Vajrayana
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'''Vajrayāna Buddhism''' is also known as '''Tantric Buddhism''', '''Tantrayāna''', '''Mantrayana''', '''Mantranaya''', '''Secret Mantra''', '''Esoteric Buddhism''' and the '''Diamond Vehicle''' ([[Chinese]]: 金剛乘, ''jīngāngshèng'', [[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 金剛乗, ''kongōjō'') although these terms are not always regarded as equivalent<ref>Skilling, ''Mahasutras'', volume I, parts I & II, 1997, Pali Text Society, page 78, speaks of the tantra divisions of some editions of the [[Kangyur]] as including Sravakayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana texts</ref>. It is as an extension of [[Mahayana Buddhism]] since it differs primarily in the adoption of additional techniques ([[upāya]], or 'skillful means') rather than advocating a distinctly separate philosophy. The Mahayana has two practice paths: that of perfecting good qualities and that of taking the intended fruit ([[Buddhahood]]) as the path. In the Vajrayana, the latter path is adopted and this requires [[esoteric]] practices needing [[initiation]] from a skilled spiritual teacher.<ref>Ray, Reginald A. ''Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet''. Shambhala Publications, Boston: 2001</ref>
The Vajrayana is often viewed as the third major [[Yana (Buddhism)|Yana]] (or 'vehicle') of [[Buddhism]], alongside the [[Theravada]] and [[Mahayana]]. According to this view, there were three 'turnings of the wheel of dharma'<Ref>[http://www.kagyuoffice.org/buddhism.3vehicles.html]</Ref>. In the first turning [[Shakyamuni]] Buddha taught the [[dharma]] as the [[Four Noble Truths]] at [[Varanasi]] which led to the [[Hinayana]] schools, of which only the [[Theravada]] remain today (although they object to the term 'Hinayana'). In the second turning the [[Perfection of Wisdom]] sutras were taught at [[Vulture's Peak]] and led to the [[Mahayana]] schools. The teachings which constituted the third turning of the wheel of dharma were taught at [[Shravasti]] and expounded that all beings have [[Buddha Nature]]. This third turning is described as having led to the Vajrayana.
==Sub-schools==
Although there is historical evidence for [[Vajrayana Buddhism in Southeast Asia]] and elsewhere (see '[[Vajrayana#History_of_Vajrayana|History of Vajrayana]]' section below) today the [[Vajrayana]] exists only in the form of two major sub-schools:
=== [[Tibetan Buddhism]]===
{{Tibetan_Buddhism}}
The Tibetan Buddhist schools, based on the lineages and textual traditions of the [[Kangyur]] and [[Tengyur]] of [[Tibet]], are found traditionally in Tibet, [[Buddhism in Bhutan|Bhutan]], northern [[Buddhism in India|India]], [[Buddhism in Nepal|Nepal]], southwestern and northern [[Buddhism in China|China]], [[Buddhism in Mongolia|Mongolia]] and various constituent [[republics]] of [[Buddhism in Russia|Russia]] that are adjacent to the area, such as: [[Amur Oblast]]; [[Buryatia]]; [[Chita Oblast]]; the [[Tuva Republic]] and [[Khabarovsk Krai]]. Tibetan Buddhism is also the main religion in [[Kalmykia]] (another constituent republic of Russia) which has a claim to being the only Buddhist region in Europe, being located in the northern [[Caucasus]].
Buddhism was first established in Tibet in the 8th Century when [[Śāntarakṣita]] was brought to [[Tibet]] from [[India]] at the instigation of [[Trisong Detsen|King Trisong Detsen]], some time before 767 CE. Along with [[Padmasambhava]] he established the [[Nyingma]] school. As a [[Tantra|Tantric]] [[Mahasiddha]] Padmasambhava's contribution ensured that Tibetan Buddhism became part of the Vajrayana tradition. While Vajrayana Buddhism is a part of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], in that it forms a core part of every major Tibetan Buddhist school, it is not identical with it. Buddhist scholar [[Alexander Berzin]] refers to "the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism"<ref>{{cite web | title = Berzin Archives | url = http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/index.html | accessdate = 2008-06-22 }}</ref>. The specifically Vajrayana techniques are seen as providing additional 'skillful means' to the general [[Mahayana]] teachings for somewhat advanced students. The 'skillful means' of the Vajrayana in [[Tibetan Buddhism]], properly speaking, refers to [[Tantra techniques (Vajrayana)|Tantra]], [[Dzogchen]] (maha-ati) and [[Mahamudra]] (Chagchen).
