What is Vajrayana? 2, June 2009. Sanderson, Alexis. 129-131. Huiguo was the first person to gather the still scattered elements . [17], The Guhyasamja is a Mahayoga class of Tantra, which features forms of ritual practice considered "left-hand" (vamachara) such as the use of taboo substances like alcohol, consort practices, and charnel ground practices which evoke wrathful deities. And as far as different types of Buddhism go, Vajrayana is one of the most unique. [50] However the practitioner of the mantra still has to adhere to the vows of the Bodhisattva.[50]. Buddhism is variously understood as a religion, a philosophy, or a set of beliefs and practices based on the teachings of the Buddha, or "Awakened One"the title given to the Indian spiritual seeker Siddhartha Gautama after he attained enlightenment more than 2,600 years ago. On Esoteric or Tantric Buddhism - benebell wen License. Nevertheless, it weakens the effectiveness of our tantric practice. In the modern era it has spread outside of Asia due to the efforts of the Tibetan diaspora (1959 onwards). The translated texts regularly tried to imitate the originals as closely as possible as scholars Forrest E. Baird and Raeburne S. Heimbeck note: Undeniably the text [of these works] exhibits some of the trappings of an Indian Buddhist text, including many Sanskrit technical terms and doctrines of Indian origin. rlung), "drops" or charged particles (Skt. The practice of ingestion of sexual fluids is mentioned by numerous tantric commentators, sometimes euphemistically referring to the penis as the "vajra" and the vagina as the "lotus". [58] Judith Simmer-Brown notes the importance of the psycho-physical experiences arising in sexual yoga, termed "great bliss" (mahasukha): "Bliss melts the conceptual mind, heightens sensory awareness, and opens the practitioner to the naked experience of the nature of mind. [52] Many techniques are also commonly said to be secret, but some Vajrayana teachers have responded that secrecy itself is not important and only a side-effect of the reality that the techniques have no validity outside the teacher-student lineage. Becoming the Buddha: The Four Sights and the Great Renunciation Band II. Thus he concludes: The Buddhist-Kapalika connection is more complex than a simple process of religious imitation and textual appropriation. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. The creation of an environment of worship was essential. Therefore the lotus seat is supreme: filled with a mixture of semen and uterine blood, one should especially kiss it, and lolling with the tongue take it up. 05 Jul 2023. Proper conduct is considered especially necessary for a qualified Vajrayana guru. "[59] This tantric experience is not the same as ordinary self-gratifying sexual passion since it relies on tantric meditative methods using the illusory body and visualizations as well as the motivation for enlightenment. Mantras are words, phrases or a collection of syllables used for a variety of meditative, magical and ritual ends. Tibetan Buddhism | Britannica Esoteric Buddhism is generally classified under the Great Vehicle (Mahayana) Buddhism. Theravada (Pali: "Way of the Elders"), or Sthaviravada (Sanskrit), emerged as one of the Hinayana (Sanskrit: "Lesser Vehicle") schools, traditionally numbered at 18, of early Buddhism. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Osto, Douglas. Kings of Brightness, or My, are among the Buddhist deities imported from China to Japan as part of the pantheon of Esoteric Buddhism in the early ninth century. There is even direct borrowing of passages from Shaiva texts. In the Hevajra, "killing" is defined as developing concentration by killing the life-breath of discursive thoughts. During the Vedic Period (c. 1500 - c. 500 BCE) in India, the belief system known as Sanatan Dharma ("Eternal Order"), better known as Hinduism, developed from earlier beliefs through the written works known as the Vedas which preserved a much older oral tradition. Although the Tendai school in China and Japan does employ some esoteric practices, these rituals came to be considered of equal importance with the exoteric teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Adherents of Esoteric Buddhist schools claim a special knowledge, distinct from other schools, better able to advance their spiritual goals but, at the same time, recognize that their school is only one aspect of Ekayana ("One Vehicle" or "One Path") in which all Buddhist schools participate, and what is most important is not which school one chooses to belong to but how one chooses to live the Buddhist principle of universal compassion and enlightened