Tantric Buddhism in Tibet - Essay Example

Tantric Buddhism in Tibet The popularity and spread of Buddhism in Tibet has probably been much later than its spread in other parts of the world. Though the origins of Buddhism in Tibet can probably be traced to King Songsten Gampo (617-650 CE), it appears to have faced stiff resistance from the practitioners of the pre-Buddhist Bon-po religion; later, Indian Buddhist scholars like Padmasambhava found ways to blend the animistic practices of Bon-po with Buddhism thus making it appealing to the Tibetans and the official religion of Tibet. In doing that, “Tibetan Buddhism has sought to promote a viable synthesis of philosophical insight and ritual virtuosity, even if the ideal of a perfectly harmonious balance of the two has often been only imperfectly realized” (Kapstein 2009, p. 8). This essay shall argue that ‘Tantric Buddhism’ or the ‘Vajrayana’ Buddhism as practiced in Tibet, combines basic tenets of Indian Tantra, Yoga Sutras and Mahayana Buddhism, and skilfully adapts it to suit the needs of Tibetan people with prior Shamanistic beliefs. In doing so, it appeals to both the intellectuals and laymen because it simultaneously provides a way to confront the problems of everyday existence for the lay and a means to transcend the cycle of birth and death for the intellectual; it also enabled the establishment of a unified Tibet under the Fifth Dalai Lama, making it the most important religion within Tibet and has spread to the west, in recent times. Basics of Tantric Buddhism ‘Vajrayana or Tantrayana’, is partially drawn from Mahayana, and is also addressed as ‘Tantric Buddhism’; by adopting aspects of cosmology, and “a rich symbolism and set of religious practices of its own” (Keown 1996, p. 79) it has given a very unique form to Buddhism, making it very different from the other schools followed elsewhere in the world. According to some scholars the tantric aspects of ‘Vajrayana’ have their origins in India, and in particular Shaivism (Lieberman & Liberman 2003, p. 2) in which Shiva (one of the three Hindu Trinities), is the supreme Yogi. The practice of ‘Prajna’ or wisdom and ‘Karuna’ or compassion (Keown 1996, p. 63) is fundamental to the Vajrayana School as with the other two schools. While the concept of Tantric Buddhism cannot be precisely defined, it can be identified by some Tantric practices that make use of 1) Maṇḍalas or Mystical diagrams 2) Mantras or Magic formulas, and 3) Sandhyabhāṣā or mystical 'twilight language' writings comprehended only by those initiated. “Initiation” is done by the guru who is generally, a Tibetan lama, “who then teaches the esoteric meaning of the words and symbols to his students” (Keown 1996, p. 79).  The state of union of the practitioner of Vajrayana with the spirit of divinity, as well as the unity of Prajna and Karuna, is symbolically is depicted as the Tantric union (sexual union) of the Divine deity and his consort known as "yab-yum" (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 2). The ultimate destination of the practitioner is to become awakened or to experience ‘Tharpa’ or ‘Nirvana’ which is given as the “awakening is seen as the opening of consciousness to the ultimate reality of emptiness.” (Bresnan 2012, p.289). Role of the Guru and Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism The role of the ‘Guru’ or the master is special in eastern philosophies and so it is with all the three schools of Buddhism, namely, the ‘Hinayana’, the ‘Mahayana’ and the ‘Vajrayana’. Vajrayana has derived the aspects of reincarnation and the cycle of birth and death based on Karma or action – the cause and effect, as in the Mahayana school. According to this school, one can attain ‘Nirvana’ or enlightenment with the help of a Guru, in the form of the Bodhisattva (divine or human), “who, upon reaching the threshold of enlightenment, chooses instead to remain behind, enduring the endless cycles of life, death, and rebirth (samsara) in order to help all other beings achieve enlightenment” (Allen 1999). Here, the Bodhisattva’s action of delaying personal ‘Nirvana’ or release from the Karmic cycle, is seen as one of self-sacrifice. However, the Mahayana had a shortcoming; it “is considered the slower way, requiring many lifetimes to achieve” (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 2) enlightenment. This aspect is overcome in the Vajrayana or the ‘Mantrayana’, which expedites the possibility of ‘Nirvana’ in this birth itself by using “mantric formulas, incantation, ritual, and