NB: this should be understood to be a history of the *early* development of Vajrayāna or Tantric Buddhism in particular. It does not deal with more contemporary practice. H/t to Rufus Hume in the comments below.
I think so-called "contemporary (Varjayana) practice" is just sanitized Vajrayana, repackaged to appeal to the delicate sensibilities of Western audiences brought up in the context of Abrahamic religions. Virtually every great Vajrayana master engaged in actual karmamudra practice with a consort, not a metaphorical visualization. I think a lot of the power of Vajrayana will never be realized with the 'contemporary' approach. Just my opinion. The fear of potential abuse you mentioned is certainly a concern because we are not all so aware or skillful as such practice requires. Some people are put off entirely by the idea of intermingling sex with religion. To me, that is absurd. Quite clearly sex is one of the most powerful drives in us and to NOT use that power towards a soteriological goal seems crazier to me. Even if one never engages with such practices, I think we should at least be open to it in theory and the potential transformative power of it.
‘Development’ being the key word, to be understood in a similar vein as the culturally arrogant ‘western education’ notions Of developing world etc. connected to moral transcendence, etc. In actual tantric practice historically and now, no matter how sucky, crazed, or extraordinarily sane, ie enlightened the yogis and yoginis were or are, ‘developing’ the deity, mandala, etc. is only a means, to see the true nature of the deity, which is taught to be spontaneously present, already within and without you. That is enlightenment. It’s not a myth, people have actually experienced ‘it.’ This is a sanitized presentation Doug. With definite objectives. Let your conceptual mind rip, just be aware, part of this is being critical within and without, without trying to be ‘right’ in a court of law. You are not on trial! Btw I’m not saying I know your intention, I’m just saying where you sourced your information the bias is evident.
I could go on and on, but this just popped up from Doug, “you can’t read the texts on your own and understand them” Doug if that is the case why does Milarepa, say in one of his spiritual songs, “when I realize appearances are my texts I forget all those big books with their letters in black” I can tell you why... gurus teach you that all experiences are texts.... ultimately...we read the relative ones to understand the ultimate meaning. Then we can let go and trust ourselves and our own innate goodness. This means, far from needing a scholar or your own personal ego as being the only means to restle with and ‘know’ Vajrayana, the Vajrayana practice teaches that minds nature is industructibally cognizant, intellegent in its original state. Those are historic tantric teachings. Let me know if you want the scholarly notes. I’m not into law so it might take me a bit ;)
@@LMNOmic1234 You need a teacher - Milarepa had Marpa . . . and you need the relevant permissions to read the esoteric vajrayana texts or do the practice. Plus you need grounding in the Hinayana and Mahayana of which Vajrayana is a part. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ag97J8t8fRM.html
I explored Tibetan Buddhism early in my Buddhist journey. (I later found the Theravada tradition to be a better fit for me.) The history of Vajrayana is certainly bizarre, but I would caution people not to judge modern Tibetan Buddhism too much on its history. If you visit a Tibetan Buddhist center or monastery today you will likely encounter monks and lay teachers who have a thorough understanding of Mahayana Buddhist principles and a great desire to help others. You will *not* encounter cannibalistic tantric sex-maniacs. For that, you'll need to visit Walmart.
😄 That is absolutely correct Ron, thanks for making the point. And not all Tibetan Buddhism is Tantric anyhow; there is a lot of straight Mahāyāna as well.
Lmao. Tantra has a huuuuge depth to it. They have a technique called looking, or searching where you explore your false self for the actual thing that is your existence. And it goes very deep. A lot of people called described it as a thread with no beginning.
I know I'm late to the party, but I just found this channel after considering myself a Buddhist for the longest time and I'm so happy that so much effort and knowledge were put in these "school videos". It's very clear to me now that I definitely fit on the Theravada. Excellent work, excellent channel. I'm so grateful.
@@annaclarallb I think it's worth mentioning though, that "Theravada" and "Early Buddhism" are not the same thing. The things that make Theravada really Theravada are the leading role of the Abhidamma and, above all, Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga, which in many ways differ from what is found in the suttas (e.g. Buddhaghosa narrowing down the brahmaviharas as mere meditation objects)
Doug, perhaps I should say a little something about tantra. My tradition is Tibetan Buddhist and there are many tantras available. Some are mother tantras others are father tantras. There is the Kalachakra tantra which is given on a regular basis by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Several things MUST be understood before a practitioner decides to take a tantric empowerment: 1. You must have an experienced teacher who knows you and is practicing the tantra so they can guide you. 2. Tantra requires dedication on a daily basis. The higher the tantra, the more powerful and demanding the requirements are. For example, the Yamantaka tantra (of which there are several different varieties) is the highest yoga tantra and requires the recitation of a 40-page liturgy or a shorter 14-page one (if you are pressed for time) TWICE A DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. 3. Also, at least once in your life you must take a retreat which involves 100,000 protestations and/or mantras. Tantra is not for everyone. You cannot receive the initiation and do the practice whenever you feel like it. So the practicioner must be DEAD SURE if they wish to devote their time to the tantra.
To provide context on deity practice: If you are experiencing emptiness and you are having an intense enough emotional experience while fully mindful, the ego process temporarily short circuits and one experiences non-duality. Visualizing one's self as a deity is intended to 1) help you maintain your mindfulness in the face of strong emotion and 2) intensify the emotion you are experiencing to the point where the separate self vanishes and 3) bring out the best in you (in face of potential temptation to do otherwise). When passion is united with non-duality, it no longer intoxicates or deludes us. The passions then manifest in an altruistic fashion without conditioning us. Unfortunately, this practice only works if the visualization is emotionally meaningful to us in the right way (also, different kinds of visualizations are used for dealing with different kinds of emotions). Deity related rituals and empowerments have the effect of making the visualizations have the necessary emotional meaning. Practice in tantra can be accelerated by deliberately triggering strong emotions in yourself so you can practice working with them. Hence the existence of practices that work with triggering anger and sexual desire. It is important to note that one can technically work with any form of emotional energy. As a side note, using intense emotion to short-circuit the ego process does not require visualization at all. Visualization is very useful, but it's not strictly needed. The following article describes a more difficult and advanced approach: aroencyclopaedia.org/shared/text/e/emotions_ar_eng.php
How does the practice of experientially 'becoming' a potent emotion when it arises differ from a common point of Theravadin advice to take potent emotions as the object of attention as they arise in sitting, just as they would say one should attend to anything that arises, until awareness gives way to automaticity?
