Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 38-minute session, Ven Thubten Dondrub guides practitioners through a full Vajrasattva meditation and purification practice. He opens with a discussion of karma and mental imprints—how negative actions create obscurations that block understanding of the dharma and our ability to benefit others—then walks through each of the four powers of purification: regret (reading from a text that emphasizes urgency given the certainty of death), refuge and bodhicitta motivation, the remedy itself, and finally restraint. The meditation proper involves visualizing Vajrasattva above the crown of the head, reciting the hundred-syllable mantra in stages while light and nectar purify negative imprints from body, speech, and mind in succession. He emphasizes practical commitment—making realistic promises to avoid harmful actions for a time period one can actually keep. The practice concludes with dissolution of Vajrasattva into the practitioner and a dedication of merit, including brief instruction on the role of emptiness in making purification possible. Suitable for practitioners already familiar with deity yoga and sadhana practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 8. Day 2 Meditation Vajrasattva.mp3
UUID: b512ea00-e127-4205-8ac9-218b98aa65f9
Teacher: Ven Thubten Dondrub
Collection: Meditations DTL (Ven Thubten Dondrub)
Date: 2006 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 37.8 minutes
Words: ~3,134
Mystical or anything like that. It’s pedestrian in a way. It’s very important, but and it gives a sense of, you know, things happening, why things happen in our life. You know, there’s no time to explain anything, but I I hope you — I’m sure you’re all great meditators and have done all this in the past before, but made the connection between certain actions and how they give rise to a particular kind of appearance in another life. I think it’s a very interesting exercise to do that.
How our mind you know, the fun of it. I’m always talking about the fundamental teachings. There are about four million fundamental points in the Buddhist teachings, the one of which is that it is our mind that is creating the appearances of this life, of this world. So how how the world appears to us is we’ve created a cause for the world to appear and to appear in a particular way right now. We’ve created the karma for this.
And then, like, when we crave and grasp and get angry, we’re creating these imprints for another set of appearances to arise. Because, like, when we’re craving, it’s like we’re creating in our mind the appearance in our mind that there’s this this hungry person. So we put that imprint about this hungry, desperate person, and then we so that we get reborn in a sense. I I don’t know if this is actual truth, but this is some way I try to make sense of it. Then you get create you create the imprint.
You we put this imprint in our mind again and again, I’m this hungry, desperate person. And then that give our mind gives rise to that that that experience, that appearance in another life. So we’re doing that all the time uncontrollably. And then as like like Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, the worst aspect is the habit because then we do it again and then we get all the suffering results again, one of which is the habit again. And so saṃsāra goes on.
So there’s a lot to purify. But we are so lucky that we have the chance, you know? I mean, one thing you know, one way of looking at this, we can get really quite down, and probably the way I talk about it all can make people and myself feel very down about how much negativity there is about us. But also the amazing thing but this is true of every every being. But what is really wonderful is the fact that we have a chance to get out of it now, and we’ve never had that or really had that before.
So that’s something to feel incredibly happy and joyful about. You know? We we’ve done all this terrible stuff, and, you know, the imprint is there, but we we’ve done all this good stuff to have got this rebirth, and we have we are just so lucky to to be able to see, to know about karma. Sometimes, yeah, we don’t wanna know about it because, oh, that just means I’ve done all these terrible things that I have to purify and blah blah blah. But if we don’t know, we’re never going to stop.
Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is suffering. Sorry. I’m raving. I’m supposed to deal with this.
So really wishing to be free of suffering and experience the true nature of our mind, generate refuge in the triple gem, and not just for one’s own sake, but wishing to discover the full potential of one’s mind and realize it, bring it out, especially for the benefit of others. And part of that process of being able to realize the true nature of our mind is to purify ourselves of all the negative imprints that obscure our mind. So within the context of the mind of refuge, we generate strong regret for the negative actions that we’ve done with our body, speech, and mind. So particularly think of actions that we’ve done in this life, especially those that we somehow habitually engage in. And just face the fact that if we don’t do anything about the imprints from those actions, they’re only going to bring great suffering again and again.
So instead of feeling guilt, we generate this clear regret, which is a type of wisdom. Just if if we take some the wrong medicine by mistake that is in fact a poison, we don’t feel guilty about that. We just really regret that we’ve done such a stupid thing that’s gonna bring us suffering. In the same way, we simply have to develop this clear remorse that I’ve done something really stupid and harmful. I’ve harmed myself.
I’ve harmed others by that action. How unfortunate that is. I’ve done many of these actions in this life out of ignorance and confusion. And, unfortunately, I’ve done it in most previous lives due to ignorance and confusion. So really feel that that regret, but not just from the point of view that this is going to bring me suffering in in the future.
But from Mahāyāna perspective, the worst aspect of creating negative actions and generating these imprints is that these imprints obscure our mind right now. And that obscured mind finds it very difficult to understand the Dharma, to practice it, to realize it. That obscured mind finds it very difficult. Working with that obscured mind is very difficult to be a vast benefit to others. The very thing that’s the most wonderful thing to do that we have the potential to to do.