magic to achieve power over supramundane beings and, ultimately, to transcend the self and become one with the deity” (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 2). The Vajrayana also carries a major risk- the ‘ego’s’ misuse of the power that the enlightened mind can wield; in order to overcome this, complete devotion to the Guru is a prerequisite. Hence, all followers of Vajrayana are to take ‘Samaya’ the vow that ‘binds’ them to ‘the Buddha mind itself’ and never to leave from the perception of sacred, enlightenment of the non-dual, pure mind (Allen 1999). Moreover, the Vajrayana, changes the perspective with which it views the path to ‘Nirvana’ – as viewed by already enlightened beings, or ‘Buddhas’ rather than viewing it from the perspective of one caught in ‘Samsara’ (Allen 1999). Therefore, the role of the master or the Guru becomes much more sacred in that the Guru is the Buddha himself. In Tantric Buddhism, “instead of regarding your teacher, yourself and your classmates, as ordinary human beings, you learn to perceive the learning environment as an awakened realm, in which the teacher is the Buddha or the presiding divinity, and you and your classmates are the enlightened beings, or the gods and goddesses…” (Kapstein 2014, p. 79). Thus, as mentioned earlier, the perspective of Vajrayana is from that of the Buddhas or the already ‘enlightened’ sentient beings. Hence, five Buddhas (enlightened ones) rather than five Skandhas (forms) are manifested as a part of Prajnaparamita Sutra or the Law of Reality – ‘Form is emptiness and Emptiness is form’ (Allen 1999). They are 1) the central Vairochana Buddha pertains to the skandha of consciousness, klesha – ignorance; 2) the eastern Akshobya Buddha pertains to the skandha of form, klesha – anger; 3) the southern Ratnasambhava Buddha pertains to the skandha of feeling, klesha – pride; 4) the western Amitabha Buddha pertains to the skandha of perception, klesha – passion and 5) the northern Amogasiddhi Buddha pertains to the skandha of formation, klesha - jealousy, with each having a corresponding female consort symbolizing one of the five elements connecting the “internal perceiver of the skandhas”, “in union with the external world of the elements” called "mahasukha." (Allen 1999). ‘Sadhanas’ and Shamanism Unique to Tantric Buddhism is the worship of various deities, the presiding gods and goddesses. Opinions are divided among scholars regarding the nature of pre-Buddhist religious traditions in Tibet (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 4). The native Tibetan religion Bon preceded Buddhism into Tibet and the remnants of this “indigenous folk religion” can be seen in Tantric Buddhism as included the way rituals of “divination and exorcism” (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 4) have been built into it. Thus, Bon exerted its influence “contributed to the undeniably shamanistic aspect of Tibetan religious practice and customs” bringing in “a multiplicity of gods, demons, and spirits of nature... where they joined the gods absorbed from Indian tantrism” (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 4). There are nine ‘Sadhanas’ - the prescribed Meditation, yoga practices and rituals for any initiated practitioner of Vajrayana as can be understood from the account of Kapstien (2014, pp. 80-4). They include visualizations of a specific Buddha, so as to imbibe the qualities; Debating on the nature of reality and chanting of Mantras or particular word sequences repeatedly to invoke the deity as oral yoga; Mudras that consist of postures of the body that denote specific states of consciousness; Mandalas or symbolic representations of themes for meditation which are destroyed after a period denoting impermanence; Prostrations, circumambulations, dances and ritualistic practices for the body; Transgression techniques for the mind; hoisting flags with holy inscriptions and rotating the holy wheel, as well as beating the drums and cymbals for creating and spreading positive awareness; are all important as Sadhanas that form good Karma and ultimately Tharpa. However, except Nyingmapa, other schools of Tantric Buddhism follow only the four classes of tantras according to Kapstein (2014) namely Kriyatantra or tantra of action, Caryatantra or tantra of conduct, Yogatantra or tantra of yoga and Anuttara (p. 85), in their path to achieve enlightenment, the Mahamudra and the Maha Ati as explained by Marpa and Padmasambava respectively (Allen 1999). Importance in Tibet Although