===[[Shingon Buddhism]]===
{{JapaneseBuddhism}}
The Shingon school is found in [[Japan]] and includes many esoteric practices which are similar in concept to those used in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. However, the lineage for Shingon Buddhism is entirely different from that found in the Tibetan Vajrayana, having emerged from [[India]] (via [[China]]) and being based on somewhat earleir versions of the Indian texts than the Tibetan lineage. As a result, Shingon shares much common material with [[Tibetan Buddhism]] - such as the esoteric sutras (called [[Tantras]] in Tibetan Buddhism) and [[mandala]] - but the actual practices are not related. The primary texts of Shingon Buddhism are the [[Mahavairocana Sutra]] and Vajrasekhara sutra. The founder of Shingon Buddhism was [[Kukai]], a Japanese monk who studied in China in the 9th Century during the [[Tang Dynasty]] and brought back Vajrayana scriptures, techniques and mandalas that were popular in China at the time. This lineage of esoteric Buddhism later mostly died out in China towards the end of the [[Tang Dynasty]] but was preserved in Japan and flourished. Shingon is one of the very few remaining branches of Buddhism in the world that continues to use the [[siddham]] script of the [[Sanskrit]] language.
Although the [[Tendai]] school in Japan does employ some esoteric practices they are generally somewhat peripheral and therefore Tendai is not usually seen as a truely esoteric school. However, in what was named by [[Ennin]] as the Tendai [[Taimitsu]] doctrine, the esoteric rituals came to be considered of equal importance with the exoteric teachings of the [[Lotus Sutra]]. Therefore, by chanting [[Mantras]], maintaining [[Mudras]], or performing certain meditations, one is able to see that the sense experiences are the teachings of Buddha, have faith that one is inherently an enlightened being, and one can attain enlightnenment within this very body.
== Nomenclature and etymology ==
Sanskrit: Mantrayana, Vajrayana, <br />
Tibetan: ''rdo rje theg pa''<br />
Japanese: ''mikkyō''<br />
Korean: ''milgyo''<br />
Mongolian: ''очирт хөлгөн, тарнийн ёс, vcirtu kölgen, tarni yin yosu'' <br />
Vietnamese: ''mật tông''<br/>
English: Diamond Path, Indestructible Path, Mantra Method,
The term "[[vajra]]" originally denoted the [[thunderbolt]], a legendary weapon and divine attribute that was made from an [[adamantine]], that is indestructible, substance and which could therefore pierce and penetrate any obstacle or [[obfuscation]]. As a secondary meaning, "vajra" therefore also refers to this indestructible substance, and so is sometimes translated as "adamantine" or "diamond". So the Vajrayana is sometimes rendered in English as "The Adamantine Vehicle" or "The Diamond Vehicle".
A vajra is also a ritual object that is like a small sceptre. It usually takes the form of a bronze rod, like a mace; it has a sphere (and sometimes a [[gankyil]]) at its centre, and a variable number of spokes (depending on the [[sadhana]]), enfolding either end of the rod. The vajra is often traditionally employed in tantric rituals in combination with the [[Bell (instrument)|bell]] or [[ghanta]]; symbolically, the vajra may represent [[upaya|method]] and the bell stands for [[prajna|wisdom]].
==Relationship with Mahayana==
According to [[Tibetan Buddhist]] practitioner and teacher [[Tenzin Palmo]]:<blockquote>
Vajrayana shares its philosophy with [[Mahayana]]. The Vajrayana is not a philosophy. It is a practice technique and a view, or vision. It takes its philosophical stance from the Mahayana. Actually it seems to be a combination of [[Yogachara]] and [[Madhyamaka]] viewpoints.<ref>{{cite book|last=Palmo|first=Tenzin|title=Reflections on a Mountain Lake:Teachings on Practical Buddhism|publisher=Snow Lion Publications|date=2002|pages=p.224|isbn=I-55939-175-8}}</ref>
</blockquote>
While tantra and esoterism distinguish Vajrayana Buddhism, from the Tibetan Buddhist point of view it is a form of [[Mahayana Buddhism]], rooted in the same philosophical approach to [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]'s teachings. [[Sutra]]s important to Mahayana are generally important to Vajrayana, although Vajrayana adds texts of its own, primarily the [[tantras]] (although esoteric texts in [[Shingon]] Buddhism are known as sutras). The importance of [[bodhisattva]]s and a pantheon of deities in Mahayana carries over to Vajrayana, as well as the perspective that Buddhism and Buddhist spiritual practice are not intended just for ordained monks, but for the laity too.
