Vajrayana, Tibetan

History

Vajrayana Buddhism was being practiced in India in the sixth century CE. Its distinct sets of practices and scriptures developed outside the monastic context and early Vajrayana may have been at least partially motivated as a form of protest against the elitism and exclusivity of monastic Buddhism. In contrast to lineages that emphasize asceticism or withdrawal from worldly life, Vajrayana practices engage the social and physical realities of our existence and use them on the path to Buddhahood.

In Indian Vajrayana, the figure to be emulated was not a mild-mannered, scholarly monk but a fierce, wandering yogi. Accomplished yogis, called mahasiddhas, had magical powers, such as the ability to fly, to read people's minds, and to project their consciousness into another body. Instead of observing a list of moral precepts, mahasiddhas deliberately transgressed and openly flaunted social norms. Virupa, for example, reputedly spent 3 days in a tavern drinking beer nonstop, and Kukkuripa cared more about the company of his dog than he did about the pleasures of heaven.

Vajrayana Buddhism was first successfully transmitted to Tibet in the seventh century CE. While it gained state support for a short time, it was not until its revival in the 11th century and the formation of the Sarma (“new”) schools that Buddhism came to enjoy a secure status as the official religion of Tibet. At present, there are four main sects of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet. These schools are the Gelug, Kargyu, Nyingma, and Sakya. Recently, the Bön tradition has also been added as a fifth sect, but it is not entirely accepted as a Buddhist school, either by the other four sects or by its own adherents.

[Page 1337]Although it has largely disappeared from all but the most remote Himalayan regions of India, the practice of Vajrayana Buddhism continues to flourish in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and Mongolia. Recently, Tibetan refugees have brought their Vajrayana traditions to many countries in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Japan's Shingon Buddhism is also a form of Vajrayana.

Philosophy

Vajrayana Buddhism is rooted in Mahayana Buddhism. In fact, Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhists consider themselves to be practicing a form of Mahayana Buddhism. The Vajrayana vehicle accepts the Mahayana doctrines of emptiness and impermanence and, like the Mahayana, espouses belief in the intercession of bodhisattva figures. While the Mahayana provides important doctrinal and practical foundations, Vajrayana Buddhists consider the Mahayana view and methods to be limiting and time-consuming. Unlike the Theravada (Hinayana) and Mahayana approaches, which require many lifetimes of commitment, one who follows the Vajrayana route can achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime.

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