To provide some context on the transgressive practices, Vajrayana Buddhism argues that the heart Sutra implies that nothing has an inherent meaning on the grounds that nothing has an independent existence. Because the manner in which everything exists arises out of context, its meaning also arises out of context, instead of belonging to the object. Transgressive practices have the function (some of these practices have other functions as well) of helping the practitioner overcome the belief that things do have a fixed meaning or intrinsic essence. Because tantra justifies violence in a heroic context, it is important for the practitioner to realize that the deeds of others lack intrinsic meaning, so that the justification of violence does not turn into bigotry. Breaking yourself of the belief in intrinsic meaning is an extremely important practice here. Personally, my Vajrayana practice made me a lot more open-minded without sacrificing critical thinking (things DO have meaning in context. Meaning is not arbitrary or subjective).
One thing -- If your "transgressive practices violate (removes you from) the 8-fold path and increase dukha without providing realization (much less: enlightenment) why would you do them? They are called "transgressive" because they remove you from the "Right Path" and increase dukha without providing realization (much less: enlightenment). I think one should be very careful with Philosophy! Why? Because if you are smart, you can justify anything via a philosophy. Early on, the Buddha tried to avoid philosophy, and be very clear about what should be refrained from, what should be avoided. So again, Why? Because the Dangers of Transgressions do "not" improve your chances to achieve what Buddha considered "Achievement". Sure, within the confines of Philosophy, there is the appearance of freedom. But it can be proven that that freedom is also a delusion.
@matchboxmango properly practiced - means by definition "not" transgressive. Now if you only think of yourself and not the effects you have on others ..... But yes, we "can" all learn from our "mistakes"/transgressions, but often karma ....
The point of the heart sutra is ultimate truth or high level meditative state. It says nothing about transgressive action. You obviously are an intelligent person you can find a way to justify anything. If you willing commit transgressive acts and these acts effect others .... Is karma a natural/universal law to you? If so, ask your self witch is the most reliable truth - 1) how "you" perceive the heart sutra; or 2) the law of Karma - your action have consequences.
Hi Doug, I love your stuff. I've practicing Vajrayana for about 40 years, having come to it from Soto Zen. I've also included many Taoist concepts over the years and though I have not watched all of your videos, it's important to point out that good Vajra Masters will start a student out in a very scientific way. That's point I want to make. In India, Tibet, and China, science and spirituality were not split, they were not opposed, as they are here in the west. These cultures developed Spiritual Sciences or Scientific Spirituality. In Vajrayana, the Theravada and Mahayana are included as part of the package. So for instance one usually starts out with Shamatha/Vipassana (Shine/Lhatong) meditation practice, (a Theravada practice) proceeds to Sunyata (Mahayana) where meditation evolves into something much closer to the Zazen-Shikantaza level and from there, progresses to energy work (Tantra) or, alternatively, goes directly into Dzogchen/Mahamudra depending upon the student. Keep up the great work and Thank You.
The reason Vajrayana is regarded as so effective is it embraces all aspects of our minds and emotions. It uses art effectively, it uses emotional energies that we are usually encourage to repress or deny, etc.
I have been watching your videos for several days and I find them fascinating! I am a student of the ancient religions of the Mediterranean and the Near East (especially, early Christianity) and thanks to you I am learning a lot about religions, philosophies and spiritual practices that I knew very superficially. Thank you so much, Doug!
I think when we talk about deity practice, it’s important to emphasize that the deity is nothing other than your own mind. Without that understanding, vajrayana becomes dualistic worship which goes against the very foundations of Buddha Dharma. The deity does not exist independently outside of yourself. Deity practice is a method that hijacks our inherent dualistic tendencies to dismantle it.
Doug's Dharma it doesn’t come from me. It’s elaborated and explained as such in a lot of commentaries by more enlightened masters past and present. 🙏🏼 Edit - to clarify, I mean commentaries on the sutras and shastras.
Vajrayana has many vehicles within it. To discuss inaccurately the transgressive practitices that masters sometimes apply in the extremely advanced and rarified levels of practice as if they are a common fixture in Vajrayana is dangerous and harmful. There were many kinds of masters with many kinds of activities. From mad yogis to pristinely pure monastics who never touched a drop of alcohol. Non-celebate ngakpas and celibate monastics. Dzogchen with trekchod(focus on emptiness aspect)/thogal(focus on luminosity aspect) and mahamudra with the 4 yogas and 6 dharmas of Naropa are key practices in the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages and are merged with yidam practice as you ascend through the levels of tantra. The sexual practices are vastly misunderstood and are only to be engaged in by practitioners who are extremely advanced with their realization of emptiness and experience with the yidam... secret mantra is very powerful, and blissful, but it can also be very dangerous. I have to say that almost no one in the comments here knows anything about Vajrayana. There are so many misconceptions and confusions. I'd say there are very few in the US who actually know anything about Vajrayana. Just a bunch of fools with opinions. If you want real expertise in Vajrayana, go check out Rangjung Yeshe Gomde, or Pema Osel Ling in CA. Those are REAL and incredibly powerful/realized/sophisticated Vajrayana sanghas with incredible lineages.... Tantra offers bodhisattvas power and rapid evolution by manifesting and interacting with a buddha through skillful means.You unifying with and gain the yidams realization. Masters have been able to manifest illusions of iron scorpions in the sky through mantra, prevent powerful spirits like nagas from harming entire countires through practices like Vajrakilaya, manifest lightning, and even gain control of the elements so they could walk through rock or change their form into anything by mastering the nadi, prana, and bindu which are practices found in highest yoga tantra. In one life. I can tell you from personal experience I have encountered more than a few westerners that have gained significant siddhi.