:"Tantra is limited to persons whose compassion is so great that they cannot bear to spend unnecessary time in attaining Buddhahood, as they want to be a supreme source of help and happiness for others quickly", from an oral teaching of H.H. the [[Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama| XIV Dalai Lama]]<ref>quoted in p. 111 of [[Jeffrey Hopkins (Tibetologist)|Jeffrey Hopkins]]'s ''Meditation on Emptiness'', Wisdom Publication, 1996, ISBN 0861711106.</ref>
The Japanese Vajrayana teacher [[Kūkai]] expressed a view that appears contrary to the Tibetan Buddhist perspective as it makes a clear distinction between Mahayana and Vajrayana. Kūkai characterises the Mahayana in its entirety as exoteric, and therefore provisional. From this point of view the esoteric Vajrayana is the only Buddhist teaching which is not a compromise with the limited nature of the audience to which it is directed, since the teachings are said to be the [[Dharmakaya]] (the principle of enlightenment) in the form of [[Mahavairocana]], engaging in a monologue with himself.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} From this view, the Hinayana and Mahayana can be seen as provisional and compromised aspects of the Vajrayana.
Some aspects of Vajrayana have also filtered back into Mahayana. In particular, the Vajrayana fondness for powerful symbols may be found in weakened form in Mahayana temples where [[dharmapala|protector deities]] may be found glaring down at visitors.
==Distinguishing features of Vajrayana==
[[Image:Ladakhceremony.jpg|thumb|A Buddhist ceremony in [[Ladakh]].]]
The goal of spiritual practice within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions is to become a [[Buddhahood|Buddha]] by following the [[bodhisattva]] path, whereas the alternative goal for [[Theravada]] practice is liberation from the cycle of rebirth ([[samsara]]) by achieving [[nirvana]]. In fact the distinction between these traditions is not always rigid. The [[tantra]] sections of the [[Kangyur|Tibetan Buddhist canon of texts]] sometimes include material not usually thought of as tantric outside the [[Tibetan Buddhist]] tradition, such as the [[Heart Sutra]]<ref>Conze, ''The Prajnaparamita Literature''</ref> and even versions of material found in the [[Pali Canon]].<ref>Peter Skilling, ''Mahasutras'', volume I, 1994, [[Pali Text Society]][http://www.palitext.com], Lancaster, page xxiv</ref> For a comparison of the various practices of laypeople in the [[Theravada]], [[Mahayana]] and Vajrayana schools see [[Householder_(Buddhism)#Contemporary Buddhist householder practices|contemporary Buddhist householder practices]].
The Vajrayana is based on the concept of 'skillful means' (Sanskrit: [[upaya]]) as formulated in Mahayana Buddhism. It is a system of [[lineage (Buddhism)|lineages]], whereby those who succesfully receive an initiation (permission to practice) are seen to share in the [[mindstream]] of the realisation of a particular 'skillful means' of the vajra Master. In the Vajrayana these 'skillful means' mainly relate to [[Tantra|tantric]], [[Mahamudra]] or [[Dzogchen]] practices. According to the traditions and lineages, the Vajrayana techniques provide an accelerated path to [[bodhi|enlightenment]] (explained below). Whereas earlier (Theravada and Mahayana) schools might provide ways to achieve [[nirvana]] over the course of many lifetimes, Vajrayana techniques are said to make full enlightenment or [[buddhahood]] possible in a shorter time, perhaps in a single lifetime. Vajrayana teacher [[Tenzin Palmo]] describes the different approaches to Buddhist practice: <blockquote>
According to the Hinayana school of Buddhism, we are trapped in this realm of endless birth, death, rebirth and re-death because we desire things and hold on to them so tightly... The Hinayana school places emphasis on eradicating even the finest roots of our desire. According to the Mahayana, it is because of our ignorance that we are trapped on this wheel... Everything we think reflects a misapprehension of how things really are. Therefore our task is to develop what is called "trancendental wisdom", which will readicate the very roots of our ignorance. According to Vajrayana, we are trapped in this realm of endless birth and death because of our impure perceptions. We believe that what we see is solid, ordinary, and defiled. The antidote to this is to develop pure perception".<ref>{{cite book|last=Palmo|first=Tenzin|title=Reflections on a Mountain Lake:Teachings on Practical Buddhism|publisher=Snow Lion Publications|date=2002|pages=p.223|isbn=1-55939-175-8}}</ref>
</blockquote>
Vajrayana Buddhists do not claim that [[Theravada]] or [[Mahayana]] practices are invalid; on the contrary, the teachings from those traditions are said to lay an essential foundational understanding on which the Vajrayana practices may be built. While the Mahayana and Theravada paths are said to be paths to enlightenment in their own right, the teachings from each of those vehicles must be heeded for the Vajrayana techniques to be effective.