detachment in the best way possible. The possessors of this wand are called Vajrapani." (HPB, "Theosophical Glossary" p. 359) Entering the Dharmadhtu: A Study of the Shingon | Definition & Facts | Britannica [56], Vajrayna rituals also include sexual yoga, union with a physical consort as part of advanced practices. World History Encyclopedia. Among the traditional Buddhist thinkers of Japan, and perhaps even of the whole of East Asia, he is one of the most systematic and philosophical. (530). Vajrayana | Buddhism | Britannica [113][114], Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism may have also reached the Philippines, possibly establishing the first form of Buddhism in the Philippines. Since the ultimate state is in some sense non-dual, a practitioner can approach that state by "transcending attachment to dual categories such as pure and impure, permitted and forbidden". Buddha Sculpture in AjantaJean-Pierre Dalbra (CC BY). Thus, our use of the anglicised adjective Tantric for the Buddhist religion taught in Tantras is not native to the tradition, but is a borrowed term which serves its purpose.[120]. Ray, Reginald A. Buddhism and Eastern religions - Wikipedia What makes Vajrayana Buddhism so special is its approach to rapid enlightenment through the use of tantrasmystical texts that date back to the 6th century BCE. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Esoteric_Buddhism/. Tibetan Buddhist Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo (10121088) held that the views of sutra such as Madhyamaka were inferior to that of tantra, which was based on basic purity of ultimate reality. According to Vajrayna scriptures, the term Vajrayna refers to one of three vehicles or routes to enlightenment, the other two being the rvakayna (also known pejoratively as the Hnayna) and Mahyna (a.k.a. [62] The Candamaharosana Tantra (viii:2930) states: Women are heaven, women are the teaching (dharma) JIATS, no. Likewise, the drinking of sexual fluids was also reinterpreted by later commentators to refer illusory body anatomy of the perfection stage practices. Snellgrove, David. According to this schema, Indian Mahayana revealed two vehicles (yana) or methods for attaining enlightenment: the method of the perfections (Paramitayana) and the method of mantra (Mantrayana). Chinese Esoteric Buddhism - Wikipedia The tantra literature, however, says that the Mantrayana leads one to Buddhahood in a single lifetime. "[74] Divine pride is different from common pride because it is based on compassion for others and on an understanding of emptiness. [16] Other early tantras include the Mahvairocana Abhisabodhi and the Guhyasamja (Gathering of Secrets). Buddhism - Ineffable Experience, Flame Going Out, and Polarity Davidson, Ronald M. Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement, p. 214. The Cakrasamvara Tantra commentator Kambala, writing about this practice, states: The seats are well-known on earth to be spots within the lotus mandala; by abiding within it there is great bliss, the royal nature of nondual joy. Vajrayana - Wikipedia pp 147. A mantra (literally "spell" or "charm") is recited to clear and protect the mind from illusion. The terminology associated with Vajrayana Buddhism can be confusing. In the completion stage, the divine image along with the illusory body is applied to the realization of luminous emptiness. Help us and translate this definition into another language! Thus the influence was both sustained and reciprocal, even in those places where Buddhist and Kapalika siddhas were in extreme antagonism. Shankaras doctrine relied on an adherent accepting a program based on revelation of ultimate reality. Mark, J. J. Buddhist tantra has survived in modern Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, in various Japanese traditions such as Shingon, and in the Newar Buddhism of the Kathmandu Valley. Tokyo: Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. "[31] Davidson further adds that like the Buddhists, the Shaiva tradition was also involved in the appropriation of Hindu and non-Hindu deities, texts and traditions, an example being "village or tribal divinities like Tumburu".