QUESTION
Dearest Robina,
I read about how Vajrasattva is from tantra and he’s all about bliss and joy. So what’s that got to do with purification of negative karma?
I know you have never had a problem with the purification practice that uses the Vajrasattva mantra, but I’ve always had a resistance to this idea of confessing my sins, to seeing myself as a sinner (which, of course, I am!) – almost revulsion towards the practice!
Much love,
A
ANSWER
Dearest A:
I understand! I think that’s because it’s common in the West to think it’s all about begging forgiveness, which of course is the approach in the creator religious views.
But that’s not at all the approach in Buddhism. When we do the four opponent powers, the function of the Buddha there is a bit like a witness, or like your therapist.
But actually we’re talking to ourselves – and we purify ourselves. As Lama Yeshe says, we create negativity with our mind so we purify it by creating positivity with our mind.
- We regret having done this or that because we do not want the future suffering it will bring — just like regretting eating the wrong food will bring future suffering. This step is like compassion for yourself.
- Reliance: we delight that we’ve found a good doctor, i.e., the Buddha. And second we have compassion for those we harmed.
- The remedy: we say the mantra and visualize nectar purifying us. Sure, it comes from the Buddha above our crown, but he doesn’t purify us — it’s our mind that purifies us; it’s our mind that simply imagines the nectar coming from the Buddha. We purify ourselves!
- We resolve to not do it again, or do the best we can, because we’re sick of suffering.
It’s not punishment and reward: there’s no punisher and rewarder! We do the good and the bad to ourselves.
So what’s Vajrasattva got to do with it all?
As you know, Tibetan Buddhism is rooted in the Vajrayana view. It pervades the entire tradition. Everything leads to the Vajrayana level of practice.
From the Gelug perspective, Vajrasattva is a white aspect of Vajradhara, who’s the tantric aspect of enlightened mind; or, if you like, he’s the tantric aspect of Shakyamuni Buddha, who’s the sutra aspect of enlightened mind.
All the tantric aspects of enlightened mind are to do with energizing bliss, combined with emptiness, as a method for becoming a buddha: that’s how they function.
In the first level of practice, as I call it junior school, the emphasis is on disciplining our body and speech and refraining from harming others, as well as by living in vows: all this puts atomic bombs under the negative karmic imprints, just naturally.
This is where karma and purification come in.
Because Vajrayana pervades Tibetan Buddhism, clearly the lineage lamas of all traditions have developed practices that combine the sutra approach — the four opponent powers, etc. — with the Vajrayana, in this case Buddha Vajrasattva, thus making them a billion times more powerful.
Therefore, of course Vajrasattva’s mantra wouldn’t mention the words “karma” or “purification,” but reciting his mantra or visualizing him would have a powerful function of purification, just naturally.
Or, put another way, reciting his mantra and visualizing him, or any other tantric buddha for that matter, would automatically have the function of energizing our bliss, our joy, our compassion, and our wisdom.
And it’s said that Vajrasattva is related to emptiness: and the realization of emptiness is the final purification.
What do you think?
Love,
Robina
QUESTION
Wow. This puts purification and Vajrasattva in a whole other light – an inspirational one. I am probably representative of other “resisters,” so that might be an important clue on how to get us into the fold!
So grateful for you and all the other teachers I’ve had along the way who keep pointing in the right direction and offering a multiplicity of ways for our various minds to connect to the teachings.
Much love XXX
A