Purple Lotus Publisher > Journal > Volumn NO. 5

The Symbolism of Vajrasattva

by Lian Hua Daniel Bristol

Vajrasattva is one of the most important deities of Vajrayana Buddhism. He is the second patriarch of the Vajrayana tradition. Many sacred texts tell the legend of the Iron Stupa, which Nagarjuna opened by casting eight, white, poppy seeds at its gates. He entered, and there he beheld Vajrasattva, from whom he received the transmission of the Dharma.

Vajrasattva embodies the purity of the Buddhas and symbolizes the union of the Five Dhyani Buddhas [1]. Relying on him and practicing his sadhana, we continuously reveal more and more of our own Buddha Nature. The main part of many Vajrayana practices is the visualization of a deity. Before we do this, it is very helpful to have a description of the deity in question, as well as an understanding of the symbolism of his or her appearance.

The visualization begins with the practitioner visualizing an open white lotus suspended in space above his or her head. Every aspect of the Dharma is in some way representative of the whole. The same is true of Vajrasattva's appearance. The white lotus represents the unfolding of our own Buddha Nature, which is intrinsically pure. Upon this lotus, one visualizes the disc of a full moon, perfectly white and round. Thus, our own true nature, essentially pure and brilliant, is complete and perfect in itself. This is one of the wonderful qualities of all visualization practices: like the whole of the Dharma, each and every aspect is rich with meaning.

Upon the disc is visualized a 'hum' syllable which transforms into one's glorious root-guru, who embodies the inexhaustible wisdom and compassion of the Buddhas of the Three Times. He appears as Vajrasattva. Vajrasattva is white in color, as white as newfallen snow reflecting the light of a thousand suns. This symbolizes, once again, the intrinsic brilliance and purity of the Buddha Mind. He has one face and two hands. With his right hand, he holds a five-pronged vajra before his heart. This is the vajra of awareness and emptiness, which are one and the same. With his left hand, he rests a bell on his left hip. This is the bell of appearance and emptiness, which are one and the same. Some deities appear holding only one or the other, the vajra or the bell. But Vajrasattva holds them both. Together, they symbolize skillful means and wisdom. The vajra is wisdom and the bell is skillful means.

Vajrasattva is adorned with the 13 Ornaments of the Sambhogakaya Buddha. These are the Five Silken Garments and the Eight Jewels. The Five Silken Garments are: a headband, an upper garment, a long scarf, a belt, and a lower garment. We visualize these garments as being made of silk because, since time immemorial, silk has been considered the most noble and elegant of cloths. Kings and queens wear robes and gowns of silk. And, although Vajrasattva is a Buddha to whom silk and coarse sack-cloth are the same (because he is without pride and full of equanimity), he is, nonetheless, a Buddha, the most noble of beings. When we give gifts of clothing to a Buddha, they must be of the finest materials. We do not offer them filthy rags, or cloth made from artificial materials (such as polyester). Silk is a natural material, spun by the silk-worm. Therefore, we visualize Vajrasattva in beautiful silken garments to show our respect, and as an expression of his innate nobility.

The Eight Jewels are: a crown, earrings, a short necklace, a pair of armlets, two long necklaces (one coming down to the breast and the other to the navel), a pair of bracelets, a ring on each hand, and a pair of anklets. These are all of gold. Why? Gold is the solar metal; that is, it corresponds to the sun. It could be said that gold is sacred to Mahavairocana, since his name means "Great Sun." Gold is the most precious of metals, not only because of its lustre, but also because it does not corrode. Thus, our own Buddha Nature does not decay or corrode, for it is beyond the reach of change and it is at the center of all things, just as the Sun is at the heart of our Solar System. It could be said that, by virtue of wearing ornaments made of gold, Vajrasattva is "clothed with the sun," and he wears them in honor of Mahavairocana, from whom he received the Dharma. We envision Vajrasattva wearing gold out of respect, in honor of his nobility and lineage.

By the deceptively simple act of visualization, we are performing a powerful act. We are not creating something that was not there before. Rather, we are revealing the deities to ourselves, from ourselves. We must offer them our very best in visualization. By visualizing Vajrasattva in this way, we are not only making an offering of silks and gold to a Buddha, but we are also revealing our own true and inexhaustible wealth, our inherent richness.

It must be remembered that the body of Vajrasattva is an "empty appearance," clearly perceptible but without any material substance, like reflections of the moon in water. It is empty, not composed of flesh and blood, but as real as the mind. It is like a rainbow appearing in the sky, or a magical city amid the clouds. Yet it is endowed with real wisdom. Lord Vajrasattva is identical with one's own compassionate root-guru, and his mind reaches out with great love to all sentient beings.

Footnotes
[1] Five Dhyani Buddhas are the five transcendent Buddhas from which all phenomena are derived. Their names are: Akshobya, Amoghasiddhi, Amitabha, Ratnasambhava, and Variocana.