Toh 135The Words of the Dharma on the Vajra Samādhi
Pāli / Sanskrit:(possibly translated from Chinese)
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Exposition of The Words of the Dharma on the Vajra Samādhi
Background
The sutra The Words of the Dharma on the Vajra Samādhi (Toh 135) is a precious scripture in the Northern Transmission canon, preserved in the Sutra section (Kangyur) of the Tibetan canon. This sutra arises from the Mahāyāna tradition, the spiritual foundation in which the Buddha Dharma is understood as a path of awakening opened broadly to all sentient beings, not only to monks.
In the context of the Northern Transmission canon (Vajrayāna), “vajra” (Skt. vajra) is not a coarse material object, but a symbol of the luminous, unchanging, and indestructible nature of the Buddha-mind. Vajra Samādhi is a state of profound concentration, powerful like a vajra, capable of piercing through every layer of ignorance and delusion in the mind.
The sutra is classified within the Kangyur, the collection of scriptures taught by Buddha Śākyamuni and by buddhas and bodhisattvas, reflecting the needs of students of the Buddha Dharma in Tibet, where long-standing esoteric Buddhist schools were concentrated.
Main Content
The Words of the Dharma on the Vajra Samādhi focuses on presenting the principal points concerning a kind of concentration (“samādhi” - complete mental concentration) that has the character of the vajra. This samādhi is not an ordinary state of peaceful mind, but an advanced state of practice that unites keen wisdom (prajñā) with undistracted concentration.
The sutra emphasizes that in order to attain the vajra samādhi, the practitioner must clearly understand the empty nature (śūnyatā) of all phenomena. Through this, faith and intention are purified of delusions concerning “self” and “mine.” The method of practice includes maintaining mindfulness (smṛti) upon the luminous, pure, unobstructed nature of the mind, while also cultivating loving-kindness (maitri) and compassion (karuṇā) toward all sentient beings.
The sutra also indicates that the vajra samādhi is not the final goal, but a powerful instrument for developing wisdom that does not rely upon a dualistic causality of subject and object.
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