Samayavajra – the Purifier of Spiritual Bonds
Samayavajra (Main figure)
(Top to bottom): Samayavajra and Dorje Shugden
Deity: Samayavajra (Sanskrit)
Alternative name: Damtsig Dorje (Tibetan)
Samayavajra’s name literally means ‘Indestructible Close Bond’. He is believed to have arisen from the collective minds of all the enlightened Buddhas. His practice stems from the Guhyasamaja (literally “Secret Assembly”) Tantra, which refers to the meditative gathering of psychic winds and elements within one’s energy channels, represented by the 32 deities of the Guhyasamaja mandala. As his name implies, Samayavajra purifies degenerated vows and commitments, and especially purifies heavy transgressions that severs the bond we have with our spiritual teacher. It is an important purification practice that is particularly emphasised within the Gelug tradition.
Deity: Dorje Shugden (Tibetan)
Alternative name: Vajra Rudra (Sanskrit)
Dorje Shugden is an emanation of the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri. He took the form of a Dharma Protector in order to safeguard the Buddha’s teachings, especially the important teachings on the Middle Way View. Reminiscent of Manjushri’s form, Dorje Shugden carries a meandering sword and rides a snowlion that represents the fearlessness of a fully enlightened Buddha. Thus, he has great strength to overcome obstacles of the body, speech and mind, and create suitable conditions for our spiritual practice to flourish. Furthermore, he carries a jewel-spitting mongoose and a vajra hook to symbolise that he has the tremendous ability to bestow wealth and resources.
Click here for more beautiful thangkas.
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Stunning rime thangka of Samayavajra and Dorje Shugden. Colourful painted and standing out and seeing it is a blessing. In Tibetan Buddhism ,Samayavajra is one of the most powerful purification practices for broken samaya, degenerated commitments and vows. The incredible purificatory power of the Samayavajra puja is most effective when one feels great remorse and regret towards any negative actions performed in the past.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.