[32]. The Chinese term m ("secret, esoteric") is a translation of the Sanskrit term Guhya ("secret, hidden, profound, abstruse"). The belief system is open only to those who feel called to follow it and are willing to submit themselves to instruction by a master. The dating of the tantras is "a difficult, indeed an impossible task" according to David Snellgrove. [34], According to several Buddhist tantras as well as traditional Tibetan Buddhist sources, the tantras and the Vajrayana was taught by the Buddha Shakyamuni, but only to some individuals. In tantric deity yoga, mantras or bijas are used during the ritual evocation of deities which are said to arise out of the uttered and visualized mantric syllables. There are two parts to it: the Exoteric and the Esoteric Buddhism. Submitted by Joshua J. In Vajrayna, symbols, and terms are multi-valent, reflecting the microcosm and the macrocosm as in the phrase "As without, so within" (yatha bahyam tatha dhyatmam iti) from Abhayakaragupta's Nispannayogavali. Shingon Buddhism - Encyclopedia of Buddhism Shankara attacked Buddhist thought for its denial of the atman, but his understanding of liberation through oneness of the atman with Brahman is similar to the Buddhist concept of attaining nirvana through non-attachment. Hamburg. In 1224, the medieval Japanese scholar-monk Dhan (1179-1252) composed The Compendium on Esoteric Mindfulness of Buddha (Himitsu nenbutsu sh), which begins with another seemingly simple question: Why is it that practitioners of mantra and meditation rely on the recitation of the name of the Buddha Amitbha? Another distinctive feature of Tantric Buddhism is its unique and often elaborate rituals. Javanese masters of Esoteric Buddhism The diffusion of Esoteric Buddhism in the region began with the arrival of Buddhist monks in the 7th century, such as the Chinese Yijing or the Indians Dharmaruci and Vajrabodhi. Another fundamental theory of Tantric practice is that of transformation. [35][36] There are several stories and versions of how the tantras were disseminated. rdo rje theg pa) and Secret mantra (Skt. By recognizing this, and following a path of non-attachment, one could attain nirvana ("liberation") at ones death, freeing the self from samsara and attendant suffering. Most of the terms originated in the Sanskrit language of tantric Indian Buddhism and may have passed through other cultures, notably those of Japan and Tibet, before translation for the modern reader. [89], Vajrayna texts exhibit a wide range of literary characteristicsusually a mix of verse and prose, almost always in a Sanskrit that "transgresses frequently against classical norms of grammar and usage," although also occasionally in various Middle Indic dialects or elegant classical Sanskrit. It is also symbolic of the power of tantric methods to achieve its goals. Snellgrove, David. Sanderson, Alexis; Vajrayana:, Origin and Function, 1994. For the equivalent Sanskrit tntrika is found, but not in Buddhist texts. Esoteric Christianity also embraces such falsehoods as astral projection and reincarnation. Because some practices subverted mainstream Buddhism and Hinduism, engaging in acts otherwise considered taboo, its practitioners were secretive. According to Schumann, a movement called Sahaja-siddhi developed in the 8th century in Bengal. Sanderson, Alexis. [84], A vajra is also a scepter-like ritual object (Standard Tibetan: dorje), which has a sphere (and sometimes a gankyil) at its centre, and a variable number of spokes, 3, 5 or 9 at each end (depending on the sadhana), enfolding either end of the rod. In the book The World of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama describes mandalas thus: "This is the celestial mansion, the pure residence of the deity." [67] Padmavajra (c 7th century) explains in his Tantrarthavatara Commentary, the secret Body, Speech, and Mind of the Buddhas are:[68], These elements are brought together in the practice of tantric deity yoga, which involves visualizing the deity's body and mandala, reciting the deity's mantra and gaining insight into the nature of things based on this contemplation. Becoming a Buddha - Tricycle: The Buddhist Review Vajrayna practices are connected to specific lineages in Buddhism, through the teachings of lineage holders. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! New Delhi, AES. Shingon Buddhism - Wikipedia [117] This form of Buddhism declined after the rise of Southeast Asian Buddhist modernism. [citation needed]. Adherents must submit to the discipline of a teacher who encourages transformation and empowerment by the transmission of secret knowledge. There are four major traditions or schools: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug. Advanced tantric practices such as deity yoga are taught in the context of an initiation ceremony by tantric gurus or vajracharyas (vajra-masters) to the tantric initiate, who also takes on formal commitments or vows (samaya). The doctrine of Buddha-nature, as outlined in the Ratnagotravibhga of Asanga, was also an important theory which became the basis for Tantric views. Buddhism - National Geographic Society The Bodhisattva-path is an integral part