Best comment of all. The video spreads much more confusion than clarity. And those who are not practicing this vehicle have no need/reason to know how it works, and those who do will find the explanation rather disturbing
You left out the fact that compassion, selflessness, self discipline and direct experience of emptiness are prerequisites for practicing inner tantra. Inner tantra, in a modern Tibetan context, rather than being about becoming altruistic, it is all about doing altruism. One learns how to harness (transformed) desire as a tool for acquiring power and mastering skills (without the desire generating dukkha!) so one can be of better service to others. Without keeping the prerequisites in mind, however, this could sound more dangerous than it actually is and much of what you have presented would be misleading. When I first encountered Vajrayana it sounded completely crazy to me and I thought it failed to understand Buddhism properly. After realizing that it had methods for removing intoxication from desire I realized that it did grasp what the Buddha was saying about dukkha and was only using a different strategy for dealing with it. After practicing a form of Vajrayana for a little over a year I have reached the conclusion that Vajrayana practice has the same overall experiential flavor as a renunciate spiritual path, except that transforming greed (desire to acquire) into a more intense form of generosity (desire to acquire for others) makes the altruistic desire stronger and (for me) more natural.
Thanks Rufus, yes I did make the point that much of this material is taken metaphorically and that emptiness is a prerequisite. There is so much to say about it! 🙂
Where did you say that emptiness is a prerequisite in the video? Sorry if I missed it. Yeah, it is difficult to cover a lot of the important information on this subject in only 30 minutes. Even harder if you are not a practitioner yourself.
Hi Rufus, for example at 21:30 I mentioned emptiness in regard of monastics engaging in certain of these practices. But yes, this was intended to be a video about the early history and development of Vajrayāna, not a video about practice, much less about contemporary practice. Those are other very large and important subjects that would take a *very* long time to discuss on their own. But thanks for bringing them up, they certainly deserve focus! 🙏
Hello Doug, I understand that this video was not intended to be about practice. I am concerned, however, that people who watch this video will get a bad impression of contemporary Vajrayana despite your intentions. If you do not share my concern, perhaps you should read some of the comments on this video. If you added the words "The Early" to the front of the video title, and stressed in the description that this video is not about contemporary practice, then I think most people would not be confused. None the less, I am very pleased to see you covering Vajrayana which is usually left out of the discussion and I understand that covering this topic is very difficult.
Hi Rufus, thanks for the suggestion. I’ve pinned a comment to the top of the comments section that should clarify for anyone the subject of this video. FWIW, in my histories of Theravāda and Mahāyāna I also dealt almost exclusively with ancient history (before 1000 CE for sure, with one small exception at the end of the video on Theravāda) and didn’t discuss practice in any more detail than in this video. 🙂
Good day. My ancestors (the Visaya) practiced Vajrayana Buddhism prior to being colonized by Spain, and your video really helped me understand this topic. Thank you.
@@banwa_non Never heard of Vajrayana existing in the Philippines before.. Thanks for letting us know. If you know more history of how it got there do let us know
@@sachabey Not sure exactly. The Bisaya, or Visaya in Sanskrit just means "Country of 100 villages", The artifacts taken from this particular culture are full of Vajras, Vajrayana statues and idols, weapons with vajras on it, and other items related to Vajrayana Buddhism... One museum that dated the artifacts placed the age of these items around the time of Mataram, Srivijaya, and the Song Dynasty. so from the 7th-13th century. From a copper stele written in the Kawi alphabet, that was discovered in the island of Luzon, Philippines (dated to belong in the same timeline as the artifacts from Visayan areas), the main polities of the land we now call Philippines was directed by the "Lord of Diwata", located in what is now Northern Mindanao island in the Philippines, who then answered to the "Lord of Medang", Medang being another name for the Kingdom of Mataram, the Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that built the Mahayana Buddhist temples of Borobudur and Sewu, and the Hindu temple of Prambanan in Indonesia.
Really good video. Thank you Doug. I have done 3 Vajrayana initiations, as a follower of the Dharma, but they make a more sense now I've understood the background!
The issue I have with that comment is whilst part of that is true, it still sounds as if you don’t go further to understanding the philosophy and teachings of it.
Thank you for a great video with historical context and perspective. I found it very helpful to orient how and when the various aspects were developed and how they related historically. Awesome job!
For mein as a German itis quite challenging to follow your interesting discussions, but itis worth it to take many breaks for looking up words in my dictionary,Thanks for both, namaste
Dude. You have no idea how long I've been searching for explanations like these. Objective and historical, yet not reductive of the spiritual perspective. Great stuff...are there books that sort of index the different types of buddhism and their relationships to one another, and speak on their distinguishing elements?
Thanks Jeremy! As to your question, hard to say. The book Buddhist Thought in the info box below the video is a book that treats the major schools, but I’m not sure if it does quite what you want. You might take a look at it. Basically I was looking for the same thing you are and not finding it which is why I made the videos ... 😀
@@DougsDharma Something I always thought would be cool would be a sort of Encyclopedia of Practices, categorized by which thing you're trying to cultivate, but each practice to be labeled with which spiritual tradition it originates from. I, unfortunately, am nowhere near knowledgable enough to create such a thing.
Yes that would be a great thing to do, would take a lot of time and unfortunately much of the earliest material is unclear or disputed at to its origin.
Hi Jeremy, you just need a good teacher who has a clear understanding of the genuine dharma. Try Lama Jampa Thaye ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ag97J8t8fRM.html He has many videos that are exceptionally clear like this one! Cheers!
@@mkspureimagination2198 cutting through spiritual materialism is a classic....'way of tibetan buddhism' by Thorsons is also a wonderfully clear exposition of the way the vehicles fit together and has a great history as well...
You should be aware about the Newars then. Vajrayana/Tantra Buddhism is also called as Newar Buddhism. Newar Buddhists have been protecting the Vajrayana and Tantric Buddhism inside Kathmandu Valley for millenium, and co-exist with Newar Hindus (Shaivites and Shaktas). Newar society is the last remaining example of a pre-Islamic Indic society/civilization that combines aspects of Tantra and the use of Sanskrit language as their key practise, and in Newar society the Vajrayana priests (Vajracharyas) enjoy equal status with the Brahmanical priests (Brahmins).