===Purification===
In the Vajrayana, all practices are aimed in some way at purifying the impure perception of the practitioner. These may be [[ngondro]], or preliminary practices, or the more advanced techniques of the [[tantric]] [[sadhana]].
===Tantra techniques===
{{main|Tantra techniques (Vajrayana)}}
According to the Vajrayana tradition,<ref>''Luminous Emptiness.'' 2001. [[Francesca Fremantle]]. Boston: Shambala Publications. ISBN 1-57062-450-X </ref> at certain times the [[bodymind]]<ref>Arpaia, Joseph & D. Lobsang Rapgay (2004). ''Tibetan Wisdom for Modern Life''. Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 81-208-1955-1.</ref> is in a very subtle state which can be used by advanced practitioners to transform the [[mindstream]]. Such [[liminal]] times are known in [[Tibetan Buddhism]] as [[Bardo]] states and include such transistional states as
during meditation, dreaming, sex and death.
====Deity yoga====
Deity yoga (Tibetan: ''lha'i rnal 'byor''; Sanskrit: ''[[Devata]]-[[yoga]]'') is the fundamental Vajrayana practice, often involving a [[sadhana]] liturgy and form, in which the practitioner visualizes themselves as the meditation Buddha or [[yidam]]. The purpose of [[Deity yoga]] is to bring the meditator to the realization that the deity and the practitioner are in essence the same, [[non-dual]]. By visualizing one's self and environment entirely as a projection of mind, it helps the practitioner become familiar with the mind's ability and habit of projecting conceptual layers over all experience. This experience undermines a habitual belief that views of reality and self are solid and fixed. Deity yoga enables the practitioner to release, or 'purify' him or herself from spiritual obscurations (Sanskrit: [[klesha]]) and to practice compassion and wisdom simultaneously.
Beer (2004: p.142) states:
<blockquote>
Deity Yoga employs highly refined techniques of creative imagination, visualisation, and photism in order to self-identify with the divine form and qualities of a particular deity as the union of method or skilful means and wisdom. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, "In brief, the body of a Buddha is attained through meditating on it".<ref>Beer, Robert (2004). ''The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs''. Serindia Publications, Inc. ISBN 1932476105. p.142. Source: [http://books.google.com/books?id=XlqeS3WjSWIC&pg=PA142&lpg=PA142&dq=death+yoga+vajrayana+tibet&source=web&ots=iGZAiL-ZBP&sig=KFghYWnRnJHmCxwnUKpwmYoF1_Y] (accessed: January 9, 2008)</ref>
</blockquote>
'''Four Purities''' (Tibetan: ''yongs su dag pa bzhi''; ''yongs dag bzhi'')<ref>Source: [http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/translation/Tibetan+%2528Transliterated%2529/yongs+dag+bzhi] (accessed: January 3, 2008)</ref> In defining Vajrayana, Yuthok ''et al.'' identify the "Four Purities" which define the principal Tantric methodology of Deity Yoga that distinguishes it from the rest of Buddhism:
<blockquote>
Vajrayana...is a subdivision of Mahayana, which may be divided into Sutrayana and Vajrayana (or Tantrayana). Vajrayana is regarded as a swifter path and is considered superior to Sutrayana. Whereas Sutrayana focuses on the causal method, Vajrayana teaches the Resultant method [sic] because it includes the 'four purities': (1) purity of environment (2) purity of body (3) purity of resources and (4) purity of deeds.<ref>Yuthok, Choedak (1997) p.27. ''Lamdre: Dawn of Enlightenment.'' (Transcribed and edited by Pauline Westwood with valued assistance
from Ot Rastsaphong, Rob Small, Brett Wagland and Whitethorn. Cover Design: Rob Small) Canberra, Australia: Gorum Publications. ISBN 0 9587085 0 9. Source: [http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/lamdre.pdf] (accessed: January 3, 2008) </ref>
</blockquote>
''Kalachakranet'' identifies and defines the "Four Purities" in a complementary though different fashion:
<blockquote>
The main tantric practices can be summarised in the "Four Purities":
:1. Seeing one's body as the body of the deity
:2. Seeing one's environment as the [[pure land]] or [[mandala]] of the deity
:3. Perceiving one's enjoyments as bliss of the deity, free from attachment
:4. Performing one's actions only for the benefit of others (bodhicitta motivation, altruism)<ref>Kalachakranet (2006). ''Tantric Practice''. Source: [http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/tantra_practice.html] (Source: January 3, 2008)</ref>
</blockquote>
'''Imagery and ritual in deity yoga''': representations of the deity, such as a statues ([[murti]]), paintings ([[thangka]]), or [[mandala]], are often employed as an aid to [[visualization]], in Deity yoga. Mandalas are sacred enclosures, [[sacred architecture]] that house and contain the uncontainable essence of a yidam. 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.”
