Tantric Buddhism: definition, characteristics and history

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Tantric Buddhism is defined by a pyramid, based on the monastic life common to all forms of Buddhism. The peak is a meditation on emptiness, on the unity of all things and the impermanence of each element of the Universe, where only the absolute is eternal.

Religion of Tibet

The fundamental difference between Buddhism and other religions is that it is a teaching about the inner world of a person, about the mind. Consciousness and mind in eastern languages are synonyms. The state of dissatisfaction, suffering or joyful bliss is primarily a state of mind. All external attributes are important if you understand their meaning. Otherwise, they are simply useless, that is, they are second-order things. When practicing Tantric Buddhism, such states as love, compassion and patience arise in the soul. Craving is the cause of all negative emotions such as envy, anger, pride, fear and so on. The fundamental cause of all this is ignorance, a misunderstanding of who you are and what this world is. Buddhism is notordinary religion. There is no God here in the understanding of a separate entity that created this world. Buddha is neither God nor Savior. He did not invent the truth, but discovered it. Buddha compared himself with a doctor, he said that all people are sick, and this disease has a cause and a prognosis - it is curable. A. G. Fesyun "Tantric Buddhism" is a collection containing various esoteric translations. And now a little about the history.

History of Tantric Buddhism

Initially, the religion in Tibet was Bon. People worshiped two Gods, which were Heaven and Earth. Shamanic ceremonies and communication with spirits played an important role. Then Buddhism began to spread in Tibet, and the two religions merged. This is how Tibetan Buddhism was born.

Tantrism and sensuality

Tantric Buddhism is a later continuation, an evolution of Buddhism. Instead of a monastic withdrawal from the world, instead of renunciation of feelings, sensuality and desire, he embarked on the path of desire and the transformation of our daily passions into enlightened knowledge. The idea of the unity of wisdom and passion, those paths that lead us to enlightenment. The woman here is the embodiment of primordial wisdom. The reality of the sexual practices of tantric Buddhism is very different from the widespread ideas about them in the West, which have become fashionable thanks to the followers of tantric sex. They have nothing to do with prolonging pleasure. Their main meaning is to achieve a state that goes beyond desire and beyond pain. That is, with the help of the body, go into those sensual spheres,which are usually inaccessible to us, and sexuality, since it releases a huge amount of energy, is the main means of achieving this state.

Characteristics of Tantric Buddhism

Let's consider the main features. Sexual symbolism, yogic practices, a pantheon of gods, the sensual realm and tantric vows in Buddhism are the main characteristics of the religion of Tibet. The performance of Tibetan rituals often takes several days and involves many hours of presence in the temple. Food and tea are distributed among the monks during the ceremony. Tibetan tea is brewed with butter and s alt, and one such cup gives as much energy as a full meal. As one advances in meditation, the consciousness becomes refined and purified. The ancient science of visualization and the tantric deity with its symbolic attributes does not fit well with our ideas about the structure of consciousness. However, its theoretical and practical aspects are confirmed in modern scientific research in the field of depth psychology. This is a technique of self-knowledge and appeal to the forces that are actively present in our subconscious. And, most importantly, it provides direct assistance in the search for liberation - nirvana.

Meditation practices

Tibetans do not meditate with their eyes closed, but with their eyes open. They focus their gaze on the tip of the nose. The body should be completely relaxed, it assumes a posture that can be maintained for several hours without experiencing tension. Sometantric meditations are based on visualization, visions that require neither drugs nor hallucinogenic mushrooms. These meditations last for several hours, and sometimes for several days. Buddhists use a belt to support the body in a reasonably comfortable position.

Chakral centers

Yogis identify five chakras or centers within the body: the root, navel, heart and throat, and a center in the head called the thousand-petalled lotus. The energy flows circulating in the body are also described. Two main streams run along the spine. The first ends in the left nostril, the second in the right. The energy or prana that fills the entire universe with life enters the body with the air we breathe and circulates in these subtle energy channels. That is why certain breathing exercises are so important, as well as mindful, conscious participation in the breathing process that begins with the first breath of a child and ends with the last breath of a dying person.

The predominant school of Tantric Buddhism. Rituals

The Red Caps are a school of Tibetan Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism and Lamaism. Her followers include both hermits and lay practitioners. These monks devote themselves entirely to the study of metaphysics for many years.

Tantric rituals are like a dramatic performance, which all participants take very seriously. But all these rituals, sometimes confusing on the surface, are designed to achieveliberation from attachment - the main goal of Buddhism. Ritauls can be held for their direct participants. And also in order to rescue the unfortunate evil spirit and soul from purgatory. If the ritual is meant to ruthlessly separate the forces of death from the forces of life, then the scenery against which this surgical operation in the sphere of spirituality is carried out must inspire horror. There are three characters in this drama. First, sacrifice is a symbol of ego attachment, which blinds us to our eternal reality. Secondly, the Great Destroyer Mahakala, who rises above the remains of the demonic nature in us. He destroys what must be destroyed anyway. Mahakala is terrifying, beloved, and it is he who calls us to awareness. He devours and swallows, kills to give life beyond birth and death. And, finally, the third character is the ritual master, the Tantric Lama Khyensarin Pache, who today in India is considered one of the greatest sages of the red-cap school.

Yogic practices

Tibetan yoga in its content differs significantly from Hindu yoga, whose postures and elementary breathing exercises are described in popular books that can be found in the window of any bookstore today. However, amateurs should be warned that Tibetan yoga is not a commodity that can be put up for sale in the world market for the novelties of the spiritual industry. You can see only a few exercises that the monks consider to be the simplest and are taught in the initial stages.learning. Until recently, these poses were kept in the strictest confidence. Anyone who tried to see them in secret would be severely punished. The whole body yoga is based on a paradox. In an attempt to overcome the limitations of the physical body and go beyond it, the yogi devotes all his attention and effort to the body, because yoga is one of the aspects of Tantrism. According to Tantrism, absolutely nothing should be rejected, discarded or suppressed. Everything needs to be accepted, integrated and transformed, just as nature turns coal into diamonds, and the alchemists talk about turning lead into gold.

No matter how secret the yogic science is kept, no matter how heroic the ascetic life of a yogi, and no matter how supernatural and miraculous the results achieved, these yogis are sages who are in perfect harmony with the fact that entails the daily life of modern man. They are free and pious, fully aware of the present moment, filled with peace, joy, kindness and compassion. They are free from even small echoes of the past, both on the conscious and unconscious levels. They are also free from the slightest worries about the future. Strength for the Tibetan sages is always associated with compassion. This is not love that is based on an emotional impulse and can turn into its opposite, giving rise to selfishness, envy, hatred and despair. This is another love, its roots are in understanding the unity of all beings.