So that is the really regrettable thing. So we can read the power of regret together on page six. Almost every action I do twenty four hours a day is motivated by worldly concern, attachment to the comfort of this life. It is like this from birth to death in this life, and it has been like that from the beginning of the beginningless rebirths. Worst of all, I have created the heaviest of negative actions in relation to my virtuous friends, getting angry at them, generating wrong views, having nondevotional thoughts towards them, harming their holy body, and disobeying their advice.
Having these negative imprints on my mental continuum is unbearable. It’s as if I have swallowed a lethal poison. I must practice the antidote right away and purify all this negative karma immediately without a second’s delay. Many, many people my age or younger have died. It’s a miracle that I’m still alive and have this incredible opportunity to purify my negative karma.
Death is certain, but its time is most uncertain. If I were to die right now, I would definitely be born in the lower realms. Because I could not practice Dharma there, I would remain in the lower realms for countless eons. Therefore, how unbelievably fortunate I am to be able to purify my negative karma right now without even a second’s delay by practicing the Vajrasattva meditation and recitation. But I’m not practicing this sattva purification for myself alone.
The purpose of my life is to release all hell beings, predators, animals, humans, asuras, suras, and intermediate state beings from all their suffering and its causes and lead them to unsurpassed enlightenment. In order to do this, I must first reach enlightenment myself. Therefore, I must purify all my negative karma immediately by practicing the Vajrasattva meditation and recitation. So we’ve cultivated the the power of regret and and the power of refuge in bodhicitta. So the third power is the power of remedy, doing virtuous action.
To think that because of our refuge and motivation and our sincere regret, out of great compassion from the formless dharmakaya state, the Buddhas, our gurus manifest in the form of Vajrasattva directly above the crown of our head. Firstly, there appears an extremely beautiful white lotus just a couple of finger widths above the crown, and then appearing above that, a white moon disc of radiant light. And then instantaneously, there appears, seated directly above the center of the moon disk, incredibly beautiful form of Vajrasattva, having a body of pure white light. He’s seated in the vajra posture. Is one can visualize the two arms crossed at the heart holding the dorje and bell or just the right hand holding the vajra at the heart and the left hand resting on the left hip holding the bell there.
Imagine Vajrasattva’s lower body is adorned with a very beautiful multicolored robe of silk like material. His shoulders also draped in different colored scarves. His hair is deep blue color, knotted mostly tied above the crown of his head and some falls over his shoulders. He’s adorned with the jeweled ornaments that symbolize the six perfections, such as the five pointed crown on his head, the five points symbolizing the five wisdoms of a Buddha. He has jeweled earrings and three strands of necklaces, jewel armlets and bracelets, a jeweled belt, an anklets.
Imagine that so think that Vajrasattva is inseparable from one’s guru, inseparable with all the Buddhas. So in this way, our mind becomes transformed into guru devotion, which is the very root of all blessings and realizations of the path to enlightenment. Visualize at the very heart of the Vajrasattva is a very small moon disc. In the very center, standing upright, is a brilliant white syllable radiating light. And then surrounding that clockwise around the edge of the moon disc are the hundred syllables of the Vajrasattva mantra.
So then thinking of, specifically of the negative actions engaged in with with our body of killing, stealing, sexual misconduct that we’ve done in this life. And by inference, we can understand if we’re engaged in these actions in past lives, We should really purify these imprints. We recite the mantra, and as we do so visualizing light, white light, nectar coming from the syllables and the garland at Vajrasattva’s heart, that light and negative flows down through his holy body, coming down through the crown of our head and filling our whole body. And as it does so, we imagine all the negative imprints from physical negative actions take the aspect of thick black liquid that pours out from the lower part of our body dissipating, becoming nonexistent. Our body completely filling with this blissful white light and nectar.
So we’ll recite the mantra out loud once together and the other six for each part quietly. Just for a moment, strong focus on generating strong faith that, without doubt, those negative imprints have been purified. But then there are still the imprints in our mind that have been created through negative actions of speech. So now we purify those. And as the light and nectar comes from Vajrasattva’s heart, it pours into us, begins to fill our body from the lower part upwards, and we imagine the negative imprints taking the form of black liquid that floats above the nectar and light and then comes out through the crown of our head and dis and dissipates and becomes nonexistent.
That mind feeling that all of those negative imprints are definitely purified. So then to purify the negative imprints remaining that have been created through the directly through negative actions of mind, ill will, covetousness, wrong views, We as we recite the mantra, we visualize that these flashes of light, brilliant light, come from the mantra at Vajrasattva’s heart and and instantly dispel, eliminate those negative imprints. Just like the darkness is instantly dispelled when the light is switched on in a room. So then think that Guru Vajrasattva on the crown of your head speaks directly to you, saying, child of the lineage, your negativities, obscurations, and broken and damaged pledges have been completely purified. So generate that faithful mind that has no doubt that that is completely true.