Mahayana as compared to the Hinayana school of Buddhism is more popular in parts of Japan and other East-Asian countries, the spread of Vajrayana is more across Tibet and more recently in the west. For the Tibetans, Tantric Buddhism has incorporated many aspects of rituals, spell and exorcisms and divinations that existed in the pre-Buddhist culture including animal sacrifice and unified the different regions within Tibet with a unified religious tradition. Since Tantric Buddhism devised a way to smoothly adapt these aspects of shamanism, the practitioners of the old religion did not oppose the official recognition given to Vajrayana (Lieberman &Lieberman 2003). This offered a way to placate the lay Tibetan who is not of a royal background or does not have much intellectual aspirations. Another reason for the popularity may be that, while the Buddhist approach of wisdom and compassion are universal, Vajrayana has the potential to achieve this for the practitioner in the current life-cycle itself, rather than waiting for endless cycles of birth and death, under the guidance of sentient Gurus who are none less than the Sakyamuni Buddha himself. To the royals and the evolved, this seems to appeal because of its immediacy. Furthermore, as Keown (1996) rightly explains, Tantric Buddhism not only seamlessly combined shamanism and Buddhism with Tantrism, it also found a way to gratify the existential predicament of beings by transforming them as legitimized acts of rituals carried out under the strict guidance of the Guru, the sentient Buddha; “Based on the view that nirvana and saṃsāra are not different, the Tantras teach that anything -- even desire -- Can profitably be used as a means to liberation.” (Keown 1996, p. 80). This includes even sex, which is condemned as taboo in many other religions. More importantly, under the Great Fifth Dalai Lama (1617 – 1682) Ngawang Lozang Gyatso unified central, northern, western and eastern Tibet under with his political and religious leadership the Potala Palace is a landmark in Lhasa that stands testimony to his leadership till date. He established warm and friendly relationship with the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty of China and the latter bestowed “the honorific title Dalai Lama, Overseer of the Buddhist Faith on Earth Under the Great Benevolent Self-subsisting Buddha of the Western Paradise” (Buddhism website) on Gyatso, leading to an unbroken lineage of Dalai Lamas in unified Tibet. Conclusion Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism has tenets of Indian Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism and elements of pre-Buddhist Tibetan shamanism, all combined in one. Using tantric practices for action, mind, conduct and transcendence through mindful awareness, Vajrayana offers a way out of the endless cycle of cause and effect, birth and death, to Tharpa or Nirvana, or enlightenment, in the current life itself. Furthermore, it allows for natural desires to be fulfilled without stigmatization while ensuring that these practices are performed with higher awareness enabling their transcendence into the realm of sacred and esoteric. Tantric Buddhism has unified Tibet under the Great Fifth Dalai Lama which is of great importance to Tibet and the world. Reference Allen, Gary (1999). “An Introduction to Buddhist Tantra” in Dharma Times. Available online at < http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/A%20-%20Tibetan%20Buddhism/Authors/Chungju,%20S/An%20Introduction%20to%20Buddhist%20Tantra/AN%20INTRODUCTION%20TO%20BUDDHIST%20TANTRA.htm> Bresnan, S. Patrick (2012). Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought Edition 5. Pearson. P. 289. Buddhism (undated). Buddhism: Details about 'Lobsang Gyatso 5th Dalai Lama' Internet Article Available at http://www.buddhism-guide.com/buddhism/lobsang_gyatso,_5th_dalai_lama.htm Kapstein, Matthew (2009). “Introduction: Mediations and Margins” in Buddhism between Tibet and China - Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism ed. by Matthew T. Kapstein. Wisdom Publications, Boston. P. 8. Kapstein, Matthew (2014). Tibetan Buddhism – A Very Short Introduction Oxford University Press. Oxford. Pp. 79-87. Keown, Damien (1996). Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. Oxford. P. 79. Lieberman, Philip & Lieberman, Marcia (2003). “A Brief Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Tibetan Buddhism”. Internet article. Available at < http://library.brown.edu/cds/BuddhistTempleArt/buddhism2.html> Read More

