Vajrayana Buddhism

Vajrayana Buddhism, also known as the "Diamond" or "Thunderbolt Vehicle," is a form of Buddhism that developed in India in the 5th century C.E. Although it is sometimes debated whether it is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism or if it is a distinct path beside Mahayana and Theravada - this is how the tradition understands itself, as the final "turning" of the Buddha's teachings - it is generally accepted that Vajrayana Buddhism emerged out of the Mahayana in India, probably in the 6th -7th centuries. It rather quickly spread out of India and became established in several parts of the Buddhist world, particularly in Tibet, where it became the dominant form of Buddhism. Indeed, the Vajrayana is often referred to simply as "Tibetan Buddhism." Although it may have originally emerged as a reaction to the philosophical scholasticism of Indian Buddhism, and may have been intended to return to the original teachings and practices of the Buddha, Vajrajyana rapidly developed into a complex philosophical and ritual system. Vajrayana is also sometimes called "Tantric Buddhism," an esoteric extension of Buddhist thought and practice which sees itself as a quicker, more effective path to enlightenment. As with Mahayana Buddhism, the Vajrayana emphasizes the role of the bodhisattva, but the tradition tends to favor fierce deities, and significantly expands the bodhisattva pantheon. Vajrayana ritual and devotion employs mantras (esoteric verbal formulas), mandalas (diagrams and paintings used in visualization practices), and a complex array of other rituals. Great emphasis is placed on the role of the guru in the Vajrayana; these are religious teachers who have mastered the philosophical and ritual tradition. The Tibet translation of guru is "lama," and the various Tibetan schools of the Vajrayana trace long lineages of gurus who serve both as religious and political leaders (the Dalai Lama is the most well known of Tibets Lamas).

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There is considerable debate about the origins of the Vajrayana, and there is no clear point at which the tradition broke from the Mahayana (or even if it actually did). By the 7th century C.E., Vajrayana doctrines and practices were being taught in the great Indian Buddhist monasteries of northeast India.

The Vajrayana emerged out of Mahayana Buddhism, and has always been closely related to that tradition. Tantric elements from both Buddhism and Hinduism have been incorporated into the Vajrayana, as have indigenous religious practices in countries such as Tibet and Japan.

There is no single founder of the Vajrayana. Scholars speculate that the earliest followers of this path were Indian tantric practitioners, the mahasiddhis. The Vajrayana puts particular emphasis on the teachings of the 2nd-century Mahayana scholar monks Nagarjuna and Asanga.

The scriptural foundations of the Vajrayana include both the Theravada Canon and the major Mahayana Buddhist texts. The earliest explicitly Vajrayana texts are the various tantras that began to be composed in the 7th century C.E.

Although misunderstandings and misrepresentations of the Vajrayana persist, particularly regarding the sexual imagery of the tantric tradition, much scholarship has focused on the socio-political context of the Vajrayana and the deep philosophical complexity of the tradition���s rituals and doctrines.

Tantric ideas and practices began to be incorporated into the monastic curricula at the great Buddhist universities of medieval India ��� including Nalanda and Vikramasila ��� leading to the development of the Vajrayana as a distinct Buddhist school.

The Vajrayana itself can be understood as a kind of schismatic movement, in that many of its beliefs and practices ��� rooted in tantra ��� represent significant reworking, if not rejection, of central Buddhist doctrines and practices.

In Tibet the Vajrayana has, since its introduction in the 8th century, been intimately intertwined with kingship and political rule. The current Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, is himself a Vajrayana monk.

The Vajrayana was introduced into Tibet as early as the 8th century, and it soon became the dominant form of Buddhism there. The Vajrayana also spread to China, Japan, Nepal, Mongolia, and throughout southeast Asia.

Since the expulsion of the Dalai Lama from his homeland in 1959 ��� which began the "Tibetan Diaspora" ��� the Vajrayana has become particularly popular in the West, where it has been embraced by a number of prominent celebrities as both a religion and a political cause.

There is no single sacred narrative in Vajrayana Buddhism. Accounts of the lives and activities of the buddhas, boddhisattvas, female deities, and significant monks serve as a means of spreading and explaining Vajrayana doctrine and practice.

The Vajrayana pantheon is made up of a vast group of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and dakinis (female buddhas). One of the distinguishing features of the Vajrayana is an emphasis on fierce deities whose devotees see through the appearance of ferocity and venerate them as great protectors.

The Vajrayana conceives of itself as the most efficient means to cut through the ignorance and grasping, inherent in human existence, that keeps humans stuck in samsara. The ultimate goal is the attainment of enlightenment, buddhahood.

As with other schools of Buddhism, the Vajrayana holds that suffering is caused by grasping on to things and experiences that are, by their very nature, impermanent. There is no such thing as evil: it is just an illusory appearance.

As with other schools of Buddhism, the Vajrayana maintains the truth of samsara, the cycle of births and rebirths. Ultimate salvation is often understood to be nirvana, but is more typically conceived of as the perfection of the bodhisattva path and the attainment of buddhahood.

The Vajrayana does not hold a consistent idea of sacred time. Buddhas and bodhisattvas are always present and active in the world, and thus in a sense all time could be understood to be sacred. Through various ritual activities one can interact with these beings.

Vajrayana temples can be understood as a kind of sacred space. Mandalas, elaborate diagrams used in meditation, are another kind of sacred space. Practitioners can inhabit the spaces that they represent through various meditation practices and, in the process, interact with buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Vajrayana Buddhists engage in a tremendous range and variety of rituals and ceremonies: complex meditation practices, ritual devotion to buddhas and bodhisattvas, visualizations, pilgrimage, and mantra recitation.

Vajrayana Buddhists worship a wide range of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and semi-divine beings, including Avalokiteshvara, Maitreya, Vajrapani, Vajradhara, and Tara, as well as a range of lamas. Particular to the Vajrayana are fierce, wrathful beings who protect their devotees.

There are many important symbols in the Vajrayana: the vajra itself (diamond or thunderbolt), the lotus, colors, certain mudras (hand gestures), and postures. Some forms of Vajrayana Buddhism also employ sexual symbolism as a means of overcoming attachments and delusion.

Although each individual Buddhist is fully responsible for his or her own progress, monks provide a moral and ethical model for the laity, as well as guidance and teaching. The lives of monks are highly regulated, as laid out in the vast corpus of monastic rules, the Vinaya.

Vajrayana monks follow the monastic code of conduct, the Vinaya ��� which vary depending on the sub-school of the tradition ��� to structure their daily lives, ritual and devotional activities, and communal interactions. Monastic institutions are hierarchically organized, often determined by lineage.

Karma is at the center of all discussions of morality and ethics in the Vajrayana, along with the idea of selfless compassion (karuna). It is the bodhisattvas' selfless compassion, coupled with wisdom (prajna) and skillful means (upaya), that compels them to remain in the world to aid other beings.

Compassion, as embodied by the bodhisattvas, is an inherent aspect of the Vajrayana conception of the social world; all beings, because they are karmically interconnected, should act with compassionate understanding toward all other beings, thus creating a perfectly harmonious social realm (ideally).

Some scholars have recently brought to light evidence that indicates that the Vajrayana has been far more gender-egalitarian than other schools of Buddhism. Some have argued that there have historically been female founders of Vajrayana movements and a strong sense of female empowerment in the tradition.