Patheos
  • GO
  • Beliefs
    • Buddhist
    • Catholic
    • Contemplative
    • Evangelical
    • General Christian
    • Hindu
    • Jewish
    • Latter-day Saint
    • Muslim
    • New Visions
    • Nonreligious
    • Pagan
    • Progressive Christian
    • More Voices
  • Topics
    • Entertainment
    • Book Club
    • Docs/ology
    • Movie Club
    • Family and Relationships
    • Life Events
    • Politics Blue
    • Politics Red
    • Public Square
    • More Topics
    • Trending Now

    • Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics
      Gene Veith
    • How Jesus Empowered Women (And Christians Re-Enslaved...
      Keith Giles
  • Columnists
  • Library
    • NEW! Patheos Answers
    • Faith Leaders Database
    • Research Tools
    • Comparison Lens
    • Preacher Resources
    • Teacher Resources
    • Anglican/Episcopalian
    • Baha'i
    • Baptist
    • Buddhism
    • Christianity
    • Confucianism
    • Eastern Orthodoxy
    • Hinduism
    • Holiness and Pentecostal
    • ISKCON
    • Islam
    • Judaism
    • Lutheran
    • Methodist
    • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
    • New Age
    • Paganism
    • Presbyterian and Reformed
    • Protestantism
    • Roman Catholic
    • Scientology
    • Shi'a Islam
    • Sikhism
    • Sufism
    • Sunni Islam
    • Taoism
    • Zen
    see all religions
  • newsletters
  • Ad-Free LogIn
  • More
    • Pastors and Church Leaders Resource Center

    • Church and ministry leadership resources to better equip, train and provide ideas for today's church and ministry leaders, like you.

      visit section now
    • Resources For the Faith Seeker
    • E-Books and Other Special Offers
    • 7 Day Prayer Challenge for Spouses
    • A Different Kind of Christian
    • Jesus Is Love
    • Pastors and Church Leaders
    • Prayer Devotional
    • The Saints We Love
    • Who Is God?

RELIGION LIBRARY

Vajrayana Buddhism

  • Overview
  • Origins
  • History
  • Beliefs
  • Rituals and Worship
  • Ethics and Community

Beginnings

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.

Influences

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.

Founders

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.

Sacred Texts

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.

Historical Perspectives

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.

Overview History Back to religion Library
Get Patheos Newsletters
Get the latest from Patheos by signing up for our newsletters. Try our 3 most popular, or select from our huge collection of unique and thought-provoking newsletters.
Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Patheos’s Partners Privacy and Data Policy
From time to time you will also receive Special Offers from our partners that help us make this content free for you. You can opt out of these offers at any time.
see our full list of newsletters
editors picks View All Columns
Evangelical
Before You Unplug or Sign Out for Good
Guest Contributor
Evangelical
What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts, and How Do You Discover Yours?
Randy Alcorn
New Visions
5 Ways to Hear What God is Telling You
Tom Rapsas
Muslim
How Awake Are We? When Waking Up is Falling Asleep
Daniel Thomas Dyer
Latter-day Saint
"The Church supports the use of vaccinations"
Dan Peterson
Nonreligious
The GOP's Double Standard on Christianity
Libby Anne
Pagan
How to Keep a Prayer List for Healing
Melissa Hill
Evangelical
Luther and the Beauty of Christ
Guest Contributor
Entertainment
The Soul of Gospel Music Explored in New Netflix Series "Voices of Fire"
DeWayne Hamby
Contemplative
Seven Ways to Think About Christian Mysticism
Carl McColman
Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Service
  • Do Not Sell My Data
  • Contact Us
  • Follow Us on Facebook
  • Find Us on YouTube
  • Follow Us on Instagram
  • Manage Subscriptions
  • Unsubscribe From Notifications
Copyright 2008-2021, Patheos. All rights reserved.