| Revision as of 13:33, 27 September 2003 edit212.182.203.20 (talk) Introduced the more common fourfold division of tantras besides the sixfold one of the Nyingma tradition. Removed bön and cha'an from the list (these are traditions separate from vajrayana).← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:17, 10 February 2004 edit undoMahaabaala (talk | contribs)793 edits added Shingon, Japan, Kukai - but needs a lot more workNext edit → | ||
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| The '''Vajrayana''' (]: lit. ''The Adamantine Vehicle'') school of ], practiced predominantly in ], ] and ], consists of a collection of techniques for the practice of ], along with the texts that expound those techniques (the ]s). It is also known to the west as ''Tantric Buddhism''. Being the foundation for ], it is sometimes expounded as a third and separate major school of Buddhism, alongside the ] and ]. | The '''Vajrayana''' (]: lit. ''The Adamantine Vehicle'') school of ], practiced predominantly in ], ] and ], consists of a collection of techniques for the practice of ], along with the texts that expound those techniques (the ]s). It is also known to the west as ''Tantric Buddhism''. Being the foundation for ], it is sometimes expounded as a third and separate major school of Buddhism, alongside the ] and ]. | ||
| There are four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism: ], ], ], and ]. All four schools identify themselves as belonging to the ] or "Great Vehicle" tradition, which dominates in ], ] and ]. | There are four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism: ], ], ], and ]. All four schools identify themselves as belonging to the ] or "Great Vehicle" tradition, which dominates in ], ] and ]. Vajrayana Buddhism also went to China where it flourished only briefly, and to Japan where ] founded the ] school. | ||
| *The techniques are characterized by: | *The techniques are characterized by: | ||
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| Vajrayana, which developed in Northern India circa ], has its main philosophical roots in ] of ], ] and ] (aka ]), ]) of ], and ]. |
Vajrayana, which developed in Northern India circa ], has its main philosophical roots in ] of ], ] and ] (aka ]), ]) of ], and ]. ] is the most famous teacher of Vajrayana in Tibet, and in Japan it is ]. | ||
| See also: ] | See also: ], ] | ||
| (this article needs work) | |||
Revision as of 15:17, 10 February 2004
The Vajrayana (Sanskrit: lit. The Adamantine Vehicle) school of Buddhism, practiced predominantly in Tibet, Mongolia and Bhutan, consists of a collection of techniques for the practice of Mahayana, along with the texts that expound those techniques (the Tantras). It is also known to the west as Tantric Buddhism. Being the foundation for Buddhism, it is sometimes expounded as a third and separate major school of Buddhism, alongside the Mahayana and Theravada.
There are four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Geluk. All four schools identify themselves as belonging to the Mahayana or "Great Vehicle" tradition, which dominates in China, Korea and Japan. Vajrayana Buddhism also went to China where it flourished only briefly, and to Japan where Kukai founded the Shingon school.
- The techniques are characterized by:
- The use of mantras, or short verbal formulae
- Strong focus on the guru, or teacher
- A highly-developed tradition of meditation, including concentration techniques such as the visualization of bodhisattvas.
Practitioners are introduced to a collection of Vajrayana practices through a series of initiations.
These can be divided into four categories, namely,
- Kriyayoga
- Charyayoga
- Yogatantra
- Anuttarayogatantra, which is furthermore divided into "mother", "father" and "non-dual" tantras.
In the Nyingma tradition the division is sixfold:
- Three Outer Tantras:
- Kriyayoga
- Charyayoga
- Yogatantra
- Three Inner Tantras, which correspond to the Anuttarayogatantra:
- Mahayoga
- Anuyoga
- Atiyoga - Dzogchen
The practice of Atiyoga is divided into three classes: Mental (SemDe), Spatial (LongDe), and Esoteric Instructional (MenNgagDe).
Vajrayana, which developed in Northern India circa 7th century, has its main philosophical roots in Madhyamika of Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti and Vijnanavada (aka Yogachara), Chittamatra) of Asanga, and Vasubhandu. Padmasambhava is the most famous teacher of Vajrayana in Tibet, and in Japan it is Kukai.
See also: Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism