Who is Vajrasattva?

[rdwillia]

My title pretty much says it all. I'm planning on attending a Vajrasattva empowerment on Saturday and although I'm sure I will learn a lot at the empowerment, I would like to learn all I can before I go. Can anyone help me out? Know any good links? Your opinions?

I know the basics... "aggregate of consciousness of all of the Buddhas", another aspect of Vajradhara, powerful method of purification, etc. But I'm looking for a bit more.

Thank you my delightful and glorious online family!

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste rdwillia,

thank you for the post.

an aside, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will be in Washington D.C. all this week. we are going to visit him on Sunday

My title pretty much says it all. I'm planning on attending a Vajrasattva empowerment on Saturday and although I'm sure I will learn a lot at the empowerment, I would like to learn all I can before I go. Can anyone help me out? Know any good links? Your opinions?

have you had any other empowerments?

there are several good sites, i tend to favor a few of them more than others. in any event, this link is a pretty good one to get a broad overview of the Vajrasattva practice:

http://www.khandro.net/deity_Vajrasattva.htm

Lama Yeshe wrote a text called "Becoming Vajrasattva" which is a wonderfully well written and lucid explanation of the modes and methods of Vajrasattva practice. if you have a chance, it would be well worth your while to check this text out prior to attending the empowerment.

would you be willing to give us an "online" impression of your empowerment session? within reason, of course

metta,

~v

 

[rdwillia]

Vajradhara,

Again, thank you so much. What great info!

Glad to hear that you will get to see the Dalai Lama, that should be great. He was near here a few months ago but it's a long drive and the price of the tickets didn't help matters much.

I have not had any other empowerments actually. This will be my first "official" empowerment. Incidentally, I will also be taking Bodhisattva vows as well.

I enjoyed your link, I am really drawn to this practice. However, I got a little confused at the end, at first. I thought the author was contradicting himself/herself here;

Purification is NOT penance -- in fact, since the way karma is said to work, once karma is accumulated, it sticks until it is exhausted by ripening or until it is rendered dispensible by virtue of one's attainment of Enlightenment, there is simply nothing that can be done to reverse or undo it. Even a lot of good karma is not an antidote per se for negative karma -- they are simply two different things that are not like the debits and credits of an account balancing each other out.

But upon meditating on it a bit. It would seem that they are saying that the practice of Vajrasattva purification can help one to create the causes to exhaust karmic stains so that their karmic reprocussions are lessened. Is this how you understand it?

I am going to try to find "Becoming Vajrasattva" before I leave. However, I don't have much time. I might have to browse through it a bit and then complete it upon my return.

I would love to give my "impression" of the empowerment when I return. I hope that I may have something beneficial to share with all of you.

Thanks again Vaj. Namaste.

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste rdwillia,

thank you for the post and the kind words

Vajradhara,

Again, thank you so much. What great info!

Glad to hear that you will get to see the Dalai Lama, that should be great. He was near here a few months ago but it's a long drive and the price of the tickets didn't help matters much.

true enough. it's sort of strange how it works here. HH the Dalai Lama regularly gives the Kalachakra empowerment to a large group every year in Dharmasala without a ticket charge, it sort of strange how tickets and so forth work in this manner.

I have not had any other empowerments actually. This will be my first "official" empowerment. Incidentally, I will also be taking Bodhisattva vows as well.

that is not "incidently" my friend, that is paramount! front and center, as it were i hope for your continued success and long life span. i had considered taking the vow in a formal sense, however, after reading The Way of The Bodhisattva, i have had to change my mind. i recognize that i cannot keep the Vows as of yet and thus, i cannot take the formal Vow. it is, however, something which is fruit of my practice. i would like to harvest this fruit soon

I enjoyed your link, I am really drawn to this practice. However, I got a little confused at the end, at first. I thought the author was contradicting himself/herself here;

But upon meditating on it a bit. It would seem that they are saying that the practice of Vajrasattva purification can help one to create the causes to exhaust karmic stains so that their karmic reprocussions are lessened. Is this how you understand it?

yes, precisely indeed, the Buddha gave a very important instruction regarding karma and how it works and so forth. herein, he explained that one is not obligated to reap the "full measure" of their karma, which was contrary to the prevailing thought at the time. though, we need to be clear, without engaging in practice and creating the proper casues and conditions, one will reap the full measure of their karma.

