Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 50-minute teaching, Venerable Thubten Dondrub leads retreatants through a guided Vajrasattva purification practice, the central meditation for Day 3 of a Kālacakra Initiation retreat preparation. He begins with rejoicing in merits accumulated through keeping the eight Mahāyāna precepts, then systematically develops regret for negativities created through body, speech and mind, emphasizing how unresolved imprints will ripen as suffering. He then generates strong refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha combined with bodhicitta intention. The core practice unfolds in detailed stages: visualizing Guru Vajrasattva seated on a white lotus above the crown of the head, complete with ornaments symbolizing the six perfections; requesting purification by invoking the hundred-syllable mantra; imaginatively dissolving successive layers of negative imprints as black liquid expelled from the body by streams of white nectar-light. He teaches the four opponent powers systematically—the power of regret, refuge and bodhicitta, virtuous remedy through the mantra, and the power of restraint through specific time-bound commitments to avoid harmful actions. The session concludes with dedication of merit and long-life prayers for the teacher and FPMT leaders. Suited for practitioners already engaged in tantric preparation or those undertaking formal Kālacakra retreat.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 20. Day 3 Meditation Vajrasattva.mp3
UUID: 6e4e8e03-efb3-478b-aee3-2cbce60b61d6
Teacher: Ven Thubten Dondrub
Collection: KI Retreat (Ven Thubten Dondrub)
Date: 2005 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 50.6 minutes
Words: ~2,290
Firstly we can begin by spending just a short time doing the practice of rejoicing, looking over what we’ve done today and rejoicing in those good things done with body, speech and mind, especially taking the eight Mahāyāna precepts. Also reflect the good things that one has done throughout this life and recognise that we must have done in previous lives many good things, we rejoice in all that merit, seeing how wonderful that is. Strongly at the same time strongly dedicate that that merit becomes a is dedicated to a cause for us to quickly achieve enlightenment. So then we should reflect on the possible negativities generated today through our body, speech and mind. And as we think of those things, generate a very strong, sincere regret, recognising that if these imprints aren’t purified, not going to disappear, they will remain with the mind stream, eventually ripen and they will only ripen as the result of suffering.
And as we reflect on what we may have done today, we can understand that also many negative things have been done in this life and also in past lives, all under the control of self-cherishing. So it’s not only something regrettable from our own point of view that we’re going to experience suffering if we don’t purify. But it’s really sad, very regrettable that we have obscured our mind, just added to the obscurations in our mind that then make it. We’ve made it. We ourselves have made it more difficult to achieve enlightenment for the sake of others.
We have created obstacles for ourselves to benefit others. So this is really unfortunate. This is really incredibly regrettable. Then what can protect me from all this future suffering? Is there any protection at all, any solution?
And the definite protection we can discover is our refuge in the Triple Gem, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. When we take refuge, the essential refuge is the Dharma, the Buddha’s teachings containing all the methods of working with our mind. Within all those teachings, the essential teaching is the teaching on the law of cause and effect. So understanding this law and observing it, living our life in relation to it, is the greatest protection from all suffering. So generate this on the basis of this strong regret, generate a strong refuge in the Triple Gem and combine that with Mahāyāna refuge, having the bodhicitta thought wishing to purify the mind not just for one’s own sake but so that one can free the mind in order to achieve enlightenment for the sake of others.
And particularly generate a strong refuge in the Vajrasattva practice Having no doubt that if we do this sincerely with good motivation, with concentration and so on, then it will definitely purify our mind. So think that as a result of this way of thinking, this state of virtuous state of mind, out of their great compassion all the Buddhas manifest for me in aspect of Guru Vajrasattva appearing on the crown of one’s head. Firstly there appears just a few centimetres above the crown of one’s head a very beautiful white lotus of many petals, then a white moon disc, then seated above the centre of that is Vajrasattva with a body of transparent white radiating light. His legs are crossed in the full vajra position. He’s wearing the lower robe of multicolored celestial silk.
