Vajrasattva Basics

Vajrasattva with Consort, Heruka (Tibetan: dor je sem pa yab yum. En !ish: Vajra Hero, "ather# $other%: a Vajrayana meditationa! deity enera!!y re!ated to the process o& 'nuttarayo a initiation and empowerment ritua!s (wan kur, abhisheka% and a meditationa! deity speci&ica!!y used &or the puri&ication o& sins and de&i!ements within the practice systems o& major Tantric cyc!es such as (uhyasamaja, Hevajra and Chakrasamvara. ()ee Vajrasattva $ain *a e and the Vajrasattva +ut!ine *a e%.

)anskrit: Vajrasattva Tibetan: ,or je sem pa

-n the .ew ()arma% )choo!s o& Tibetan Buddhism Vajrasattva with consort arises &rom the c!ass o& 'nuttarayo a Tantra. -n the Chakrasamvara cyc!e o& Tantras Vajrasattva is speci&ica!!y tau ht in the 'bhidhanottara Tantra, /0th chapter, and is known as Heruka Vajrasattva.

1...the bha avan Vajrasattva )hri Heruka, with a body white in co!our, one &ace, two hands ho!din a vajra and be!! embracin the $other. 'dorned with si2 bone ornaments, seated with the !e s in vajra posture, with the 3ord o& the "ami!y as a crown # the same in appearance. -n the !ap is the $other Vajra arvi, with a body white in co!our, ho!din a curved kni&e and sku!!cup, adorned with &ive bone ornaments, in union.1 ()akya !itur y%.

The name o& the &ema!e consort can vary between Tantra systems dependin on the Tantra source !iterature and the speci&ic description.

't the top center is 4e Tson kapa with (ya!tsab seated on the !e&t and 5hedrub seated on the ri ht side.

,escendin on the viewer6s !e&t side are the two meditationa! deities 'kshobhyavajra (uhyasamaja and Vajrabhairava. ,escendin on the ri ht is the meditationa! deity Chakrasamvara. Be!ow that is )hadbhuja $ahaka!a with one &ace and si2 hands.

't the bottom center is the wor!d!y protector ,amchen (arwa .a po, the B!acksmith. +n the !e&t is 7ama ,harmaraja and on the ri ht Vaishravana 8idin a 3ion.

,epictions o& Vajrasattva in scu!pture and paintin are common!y con&used with the simi!ar deities Vajradhara, Vajrapani, Vajravidarana, the "ive )ymbo!ic Buddhas in )ambho akaya &orm, and others. -n a number o& 7o a Tantra e2amp!es the &orm o& Vajrapani, in the )arvadur ati *arishodhana Tantra system, appears e2act!y the same as the typica! 6)o!itary Hero6 Vajrasattva. ' scu!pture o& the primordia! Buddha Vajradhara has the e2act same physica! icono raphic appearance as Heruka Vajrasattva # a!so depicted with the two hands ho!din a vajra and be!! crossed in embrace ho!din the consort. -n paintin s the Heruka Vajrasattva wou!d be painted white whi!e the Vajradhara &orm a!ways appears b!ue in co!our. -n physica! appearance Vajrasattva and Vajravidarana are on!y di&&erent because Vajrasattva ho!ds a sin !e vajra scepter whi!e Vajravidarana ho!ds a doub!e vajra scepter. Vajravidarana can a!so appear in either a white, reen or b!ue &orm.

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