In the same context, all of the ritual in vajrayana practice can be seen as aiding in this process of visualization and identification. The practitioner can use various hand implements such as a vajra, bell, hand-drum ([[damaru]]) or a ritual dagger ([[phurba]]), but also ritual hand gestures ([[mudra]]s) can be made, special chanting techniques can be used, and in elaborate offering rituals or initiations, many more ritual implements and tools are used, each with an elaborate symbolic meaning to create a special environment for practice. Vajrayana has thus become a major inspiration in traditional [[Tibetan art]].
====Guru yoga====
Guru yoga (or 'teacher practice') (Tibetan: ''bla ma'i rnal 'byor'')<ref>[[Patrul Rinpoche|Rinpoche, Patrul]] (author); Brown, Kerry (ed.); and Sharma, Sima (ed.)(1994). ''The Words of My Perfect Teacher'' (Tibetan title: ''kunzang lama'i shelung''). Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. With a forward by the Dalai Lama. San Francisco, California, USA: HarperCollins''Publishers''. ISBN 0-06-066449-5 (cloth: alk. paper). P.416</ref> is a practice that has many variations, but may be understood as a tantric devotional process where the practitioners unite their mindstream with the mindstream of the guru. The guru is engaged as [[yidam]], as a [[nirmanakaya]] manifestation of a [[Buddha (general)|Buddha]]. The process of guru yoga might entail [[visualization]] of a an entire lineage of masters ([[refuge tree]]) as an invocation of the lineage. It usually involves visualization of the guru above or in front of the practitioner. Guru yoga may entail a [[liturgy]] or mantra such as the ''Prayer in Seven Lines'' (Tibetan: ''tshig bdun gsol 'debs'')<ref>[[Patrul Rinpoche|Rinpoche, Patrul]] (author); Brown, Kerry (ed.); and Sharma, Sima (ed.)(1994). ''The Words of My Perfect Teacher'' (Tibetan title: ''kunzang lama'i shelung''). Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. With a forward by the Dalai Lama. San Francisco, California, USA: HarperCollins''Publishers''. ISBN 0-06-066449-5 (cloth: alk. paper). P.442</ref>, an [[evocation]] and [[invocation]] of [[Padmasambhava]], though this is neither necessary nor mandatory.
The Guru or spiritual teacher is essential as a guide during tantric practice, without their example, blessings and grace, genuine progress is held to be impossible for all but the most keen and gifted. Many tantric texts qualify the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharama and Sangha ([[Triratna]]) thus: "Guru is Buddha, Guru is Dharma and Guru is Sangha" to reflect their importance for the disciple. The guru is considered even more compassionate and more potent than the Buddha because we can have a direct relationship with the guru.
====Vows and behaviour====
In general, practitioners of the Vajrayana need to abide by a various vows ([[samaya]]) of behaviour, based on the rules of the [[Pratimoksha]] vows and [[Bodhisattva vows]] for the lower levels of tantras. The special tantric vows need to be kept when practicing the highest levels of tantra (these can vary somewhat depending on the specific practice (for example, the [[Kalachakra]] tantra has its own set of vows).
Apart from many different requirements for a tantric Master, which obviously includes these vows, also proper conduct is especially necessary for a qualified Vajrayana guru. The ''Ornament for the Essence'' of Manjushrikirti states:
:Distance yourself from Vajra Masters who are not keeping the three vows
:who keep on with a root downfall, who are miserly with the Dharma,
:and who engage in actions that should be forsaken.