His right hand is at his heart holding the vajra symbolic of the mind of bodhicitta. His left hand is holding the bell symbolic of wisdom. And with the hand, the left hand resting on his left hip. Vajrasattva’s shoulders are adorned with silken scarves. His deep blue hair is mostly tied above the crown of his head, some falling over his shoulders.
He is adorned with six jeweled ornaments symbolic of the six perfections, five pointed crown on his head and earrings, necklaces and armlets and bracelets and shoulder belt and anklets. And visualize that Vajrasattva’s heart is a moon disc lying horizontally. It’s a white moon disc standing in the centre of that, the white syllable hum, and then standing upright around the edge of the moon disc are the hundred syllables of the Vajrasattva mantra, radiating light and nectar. So generate a strong heartfelt request, to Guru Vajrasattva, to purify one’s mind of all the imprints generated through negative actions of body, speech and mind. So firstly we purify the negative imprints generated by the negative actions of body, particularly of killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.
So think Vajrasattva happily responds to our request by sending this continuous stream of white light and nectar into us as we recite the mantra. And this immediately begins to wash out all those negative imprints which take the aspect of a very thick black liquid completely filling our body. So as soon as that light and nectar enters through the crown of our head, immediately that blackness, that black liquid begins to leave from the lower part of our body dissipating and becoming nonexistent. All of it leaves the body and mind completely, the whole body and mind filled with this blissful radiating white light and nectar. So think with strong faith that the mind is completely purified of those negative imprints.
But there are still the imprints generated by the negative actions of speech, of lying, divisive speech. Use our speech to cause conflict between two people or groups of people that are basically harmonious. Then there’s harsh speech and meaningless idle gossip. So we make a request to Vajrasattva to purify the mind of all these negative imprints. Vajrasattva happily responds, sending this continuous stream of white light and nectar into us, that it goes down to the very bottom of the body, begins to fill up the body, and then we imagine that all those negative imprints form this black liquid rises above the top, floats above the top of the nectar and then is pushed out through the crown of our head, again dissipating, becoming non existent, that eventually the whole body mind filled with this blissful white light and nectar.
Again, that strong faith that the mind is completely free of all those negative imprints generated by negative speech. So then we request Guru Vajrasattva to purify the mind of all those negative imprints generated by mind itself when it engages in the thoughts of ill will, covetousness and wrong views. So as we recite the mantra, this time these incredible brilliant flashes of light come from Vajrasattva’s heart from all the syllables and instantly all those negative imprints are dispelled, become non existent just like darkness disappears immediately the light is turned on. So from the crown of one’s head, Guru Vajrasattva says, Child of the race, your negativities, obscurations and broken and damaged pledges have been completely purified. So we should have no doubt that this is true.
So now fourth doing the recitation and so on is the third opponent power of remedy, virtuous remedy. So now we apply the fourth opponent power, which is the power of restraint, power of determination. So we make a very strong promise to Guru Vajrasattva, who is oneness with our own guru, oneness with all the Buddhas, that I vow never again to commit those negative actions from which I can easily abstain. I know that I can easily abstain from them. I have that complete confidence so I vow I will never engage in those actions again.
But for those actions that I still can’t control properly now, I know I can’t, I wish to but I still can’t, so now we promise to Guru Vajrasattva that for a particular period of time, maybe until tomorrow morning or all of tomorrow for several days, all of the remainder of this retreat for a week, a month, whatever, we promise that I will avoid that action or various actions for that period of time. So do that with the commitment that when that period elapses, finishes, then again to reestablish that commitment to the Buddha’s to avoid that action for a further period of time. And again, if we fail to live up to our promise to the Buddhas, then this is not a reason to give up, think I’m hopeless, can’t do this, no point. Only solution, there is only one solution, and that is to do the practice again. To develop regret, apply and generate Refuge, bodhicitta, do the practice of remedy, and try to make the commitment again.