I been watching your channel on and off for two years, and Noah Rasheta, and I definitely fit into the secular buddhism category. I almost joined a Vajrayana layman's group I been visiting for a few days now as there are no secular buddhism practices near me. I'm gonna join your online group :) Thank you for this information - rather now than later :)
Thank you very much, Doug, for the concise explanation of Tantra and Tantric Buddhism. It answered a lot of questions I was unclear on. I've been a Buddhist since the late 1980's, and know a fair bit about Theravada and Mahayana. I've never done an in-depth study of Tantra, but what I have read was confusing to me. This video is the best explanation I've come across, so far. Tantra seems to be syncretic, in combining Shaivism, Buddhism, and other thought-systems.
Thank you for this video. I have so much to learn and concepts as discussed here shed some light on the history that I needed to know for my path. ❤️❤️❤️
Before I got a kundalini Awakening, in the mornings before opening my eyes, I would repeatedly see translucent monks, filling their lungs with light, then breathing out their light as a halo, that contained their body. But the body they previously had, now without the light, dried up to a skeleton that crumbled into dust.
It's interesting to see many people in the comments say that they have a lack of understanding of this branch of Buddhism. In Vajrayana, it is said that it takes several million lifetimes to arrive at this dharma, so the fact that many people find it strange is to be expected. What I CAN tell you is that, at least, in my experience, I feel it is 100% real. And I didn't feel that way until I got possessed myself, albeit not by a Buddhist deity or a daka/dakini. My possession experience actually happened in a Vodou ceremony, and it led me to tantra and non-duality as an overarching philosophy. It was quite powerful and it has had a lasting effect on me to this very day. There are phenomena out there that simply cannot be explained by western or secular belief systems (but that can be explained by Mahayana/Vajrayana philosophy).
Been curious about vajrayana since reading (actually listening to the audiobook of) The Godfather of Kathmandu by John Burdett. This is a fantastically clear, efficient overview. Thank you for this content.
Although the term "Hinayana" (the lesser vehicle) is used in the ancient Tibetan commentaries, His Holiness the Dalai Lama insists that it be called "Theravada" (vehicle of the elders) to avoid inferring that it is inferior to Mahayana Buddhism.
Your presentation is very academic and well done.But it is obvious to me you haven’t practice Vajrayana nor are you giving the full understanding of Vajrayana.. like all things there are abuses in all systems.It is also true before Atisa reformed Tantra, also Guru worship is not necessarily true. Energetic practices have existed in all Asian practices,also there is a older form of Buddhism-Bon that had tantric practices.So all Tibetan Buddhism was not influenced by India and Savism. Teacher’s visited from China,Afghanistan,Nepal,Greece,and Egypt. Also with a European mindset and Western mind set it’s difficult to interpret philosophies and the meaning of cultures and languages that existed thousands of years ago. We have a hard enough time understanding and effectively communicating with one another in present time. Tantric deities, and the Buddha are aspects of our mind. Buddha means to be awaken it’s not a theistic religion or path. It’s a mind science, meaning if a person wants to actually follow another religion they can or a person doesn’t have to believe or follow another path or system. Meaning you can take Buddhist principles and incorporate them into your way and culture. Hence we have Shingon Tantric Buddhism in Japan with aJapanese cultural flare as an example. The main person that historically is given credit for introducing Tantra in Tibet was Padmasambhava who had Five female disciples who became great Gurus or teachers.,Atisa who came along a few hundred years later reformed some of the excesses that some yogis were doing. Tilopa the founder of the Kagyu order gained much of his wisdom from the primordial Buddha and Dakinis ( female wisdom beings- some being human so not). But this idea of worshiping Gurus is not Buddhism, even from a Vajrayana point of view. People in general follow leaders like robots in all religions, politics etc. Buddhism from my understanding and some of the saying of Sakyamuni Buddha -is we must find salvation in ourselves and trust in ourselves first and foremost. A teacher or Guru serves as a coach to help a person reach their highest potential. Personality worship like most things happen because most people do not research whatever they believe and follow fully, they read or listen to who ever speaks to what there mind already believes and stops at that point. So they assign their minds so to say to a teacher- it’s called laziness. I have practice Vajrayana for 40 plus years and never worshiped deities or Lamas, Gurus etc. I have studied with many teachers most as a private student. But I think for myself I am not a robot lol . Finally I feel you give a great academic explanation and presentation of Vajrayana from the sources you have studied. The history of Vajrayana is to vast to pigeonhole it only to Indian Savism. ☸️🙏🏿☸️
Elucidation on a complicated topic, THANK YOU! I understand that there's research into the founders of the Tantric lineage: Originally by and for women! I think this is exciting and deserves more attention ❤
The actual dharma is great the problem I kept hitting was a sengha that isn't a cult. I lived in a mystery school temple for 4 years and even with complete immersion with that lifestyle people are still people and in fact the dharma and title " maestra or teacher" can just make a person's ego much larger. The best thing a person pursuing this path can do is take the classes and practice the dharma at home far away from a sengha unless you are lucky enough to actually find one that isn't just using these esoteric practices for the wrong reasons.
Thanks for that Healing Hearts, yes some sanghas can be difficult. It's best to avoid groups like that, particularly ones with teachers that are too ego-involved as you note.
Buddhism is so interesting .Not just as the Dharma practice but also seen trough an anthropological /historical lens. Indian Buddhism meeting and matching with Hinduism ,Tibetan Bon, Taoism & Confucianism, Western secularism etc,etc.
I wasn't really sure where to put this question but I thought this video might be a good place. I wanted to understand more about the history and present using importance of chanting in Buddhism. I know many branches of Buddhism make use of either mantras or the chanting of sutras or suttas as an extensive or sometimes almost exclusive part of their practice. I think it would be interesting to understand the evolution of this practice formerly Buddhism to now.
I hope Doug will consider a Shingon Video if able, not my School but I think it retained early Indio-Chinese Esoteric elements of early Mantrayana before jumping to Japan. This makes it unique and mysterious even among Vajrayana and mystery Schools... I would like therefore to know a bit more if possible for you to offer it. Looking forward to your Zen video as a Zen Student. Gassho, Jikai
Shingon is very interesting but it's quite far afield from the main focus of this channel, which is largely on early Buddhism in a contemporary perspective. If I could find a good, concise history of it I might consider doing a video though.