:Those who worship them go to hell and so on as a result.<ref>Tantric Ethics: An Explanation of the Precepts for Buddhist Vajrayana Practice by Tsongkhapa, ISBN 0-86171-290-0, page 46</ref>
The [[Ngagpa]] [[Yogis]] from the [[Nyingma]] school keep a special lay ordination.
====Death yoga====
Death yoga (or 'death practice') is another important aspect of Tantra techniques. Although it is called Death yoga, most of the practice actually happens during life. It is the accumulation of meditative practice that helps to prepare the practitioner for what they need to do at the time of death. At the time of death the mind is in a state (clear light) that can open the mind to enlightenment, when used very skillfully. It is said that masters like Lama [[Tsong Khapa]] used these techniques to achieve enlightenment during the death process.
Actually, there are three stages at which it is possible to do this; at the end of the death process, during the [[bardo]] (or 'in between period') and during the process of rebirth. During these stages, the mind is in a very subtle state, and an advanced practitioner can use these natural states to make significant progress on the spiritual path. The [[Bardo Thodol|Tibetan Book of the Dead]] is an important commentary for this kind of traditional practice.
This Death yoga should not be confused with normal meditation on death, which is a common practice within Buddhist traditions. In most non-tantra traditions it is done to reduce attachment and desire, and not to use the death process itself as a means to practice.
====Esoteric transmission (initiation) and secrecy====
{{main|Esoteric transmission|Samaya}}
Vajrayana Buddhism is [[esoteric]]. In this context esoteric means that the transmission of certain accelerating factors only occurs directly from teacher to student during an [[initiation]] or [[Empowerment (Tibetan Buddhism)|empowerment]] and cannot be simply learned from a book. 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.<ref>Dhammasaavaka. ''The Buddhism Primer: An Introduction to Buddhism'', p. 79. ISBN 1411663349</ref> In order to engage in Vajrayana practice, a student should have received such an initiation or permission.
Reginald Ray writes that "If these techniques are not practiced properly, practitioners may harm themselves physically and mentally. In order to avoid these dangers, the practice is kept "secret" outside the teacher/student relationship. Secrecy and the commitment of the student to the vajra guru are aspects of the [[samaya]] (Tib. ''damtsig''), or "sacred bond", that protects both the practitioner and the integrity of the teachings."<ref>Ray, Reginald A. ''Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet''. Shambhala Publications, Boston: 2001</ref>
The teachings may also be considered "self-secret" meaning that even if they were to be told directly to a person, that person would not necessarily understand the teachings without proper context. In this way the teachings are "secret" to the minds of those who are not following the path with more than a curious investigation.<ref>Morreale, Don (1998) ''The Complete Guide to Buddhist America'' ISBN 1-57062-270-1 p.215</ref><ref>Trungpa, Chögyam and Chödzin, Sherab (1992) ''The Lion's Roar: An Introduction to Tantra'' ISBN 0-87773-654-5 p. 144</ref>
The esoteric transmission framework can take varying forms. The [[Nyingma]] school of [[Tibetan Buddhism]] uses a method called [[Dzogchen]]. The Tibetan [[Kagyu]] school and the [[Shingon]] school in Japan use an alternative method called [[Mahamudra]].
====Generation and completion stage practice in the annutarayoga tantras====
{{main|Generation stage}} {{main|Completion stage}}
In the highest class of tantra, two stages of practice are distinguished. In the first stage of generation, one practices oneself in the identification with the meditational Buddha ([[yidam]]), generally until one can meditate single-pointedly on 'being' the deity (see above deity yoga). In the next stage of completion, one engages in practices with the subtle energy system of the body ([[chakra]]s and energy channels etc.) to actualize the physical and mental transformation into the meditation Buddha. (Similar practices are also found in [[Hinduism|Hindu]] tantra and yoga.)
In some Buddhist tantras, both stages can be practiced simultaneously, whereas in others, one first actualizes the generation stage before continuing with the completion stage practices.
Details of these practices are normally only explained to practitioners by their teachers after receiving an initiation or 'permission to practice'.
==Classifications of tantra==
===New Translation Schools' tantric classification===
The [[Sarma]] or New Translation schools of Tibetan Buddhism ([[Gelug]], [[Sakya]], and [[Kagyu]]) divide the Tantras into four hierarchical categories, namely,
* [[Kriyayoga]]
* [[Charyayoga]]
* [[Yogatantra]]
* [[Anuttarayogatantra]]
** further divided into "mother", "father" and "non-dual" tantras.
===Ancient Translation School tantric classification===
A different division is used by the [[Nyingma]] or Ancient school:
* Three [[Outer Tantras]]:
** Kriyayoga
** Charyayoga
** Yogatantra
* Three [[Inner Tantras]], which correspond to the Anuttarayogatantra:
** [[Mahayoga]]
** [[Anuyoga]]
** [[Atiyoga]] (Tib. ''[[Dzogchen]]'')
*** The practice of Atiyoga is further divided into three classes: Mental [[Semde|SemDe]], Spatial [[Longde|LongDe]], and Esoteric Instructional [[MenNgagDe]].
