The other path,
which has become the cornerstone of Tibetan
variations, was tantric.
This practice blended the sutra teachings
with techniques adapted from Hindu systems
of yoga and tantra.
Tantric systems transform the basic
human passions of desire and aversion
for the purpose of spiritual development.
Rather than denying such primal urges,
tantra purifies them into wholesome
and helpful forces. It is very much
like trying to deal with a wild horse
charging towards you. One way is denial:
put up your hands and shout out, "stop,
stop!" Probably you will be bowled over
by the animal. Another, more clever,
approach is to step aside and then jump
on its back as it charges past you.
In such a case, you have a chance to
start coaxing it to move in certain
directions, and over time you may be
able to direct it into a stable. Truthfully,
one needs some skill in both self-control
and acceptance if one is to be successful
with tantric work.
Tibetan Tantra ( also known as the
Vajrayana ) incorporates the major aspects
of both the Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhist
teachings. It is basically an esoteric
extension on these themes. Hinayana
and Mahayana are two schools of Buddhist
practice that have basically similar
goals and techniques but somewhat differing
philosophies. For instance, Theravadin
Buddhism ( known for its Vipassana meditation
) is a Hinayana teaching and Zen Buddhism
is a Mahayana teaching. Tantra itself
has various schools which can be grouped
by the relative emphasis they place
on working with exoteric and esoteric
practices.
(This
article is extracted from http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~greg.c/tibet.html)
|