As far as I understand and being a Newar from the Kathmandu valley, they are not Tibetan art work. Its Shakya art work created in Kathmandu valley and introduced in Tibet at later stage. The western world have been taught by Americans differently.
@@MrAndroidAsia almost all Vajrayana/Tantric masters and teachers of tibetans were Vajracharya and Shakya people of Kathmandu valley. Vajrayana gurus taught the philosophies and tantras while Shakya people were skilled artisans, painters, sculptors who made the arts, mandalas, statues with all the required details. Most of what people think of Tibetan Buddhism comes from Kathmandu valley but due to western/American propaganda after Chinese invasion of Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism was able to claim all those things as their authentic culture which has put the most precious and original form of Tantric Buddhism of Kathmandu valley in shadow. You can see most paintings on walls of tibetan monasteries were made by Newar artisans from Kathmandu valley. Most of the artifacts found in Tibet and put in museums around the world labeled as Tibetan Buddhist statues are all made by Newar Buddhists. So what's happening is similar to a cultural encroachment and genocide. Tourist and travel guidebooks and websites labeling the famous stupas of Kathmandu as Tibetan and Tibetans even claiming that those stupas were made by Tibetan king and Tibetan women with her children when visiting Kathmandu. So much fake history and propaganda.
A monk engaging in sex with a female commits a parajika offence and is automatically and on the spot disrobed and no longer a monk and not alowed to reordain in the same lifetime, other forms of sexual activity even masturbation (any forms of intentional emission of semen) are Sanghadisesa offences and entail meetings of the Sangha which is required to disrobe the monk after a maximum of 3 offenses. That is the Law set forth by the historical Buddha for the entire Sangha.
During a certain time, I've been searching for such answers, because my training comes from theravada and later by mahayana teachings. You was clear, precise and gave the sources. This kind of information is very important to the practitioner. Thank you.
I'll be checking into your various book recommendations, a friend. Introduced me to this branch of Buddhism and said it might be a good option. however I cannot. Find a teacher for any of the other branches you mentioned here in Saginaw, Michigan. However, there is a community and Detroit as well as an Arbor which I may need to move there to move into the spiritual practice of Vajrayana. I think I need to get more spiritual about my. Practice and understanding. For about 11 years I have been viewing Buddhism through the secular lens. Mainly your channel as well as Noah. Rachelle Timber Harkeye, and one other, I can't remember the name of. Thanks again Doug
Marpa went to India the the source and translated two Indian Mahayana tantric books and brought them back to Tibet. 'Enlightenment' in one life time was the promise and the Black hat school of Buddhism. Why Re-chang-pa went to India and come back with 5 books of translated tantric knowledge is kitchen table talk but the Sadhu were worried that Tanta would eventually disappear from the earth so Re-chang said give it to the Buddhists and we will keep it alive. So you Tantric Buddhism is looking after Shavite practices. Not only did Re-changpa translate sanskit into pali, he had translated self-based philosophy into Non-self based philosopy and gets immediately called an egotist by his illiterate Guru.
Thank you. This is a useful overview of Vajrayana Buddhism. It will certainly help me when I want to read up more about the development of Buddhism and also Tibetan Buddhism. I understand Johannnes Bronkhorst sees the incorporation of Tantric practices into Buddhism as an adaptive response to the growing influence of the new Brahmanism, which not only laid claim to the secret sacred vedic texts and rituals, but also incorporated the cult of Shiva into its practices at a later stage. Brahmanism eventually transformed itself from a socio-political ideology to a religion....to the complex expression known as Hinduism today.
Dear Doug, in your commentary regarding Arahants in the Theravada tradition you mention that reaching this stage is typically seen as a ‘lonely’ effort, focused on achieving Nibbana one self. One could counter this with a view which I encounter regularly in the Thai forest tradition, where a practitioner, typically a monk or Bikkhu, does not take on teaching followers until they have reached Arahant-ship. Specifically because it is seen that a teacher needs to talk from experience in that sense rather than book knowledge. With Metta, Ralph
For some reason, I knew and had a feel of what Vajrayana was about but the interesting thing is no one was talking about it and they were dancing around the issue. I do not like the secrecy or the ritual and also calling anyone master or whatever... I saw a video where Chogyam Trungpa used the word Master more than once and that trigger not Buddha but control.... There was something about the ritual he had set up with the Shambhala Warrior training that I stayed away from and that is why I did not stay with them. So again thank you for your thorough and real information that you are relaying to us. And the truth shall set us free so that we keep correcting our wrong view.
That was a nice intro, thank you. Some bits were kind of stumps but good work in overall. Tantric buddhism, as well as dzogchen, insists on the importance of a guru, a master. The meaning of this is something that could/should be discussed among non-tantric buddhists. There are a lot of unhealthy and harmful things related to the "guru phenomena" but that stuff should be separated from "guru yoga" which is a form of tantric meditation that should be practiced only in relation to a fully realised buddha, i.e. a mahasiddha, who rarely inhabit the physical body.
Great talk. Once I learnt more about this type of Buddhism, I moved on. So many changes and corruptions. Its unfortunate people still teach it as coming from the historical Buddha.
Very compressed and good analysised information. It Helped academic study of buddhist study. Thank you very much for uploading such research based vedio.
