VAJRASATTVA (Tibetan, Rdo rje sems dpa' [Dorjé Sempa]; Chinese, Jingang sadou; Japanese, Kongōsatta), the "Adamantine Being," is a bodhisattva affiliated primarily with the Buddha Akṣobhya (Unshakeable) but in many contexts is identified conceptually with Vajradhara (Vajra Holder). Vajrasattva is traditionally depicted iconographically as white in color with one face and two hands. In his right hand he holds close to his heart a vajra (thunderbolt), representing the active means toward enlightenment, and in his left hand beside his left hip an upturned bell (ghaṇṭā), a symbol of emptiness (śūnyata) and the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā). Lavishly attired in the colorful garments of a princely bodhisattva, he sits with legs crossed in the vajra posture (vajrāsana) on a moon disk above a white lotus blossom. In some cases he is shown sitting with his right leg outstretched, and in others he is standing. He...