Tantra

Introduction Tantra, in brief, is a Mahayana system of practice to reach enlightenment so as to be of best benefit to all beings. As the word “tantra” connotes, it employs an everlasting continuum of practice with Buddha-figures as a path to purify away the obscuring factors...

Introduction If we’ve received a tantric initiation, we usually commit to doing the associated practice every day for the rest of our lives. Many Tibetans take these empowerments with the motivation of planting seeds for their future lives, with no aim to really practice...

Review  We were speaking about gaining conviction in the efficiency of the tantra path so that we can engage in it with our full hearts. In order to gain that conviction, it’s necessary to understand why tantra is more efficient than sutra and how it actually works so...

Except for the following variations in assertions, the non-Gelug traditions of Tibetan Buddhism – Sakya, Kagyu, and Nyingma – agree with Gelug on the various reasons why general tantra is more efficient than sutra. (1) Closer Analogies Buddha-Nature and Positive Self-Images...

Review I’d like to continue our discussion, but before I begin, there is a piece of advice that a very wise woman once gave me, which I think is relevant here. If you have a group and you want to lead it into a destructive action, like into battle, then you instruct them at...

The Five Systems of Five Buddha-Families  We’ve seen that when we speak about the five Buddha-families, if we look at it from the dimension of what will develop into all the aspects of a Buddha, we have this one set of five: mental activity, good qualities, verbal...

Basis, Pathway, and Resultant Viewpoints Most Tibetan texts that discuss tantric masters' being Buddhas explain the topic of impure and pure appearances from a specific viewpoint. Often, however, the texts neglect to state their point of view. This may cause confusion. In...

The Source of the Tantras Tantra practice requires conviction in the authenticity of the tantras, correct understanding of their procedures and theory, and certainty of their validity as methods leading to enlightenment. According to the Tibetan tradition, Shakyamuni Buddha...

The Role of the Winds of Karma If the Mental Holograms of the Four Occasions Are Basis-Level Devoid Forms The role that the winds of karma play with regard to the mental holograms of the four occasions is much more difficult to ascertain. Let us explore two hypotheses and,...

Introduction  We started our discussion of tantra in general with an introduction to what tantra actually is. One of the main points that I try to emphasize is that tantra is an advanced practice. It’s a practice that is not intended for beginners. Even if we have started...