I am going to try to find "Becoming Vajrasattva" before I leave. However, I don't have much time. I might have to browse through it a bit and then complete it upon my return.

I would love to give my "impression" of the empowerment when I return. I hope that I may have something beneficial to share with all of you.

Thanks again Vaj. Namaste.

be safe on your trip and be mindful. rest your mind in the Clear Light and may your deeds and thoughts be turned towards compassion for all sentient beings.

IMAHO!

metta,

~v

 

[rdwillia]

Hello Vaj,

Thank you for your reply.

true enough. it's sort of strange how it works here. HH the Dalai Lama regularly gives the Kalachakra empowerment to a large group every year in Dharmasala without a ticket charge, it sort of strange how tickets and so forth work in this manner.

I realize that they must have some way to limit attendance but it's too bad they have to do it by raising ticket prices. It is nice that the Dalai Lama seems to have a way to work around that, I wasn't aware of that. It amazes me how much some of these other "spiritual leaders", like Deepak Chopra (who actually has some really good books covering general topics) charge for their little retreats.

that is not "incidently" my friend, that is paramount! front and center, as it were i hope for your continued success and long life span. i had considered taking the vow in a formal sense, however, after reading The Way of The Bodhisattva, i have had to change my mind. i recognize that i cannot keep the Vows as of yet and thus, i cannot take the formal Vow. it is, however, something which is fruit of my practice. i would like to harvest this fruit soon

Of course, once again, you are quite right. Although I didn't really intend for "incidently" to come across like that. I might have misguided my attempt at being humble.

At first, I struggled with a paradox of my own creation; I had to really make sure I wasn't doing this to boost my ego. I have read the vows and different interpretations of the vows many times and plan to do so again before I take them formally. It would be very easy to come out of this feeling like a super-hero. I didn't want to be one to come home and immediately display my Bodhisattva diploma on the wall... if you know what I mean. I truly believe in the vows and sincerely hope that I will continue to have the willpower to uphold them faithfully. I thank you deeply for your well-wishes and advice. You would make an excellent Bodhisattva.

Bodhichitta!

 

[Vajradhara]

thank you for the kind words, Rdwillia, they are appreciated


in India, they practice the traditional Tibetan manner of public speaking, namely that there is no charge and that seating is "first come, first serve", as it were. typically, you'd mark your seat for the entire gathering and that would be where you would sit.

however, even in those situations, one can always donate something to help defray the costs of the tea which is provided and so forth.

oh no, i didn't take it like you were sort of thinking of it as an afterthought though i speak english good, i do not speak it well, thus, it was probably imprecision in my words

good luck this Saturday! do you know which being is giving the empowerment?

metta,

~v

 

[rdwillia]

Hello,

You're always so humble. But I believe it was my mis-use of the language...

I really like the Indian/Tibetan practice for public speaking. Wish we could adopt something like that in general.

good luck this Saturday! do you know which being is giving the empowerment?

I knew this question was coming. And the answer is, yes, I do.

I'm sorry to be so discreet, but I have learned such specifics are not important in instances like this (i.e. internet forums). For me, personally, it is, but mentioning names often seems to create some form of seperation. Just know that's it's someone I believe to be highly qualified.

Unless, of course you meant 'holy being', in which case I must profess my ignorance. I don't know if there's an extra emphasis on the generation phase as I have not yet had a Tantric empowerment and I hadn't thought to ask.

Thanks again for your wisdom, kindness and well wishes Vaj. Perhaps I should have conducted this as a PM as no one else seems very interested in providing input.

This might be my last chance to get on here before the empowerment. I might be able to make it on long enough to read a reply but that's probably it. We're leaving tomorrow night and it's a 4 hour drive. So, once again, thank you! I look forward to posting when I get back.

