Tantra techniques (Vajrayana)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007)

Tantra techniques in Vajrayana Buddhism are techniques used to attain Buddhahood. Vajrayana partially relies on various tantric techniques rooted in scriptures such as tantras and various tantric commentaries and treatises. The most important aspect of the tantric path is to 'use the result as the Path'; which means that rather than placing full enlightenment as a goal far away in the future, one identifies with the indivisible three vajra that is, the enlightened body, speech and mind of a Buddha iconographically represented as the gankyil. The buddha-form which one can best relate to is called the yidam (Tibetan) or (Sanskrit: ishtadevata) or 'personal buddha-form'. In order to achieve this self-identification with a buddha-form, much symbolism and visualization is used in Buddhist tantric techniques.

Detail of the mandala shown above. This is a Garbhadhatu mandala, representing Vairocana Buddha surrounded by eight Buddhas and bodhisattvas (clockwise from top: Ratnaketu, Samantabhadra, Samkusumitaraja, Manjusri, Amitabha, Avalokitesvara, Dundubhinirghosa, Maitreya).

Secrecy is a cornerstone of tantric Buddhism, simply to avoid the practices from harming oneself and others without proper guidance. It is not even allowed to explain the full symbolism and psychology of the practice to the uninitiated, which leads to misunderstanding and dismissal. Tantric techniques may initially appear to consist of ritualistic nonsense; however, it should only be practiced on the basis of a thorough understanding of Buddhist philosophy and strictly following the traditions.^[1]

Tantric techniques include:

Lojong
Paramita sadhana
repetition of special ritual phrases (mantras),
use of various yoga techniques such as Trul Khor, including breath control (Pranayama), yantra and the use of special hand positions (mudras)
use of an extensive vocabulary of visual aids, such as cosmic mandala diagrams which teach and map pathways to spiritual enlightenment. Seed syllables in Tibetan and Lendza are also used.
the use of ritual objects such as the vajra and bell (ghanta), phurba, hand drum (damaru), and many other symbolic tools and musical instruments
use of specialized rituals rooted in Vajrayana cosmology and beliefs
importance of a guru-disciple relationship, for example by ritual 'empowerments' or 'initiations' wherein the student obtains permission to practise a particular tantra.
of most importance are the oral transmissions given by a tantric master. These teachings are only given personally from teacher to student and are secret, because they demand a certain maturity of the student. Otherwise they might have a negative effect. Such teachings describe certain aspects of the mind and how to attain them, realize them by certain practices that can be dangerous to one's health if not prepared thoroughly, as such states of mind are normally experienced at the time of death. A mature yogi 'dies' in the meditation and comes back again, experiencing all the levels of mind.

1 Tantric sadhana
2 See also
3 References
4 External websites

[edit] Tantric sadhana

Tantric sadhana may include:

There is an aspect of sex in Highest Yoga Tantra practice which is both symbolic as well as descriptive of the practice of using sexual intercourse to transform one's sexual energy into a blissful consciousness directed towards achieving enlightenment. The purpose is to refrain from ejaculating and this is the most important part, as one should be able to control the winds and energies of one's body. It is also important for the consort to be as equally realised a practitioner as oneself. This practice is not a necessity to practise Vajrayana, as it is well known that Lama Tsong Khapa gained enlightenment without this practice.

It is important to remember that sexual practices in the Vajrayana context are very different from ordinary sexual activity. This is an extremely advanced practice and should only be performed once realisations of the path have been achieved.^[2] Some of the realisations include renunciation and bodhicitta, or the enlightened mind that is committed to attaining enlightenment for the sake of others. This is very different from ordinary sexual activity. Sexual symbolism is common in Vajrayana iconography, where it basically represents the union of wisdom and compassion or wisdom and method. This is of utmost importance as this shows that enlightenment can only be achieved through practising both wisdom and compassion.

It is from the tantra that Vajrayana Buddhism gets the alternative names of Mantrayana and Tantrayana. The word "Vajrayana" itself comes from vajra, a Sanskrit word which can mean "diamond", "indestructible" or "thunderbolt" and which also has the connotation of "reality". This gives rise to two more names for Vajrayana Buddhism: Diamond Vehicle, and Adamantine Vehicle (adamantine means "diamond-like"). The vajra (or dorje in Tibetan) is an important ritual object which symbolizes compassion/method, while the bell symbolizes wisdom.

Vajra is also believed to be the weapon of ancient Hindu god Indra, which was made out of the sacrificial offerings of the bones of Rishi Dadhichi.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ "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 XIV Dalai Lama, quoted in p. 111 of Jeffrey Hopkins's Meditation on Emptiness, Wisdom Publication, 1996, ISBN 0861711106.
^ H. H. XIV Dalai Lama (1999). The Heart of the Buddha's Path. Thorsons, 100-101. ISBN 0-7225-3932-0. “In Tibetan Buddhism, especially if you look at the iconography of the deities with their consorts, you can see a lot of very explicit sexual symbolism which often gives the wrong impression. Actually, in this case the sexual organ is utilized, but the energy movement which is taking place is, in the end, fully controlled. The energy should never be let out. This energy must be controlled and eventually returned to other parts of the body. What is required for a Tantric practitioner is to develop the capacity to utilize one's faculties of bliss and the blissful experiences which are specifically generated due to the flow of regenerative fluids within one's own energy channels. It is crucial to have the ability to protect oneself from the fault of emission. It is not just a purely ordinary sexual act.”