So then think that Guru Vajrasattva is extremely pleased with our promise, with our practice and with our promise. Because of that, Guru Vajrasattva now dissolves into blissful white light that comes down through the crown of our head, blessing our body, speech and mind. Through the power of that blessing and feeling this blissful energy of Vajrasattva coming into us, then we reflect that in emptiness. There is no truly existing I that creates negative karma. In emptiness, there is no truly existing action of creating negative karma.
In emptiness, there is no truly existing negative karma that is created. So then we can dedicate the merit together. Bottom of page ten, this section. Just the next page. Now we have to multiply the merit before we can dedicate it, don’t we?
And that is Dedication Prayers in the first book in the Green Book, Volume one. It’s page thirty four. So with these next two mantras, it’s usually we do the seven of the Ārya Tārā ones first and then the seven Hundredfold rather than the way we did before. I mean it can be done either way. Due to the power of the blessings of the eminent Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the power of infallible dependent arising and the power of my pure special attitude, may all my pure prayers succeed immediately.
If we could turn to page twelve, if we could do the special FPMT dedication. So when it refers to the section about may all the centres and projects of the FPMT be successful, can particularly think of Thosamling and Buddha House. Oh sorry, this is still in the section of Dedication Prayers, that same section. Just go back to page twelve. We were on page thirty four of that section, the multiplying mantras, so it’s in that same section.
Just going back to page twelve. Due to these merits, may all the obstacles to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s life and long life be instantly removed. May Rinpoche remain with us until saṃsāra ends, and may all his and Lama Yeshe’s holy wishes be instantly fulfilled. May Osel Rinpoche, have a long and healthy life. May he be able to complete all his studies without hindrance and become a great holder and teacher of sūtra and tantra in this life.
May he be a greatest benefit to all sentient beings. May all the obstacles to the quick success of the building of the Maitreya statue be instantly destroyed. May this great statue of Maitreya be accomplished exactly according to the wishes of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. May all the centres and projects of the FPMT be free of obstacles to spread the holy Dharma of Buddha Śākyamūni, in particular the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa. May all sentient beings be free from suffering and achieve every happiness and the highest state of enlightenment.
May all the students and friends who work so hard for FPMT in the service of the Dharma and who sacrifice their lives for Buddhist teachings and to relieve the suffering of sentient beings have long and healthy lives. May they realise the path to enlightenment in their own minds as quickly as possible. May all those who rely on and have made specific requests to Lama Zopa Rinpoche be free of all obstacles to having long and healthy lives. And may all of their wishes succeed immediately accordingly. So then also we can particularly dedicate for Because he has this quite serious shingle which he’s suffering from right now and very bravely teaching us, we dedicate that.
May he quickly overcome this and be in full health and live a very long life. By these merits. So then we can we must do more dedication than that. So again just back in that same section, we can just do the usual two, page four, the first two. Maybe the first four.
Last night we did verses three and four in English. We’ll do them in Tibetan tonight so you get the tune which is a very common tune. These two verses from three and four are very commonly said because they actually come from this very famous prayer called the King of Prayers, the prayer of Samantabhādra. So these two prayers are said to contain the entire essence of that King of Prayers. So we’ll just go back to verse one first.
And then finally, we do the long life prayers, page fourteen. Of this same section. I don’t want to embarrass him but we can also dedicate the merit because he’s having a bit of a hard time, it’s very exhausting, he’s very new to this and he’s doing a fantastic job and you can see how incredibly sincerely he’s trying to. So this is a very, very hard job and it’s very exhausting and he’s just very new to it. Especially for you at Buddha House, you you need a really good translator so dedicate the merit that all the obstacles for him to be able to quickly and clearly translate, that this comes about, which I’m sure it will.
But it’s dependent arising depending on one’s karma and everything. Then we can do the Praise to Lama Tsongkhapa.