I am from a Vajrayana background myself, but I only properly understood it after going through the teachings of Theravada and Mahayana schools like Zen. Also, similar to what you stated in order to be a Siddha or Mahasiddha you need a profound realization of nonduality and emptiness. Such Mahasiddhas can be seen as madmen like Tilopa and Lama Drukpa Kuenley in not only in the modern context but even during their respective eras. I feel that while denigrating your guru is offensive, it is also very harmful and hypocritical to imitate the behaviour of a Mahasiddha without having the actual qualification to be called one which makes such so called gurus no different from charlatans. Well one extreme example I read in one of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche's post is that a Mahasiddha can drink dog urine as if it is drinking water without any sort of hesitation or discomfort. Lastly, I think Mahayana and Vajrayana can be called the teachings of the Buddha in the sense that it is based on the principles that the Buddha himself taught which could explain the common points among Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana despite the differences in their theory and practice
1. Buddhism came to China in the first century CE but could be as early as 100BC during Han dynasty through the silk road. The use of mantras and dharanis dates at least to the 2nd century. The early Chinese vajrayana formed when tantric materials with mantras and dharanis, together with Mahayana texts begin to appear in China during the 3rd and 4th century. Xuanzang /Hsuan Tsang , the infamous 7th century Tang dynasty traveller monk who travelled Central Asia and India to retrieve more buddhist texts also translated tantric texts from the infamous Nalanda when he studied there and became a preceptor. Nalanda tradition of vajrayana started to take root in Tang China during the early 8th century with the arrival of indian tantric masters. 2. The "Hinayana" term appeared around the first or second century until 1950 when certain monastic factions of the southern tradition become more political. 3. The first known use of Theravada term was in 1882. This term used for southern tradition is historically inaccurate. 4. The oldest surviving vinaya is dharmagupta practiced by chinese mahayana tradition with the complete assembly of fully ordained male and female monastics.
Doug, how could I get rid of black magic on me, I'm a Tibetan Buddhist and my gesha gave me a amulet and told me to chant "om benza satto hung" I've been chanting the 100 syllable mantra, then I chant the short mantra 108x, these symptoms are mind blocked, I'm sexually disfuctal, it's all bad energy and bad karma, "negativity" how can I change, can you help me?? This evil spirit has been on me since I was 17yrs old, now I'm 33yrs old.. please help??!
Seen on 20th March 2020. Very informative and useful after seeing the Buddhism Exhibition at the British Library in Feb 2020. This exhibition also cited Vajrayana Buddhism in the spread of Buddhism after Theravada and Mahayana. St Augustine's CONFESSIONS refers to Manichaeism of 3 rd century (from Persia). This appears to be echoed in Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism albeit much later as 7 the century. Some Indian scholars say that people went from India to West Asia. I wonder cross-fertilisation of ancient religious cultures had taken place in the background when Christianity and Islam were moving forward 1c to 7c. Christianity already taken roots in India in the 1 c - St Thomas and later Nestorian traditions in 7c. Islam and Sifi traditions soon followed into India after 7 c.
There was certainly a lot of cross-fertilization from the time of Alexander onwards, but in general sophisticated philosophical doctrines don’t travel well or easily. There is a lot of misunderstanding. See for example my video on whether the Buddha was a Christian saint: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wFtWu4hDMME.html
@@DougsDharma Thanks. I saw it and it's fascinating. As you say misunderstanding can be factor. Penny drops now about Surah 4/157 - how the Quran sees the crucification of Jesus. Also how the divine nature of Jesus - Son of God is not understood in Islam. 3rd C Nicene Creed not understood by 7th C Muslims. Back to Buddha: Once we accept rebirth many times, it is quite possible for Hindus and Buddhists and other people of other faiths to be reborn among Christian communities. I guess is that Christian life is their last life. ie God will not allow another rebirth.
Given the special nature of varjayana practice no students are asked to skip Hinayana or Mahayana level of understandings first. In fact, the potential dangers talked about here lies in the risks of not being fully prepared through Hinayana and Mahayana practices first. For this reason varjayana is said to be the pinnacle on the Buddhist path because it includes all three yanas. Some would argue that varjayana is just an extension of Mahayana since it is based on the same philosophical views of emptiness, prajnaparamita principles. The concept of bodhichitta also appears in both set of teachings as well. What distinguishes varjayana from Mahayana then is the form of practices it utilizes to gain access to these essential principles. It is often said while both Hinayana and Mahayana often describes the progression towards enlightenment as gradual and prolonged the varjayana approach is described as the swift and direct path due to its ability to utilize hidden (suppressed) powers within us. It is transformative due to its focus on the result, rather than progressive stages of purifications and gains of insights and merits. The practitioner is instructed to take the role and be the Buddha in his practice. Transformation happens when the practitioner truly assumes his being to be that of a Buddha and the world around him appears as the pure realm of the Buddhas as well as all sounds are the natural pure sounds of mantra. All beings are then seen as Buddhas equal to himself. This is the real meaning of the mandala principle. For even having a chance to begin on such a journey of transformation the student must meet with a qualified master that is prepared to take on and lead this person towards full enlightenment. This is a commitment and a relationship that will remain until full enlightenment is reached and is therefore of much higher value than any other form of relationship we can think of. It is a relationship that is full of dangers and risks but nevertheless the only way forward for anyone yearning for Buddhahood. The master must be qualified in introducing the student into his true nature of mind and the mandalas of the deities he is set out to practice and perfect. Without that the student doesn’t have a varjayana practice! A genuine master will know when the student is ready for such an introduction through the previous groundwork made on the more general levels of practices that precedes an introduction into varjayana practice. A devotional practice towards the guru is introduced and the student is instructed to become fully aware of the inseparable nature between his guru and the Buddha. Moreover, the student is also introduced into the notion that his own true nature is inseparable with the guru and the Buddha, as well. This is where the true path towards a non-duality reality begins. Obviously, this is where a belief in an independent self really is starting to become a tremendous burden and the student really starts to experience its many limitations and downright absurdities.
Thank you very much Free Tibet. I would only advise that the term "Hinayana" is derogatory and so best understood as polemics. Scholar Bhikkhu Anālayo has a paper arguing that there never was a true "Hinayana" school of Buddhism: www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/hinayana.pdf
I love Vajrayana, it's the Buddhist school I identify the most by far. Not the Tibetan branch, which in my opinion has become too 'liquified' and similar to all Mahayana, but the Bhutanese. Especially, I connect with Dzongsar Khyentse (who is heavily criticized by many of more 'orthodox' Buddhist and also by many secular people).
This video is 4 years old but it is a very good scholarly video, I just want to say about certain teachers being allowed to practice certain illicit actions like casual sex, I'm not very well read in VB but it might be about siddhas who have realized the emptiness of all things they sometimes might perform certain things out of perceived madness but it is to show the unawakened beings in rare moments that because they are awakened certain teleological actions do not correlate with it's perceived unawakened deontological result or desire from the awakened being.
