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Vajrayāna (Tantric) Buddhism

Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D.

REL 260

Buddhism

Berea College

Spring 2004

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WHAT IS TANTRA?

• Tantra (Sanskrit: “warp” of loom, “strands” of braid) = Indian esoteric tradition in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism

• Outgrowth of Mahāyāna speculation about timing of enlightenment, as well as interaction with Hindu bhākti

• Under supervision of siddha (saint), devotees use powerful, dangerous, often transgressive techniques to obtain enlightenment quickly

• Vajrayāna = “diamond” or thunderbolt” vehicle

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TANTRIC MEDITATION

• Under a guru (Tibetan: lama), devotees visualize and identify with Buddhas and bodhisattvas within in order to achieve enlightenment, using ritual elements as catalysts for transforming consciousness:

1. kāma (desire, especially sexual)2. mantra (sacred words) 3. mudrā (ritual gestures) 4. mandala (cosmic diagrams)

• Two types of tantra:1. “Right-handed” – internal and

spiritual (knowledge-oriented)2. “Left-handed” – external and concrete

(action-oriented)

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TANTRIC MUDRĀS

“Debate” “Fearlessness”

“Compassion”

“Warding Off Evil”

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THE MANDALA IN TANTRIC BUDDHISM

• Tantric tool for accessing and utilizing the enlightened consciousness both without (in Buddhas) and within (in Buddha-nature) that creates and sustains universe

• Grid or template for tracking flow of power in universe, with source at center and all else radiating outward

• Thus, mandala = mesocosm that bridges microcosm (human body) and macrocosm (universe)

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TIBET BEFORE TANTRA (pre-600s CE)

• Cult of divine king:1. Descendant of celestial beings

who reach earth via “sky rope”2. Perennially reborn essence of

royal ancestors3. Giver of law ( = cosmic order)

• Priestly class (also regarded as incarnations of predecessors):

1. Bon (“reciters”) – preside over coronations, funerals, sacrifices

2. Shen – shamans who communicate with spirit world

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TANTRIC BUDDHISM COMES TO TIBET

• By 600s CE, Tibet is major unified power in Asia, rivaling both Chinese Tang Empire (618-907) and Hindu kingdoms in India

• Chinese- and Nepalese-born Buddhist wives allegedly bring Buddhist traditions to the Tibetan court (c. 627-650)

• By 700s, Indian (Tantric) Buddhist missionaries active in Tibet, and indigenous religion suppressed by royal decree

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TANTRIC BUDDHISM IN TIBET

• Mongol annexation of Tibet (c. 1200) leads to establishment of Buddhist viceroys in Tibet

• Period of Mongol influence characterized by “discovery” of gTer-ma (“treasure texts”)

• By 1642, politically and religiously independent Tibet ruled by Dalai Lama (Mongolian: “Ocean Guru”):

1. Leader of Gelugpa (“system of virtue”) sect

2. Regarded as tulku (incarnation) of Avalokiteśvara

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