===Classifications and numerology===
Numbers, numerology and the spirituality of numerals is key to the [[Twilight language]] and endemic to Vajrayana as it is throughout [[Indian religions]]. Numbers that are particularly frequent in classification are three, five and nine:
As Bucknell, ''et al.'' (1986: p.110) state <ref>Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4</ref>:
<blockquote>
The fivefold classification presented in the ''tantras'' is remarkably comprehensive, embracing objects of every conceivable type; it includes the infamous set of 'five Ms' (fish, meat, wine, ''mudrā'', sexual intercourse) and even a set of five 'body fluids' faeces, urine, blood, semen, flesh.<ref>On the 'five Ms', see Benjamin Walker, ''The Hindu World'', vol. I (New York: Praeger, 1968), p.221; on the five 'body-fluids' see Elder, 'Problems of Language in Buddhist Tantra', pp.241 - 2.</ref> In addition it includes sets of doctrinal principles, such as the five ''skandhas'' (factors of existence), the four ''kāyas'' (Buddha-bodies) and the triad ''prajña'', ''upāya'', ''bodhicitta'' (wisdom, means, enlightenment-mind). For example, ''prajña'', ''upāya'', and ''bodhicitta'' are identified with the triads female/male/union, Amitābha/Akṣobhya/Vairocana, and so on, and are thus implicitly assigned to the water, fire, and space groups respectively.<ref>See Wayman, 'Female Energy and Symbolism', pp. 89-90; also Snellgrove, ''The Hevajra Tantra'' vol. I, p.27.</ref>
</blockquote>
==History of Vajrayana==
{{Buddhism}}
===India===
There are differing views as to where Vajrayana began. Some believe it originated in [[Bengal]],<ref>Banerjee, S. C. ''Tantra in Bengal: A Study in Its Origin, Development and Influence''. Manohar. ISBN 8185425639.</ref> now divided between the [[India|Republic of India]] and [[Bangladesh]], with others claiming it began in [[Udyana|Uddiyana]], located by some scholars in the modern day [[Swat (Pakistan)|Swat Valley]] in [[Pakistan]], or in [[South India]]. In the Tibetan tradition, it is claimed that the historical Shakyamuni Buddha taught tantra, but as these are 'secret' teachings outside the teacher/disciple relationship, they were written down generally long after the Buddha's other teachings, known as [[sutras]].
The earliest texts appeared around the early 4th century.
[[Nalanda|Nalanda University]] in northern India became a center for the development of Vajrayana theory, although it is likely that the university followed, rather than led, the early Tantric movement. India would continue as the source of leading-edge Vajrayana practices up through the 11th century.
(Vajrayana) Buddhism had mostly died out in [[India]] by the 13th century, and tantric religions of Buddhism and Hinduism were also experiencing pressure from invading Islamic armies. By that time, the vast majority of the practices were also made available in Tibet, where they were preserved until recently.
In the second half of the 20th century a sizable number of Tibetan exiles fled the oppressive, anti-religious rule of the [[PRC|Communist Chinese]] to establish Tibetan Buddhist communities in northern India, particularly around [[Dharamsala]]. They remain the primary practitioners of Tantric Buddhism in India and the entire world.
===China===
Vajrayana followed the same route into northern [[China]] as [[Buddhism]] itself, arriving from [[India]] via the [[Silk Road]] some time during the first half of the 7th century. It arrived just as Buddhism was reaching its zenith in China, receiving sanction from the emperors of the [[Tang Dynasty]]. The Tang capital at [[Chang'an]] (modern-day [[Xi'an]]) became an important center for Buddhist studies, and Vajrayana ideas (東密) no doubt received great attention as pilgrim monks returned from India with the latest texts and methods (see [[Buddhism in China]], ''[[Journey to the West]]'').