I would love to hear about the references that count to Taoist and Hindu energy systems as possible influences for subtle Vajrayāna microcosmology. As far as I am concerned, the theories now being handled of the emergence of chakra systems are: 1-David Gordon White: which explains that the chakras as an organized system appear in Buddhist texts such as Hevajra Tantra and Caryagiti. 2-George Feuerstein: which explains that they existed before Buddhism itself, in the Upaniśads. 3-Gavin Flood: which explains that they appear simultaneously in the tantric factions of Hinduism and Buddhism, without determining an influence of one on the other. Maitrī
@@DougsDharma You're Welcome! PS: I would love to see you in a video explaining your point of view on a very controversial topic: the relationship between psychedelic drugs and Buddhism. We know that the historical use of entheogens such as C. sativa (R. C. Parker), D. metel (B. Siklos and R. C . Parker) and perhaps fungi such as A. muscaria (S. Hajicek-Dobberstein and M. Crowley) or Ps. cubensis (M. Crowley), is more related to the Indo-Tibetan Vajrayāna path. But I see secular Buddhists talking about the psychological and scientific value of such substances. So, what is your approach? Maitrī
I love how you explain subjects. You're so informative and well organized in your thoughts. As I was listening to your explanation about transgressive sexuality being apart of this form of tantra, I thought about the practices of modern day BDSM. Some of these practices require violence, pain, and psychological rituals that can be considered "impure," yet some BDSM practitioners talk about going into trances, like from rope work. Do you think perhaps there could be overlap between the early days, esoteric practices of vajrayana tantra and modern day BDSM? Or are they not nearly close because a diety must be involved? Sorry I am new to understanding these concepts.
May Guru Rinpoche shower you with forgiveness for your ignorance . Am Tibetan and practicing Tibetan Buddhism and Every Tibetan knows guru padmasambhava is like a Buddha in our Tibetan Buddhism . He is a greatest tantric practitioner and even Buddha prophecies the coming of his birth in sutras. I mean since you talked about the history of vajrayana Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism. How can you left out our one of founder? Why are you focusing too much on Lord shiva? Second of all, I think u should go through all different sect of Tibetan Buddhism history and all. Different great master of all leanage. What about nalanda university. If you really know about vajrayana, Nalanda univeirty is great figure. Deities and Lord shiva??? What are you talking about? Come onsir I like your video but u still have lots to learn. Okay let's start with King songtsen gampo, master shantideva, nagarjuna, greatest Tibetan tantric and yogi milarepa , jetsongkhapaand a lots and lots.i can't remember in English because I practice through Tibetan language. Let me tell u in brief sir, Tibetan Buddhism is like a spacecraft build from different toys assembled together by so many enlightened beings start from Lord buddha🙏🏻 , please go to Tibetan monastic university and learn thoroughly . Like you said practicing tantric is is dangerous likewise little knowledge is dangerous too.most of all altruism is most important of all sir . I think u should go debate with Mr Thurman, I can say he is really good at Tibetan Buddhism .
Good information. But I found in some sources that Vajrayana started the academic development first that Hindu Tantra, actually the Buddhist Tantras appeared first than Hindu ones. Some scholars say that Hindu was first, other say that Buddhist was first, and the other thesis is a more syncretic one, they were involved and brought together, and they influenced each other. Metta.
I'd be interested to know which scholars think that Buddhist Tantra came first and influenced Śaiva Tantra. No doubt there was cross-pollination though once both were around.
@@DougsDharma The oldest known datable Buddhist Tantra is possibly the Guhyasamāja Tantra dating from the 5th century by Alex Wayman (but up to the 8th by Japanese scholars). Another early Tantra is the Mahavairocana Tantra, which was mentioned and collected by the Chinese pilgrim Wu-xing c. 680 CE. The Tantric Śaivas generally believe that the human originator or creator of the Tantras was Matsyendranath with the Kaulajñānanirnāya Tantra. Scholars place Matsyendranath in the 9th century AD. What can be shown is that the Tantric Buddhists first developed the written tradition of Tantra, but not that they were the creators of it. Since before the 5th century of our era there was already a Vaishnava Tantrism, which dates back to the 3rd century before our era. And before the Buddha himself there was a certain Proto-śaktism.
@@jonathansamir8351 There are a number of essays referenced in Samuel's Origins of Tantra that discuss the cross-pollination between Buddhism and Hinduism in Tantra. (A quick look shows e.g. 16 citations on p. 262). But the roots of Tantra lie in ritual practices directed at Hindu deities such as Śiva.
I think Vajrayana has the most complex psychological architecture of all spiritual systems. From the practitioner's point of view, it doesn’t matter its historical evolution. Vajrayana copies and synthesizes the entire raw universe of perception and feeling. So, we can find within Vajrayana all spectrum of human instincts with an associated technology for sublimating them into “the pure bliss of truth”.
The Shiva Tantra that got assimilated with Buddhism that he is talking about is one or the 6 branches of Tantra in Hinduism. Called Kaulachar. also, that Killing of Shiva is only a propaganda. You cannot kill Shiva. The Vajrayana lamas knew this very well. Shiva is the universal nothingness (the un-manifested form of the creator) "SHIVA" translate to "That which is not" that is eating up the manifested reality. So one day it may again return to the original state.
I am watching you for the 1st time. I am a long time student of Dharma in general, and the Vajrayana in particular. I would like to commend you on giving what is a very good general introduction to an extremely complex subject. #;-) Thanks....I hope this benefits many beings!
As a ex pachen lama the 9..i develop many of this skills.. Who I still aplly in my present live.. All the lamas who study the kalachakra in vajraYana lineage aplly tantras
Thank you for a brave attempt to touch on a vast subject from your personal perspective. Of course, the primary difference in the goals of the paths is that Theravada leads to understanding of the wisdom of emptiness for personal liberation as an Arahat whereas Mahayana and Vajrayana consider this a partial journey as, without the practice of Bodhichitta (compassion) equally, it does not lead to Buddhahood and the desire for liberation for all sentient beings.
