The tantric deity known as the “Diamond Being,” central to Vajrayana purification, is Vajrasattva.
Vajrasattva’s name is formed from vajra, meaning diamond or thunderbolt, and sattva, meaning being or hero. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is especially linked with purification practices that address harmful actions, vows, and obscurations. Practitioners commonly visualize Vajrasattva while reciting his hundred-syllable mantra and making a resolve to avoid repeating harmful conduct.
His imagery usually includes a vajra held near the heart and a bell held at the hip. These objects represent complementary aspects of tantric practice: the vajra is associated with method, indestructibility, and awakened compassion, while the bell represents insight and emptiness. Together they form a visual language shared by Vajrayana ritual and meditation.
Vajrasattva is not the same figure as Vajradhara, the primordial Buddha in several Tibetan traditions, or Vajrapani, the bodhisattva who embodies spiritual power. Vajrayogini is a distinct female tantric deity. Vajrasattva also has an important role in Newar Buddhism, where his hundred-syllable prayer is central to priestly ritual practice.