such empowerment, we may visualize ourselves as Vajrasattva during the practice, with ourselves in ordinary form, surrounded by all beings, with all sitting on a moon disc at our heart. We may also visualize all beings around us, and after we achieve purification, that we ourselves, as Vajrasattvas, emit rays of light and purify all of them. Gelug and Kagyu do not practice Vajrasattva as a yidam. Thus, there is no Vajrasattva empowerment, no visualization of ourselves as Vajrasattva, and no visualization of lights coming from ourselves and purifying all beings around us.Vajrasattva Meditation SessionPreliminaries For Vajrasattva mantra and visualization meditation, the preliminaries begin with quieting down by focusing on the breath, while breathing normally through the nose. If we have much mental wandering, we count the breaths. If our minds are already fairly quiet, we merely focus on the sensation of the breath coming in and out the nostrils. We can then visualize Vajrasattva before us as incorporating all objects that indicate a safe direction. We then reaffirm our motivation of safe direction and the bodhichitta aim. Optionally, we can do then the seven-limb practice: Prostration, made in the context of safe direction and bodhichitta Offerings Openly admitting shortcomings and applying the four opponent forces Rejoicing in our own and others’ good qualities and in the good qualities of Vajrasattva as full enlightened clear light awareness Requesting teachings – in this case, requesting purification, namely that Vajrasattva as clear light awareness

From Images of Enlightenment: Tibetan Art in PracticeBy Jonathan Landaw and Andy Weber Vajrasattva the diamond, or adamantine, being is the main deity employed for purification by practitioners of all levels of tantra. Depending on which type of practice is being followed, he can be visualized either alone or with consort.Vajrasattva with consort Vajrasattva Vajrasattva is white in color signifying his immaculate purity. Like Vajradhara, of whom he is an emanation, he holds a vajra symbolizing method in his right hand and the bell of wisdom in his left. Although the solo Vajrasattva is sometimes depicted as sitting with his leg partially outstretched, here he is in the unshakeable full vajra posture. As has been the case with many of the deities presented in this series so far, Vajrasattva wears the beautiful silken garments and jeweled ornaments of ancient Indian royalty.VajradharaThe techniques of tantric transformation will not be able to produce their profound results as long as our present body, speech and mind remain contaminated by the impurities accumulated from our past unwholesome physical, verbal and mental actions. For our practices to succeed we must not only avoid such unskillful and destructive activities now and in the future, but we must cleanse ourselves of those negative imprints still with us from the past. Vajrasattva meditation is the chief method recommended by the various traditions of Vajrayana Buddhism to accomplish this cleansing, or purification. Furthermore, it is extremely effective for rectifying transgressions of the sacred pledges made by the disciple to the tantric master at the time of empowerment and for restoring whatever tantric commitments we may have broken.Although a full explanation of the Vajrasattva practice is beyond the scope of this work, a brief indication of what it involves can be given as follows. Above the crown of our head we visualize our root guru in the form of Vajrasattva, having a transparent body of light. At the crown of his head is Akshobhya, the head of the buddha family to which Vajrasattva belongs. At Vajrasattva's heart we visualize the letters of his hundred-syllable mantra standing upright around the edge of a moon disc, in the center of which is the seed-syllable HUM.Having stabilized this visualization, and entreating our root guru from the depths of our heart to purify all our negative karmic imprints, we recite Vajrasattva's mantra with undistracted concentration. As we do so we visualize cleansing rays of

A day, until we complete the number. We undertake this in order to purify ourselves of at least the grossest obstacles that could hinder our success in tantra practice to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all.Vajrasattva Meditation within the Context of Engaging in Tantra Practice In all four classes of tantra, we practice Vajrasattva mantra and visualization meditation as part of the preliminaries section of the full sadhanas of all Buddha-figures. Later in the sadhanas, we repeat the Vajrasattva practice in an extremely abbreviated form after recitation of the mantras of the Buddha-figures, in order to purify any karmic aftermath from faults in the mantra recitation. Practice of yoga tantra and anuttarayoga tantra in the Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug traditions – and, likewise, practice of yoga tantra, mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga in the Nyingma tradition – entail taking the tantric vows with any empowerment (initiation). In such cases, we may also practice Vajrasattva mantra and visualization meditation for purification of weakened tantric vows or weakened close bonding practices (dam-tshig, Skt. samaya). If we lose the tantric vows by fully transgressing them, we may purify the negative force of the action through 100,000 hundred-syllable repetitions and then retaking the vows. [See: Factors Involved in Transgressing Tantric Vows] In all of these tantra contexts for Vajrasattva practice as well, our motivation needs to be bodhichitta. We wish to avoid experiencing the negative consequences of our actions that would hinder or delay our ability to help others and our attainment of enlightenment. The motivation is not simply an initial scope non-Mahayana one, simply to avoid worse rebirth situations and the suffering of pain and unhappiness. In short, on all levels, Vajrasattva mantra and visualization meditation needs to be a Mahayana practice. After all, only Mahayana asserts that karma can be purified. Therefore,

Will enable purification Beseeching the teachers not to pass away – in this case, access to Vajrasattva, as clear light awareness, not to leave, but to continue, enabling purification and help until enlightenment Dedicating whatever purification is achieved to reaching enlightenment and helping others as much as is possible. We then make the conscious decision to meditate with concentration and then focus on the point between the eyebrows to correct dullness and on the navel to correct flightiness. If we do not do the seven-limb practice, we simply recall and openly admit as mistaken whatever we have done that we wish to purify and apply the four opponent forces. For the fourth opponent, we do the main part of the Vajrasattva practice, with the conscious decision to concentrate.Visualization of Vajrasattva In conjunction with the context within which we are practicing, we visualize the appropriate form of Vajrasattva seated on top of our heads. If we have difficulty in visualizing the detail, we can visualize merely a ball of white light. The aspect of holding the pride of the deity – in this case, the feeling of a Vajrasattva actually seated on our heads – is more important than the clarity aspect of making something appear in our imaginations. One method for learning how to visualize something on our heads is to put our hand on our head and then take it off. We can still feel the spot on our head where our hand was and it still feels as if something is there.Hundred-Syllable Mantra The Tibetan pronunciation of the mantra differs from the original Sanskrit one. Some Tibetan masters instruct their non-Tibetan students to pronounce the mantra in the way that the Tibetans do; some recommend pronouncing it in the Sanskrit style. His Holiness the Dalai Lama recommends that