Introducing Tibetan Buddhism

Chapter 3:Tibetan Buddhism as a path to liberation:

I. Sūtra teachings

Main topics covered• The path to liberation• Theravāda, Hinayāna, Mahāyāna• Sūtra and Tantra (Vajrayāna)• Regional varieties of Buddhism in the contemporary world• Buddhist deities and the Three Bodies of the Buddha (trikāya)• Emptiness (śūnyatā)• The ‘gradual path’• Refuge and bodhicitta• The path of the bodhisattva

Key points 1• The ‘central story’ of Tibetan Buddhism is that Buddhism is a path to liberation from the suffering of life in the everyday world (saṃsāra), through the attainment of a superior state or condition of being that was attained and taught by the historical Buddha. This state (Buddhahood) may be difficult to attain, but in principle it is accessible to everyone. It is fundamentally characterized by love and compassion, and its achievement comes about through bodhicitta, the intense desire to relieve all beings from their suffering.

Key points 2• The teachings on the attainment of Buddhahood are transmitted from lama (guru) to student, so creating teaching lineages that continue through the ages. They were brought to Tibet by a series of great teachers, including Padmasambhava who is thought of as taming the spirits of the land and creating a reservoir of spiritual power that can still be accessed. Those actively engaged on the path to Buddhahood, the lamas, monks and yogins, are supported by the lay population in return for their ritual and magical services as well as for their teaching.

Key points 3• Different Buddhist traditions both within and outside Tibet emphasize different aspects of the teachings, and also vary in whether they favour unity and consistency, or breadth and variety. Labels such as Theravāda, Hinayāna and Mahāyāna derive from internal polemics between schools and can be misleading. Tibetan Buddhism is, however, notable for its breadth and variety; the multiplicity of teachings, schools and lamas is valued, since different paths may be appropriate for different people.

Regional varieties of Buddhism

Key points 4• The distinction between Sūtra and Tantra teachings developed in India and is important for the Tibetans. The Vajrayāna (Buddhist Tantric) teachings are seen as difficult practices that are suitable for advanced practitioners, and that also enable them to assist lay people in practical and this-worldly matters. Lamas are expected to have mastered these teachings.

•The three kāyas, or ‘bodies’, of the Buddha distinguish between different aspects or levels of Buddhahood. Buddhist deities, including bodhisattvas such as Tārā or Avalokiteśvara, may be treated by lay people as external deities, but are also understood to be manifestations of a universal Buddha-nature present within all beings and all experience.

The Future Buddha Maitreya

Image in Sera Moanstery, Tibet, photo from 1991

Key points 5• The overcoming of dualistic thought, particularly the division between self and others, and between self and the external world, is a key issue in Tibetan Buddhism. Apparent phenomena, including the self, are really ‘empty’ or ‘void’ of independent existence. This ‘emptiness’ (śūnyatā) can be described both in negative and positive terms. • The Sūtra teachings provide the basic foundation necessary before one can practise Tantra properly and safely. They are generally presented in schemes of progressive teachings, and each of the main Buddhist traditions has its own versions of these.

Monastic debating

Monks deating at sera monastery, Tibet, photo from 1987

The end