Here, the Bodhisattva’s action of delaying personal ‘Nirvana’ or release from the Karmic cycle, is seen as one of self-sacrifice. However, the Mahayana had a shortcoming; it “is considered the slower way, requiring many lifetimes to achieve” (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 2) enlightenment. This aspect is overcome in the Vajrayana or the ‘Mantrayana’, which expedites the possibility of ‘Nirvana’ in this birth itself by using “mantric formulas, incantation, ritual, and magic to achieve power over supramundane beings and, ultimately, to transcend the self and become one with the deity” (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 2). The Vajrayana also carries a major risk- the ‘ego’s’ misuse of the power that the enlightened mind can wield; in order to overcome this, complete devotion to the Guru is a prerequisite.

Hence, all followers of Vajrayana are to take ‘Samaya’ the vow that ‘binds’ them to ‘the Buddha mind itself’ and never to leave from the perception of sacred, enlightenment of the non-dual, pure mind (Allen 1999). Moreover, the Vajrayana, changes the perspective with which it views the path to ‘Nirvana’ – as viewed by already enlightened beings, or ‘Buddhas’ rather than viewing it from the perspective of one caught in ‘Samsara’ (Allen 1999). Therefore, the role of the master or the Guru becomes much more sacred in that the Guru is the Buddha himself.

In Tantric Buddhism, “instead of regarding your teacher, yourself and your classmates, as ordinary human beings, you learn to perceive the learning environment as an awakened realm, in which the teacher is the Buddha or the presiding divinity, and you and your classmates are the enlightened beings, or the gods and goddesses…” (Kapstein 2014, p. 79). Thus, as mentioned earlier, the perspective of Vajrayana is from that of the Buddhas or the already ‘enlightened’ sentient beings. Hence, five Buddhas (enlightened ones) rather than five Skandhas (forms) are manifested as a part of Prajnaparamita Sutra or the Law of Reality – ‘Form is emptiness and Emptiness is form’ (Allen 1999).

They are 1) the central Vairochana Buddha pertains to the skandha of consciousness, klesha – ignorance; 2) the eastern Akshobya Buddha pertains to the skandha of form, klesha – anger; 3) the southern Ratnasambhava Buddha pertains to the skandha of feeling, klesha – pride; 4) the western Amitabha Buddha pertains to the skandha of perception, klesha – passion and 5) the northern Amogasiddhi Buddha pertains to the skandha of formation, klesha - jealousy, with each having a corresponding female consort symbolizing one of the five elements connecting the “internal perceiver of the skandhas”, “in union with the external world of the elements” called "mahasukha.

" (Allen 1999). ‘Sadhanas’ and Shamanism Unique to Tantric Buddhism is the worship of various deities, the presiding gods and goddesses. Opinions are divided among scholars regarding the nature of pre-Buddhist religious traditions in Tibet (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 4). The native Tibetan religion Bon preceded Buddhism into Tibet and the remnants of this “indigenous folk religion” can be seen in Tantric Buddhism as included the way rituals of “divination and exorcism” (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 4) have been built into it.

Thus, Bon exerted its influence “contributed to the undeniably shamanistic aspect of Tibetan religious practice and customs” bringing in “a multiplicity of gods, demons, and spirits of nature. where they joined the gods absorbed from Indian tantrism” (Lieberman & Lieberman 2003, p. 4). There are nine ‘Sadhanas’ - the prescribed Meditation, yoga practices and rituals for any initiated practitioner of Vajrayana as can be understood from the account of Kapstien (2014, pp. 80-4).

They include visualizations of a specific Buddha, so as to imbibe the qualities; Debating on the nature of reality and chanting of Mantras or particular word sequences repeatedly to invoke the deity as oral yoga; Mudras that consist of postures of the body that denote specific states of consciousness; Mandalas or symbolic representations of themes for meditation which are destroyed after a period denoting impermanence; Prostrations, circumambulations, dances and ritualistic practices for the body; Transgression techniques for the mind; hoisting flags with holy inscriptions and rotating the holy wheel, as well as beating the drums and cymbals for creating and spreading positive awareness; are all important as Sadhanas that form good Karma and ultimately Tharpa.

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