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13Buddha ago

I am neither disputing nor agreeing with your research and comments, and I am neither supporting nor disparaging Buddhism, notwithstanding that a better understanding is needed which are my intentions at the moment.

There are 3 main schools of Buddhism - Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Vajrayana is considered by some scholars to be a branch of Mahayana while others consider it to be a separate tradition. Within each school are many different traditions and practices, and there is a lot more to the explanation I am providing for each of the 3 schools.

Theravada School - translates to the "Way of the Elders," and is the oldest form of Buddhism. It relies on the Pali canon. This is the collection of the Buddha's earliest teachings and discourses. It is most popular in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos). It is often considered more conservative, following older teachings of the Buddha and not adding widely accepted new scriptures or teachings. Monks follow rigorous training rules, eat only what is freely offered, and often spend hours of their day sitting in formal meditation. The focus is to cultivate liberation and become an "arhat," or fully awakened being which is done through meditation practice, taking refuge in the "Three Jewels" (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), and the cultivation of the Noble Eightfold Path (Wise View; Wise Intention; Wise Speech; Wise Action; Wise Livelihood; Wise Effort; Wise Mindfulness; and Wise Concentration).

Mahayana School - it is the largets school of Buddhism and is popular in many countries in Asia, Nepal, Tibet, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and Mongolia. The term Mahayana means "great vehicle" and refers to the path of the bodhisattva. The aim of its practice is generally not to attain enlightenment for onseself but to cultivate buddhahood for all sentient beings. Many people take the bodhisattva vows which is the promise to return to this world until all living beings are freed from suffering. Monks tend to live with less strict rules. In many Mahayana traditions, there are teachings outside the Pali canon. Meditation practice also includes more chanting and mantras, especially in Tibetan traditions.

Vajrayana School - It is sometimes considered a type of Mahayana and is sometimes called Tantric or Esoteric. The most famous form of this school is Tibetan Buddhism. It involves the use of tantras or specific spirtital techniques which help individuals gain enlightenement as quickly as possible. Many practices in Vajrayana schools are known only to senior teachers and serious students which leads to quite a bit of mystery arounfd practices.

Many of us in the West use the term Tibetan Buddhism to describe all Vajrayana traditions, but there are many different types of Vajrayana. The Dalai Lama is the leader of the tradition known as "Gelug" or "Gelugpa," sometmes referred to as the "Yellow Hat School." It emerged in the 15th century and is considered to be the purest form of Tibetan Buddhism. Gelugpa practices revolve around Lamrim (a Buddhsit text), from the teachings of Atisha (an 11th century Buddhist Bengali religious leader and master), which focuses on the journey to enlightenment as taught by the Buddha. Concentration can be achieved by meditation and sparking the bodhisattva within. It teaches following the monastic code as a means of achieving the state of nirvana.

Now, hetting to "Tantric" Buddhism... What is the first thing Westerners think when they hear the word, "Tantra?" SEX. The story goes that in ancient India there existed a Tantric culture which unlike prudish, dualistic Western spirtuality, was a sex-positive, proto-feminist, sensual paradise.

Actually, Tantra arose as a reclamation of practices that had been excluded from or minimized in Orthodox Vedic Hinduism, the maistream Yoga traditions, and heterodox traditions like Buddhism. These practices included ritual innovations, magical spells, viloence, mind-aletring substances, and sex.

Tantras were then a type of esoteric text which arose in different Hindu lineages beginning in the 5th century. These texts were also written by Buddhists and thus came to have a massive influence theoiughout India and beyond between the 9th and 14th centuries.

The reclamation and spiritual recipe books yielded a worldview which supported and explained the practices in them. This pairing of philosophy and practice is axiomatic in Indian religion and is sometimes referred to as view and path.

The view f Tantric texts was generally consistent across Hindu lineages. It stated that all of reality is an expression of divine energies. To be born is to flow out from the unmanifest Godhead, and enlightenment is to flow back. Yes, there were extreme sexual activities involved that you can read about in one of the links provided.

Tantric trditions of Hindisim and Buddhism have been simultaneously infamous as well as poorly understood. Due to the strong association of tantric traditions with magical pracvtices, and of the traditions with sexuality and violent ritual practices, the tantric tradition practices have, over the past few centuries at least, been associated with black magic in India. Tantric Buddhism and Hindiism are extremely complex philosophically. There are thousands upon thousands of ancient manuscripts written about the teachings.

Anyway, it's complicated. And yes, anything that is initially meant to be good can be changed into something sick or evil.

https://library.brown.edu/cds/BuddhistTempleArt/buddhism2.html https://oneminddharma.com/types-of-buddhism/ http://tibetpedia.com/lifestyle/religious-life/gelugpa-sect/

migratorypatterns ago

Obviously, you have a depth of understanding, but there are some pernicious errors that you seem to have acquired through faith -- and that's not a bad thing. What would you do if a post citing the numerous abuse of The Vatican and its clergy/pope were answered in this way? Yes, there's the theology and then there's the hidden agenda. We could even use the Freemasons as an example. I'm sure there are hundreds ... thousands that have no idea what is going on and yet they're members. But they haven't arrived at that charmed circle. I don't have time to go into everything, but for starters:

Vajrayana School - It is sometimes considered a type of Mahayana and is sometimes called Tantric or Esoteric. The most famous form of this school is Tibetan Buddhism. It involves the use of tantras or specific spiritual techniques which help individuals gain enlightenement as quickly as possible.

There is confusion here. Tantric practices pertain to Kundalini, and as stated in the OP, if you involve sex, you are not after enlightenment. NOT. Kundalini has two paths: a right and a left. The practice of the right is the quickest way to enlightenment. The practice of the left involves sex and is for earthly powers and does nothing except make one powerful.

Many of us in the West use the term Tibetan Buddhism to describe all Vajrayana traditions, but there are many different types of Vajrayana. The Dalai Lama is the leader of the tradition known as "Gelug" or "Gelugpa," sometmes referred to as the "Yellow Hat School."

No, he does not. He says he belongs to the Yellow Hat, but he belongs to the Black Hat, the hat they all deny exists.

To make clear, this is not bashing the teachings of Buddha. NOT. This is bashing what is occurring. The same would be true of the Catholic Church. The people that gave themselves to Christ are the not the ones committing crimes, but the hierarchy that allowed child abuse did. Don't take this personally. I would never criticize someone who is leading a good life and doing good work.

13Buddha ago

No, @migratorypatterns, I do not take it personally and am really not surprised. Seems there's nothing new under the sun anymore. Being a dreamer at heart, I must focus on the inherent teachings of a religion and not its leaders and clergy.

think- ago

What is important is focusing soley on the inherent teachings of a religion

I'm afraid in this case it is important to focuse on the teachings as well, you can't seperate the left-hand tantric teachings from the Lamas.