The Tree of Enlightenment

Vajrasattva appears in the Mahayana pantheon as well, and
the practice of confession of unwholesome actions is one of the
preliminaries performed by all who embark on the Bodhisattva
path. Vajrasattva is white in color. He has a single face and two
hands, and holds a vajra and a bell, which stand for skillful means
and wisdom, respectively. In the specific preliminary practice of
confession, we meditate on Vajrasattva and recite the hundredsyllable
mantra of Vajrasattva one hundred thousand times.
It is said that four powers issue from the practice of the
confession and purification of unwholesome actions. e first
power is the ‘power of the shrine,’ which refers to the power of
Vajrasattva as a symbol of purification. ere is a certain power
which issues from visualization of the form of Vajrasattva. is
is a symbolic power, similar to the kind of power that issues, in
the mundane context, from a symbol such as the national flag.
e national flag has a symbolic power; similarly, in the sacred
context of meditation, the image of Vajrasattva has a certain
power, the power of symbol.
e second of the four powers is the ‘power of transcendence,’
of going beyond. is refers to a sincere renunciation of
unwholesome actions. In other words, in the course of the meditation,
unwholesome actions are transcended.
e third power that issues from this practice is the ‘power
of habitual antidote,’ or the power of persistent correction, which
refers to the sincere resolve not to repeat the unwholesome actions
one has done in the past. is is the power to refrain from doing
unwholesome actions again in the future.
e fourth power is the ‘power of restoration.’ is refers to
the fact that, insofar as unwholesome actions belong to the level
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