hd
A Brief Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism



We often think the only way to create happiness is to try to control the outer circumstances of our lives, to try to fix what seems wrong or to get rid of everything that bothers us. But the real problem lies in our reaction to those circumstances. What we have to change is the mind and the way it experiences reality.
from Chagdud Rinpoche's "Gates to Buddhist Practice"

Tibetan Buddhism offers a vast and profound body of teachings and spiritual practices. These date back approximately 2,500 years to Shakyamuni Buddha, and remarkably, have been passed down in an unbroken lineage going back to the Buddha himself. The teachings are aimed at accelerating the spiritual development of the practitioner for the benefit of all sentient beings. At their core is a deep awareness of the nature of suffering and a consistent emphasis on compassion.

People from any and all spiritual or religions backgrounds are welcome to practice Tibetan Buddhism. There is no requirement to leave behind the religion of one's background. It is not necessary to "be a Buddhist" in order to attend meditation sessions at our center. Indeed, Tibetan Buddhism is nonsectarian and welcomes the participation of individuals from all faiths and paths.

In his book, Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, John Powers explains: "Because of its multifaceted nature, [...] there is no one 'truth' that can be put into words, nor is there one program of training that everyone can or must follow. Tibetan Buddhism recognizes that people have differing capacities, attitudes, and predispositions, and the Dharma can and should be adapted to these. Thus, there is no one church in which everyone should worship, no service that everyone must attend, no prayers that everyone must say, no text that everyone should read as normative, and no one deity that everyone must worship. The Dharma is extremely flexible, and if one finds that a particular practice leads to a diminishment of negative emotions, greater peace and happiness, and increased compassion and wisdom, this is Dharma"

The Three Jewels
The Three Jewels are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha is one who has purified all the defilements of the mind the afflictive emotions, the imprints of the actions motivated by them, and the stains of these afflictive emotions and who has developed all good qualities, such as impartial love and compassion, wisdom knowing all existence, and skillful means of guiding others. The Dharma embodies the preventive measures which keep us from problems and suffering. This includes the teachings of the Buddha, as well as the realizations of those teachings; the cessation of problems and their causes, and the realizations or paths which lead to that cessation. The Sangha are those beings who have direct non-conceptual perception of emptiness or ultimate truth. On a relative level, Sangha also refers to the ordained people who put the Buddha’s teachings into practice.

The Dharma is our real refuge, the medicine we take which cures our problems and their causes. The Buddha is like the doctor, who correctly diagnoses the cause of our problems and prescribes the appropriate medicine. By assisting us in the practice, the Sangha is similar to the nurse who helps us take the medicine.

What are the various Buddhist traditions?
Generally, there are two major divisions within Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana.

The Theravada lineage (Tradition of the Elders), which relies on sutras recorded in the Pali language, spread from India to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, etc. It emphasizes meditation on the breath to develop concentration and meditation on mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind and phenomena in order to develop wisdom.

The Mahayana (Great Vehicle) tradition, based on the scriptures recorded in Sanskrit, spread to China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc. Although in the Theravadin practice love and compassion are essential and important factors, in the Mahayana they are emphasized to an even greater extent.

Within Mahayana, there are several branches: Pure Land emphasizes chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha in order to be reborn in His Pure Land; Zen emphasizes meditation to eliminate the noisy, conceptual mind; Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) employs meditation on a deity in order to transform our contaminated body and mind into the body and mind of a Buddha.

Vajrayana and Tantric Meditation Practice
Vajrayana, which is also called Tantrayana, is a subdivision of the Mahayana. It is the Buddhism practiced in Tibet and referred to as Tibetan Buddhism. Vajrayana is based upon both the Theravadin and general Mahayana practices. Before entering into the Vajrayana, we must be well-trained in renunciation, the heart dedicated to attaining enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings (bodhicitta), and the wisdom realizing the emptiness of inherent existence. Then, we take an initiation from a qualified tantric master and protect the tantric vows and commitments that are received at the time of initiation. On the basis of this, we can receive instructions and engage in the Vajrayana meditation practice.

One technique used in the Vajrayana is visualizing ourselves as the deity and our environment as the mandala or the environment of the deity. By visualizing in such a way, we transform our ordinary poor self-image into that of the deity and thus try to cultivate such noble qualities in our own mindstream. Vajrayana also contains techniques for transforming death, the intermediate state and rebirth into the body and mind of a Buddha. There are also special meditative techniques to develop calm abiding (samatha) as well as to make manifest an extremely subtle mind which, when realizing emptiness, becomes very powerful in quickly cleansing the defilements. It is for this reason that Vajrayana can bring enlightenment in this very lifetime to a qualified and well-trained disciple, who practices under the guidance of a fully-qualified tantric master.

Buddhist Tantra is not the same as Hindu Tantra. Nor is it some kind of practice of magic. Some people have written books about Vajrayana with incorrect information and interpretations. Therefore, if we wish to learn about this, it is important either to read books by a knowledgeable author or seek instruction from a qualified master.

About Tantric Empowerments:
The word “empowerment” refers to a ceremony in which a lama places students in spiritual contact with a particular tantric deity for the purpose of meditation. The lama performs the empowerment on the basis of his own spiritual attainments, as well as the transmissions he himself has received in an unbroken lineage from the time of the historical Buddha. The lama empowers the students to visualize the deity, recite the mantra of that deity, and seek to realize the non-duality between her/his own mind and the mind of the deity. Empowerments are the gateway to a reliable, yet mysterious way of securing awakened buddhahood. Before, during and after the empowerment it is important to cultivate the altruistic motivation of loving-kindness and compassion for all sentient beings.

The Four Lineages of Tibetan Buddhism
There are four main schools in Tibetan Buddhism, each with subsects, monasteries, head and lineage lamas that uphold the various traditions. These are Nyingma, Sakya, Gelug, and Kagyu. With respects to terminology and emphasis, the four schools may differ, but all contemporary masters agree that the basis of the lineages remain the same. The purpose of any spiritual practice is to accumulate meritorious energy and to overcome defilements which are obscurations to liberation