of the Vajrayna, which teaches that all practices are to be undertaken with the motivation to achieve Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Wayman, Alex; The Buddhist Tantras: Light on Indo-Tibetan Esotericism, Routledge, (2008), page 19. Williams, Wynne, Tribe; Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition, page 205-206. S. C. Banerji, Tantra in Bengal: A Study of Its Origin, Development and Influence, Manohar (1977) (2nd ed. What, if anything, is Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism? Shugend was founded in 7th-century Japan by the ascetic En no Gyja, based on the Queen's Peacocks Sutra. Kings of Brightness in Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Art Their rites involved the conjunction of sexual practices and Buddhist mandala visualization with ritual accoutrements made from parts of the human body, so that control may be exercised over the forces hindering the natural abilities of the siddha to manipulate the cosmos at will. "[44] As Snellgrove notes, this idea is already present in Asanga's Mahayana-sutra-alamkara-karika and therefore it is possible that he was aware of Tantric techniques, including sexual yoga. We contribute a share of our revenue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we offset our team's carbon footprint. These include mantras, mandalas, mudras, deity yoga, other visualization based meditations, illusory body yogas like tummo and rituals like the goma fire ritual. In the pre-modern era, Tibetan Buddhism spread outside of Tibet primarily due to the influence of the Mongol Yuan dynasty (12711368), founded by Kublai Khan, which ruled China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia. (1987) Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists and their Tibetan successors. There is an extended body of texts associated with Buddhist Tantra, including the "tantras" themselves, tantric commentaries and shastras, sadhanas (liturgical texts), ritual manuals (Chinese: ; Pinyin: Ygu; Rmaji: Giki), dharanis, poems or songs (dohas), termas and so on. Women are the Perfection of Wisdom. Women are the Buddha, women are the Sangha It has also spread to Western countries and there are now international networks of Tibetan Buddhist temples and meditation centers in the Western world from all four schools. The mystical tendency that Buddhism inherited from Indian religion became increasingly pronounced. The texts called tantras began to appear in India in the late seventh and early eighth centuries CE, often written in a nonstandard Sanskrit. Garson, Nathaniel DeWitt; Penetrating the Secret Essence Tantra: Context and Philosophy in the Mahayoga System of rNying-ma Tantra, 2004, p. 37. The premise is that since we innately have an enlightened mind, practicing seeing the world in terms of ultimate truth can help us to attain our full Buddha-nature. [83], The Sanskrit term "vajra" denoted a thunderbolt like a legendary weapon and divine attribute that was made from an adamantine, or an indestructible substance which could, therefore, pierce and penetrate any obstacle or obfuscation. [web 2] "Explaining general tantra theory in a scholarly manner, not sufficient for practice, is likewise not a root downfall. The arrival of Buddhism forced Taoism to renew and restructure itself into a more organized religion, while . Promoters of Esoteric Christianity . As with the Mahayana, motivation is a vital component of Vajrayna practice. Understanding Types of Buddhism: A Go-To Guide - Mindvalley Blog Taoism in its early form was a mixture of early mythology, folk religion, and Taoist philosophy. Shingon - Buddhism - Oxford Bibliographies Esoteric Buddhist Ritual Objects of the Kory Dynasty (936-1392)", "IDP Database - Dalton_vanSchaik_2005 Catalogue Overview", Learn how and when to remove this template message, Basic points unifying Theravda and Mahyna, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vajrayana&oldid=1161969087, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2012, Articles containing Sanskrit-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Articles containing Standard Tibetan-language text, Wikipedia spam cleanup from February 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0. dissertation, Oxford, Trinity Term 2001 pg 8, "Epigraphical evidence for the cult of Mahpratisar in the Philippines", "Seeing Chen-Yen Buddhism: Traditional Scholarship and the Vajrayna in China", "Research Review of Bai Esoteric Buddhist Azhali Religion Since the 20th Century", "Georgieva-Russ, Nelly. Buddhism | Definition, Beliefs, Origin, Systems, & Practice The Five Tathagatas or 'Five Buddhas', along with the figure of the Adi-Buddha, are central to many Vajrayana mandalas as they represent the "five wisdoms", which are the five primary aspects of primordial wisdom or Buddha-nature.