Namaste

 

[Vajradhara]

drive safely, RD, and have a wonderful trip


well.. if it helps... i am mainly interested in the lineage rather than the specific being

i have an abiding interest in the Tibetan Diaspora and so forth.

metta,

~v

 

[rdwillia]

Thanks again Vaj,

'Tis Tibetan... ha ha...

I'm leaving now. Ciao!

 

[rdwillia]

Hello,

Well, I'm back, and the truth is I've been somewhat speechless about the event. It was wonderful, amazing and empowering. I really don't know what to say. I've been trying to get on here and post something for two days, but I find it very difficult to verbalize my experience. It seems that to verbalize it would be to devalue it. It must be experienced.

As for the basics; the empowerment was given by a nun by the name of Gen Ling Pur (yes, I'm giving in, and no, you probably wont be able to find her on the internet, just trust that I know her to be highly qualified) and lasted 7 hours. The first two hours were spent on teachings of karma, how it works and why it's so important we strive to purify negative karma and acquire good karma, and why the practice and aid of Vajrasattva is so important, then we breaked for lunch.

After lunch we entered the temple (absolutely beautiful) which had been transformed into Vajrasattva's pure land and had some more discourse on the importance of purification. Then we received the actual empowerment and were taught both Vajrasattva's long and short mantras. Such bliss! Then we were offered both Refuge and Bodhisattva vows, then we breaked again.

When we came back we received more teachings on the actual purification practice before we ended with a puja.

Once again I am limited to use poor words like "wonderful", "amazing", and "beautiful" but this was the ultimate. If anyone ever has the chance to receive such blessings from someone they trust to be a worthy spiritual guide, I highly recommend it. Faith and openness of mind and heart have a large role to play, but this was just paramount! I got choked up several times and probably looked like a giant convulsing monkey half the time, but... wow.

Afterwords I had some great bonding time with my teacher and some fellow students of whom most I've never met.

If you want to know any more details or have any questions, just ask and I'll do my best, in my limited means, to clarify or answer. I still may not be very textually enlightened but my practice and personal understanding has taken on a new life. However; however immeasurable the dharmas, I vowed to master them all.

Namaste

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste rdwillia,


thank you for the post!

i, at least, am not interested in codifiing your experience in words.. though, that is the means by which we can share such things.

i had hoped that it would be postive and spiritually uplifting for you and it seems that it was, what could be better?

don't worry about the textual thing, that comes with time and study, should it come at all. to be frank with you, the intellectual study of the Suttas/Sutras can lead to it's own particular form of obstruction, which is difficult to overcome. thus, having a well grounded experience can be quite beneficial when engaging in Sutra study.

in my own practice, i use the short form of the mantra.. i can't remember all 100 syllables and remain focused on my meditation

thank you for taking the Vow to help me.

metta,

~v

 

[rdwillia]

Vaj,

Thank you for your post!

i had hoped that it would be positive and spiritually uplifting for you and it seems that it was, what could be better?

Absolutely nothing! It's amazing to me that such a simple gathering can be such a powerful force. The worst/best part of it is that since I have returned and since I have been reading the vows, the root downfalls and the secondary downfalls daily, I have become much more mindful, once again reminding me of how much work I still have to do.

don't worry about the textual thing, that comes with time and study, should it come at all. to be frank with you, the intellectual study of the Suttas/Sutras can lead to it's own particular form of obstruction, which is difficult to overcome. thus, having a well grounded experience can be quite beneficial when engaging in Sutra study.

I sure hope it comes, and soon. I know exactly what you mean about intellectual study of the sutras leading to forms of obstruction. Although I base a lot of my understanding and learning on intellectual study of the sutras and Dharma books in general, I find that they can sometimes hinder my actual practice in which I am already very familiar with.

