Tantrik Buddhism
Buddhism in the Eastern Himalayan sector has a special significance. Tibetan
Tantric Buddhism has been introduced by Guru Padmasambhaba more than 400 years
ago. The mystic Monasteries, belonging to the different sects & sub-sects
of Mahayana Buddhism dominate the whole of Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayas.
Buddhism
in the Eastern Himalayan sector has a special significance. Tibetan Tantric
Buddhism has been introduced by Guru Padmasambhaba more than 400 years ago.
The mystic Monasteries, belonging to the different sects & sub-sects of
Mahayana Buddhism dominate the whole of Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayas. There
are numbers of Buddhist Monasteries in this region of which 20 are very important.
Each one has its own fascinating history, generates tremendous interest among
the visitors, be it the architectural feature or the spiritual message embedded
in them. The Tantric factor has added to the legends and to the beliefs of Lamaism
(Tantric Buddhism). The Lamas here are believed to have the power of flying
from one place to another. The colors add to mystery and so do the mask dances.
Discover the culture, where only peace prevails making this the Abode of the
Gods. Our specially designed monastery tours gives you an opportunity to know
the every details accepts of the Tantric Buddhism & the Tibetan culture
of the Eastern Himalayas while exploring the monasteries of the region.
PRELIMINARIES TO TANTRA
"Tantra activates many powerful subtle energies in our body and mind
and, if we do not have any mental training or discipline, this excess energy
will take the path of least resistance through our negative emotions of attachment,
jealousy, pride, egotism, and so on"Lama Ganchen
SECRECY
"Pure intellect, indeed, detached from soul, is the death of Man. Intellect,
self-confident and isolated in arrogant complacency, does not ennoble Man. It
humiliates him, deprives him of his personality. It kills that loving participation
in the life of things and creatures of which the soul, with its emotions and
intuitions, is capable. Intellect, by itself alone, is dead and also deadly
- a principle of disintegration."
From Giuseppe Tucci's "The Theory and Practice of the Mandala" - RiderWhy
are Buddhists so secretive of tantra? Tantric practice is a highly advanced
form of psycho-physical exercises in order to achieve transformation of one's
body and mind quickly into the perfected state of a Buddha. Simply said, these
methods are not without danger when used without the proper guidance and precautions.
To avoid people getting involved in these practices without proper guidance,
the practices are kept secret for people without explicit permission to practice
from a qualified teacher. Often, teachers require disciples to do extensive
practices before being allowed any permission; more about that is written in
below paragraphs on prerequisites and preliminaries. So please keep in mind
that the secrecy around tantra is basically for safety, just like it is proper
to lock a gun away from the reach of children.
Whatever is included on these web pages about tantra is general knowledge which
is allowed for uninitiated to read, and is intended to at least take away some
misunderstandings about tantric practices.
MOTIVATION FOR PRACTICE: To clarify where tantric practices fit in the
Buddhist system, it may be useful to explain a bit more about the various motivations
or scopes. Traditionally, only the "small, middle and high scope"
are taught to distinguish the various motivations for practising. Here, I would
like to present a somewhat unconventional approach, starting even below spiritual
practice:
- The "Animal Scope": Wanting immediate happiness for oneself.
- The "Worldly Human Scope": Wanting immediate happiness for oneself
and others.
- The Buddhist Small Scope: Wanting happiness for oneself in a future life.
- The Buddhist Middle Scope: Wanting to escape the cycle of uncontrolled rebirth
for oneself. (Hinayana)
- The Buddhist Great Scope: Wanting others to go beyond suffering forever (enlightenment),
and reach Buddhahood oneself to help others on their path. (Mahayana)
- The "Buddhist Tantric Scope": Wanting others to be happy as soon
as possible, and reach Buddhahood oneself quickly to serve them. (Vajrayana)
A teaching from "Being Peace" by Thitch Nhat Hahn: "A
woman who practices reciting Buddha Amitabha's name, is very tough and recites
"NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA" three times daily. Although she is doing this
practice for over 10 years, she is still quite mean, shouting at people all
the time. She starts her practice lighting incense and hitting a little bell.
