Vajrasattva

From TSL Encyclopedia

Vajrasattva may refer to:

(1) One of the Dhyani Buddhas

Main article: Vajrasattva (Dhyani Buddha)

Vajrasattva is a divine being who embodies the quintessence of the diamond nature. His name has been variously translated as “Diamond Being,” “Diamond Nature,” “the Indestructible-minded One” or “the Adamantine.” Some consider him to be a Buddha, some a Bodhisattva.

In certain sects Vajrasattva is the Lord Supreme, the Primordial Enlightened One, the Adi-Buddha (the self-existent, unoriginated source of Universal Mind), while in others he is the first emanation of the Adi-Buddha.

Vajrasattva is believed to preside over the Five Dhyani Buddhas and unifies within himself the five Buddha families, which they represent. Others believe Vajrasattva is an aspect of the Dhyani Buddha Akshobhya, the part of Akshobhya’s being that is turned toward the world. He is sometimes combined with Akshobhya into one being, whose name is Vajrasattva-Akshobhya.


(2) A state of attainment that may be reached by one who is close to liberation, or nirvana.

Followers of the Vajrayana school of Buddhism seek to become a Vajrasattva, a diamond-souled transcendental being. In Tibetan tradition, the Vajrasattva is the “Diamond Heart,” the heart of the First Logos, or Vajradhara, who sent his heart into the manifest world.

See also

Five Dhyani Buddhas

Sources

Pearls of Wisdom, vol. 32, no. 59, December 6, 1989.