I do feel that once you have a basic understanding of the sutras and have some form of foundational practice, that the two should go hand in hand with a slight emphasis on the practice. One can never truly understand a discourse without thoroughly contemplating it, testing it for oneself, practicing it, accepting it, and having ultimate faith in it. I try to take my time with the textual study and ensure that I really understand before I move on. So while my textual knowledge may still not be vast, what I do know is known well.

in my own practice, i use the short form of the mantra.. i can't remember all 100 syllables and remain focused on my meditation

Me too, although I think in the near future I shall try to commit it to memory so that it's second nature. I'd really like to do one of those 1,000 mantra personal retreats with Vajrasattva's long mantra.

thank you for taking the Vow to help me.

In accordance with my vows, you're very, very welcome. I can't wait for the day that I will be able to do do just that.

Namaste.

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste rdwillia,


thank you for the post and the kind words.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is doing physically well, though i have noted that he has two bruises on his right arm which do not seem to be fading. not sure what is going on with that but i've noted them for the past two years or so.

the talk was about global peace through compassion and focused on aspects of internal disarmament and group focused efforts to promote peace, harmony and tolerance.

there was a delegation from 7 Buddhist countries in central and south Asia to commemorate the Dalai Lamas 70th Arising Day, which was very interesting. one cannot help but note the obvious good humor which emmanates from the Dalai Lama.

the only negative to the whole thing was an appearance by Nancy Pelosi and her strange comments regarding G!D and her thanking G!D for the Dalai Lama. sort of unusual

overall, however, it was a really excellent trip and i am still processing the message and attempting to find methods to integrate it into my own practice.

metta,

~v

 

[rdwillia]

Vaj,

Well good! I'm glad to hear you were able to go. Sounds like it was a good experience. The karmic seeds you planted, just to be able to go, must be great and vast.

"Thank God for the Dalai Lama." Ha! I might not have been able to maintain my composure. Such irony, such a good reminder to practice patience, and mindfulness, and to maintain a good sense of humor.

Namaste

 

[Vajradhara]

Vaj,

Well good! I'm glad to hear you were able to go. Sounds like it was a good experience. The karmic seeds you planted, just to be able to go, must be great and vast.

"Thank God for the Dalai Lama." Ha! I might not have been able to maintain my composure. Such irony, such a good reminder to practice patience, and mindfulness, and to maintain a good sense of humor.

Namaste

indeed... though his mic was not on at that point, you could clearly see him chortling

metta,

~v

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

*humbly approaches both Vajradhara and rdwillia, two s in hand, which the humans are handed*

I am, alas, like the proverbial fourth son (the one who is not able to ask a question) concerning this thread. I have so many questions that are jumbled up inside my head about both Buddhist empowerment and the Boddhisatva vows that I cannot formulate any of them. If there aren't any restrictions, could either one of you explain them?

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste Phyllis,

thank you for the post and the kind words

If there aren't any restrictions, could either one of you explain them?

is there anything in particular that you'd like to know?

metta,

~v

 

[rdwillia]

Hello Phyllis,

Thank you for your interest.

I have so many questions that are jumbled up inside my head about both Buddhist empowerment and the Boddhisatva vows that I cannot formulate any of them. If there aren't any restrictions, could either one of you explain them?
Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

As Vaj implied, there is a lot that one could explain. However, I have an apparent inability to be so brief. Let's see if I can explain this better than some of my other attempts about some other topics.

To give you a very general (very general and very simple) overview... A Buddhist empowerment, very simply put, is a ceremony that is meant to bring you closer to a certain Buddha or Bodhisattva (protectors, foe destroyers, etc.). Usually (hopefully) by means of someone who has a direct lineage connection to Buddha Shakyamuni himself, so as to help one to feel the presense of that diety, almost a formal introduction, and to help one feel that the chosen deity is actually bestowing their attributes to you, to help you in your practice. In the case of the Vajrasattva empowerment I attended, purification. There is also a Tantric side of this that takes it to a whole other level, so I'll stop there, as A.) I have not had a Tantric empowerment and therefore don't practice the Tantric side of the empowerment, and B.) This does go into restricted territory.