A friend wanted to teach her a lesson, and just as she began her recitation,
he came to her door and called out: "miss Nuyen, miss Nuyen!".
As this was the time for her practice she got annoyed, but she said to herself:
"I have to struggle against my anger, so I will just ignore it." And
she continued: "NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA, NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA..."
But the man continued to shout her name, and she became more and more oppressive.
She struggled against it and wondered if she should stop the recitation to give
the man a piece of her mind, but she continued reciting: "NAMO AMITABHA
BUDDHA, NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA..."
The man outside heard it and continued: "Miss Nuyen, miss Nuyen..."
Then she could not stand it anymore, jumped up, slammed the door and went to
the gate and shouted: "Why do you have to behave like that? I am doing
my practice and you keep on shouting my name over and over!"
The gentleman smiled at her and said: "I just called your name for ten
minutes and you are so angry. You have been calling Amitabha Buddha's name for
more then ten years now; just imagine how angry he must be by now!"
PREREQUISITES: The following aspects are considered prerequisites before
a disciple can engage in tantric practice:
1.
Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
2.
Renunciation: a realisation is best, but a proper understanding is
essential.
3.
Bodhicitta: a realisation is best, but a proper understanding is essential.
For most of the initiations, it is required to take the aspiring Bodhisattva
vows or the Bodhisattva vows.
4.
Emptiness: a direct realisation is best, but a proper understanding
is essential (see the page on Wisdom).
5.
Reliance on a spiritual teacher: proper confidence in a teacher and
verifying his/her qualifications is essential.
6.
Empowerment or initiation: without this ceremonial permission to practice
by a qualified teacher, tantric practice is improper.
7.
Tantric vows: for the higher tantric classes, one needs to take tantric
vows. These vows are secret to the uninitiated, so students need to take 'a
leap of faith' and trust the teacher and the practice before taking them. <br>
8.
Faith/confidence: solid confidence both in the teacher and the teachings
is essential to avoid serious karmic problems when doubts arise. 'Blind faith'
will generally not have the power to pull someone through when things are difficult.
The only proper motivation to practice tantra is bodhicitta, or the wish to
become fully enlightened in order to help all sentient beings. This is the reason
why at least an understanding of bodhicitta is essential prior to engaging in
tantric practice. To enforce this motivation, usually, an extra prerequisite
is taking either the Aspirational Vows or the full Bodhisattva Vows.
Next, at least some understanding of the philosophy of emptiness is essential
for tantric practice, as this is the basic mental state in which tantric practice
becomes more than just ritual or strange practice of imagination.
Ideally, a tantric practitioner should have full realisations of bodhicitta
and emptiness instead of merely a conceptual understanding. In that case, tantric
practice can guide one very swiftly to the state of Buddhahood.
PRELIMINARY PRACTICES: Many teachers (depending on the specific school)
require one to engage in the so-called preliminary practices before giving initiation
to disciples.
These preliminary practices traditionally consist of:
- Making 100,000
mandala offerings to generate merit by generosity
- Reciting 100,000
refuge prayers (to increase one's confidence
- Reciting 100,000
Vajrasattva mantras to purify obstacles
- Making 100,000
prostrations to counteract pride
Depending on the teacher and the disciple, other practices are sometimes given:
- Offering 100,000
water-bowls.
- Reciting 100,000
Guru's name mantras: Guru-yoga, to generate confidence
and establish a deeper relationship with the teacher.
- Making 100,000 clay images or
'tsa-tsas' in Tibetan
- Reciting 100,000
Samayavajra mantras (somewhat similar to Vajrasattva)
- Making 100,000
fire offerings to Vajra Daka (Dorje Khadro).
Not only are these excellent methods to accumulate the necessary positive energy
(karma) to have success in the practice, but they also help in the purification
of obstacles to the practice.
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