@@DougsDharma I guess it comes down to whether one accepts that there was a 4th turning of the wheel during which the Buddha gave teaching to adepts and predicted that an n Nagarjuna would latter be able to interpret and share for those ready for this level of teaching. each turning of the wheel, ie. subsequent major teachings were at the level of what the listeners were able to absorb. that certainly explains the seeming contradictions in what he said regarding conventional and ultimate reality
such a well organized and easy to follow explanation of Vajrayana Buddhism for the audience. i have a question and observation. 1. what were the geographical locations for these practices? 2. in the shambhala meditation center, the former Sakyong stepped down after, allegedly, sexual misconduct was charged against him by women in the sangha. without knowing the specifics, it's hard to say if this was outright abuse or "transgressive" practices that western practitioners were unable to stomach. but having watched this video, i think gave some historical context to the type of conflicts that still occur as a result.
It's hard to say where these practices were geographically located, since my understanding is that they were practiced at least by some in most places that Buddhism was practiced. There are even some esoteric/tantric practitioners among the Theravāda. (Though I'm not sure how their approach would have differed). For the most part nowadays tantric practices are in Tibet and East Asia.
Good video and well done covering an unbelievably vast subject in short amount of time! I study in the Karma Kagyu Lineage that is also in line with the Rime movement. I would like to add that within the 3 turnings of the wheel of dharma, Hinayana(1), Mahayana(2), and Vajrayana(3), they all build upon each other and exist within each other. So within Mahayana is Hinayana, and within Vajrayana is both Mahayana and Hinayana. All are beautiful paths🙏🏽
Yes, indeed they can all be beautiful paths. That said, the term "Hinayāna" is generally understood to be derogatory and misleading, so it is perhaps best avoided.
There is a huge miss information about Vajrayana Buddhism and it's origin ,because Shaivism was older then Buddhism they though Tantrayana was originated from Shaivism which is absolutely wrong. The oldest Tantra text group of Shaivism is called "Pichu Tantra" ,there is 2 text within them 1. Brahmayamal 2. Rudrayamal Tantra , there is an interesting story in those text , it says that Basista went to Maha chin(Tibet) to learn Tantra with Buddha Roopa Shiva/Vishnu ( Shiva/Vishnu with Buddha Body ) .If we analyze historically , till 12th century Tibetan used to came to Mahavihara like Nalanda, Vikramasila, Sompuri etc in India to learn Tantra , why would a Basista has to go to Tibet to learn Tantra when it was available in India? it is only possible after the destruction of Mahavihara in India and after all of Vajrayana was completely lost in India then only he has to go to Tibet to learn Tantra and to make it look Hindu he wrote that he learned from Buddha but was Shiva inside .Secondly, Binayatosh Bhattacharya a famous Indian Iconographer , has stated that according to iconography we can surely say that Buddhist Tantra is older and Hindu Tantra is a copy of it. A text was found written by Ashwoghos of 2nd century about Vajrayana Samaye ( precepts).Vajrayana is difficult to understand by an general mass , one who has gradually understand and study Shravakyana and then Mahayana (Sutrayana ) then only one has to study Vajrayana under unbroken enlightened lineage authentic master not with Scholar because interpretation is very essential in Buddhism. One cannot jump straight to Vajrayana and start practicing it , there won't be clarity but confusion . For long Vajrayana practice was done in isolation and was only given to those who was ready for it and it was hidden from public till 6th century .In Anguttar Nikaya , Udaye Sutta " Meditate on Luminous mind (Pravaswar Chitta), if practiced repeatedly wisdom arises . Vajrayana is associated with this practice of Luminous mind ( Pure nature of mind) , once given initiation of Vajrayana Tantra Guru helps his disciple realize this luminous mind and this is the used in the practice as a seed and this is the difference between Hindu and Buddhist Tantra , there is no pointing out of Luminous mind in Hindu Tantra at all whereas, this luminous mind is the base of all Vajrayana Tantra Practice. And practitioner of Vajrayana is called "Mantrina " or Tantradhara " not "Tantrik " , it is referred to Practitioner of Hindu Tantra. And there is no ritual violence like that in Hindu Tantra , and use of consort is an advance practice it is only permitted to those who have achieved "1 taste t" stage where there is no good or Bad ( It is a stage if a stool or a tasty food is kept a yogi don't discriminate and can eat both without any hesitation , it doesn't matter at that stage. If normal people like us are involved in such advanced practice we will get attached and will be lost in the pleasurable sensation .
Thanks for your response. I'd suggest taking a look at some of the scholarship listed in the show notes, this material comes from some very good recent scholarship. 🙏
@@DougsDharma @Doug's Dharma As I said before interpretation is very much essential in Buddhism. An Ordinary person like us will interpret according to the limited information that we have gathered and those information too can be true or false as well. Hence,our limited interpretation is always limited ,but the interpretation that has been pass down to generation after generation through unbroken enlightened lineage has produced enlightened masters in every generation. And the main aim of all Buddhist practice is to uproot klesha (emotional defilements) and Abidhya and Mahayana (both Sutrayana and Vajrayana) teachings has been successful for doing so .Enlightened master during there life time might live like an ordinary people and would never claim that they are enlightened but during the time of death nature shows the signs.An enlightened master don't die like an ordinary corpse, they remain in meditation known as "Thukdam" (Pravaswor chitta dhyan)in Tibetan and it can last from a day and in some cases upto 49 days and during that period the breath and heart beat is stops but the body remains as it is without getting rotten and stiff.And during the time of cremation rainbow appears and after cremation in the remaining ashes pearls like things, crystal like things are found and in some cases mantra and deaties are found in bones which is called "Ringsel" in Tibetan and (Sarita dhatu in Sanskrit) and if these pearls like things are kept with faith it multiplies.it might sound extraordinary or supernatural to some but it has been happening since the time of Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha's body remains as it is for 15days and fire didn't catch up untill Arhant Vante Maha Kashyap reached .After cremation pearls and crystal like things too appears in ashes after cremation. Because it multiplied Samrat Ashoka was able to built 84000 stupas from the Sarita dhatu that he was able to take out from 7 out of 8 stupas. Ashoka was unable to open the stupas of Ramgram , which is in Nepal because everytime he tried to open Naga's (Snakes) came out .He tried for months but everytime his army tried to open snakes came out .