The Bodhisattva vows are just that, vowing to become a bodhisattva; someone who strives to attain enlightenment for the sake of all other sentient beings. The bodhisattva is the one who attains enlightenment but vows to stick around to help all others cross the vast oceans of samsara (the beginningless and endless (until now) life-cycle). The vows generally entail an extensive list of downfalls (46 secondary and 18 root). So the vows basically serve as a guide on how to live for one striving to become a bodhisattva.

A good resource for the interested reader, although not of my tradition;
http://www.bodhicitta.net/BODHISATTVAVOWS.htm

Thanks again for your interest. I hope this clears things up a little. If you have any other questions, I shall do my best to answer. Take care.

~rdwillia

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

question #1: What defines a "sentient being"? I have heard the phrase numerous times but what is the "cutoff point" concerning who/what is sentient and who/what is not?

question #2: Does the "initial" empowerment have to be formal? I don't mean "Send $$$ to Bogus PseudoBuddhist Priest and get Instant Empowerment," or anything like with one of bb's banes, the Kaballah Center, but more along the lines of some of the ecclectic neopagans who are "self-initiates". (My sincerest apologies for the use of outside terms, but I'm at a loss for words to describe what I'm trying to say within your particular spiritualities, so I'm using words that I have a grasp of, albeit tenuous.)

question #3: I believe that, from what I've read between the two of you, one can have the "empowerment" without the Vow of Bodhisattva, but can the reverse be true; i.e. you can take the Vow of Bodhisattva without going through the "empowerment"?

I'll leave it at this for right now, okay? That way, I can try to pull more questions out of the morass of my thought processes.

Your "student" with s
Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste Phyllis,

thank you for the post and the interesting questions.

question #1: What defines a "sentient being"? I have heard the phrase numerous times but what is the "cutoff point" concerning who/what is sentient and who/what is not?

excellent question since this is emphasized quite a bit in the Suttas/Sutras.

for all intents and purposes a sentient being is a being which is possessed of consciousness, however, in our usage of the term, we mean to indicate humans, animals, insects and so forth. basically, any creature with a higher cognitive function. so, something like a bacteria isn't considered sentient whereas an ant is.

in a general sense, the term is meant to be inclusive of the Buddhist cosmology which has 6 forms of sentient being, namely, gods, asuras (sort of like Greek Titans) humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings.

of course, these are my own views predicated on my very superficial understanding of the Dharma.

question #2: Does the "initial" empowerment have to be formal?

i'll break this one up a bit.

well... yes, in a nutshell.

I don't mean "Send $$$ to Bogus PseudoBuddhist Priest and get Instant Empowerment," or anything like with one of bb's banes, the Kaballah Center, but more along the lines of some of the ecclectic neopagans who are "self-initiates". (My sincerest apologies for the use of outside terms, but I'm at a loss for words to describe what I'm trying to say within your particular spiritualities, so I'm using words that I have a grasp of, albeit tenuous.)

this aspect of your question is quite interesting. as you may know, in the general hierarchy of Buddhism, there are monasitcs and lay people. however, what you may not know is that there is another sort of being, what we call a Solitary Realizer, a Pratyekabuddha.

when we talk about Buddhism, there are several different ways we can go about it.. we can talk about schools, like Zen or T'ien T'ai, or we can talk about the overall Vehicles, like Hinyana or Mahayana and we can also talk about the individual vehicles, the Yanas, which a being practices.

in the invidual vehicle conceptions, we find the Pratyekabuddha. these beings are, for all intents and purposes, engaging in the process of Awakening without the benefit of a teacher.

question #3: I believe that, from what I've read between the two of you, one can have the "empowerment" without the Vow of Bodhisattva, but can the reverse be true; i.e. you can take the Vow of Bodhisattva without going through the "empowerment"?

well... in short, yes, though it isn't often the situation since this process of formally taking the Bodhisattva Vow is, in and of itself, an empowerment. not of the same sort as one of the Tantric empowerments, to be sure, but an empowerment nonetheless.

i, too, am a student and am by no means a teacher! if anything i say makes sense to you, it is due to your own good karma ripening!

metta,

~v