So then we apply the power of restraint or determination. So we try and make the determination that we will avoid all negative actions of body, speech, and mind in the future. But we have to be honest and admit that we have these negative habits, so we have to be practical and make this commitment to Guru Vajrasattva that at least for some time, a time that you feel, I can avoid this action for this period of time. At least I can stop a half a day, a day, whatever. And with this action, I can make that can avoid it for such a period, for this action, for such a period.
So make that promise to the guru, Vajrasattva, as you as we say the words together on page ten, about the top of page ten. So then think that Guru Vajrasattva is extremely pleased with your commitment, your promise. And as a result, Vajrasattva then dissolves into a mass of brilliant white light, which dissolves into you through your crown, pervading your whole being, your body, speech, mind, becoming separately one with Guru Vajrasattva’s holy body, speech, and mind. So then reflect briefly that in emptiness, in the experience of 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 created. So with this awareness of emptiness, we can dedicate the merits, also seeing the merits as empty, existing but empty, myself as the dedicator existing but empty. The action of dedicating is happening, but it’s completely empty, and so on, as it says in the dedication itself. Due to all these merits of the three times collected by all the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, myself, and all other sentient beings, which appear to be real from your own side, but which are empty, may I, who appears to be real but is empty, achieve Guru Vajrasattva’s enlightenment which appears to be real but is empty. May I lead all sentient beings who appear to be real but are totally empty to that enlightenment which appears to be real but is empty by myself alone, who appears to be real, but is also totally empty, nonexistent from my own side.
May the precious bodhicitta, the source of all happiness and success of myself and all other sentient beings be generated within my own mind and in the minds of all sentient beings without even a second’s delay. And may that which has been generated be increased. May I and all other sentient beings have Lama Tsongkhapa as our direct guru in all our lifetimes. Never be separated from even a second from the pure path that is greatly praised by the conqueror Buddhas and actualise the complete path, the very principal paths, the three principal paths and the two stages of highest yoga tantra, the root of which is Guru devotion, within our minds as quickly as possible. Just as the brave Mañjuśrī and Samantabhādra realize things as they are, I dedicate all these virtues in the best way that I may follow after them.
Whatever dedication the three times I prayed at the feet of my glorious guru, bestowed on fortunate disciples all stages of the powers of Sūtra and Tantra that forms the inner essence of Victorious One’s teachings and compassionately and fearlessly illuminates the conqueror’s words. May this great guide of migrating beings have long life who possesses all the characteristics of a holy spiritual friend, such as pure in his three vows, undaunted and an altruistic, while it is derived through experience from hearing, contemplation, and meditation. May this great holder of the tradition of teachings have long life, who teaches the pure path of sūtra and tantra without contradiction as they are, who protects the essential points of the yogas of method and wisdom of the two stages and beautifies the Sangha through diligence and practice. May you live long protector, who is held in the lotus petals of pure white Dharma and spreads the teachings of the conqueror with all-embracing skill and means to illuminate the darkness of confusion of mother migrating beings. By the strength of my pure intention, the truth of the nondeceptive dependent arising of karma and effect, and the pure, precious prayers of my guru.
May the meaning of this prayer be quickly and easily fulfilled. Just if you’ve got a few moments, in case you’re not familiar, those last two prayers on page eleven of the Vajrasattva that are just the Brave Mañjuśrī and whatever dedication. These are the two prayers that Geshe was talking about on the first day that come from the king of prayers. There are slightly different translations of those in various places. Geshe always says them extremely quietly and quickly at the end so it’s difficult to chime in. Yes?
Because in the Vajrasattva, the last two verses just as the brave Mañjuśrī and Samantabhādra. And just just for the newbie, because I’m sure the other old students have this profound understanding, sorry. On page ten of the Vajrasattva where it says the meditation on emptiness. In emptiness there is no I created negative karma, there is no action of creating negative karma, there is no negative karma created. I think this is a little misleading.
One could be very easily misunderstand that line because it sounds like, Oh, all the negative karmas I’ve created is empty so I don’t have to worry about them. But it doesn’t mean that at all. It’s just by by thinking it it is empty, but also everything that is empty exists. But by thinking by real you know, having some understanding it’s empty, that it doesn’t truly exist, it does mean it can be purified. If it wasn’t empty, if our negative karma or the negative karmic imprints truly existed, we do.
And they would be there forever. We could never purify them or reduce them. So it’s from that point of view that it’s important to think like that. But also by then reflecting on the emptiness of and the person who creates there is a person who creates negative karma, that ‘me’, but that ‘me’ doesn’t truly exist. If there is this truly existing person who creates negative karma, well, I can never become a bodhisattva, a buddha, even a good person.
So there’s that way of looking at it, but also by reflecting on those things, then eventually we can gain the experience of emptiness and that will destroy all negative karma. Eliminate it instantly, that realisation. But we shouldn’t think just by saying, oh, negative karma is empty, then okay, finished, don’t have to worry.’ Because Okay. I’m sure you’ll understand. Sometimes when I read that myself, I think, Thank you very much.
Thank you. Good night.