[88]. Tibetan Buddhism also includes numerous native Tibetan developments, such as the tulku system, new sadhana texts, Tibetan scholastic works, Dzogchen literature and Terma literature. The importance of the theory of emptiness is central to the Tantric Buddhist view and practice. Scholars Robert E. Buswell, Jr. and Donald S. Lopez, Jr. comment: In Buddhism, the term tantra generally refers to a text that contains esoteric teachings, often ascribed to Sakyamuni or another buddha. The REAL Esoteric Buddhism - T H E O S O P H Y Williams, Wynne, Tribe; Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition, pages 198, 231. The retreat has largely been given up by Mahayana Buddhists. Williams, Wynne, Tribe; Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition, page 202. Secret of the Vajra World, The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet, Shambala, page 218. The Jana Tilaka Tantra, for example, has the Buddha state that the tantras will be explained by the bodhisattva Vajrapani. "[87], Mandalas are also sacred enclosures, sacred architecture that house and contain the uncontainable essence of a central deity or yidam and their retinue. Davidson, Ronald M. Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement, p. 228, 231. Cozort, Daniel; Highest Yoga Tantra, page 57. Garson, Nathaniel DeWitt; Penetrating the Secret Essence Tantra: Context and Philosophy in the Mahayoga System of rNying-ma Tantra, 2004, p. 42. [85], Representations of the deity, such as statues (murti), paintings (thangka), or mandala, are often employed as an aid to visualization, in deity yoga. During the initiation procedure in the highest class of tantra (such as the Kalachakra), students must take the tantric vows which commit them to such secrecy. (1987) Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists and their Tibetan successors. Shingon, (Japanese: "True Word") branch of Vajrayana ( Tantric, or Esoteric) Buddhism that has had a considerable following in Japan since its introduction from China, where it was called Zhenyan ("True Word"), in the 9th century. [66], According to Indologist Alex Wayman, Buddhist esotericism is centered on what is known as "the three mysteries" or "secrets": the tantric adept affiliates his body, speech, and mind with the body, speech, and mind of a Buddha through mudra, mantras and samadhi respectively. The special tantric vows vary depending on the specific mandala practice for which the initiation is received and also depending on the level of initiation. 174-5. He notes that the anxiety of figures like Atisa towards these practices, and the stories of Virpa and Maitripa being expelled from their monasteries for performing them, shows that supposedly celibate monastics were undertaking these sexual rites. Esoteric Buddhism is the mystical interpretation and practice of the belief system founded by the Buddha (known as Sakyamuni Buddha, l. c. 563 - c. 483 BCE). Those who worship them go to hell and so on as a result. Women indeed are the highest austerity (tapas) For example, the tantra sections of the Tibetan Buddhist canon of texts sometimes include material not usually thought of as tantric outside the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, such as the Heart Sutra[95] and even versions of some material found in the Pali Canon.[96][a]. Indian Buddhist tantric traditions given to Tibet, Bhutan, and East Asia, "Esoteric Buddhism" redirects here. Today, esoteric traditions are deeply embedded in mainstream Chinese Buddhism and expressed through various rituals which make use of tantric mantra and dhra and the veneration of certain tantric deities like Cundi and Acala. Tibetan Buddhism reflects the later stages tantric Indian Buddhism of the post-Gupta Early Medieval period (500 to 1200 CE). The monks of the Sri Lankan, Abhayagiri vihara once practiced forms of tantra which were popular in the island. pp.2349. Put another way, the schools of Buddhism associated with Vajrayana -- chiefly the schools of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the Japanese school of Shingon -- are all sects of Mahayana that employ an esoteric path of tantra to realize enlightenment. The Tibetan Buddhist tradition is today found in Tibet, Bhutan, northern India, Nepal, southwestern and northern China, Mongolia and various constituent republics of Russia that are adjacent to the area, such as Amur Oblast, Buryatia, Chita Oblast, the Tuva Republic and Khabarovsk Krai.
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