The Buddhist Tantras A Guide

The tantric Buddhist traditions emerged in India beginning in the seventh century CE and flourished there until the demise of Buddhism in India circa the fifteenth century. These traditions were disseminated to Central, East, and Southeast Asia, and continue to be practiced, most notably in Nepal, Tibet and Japan, as well as in the numerous Tibetan traditions disseminated around the world by Tibetan masters living in diaspora. The central scriptures for these traditions were generally designated by the term tantra. Tantras are works that purport to relate secret teachings of the buddhas that enable awakening in as short as one lifetime. As such they are understood by their advocates to be the inspired speech of a buddha, and hence worthy of inclusion in the canons of Buddhist traditions. Over the past twenty years there has been considerable growth in the study of tantras as well as translations of these works into Western languages. This volume provides a detailed introduction to the Buddhist tantras. It addresses their development in India, their dissemination to Central, East and Southeast Asia, and their reception in these contexts. It introduces the key teachings in the tantras, as well as the history of their interpretation, and their connection to traditions of ritual, and contemplative practices. It also introduces the classification of the tantras and their place in Buddhist scriptural canons. It concludes with a look at the transgressive rhetoric that characterizes many of the tantras, the impact this had on their dissemination and translation, and the ways in which Buddhists explained this. It suggests that transgressive rhetoric and practices served an important role in Buddhist tantric traditions, which may be why they persist despite the challenges they have presented to the dissemination of these traditions.

Kirti Tsenshap Rinpoche was a renowned teacher of Tibetan Buddhism with students worldwide. Revered as a teacher by even the Dalai Lama, he was known especially as a master of Buddhist tantra, the powerful esoteric methods for attaining enlightenment swiftly. The teachings in this book are a singular record of his deep learning in that field. Originally delivered in California to a group of Western students, the teachings comment on a classic introduction to tantra by the nineteenth-century Mongolian lama Choje Ngawang Palden. The work, Illumination of the Tantric Tradition, is a staple even today of the curriculum for training young monastics. Kirti Tsenshap Rinpoche explains the distinctive features of the four classes of tantra--action tantra, performance tantra, yoga tantra, and highest yoga tantra--by describing the way to progress through their paths and levels. He illuminates key issues in tantric practice that are still a matter for debate within the tradition. Finally, he gives a special treatment of the unique methods of Kalacakra tantra, which is regularly taught around the globe by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Vessantara explains the key characteristics of the Tantra, introduces its many Deities, and explores its symbolism. This guide provides the foundations for a gradual and thorough understanding of Tantric Buddhism, encouraging confidence in the exploration of its many themes and lavish forms. Mantra recitation and colourful visualizations of the Deities lie at the heart of the Tantric practice and Vessantara provides beautiful meditations on each of the key figures while also explaining the reasoning, theory and history behind each practice.

This volume, the result of an international collaboration of forty scholars, provides a comprehensive resource on Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in their Chinese, Korean, and Japanese contexts from the first few centuries of the common era to the present.

In Tibetan religious literature, Jamgon Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge stands out as a unique encyclopedic masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings as they were presented in Tibet.

Vajrayogini is a female enlightened Deity of Highest Yoga Tantra, a manifestation of all Buddha’s wisdom. By engaging in the Tantric practice of Vajrayogini under the guidance of a qualified Spiritual Guide, sincere practitioners can completely purify their body, speech and mind and attain a state of full enlightenment, the ultimate goal of human life. This comprehensive guide provides a detailed and practical explanation of the two stages of Vajrayogini practice – generation stage and completion stage – and shows how we can integrate these practices into our daily life, thereby transforming every moment of our life into the path to enlightenment. It is a unique guide to becoming a Tantric enlightened being in the modern world.

First published in 1970, The Way of Power is an exploration of the school of Mahayana Buddhism prevalent in Tibet and Mongolia, known as the Vajrayana. Divided into two parts, the book provides an introduction to the background and theory behind the Vajrayana before progressing to a study of Vajrayana in practice. In doing so, it provides an overview of the history, development, and contemporary status of the Vajrayana, and takes a look at the different schools and sects. The book’s primary focus is the use of Tantric mystical techniques. The Way of Power will appeal to those with an interest in Buddhism, religious psychology, and religious history.

The Yogini's Eye: Comprehensive Introduction to Buddhist Tantra, Volume I: Systemization and Interpretation introduces a new translation series, Classics of the Early Sakya, which will focus on the extensive literature of the Sakya Lamdre lineage of the Hevajra Tantra cycle of revelation. This first volume of introduction is the earliest book of its type and comprehensive treatment of the subject matter to have been written, and initiated the scholarly study of Tibetan Buddhist Tantra. Subsequent studies in all lineages were built on the foundation established by this book. The Yogini's Eye has served as the introductory textbook for the study of Sakya Tantra continuously for over 800 years. Over the centuries, the textbook has been supplemented by a total of fifteen commentaries and study guides written by the most learned scholars of the Sakya tradition, including Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen (1312 1375), Yeshe Gyaltsen (1300's 1406), Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (1382 1450), Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrup (1456 1532), Ngorchen Konchok Lhundrup (1497 1547), Amezhap Ngawang Kunga Sonam (1597 1659), and Dezhung Chopel Jamyang Kunga Namgyal (1880's mid-1950's). This first English edition contains the translation of thirteen of these study guides, excluding all repetitive sections, inserted into the original book in the appropriate context.

Concise guide describes the art of spiritualizing one's sexuality and offers efficient methods for transmuting fear and attachment into love and universal power. Step-by-step instructions demonstrate how to perform traditional yoga exercises.

A highly practical form of mysticism, Mahayana Buddhism offers precise techniques for attaining wisdom by negating the ego and entering the bliss of divinity. This book gives the background, techniques, purpose, and underlying theory of the Tantric forms of meditation, which have often been successful for those who have failed to make progress with more familiar methods.