===Tibet and other Himalayan kingdoms===
[[Image:Young Monk in Shalu Monastery Shigatse Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006.jpg|thumb|Young Monk in Shalu Monastery, [[Shigatse]], [[Tibet]]]]
In 747 the Indian master [[Padmasambhava]] traveled from [[Afghanistan]] to bring Vajrayana Buddhism to [[Tibet]] and [[Bhutan]], at the request of the king of Tibet. This was the original transmission which anchors the lineage of the [[Nyingma]] school. During the 11th century and early 12th century a second important transmission occurred with the lineages of [[Atisa]], [[Marpa]] and [[Brogmi]], giving rise to the other schools of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], namely [[Kadam]], [[Kagyu]], [[Sakya]], and [[Geluk]] (the school of the [[Dalai Lama]]).
===Japan===
In 804, [[Emperor Kammu]] sent the intrepid monk [[Kūkai]] to the [[Tang Dynasty]] capital at [[Chang'an]] (present-day [[Xi'an]]) to retrieve the latest Buddhist knowledge. Kūkai absorbed the Vajrayana thinking (東密) and synthesized a version which he took back with him to Japan, where he founded the [[Shingon]] school of Buddhism, a school which continues to this day.
===Malay Archipelago===
In the late 8th century, Indian models of Vajrayana traveled directly to the island of [[Java (island)|Java]] and [[Sumatra]] in the Malay Archipelago where a huge temple complex at [[Borobudur]] was soon built. The empire of [[Srivijaya]] was a centre of Vajrayana learning and [[Atisha]] studied there under [[Serlingpa]], an eminent Buddhist scholar and a prince of the Srivijayan ruling house. Through the early economic relationships with the [[Srivijaya|Srivijaya Empire]] based on Sumatra, the Philippines came under the influence of the Vajrayana religion. Vajrayana Buddhism survived in both islands as well as the [[Malay Peninsula]] until eclipsed by [[Islam]] in the late 13th century and early 14th century.
===Mongolia===
In the 13th century, long after the original wave of Vajrayana Buddhism had died out in China itself, two eminent Tibetan Sakyapa teachers, [[Sakya Pandita|Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen]] and [[Chogyal Phagpa]], visited the [[Mongolia]]n royal court. In a competition between [[Christian]]s, [[Muslims]], and Buddhists held before the royal court, [[Prince Godan]] found [[Tibetan Buddhism]] to be the most satisfactory and adopted it as his personal religion, although not requiring it of his subjects. As [[Kublai Khan]] had just conquered China (establishing the [[Yuan Dynasty]]), his adoption of Vajrayana led to the renewal of Tantric practices in China as the ruling class found it useful to emulate their leader.
Vajrayana would decline in China and Mongolia with the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, to be replaced by resurgent [[Daoism]], [[Confucianism]], and [[Pure Land Buddhism]]. However, Mongolia would see yet another revival of Vajrayana in the 17th century, with the establishment of ties between the [[Dalai Lama]] in Tibet and the Mongolian princedoms. This revived the historic pattern of the spiritual leaders of Tibet acting as priests to the rulers of the [[Mongol empire]]. Tibetan Buddhism is still practiced as a folk religion in Mongolia today despite more than 65 years of state-sponsored communism.
==See also==
* [[Buddhism in Bhutan]]
* [[Buddhism in Russia]]
* [[:Category:Tibetan Buddhist teachers|Tibetan Buddhist teachers]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* ''Tantric Ethics: An Explanation of the Precepts for Buddhist Vajrayana Practice'' by Tson-Kha-Pa, ISBN 0-86171-290-0
* ''Perfect Conduct: Ascertaining the Three Vows'' by Ngari Panchen, Dudjom Rinpoche, ISBN 0-86171-083-5
* ''Buddhist Ethics (Treasury of Knowledge)'' by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, ISBN 1-55939-191-X
* ''Āryadeva's Lamp that Integrates the Practices (Caryāmelāpakapradīpa): The Gradual Path of Vajrayāna Buddhism according to the Esoteric Community Noble Tradition'', ed. and trans by Christian K. Wedemeyer (New York: AIBS/Columbia Univ. Press, 2007). ISBN 978-0-9753734-5-3
==External links==
* [http://www.berzinarchives.com The Berzin archive.] Archive on texts and teachings of Vajrayana, Tibetan Buddhism, Islam and Bon
* [http://www.simhas.org/tibetbuddhism.html History of Tibetan Buddhism and the Vajrayana in Tibet (a Karma Kagyu web site)]
* [http://www.kheper.net/topics/Buddhism/tantra.html Love and Passion in Tantric Buddhist Art]
* [http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/index.html Kalachakranet]
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