Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mandala
Consciousness/Mind
Mudra
Body
Vajradhatu mandala
Pivotal Events of the Old or Early Translation Period : The Three Principal Religious Buddhist Kings of Tibet
Songtsn Gampo (Wylie: Srong-brtsan Sgam-po) (born ca. 609-613, died 650) is the great king who expanded Tibet's power and is credited with inviting Buddhism to Tibet.
King Thrisong Detsen Establisher of Formal Samgha, Monastery and Peak of Tibetan Empire
Padmasambhava Tantrin invited by Thrisong Detsen to subdue native shamanic spirits Shantaraksita scholar/pandit invited from India to oversee construction of Monastery (and teach and translate); sent Kamalasila to debate the Chinese monk
Yab-Yum, Father/Mother
Padmasambhava in Union with Yeshe Tsogyal
Vairocana
Name Buddha Supreme and Eternal; The Radiant One
Center white dharmachakra (wheelturning) Om wheel sovereignty integration of the wisdom of all the Buddhas rupa (form) space ignorance and delusion sight lion Manjushree White Tara
Akshobhya
Immovable or Unshakable Buddha
East blue bhumisparsa (witness) Hum thunderbolt steadfastness Mirror-like
Ratnasambhava
Source of Precious Things or Jewel-Born One
South yellow varada (charity) Trah jewel (ratna) or Three Jewels (triratna) compassion wisdom of equality
Amitabha
Buddha of Infinite Light
West red dhyana Hrih lotus light discriminating
Amogasiddha
Almighty Conquerer or Lord of Karma
North green abhaya (fearlessness) Ah double thunderbolt dauntlessness all-accomplishing
Cosmic element (skandha) Earthly element Antidote to Sense Vehicle Spiritual son Consort Paradise
vijnana (consciousness) water anger and hatred sound elephant Vajrapani Locana Abhirati, the Land of Exceeding Great Delight
vedana (sensation) earth desire and pride smell horse Ratnapani Mamaki
sanjna (name or perception) fire malignity taste peacock (because of eyes on its plumes) Avalokiteshvara Pandara Sukhavati, Western Paradise, or Pure Land
samskara (volition) air envy and jealousy touch garuda (half-man, halfbird) Vajrapani Green Tara
End of Empire
The reign of Trisong Detsn (756-797) The Reign of Ralpacan (815-838) The reign of Glang Darma (838-842) The Mahavyutpatti.
1. Shravakayana 2. Pratyekayana 3. Mahayana Vajrayana (consisting of) [1] Outer Tantras 4. Kriyatantra 5. Upatantra practice tantra 6. Yogatantra [2] Inner Tantras 7. Mahayoga 8. Anuyoga 9 Atiyoga (also Dzog Chen)
4. Kriyatantra
View-All phenomena are without self-nature (chos thams chad ngobo nyid med pa rtogs). It is free from the four limiting concepts of existence and non-existence, appearance and emptiness. Phenomena are viewed as the mandala of enlightened deities. Type of tantra places greater emphasis on practicing proper external behavior, physical and verbal conduct aimed at purification and simple visualisation practice Meditation- You visualize yourself, the dam tshig sems dpa', usually in your ordinary form, as subject and the deity, the ye shes sems dpa', in front of oneself as if a king and to obtain blessings, siddhis, from the wisdom deity (yidam). Action-Cleanliness, concentration, fasting and mantra recitation. The path is to make offerings to the deity. Fruit-The result is the attainment of the state of "vajra holder of the three families" (Rigs gsum rdo rje dzin pai sa) These are Tathagata or body family (sKu de bzhin gshegs pai rigs), lotus or speech family (gSung pad mai rigs) and vajra of wisdom-mind family (Thugs rdo rje rigs). Other versions explain this as "realization of the three Kayas and five Wisdoms of perfect Buddhahood"
The meditation is to visualize the wisdom deity in front of you "like a brother or a friend" and to receive blessings and siddhis from the wisdom deity. It lays more emphasis on developing both external and internal faculties with the goal of achieving a deeper affinity with the meditational deity
6. Yogatantra
View-All phenomena are free from all diffuse characteristics. This is the view of luminosity inseparable from great emptiness . That is absolute truth. Relative truth is transmitted through the realization of Dharmata, that all phenomena are perceived as the sphere of the Vajradhatu mandala of adamantine space wisdom deity (yidam) remains before you, then when invited the yidam merges with you like water being poured into water.
7. Mahayoga
Sometimes known as the Father Tantra, Mahayoga is the generative phase of visualizing the deity as being luminosity inseparable from great emptiness. View-This is to realize the inseparability of phenomena and great emptiness Meditation-The skilful means to attain the inseparability of emptiness and form is to envision everything as the pure mandala of the deities. This is relative truth.
8. Anuyoga
View- The three mandalas of: Kuntuzangmo, the unborn dharmadhatu (dByings skye med kun tu bzang moi dkyil khor); whose unobstructed skillful means of luminosity is the mandala of Samantabhadra/Kuntuzangpo, the yeshe wisdom (Ye.shes kun tu.bzang poi dkyil khor); and their inseparable union is the mandala of Great Bliss their son (Sras bde
The traditional view is that Atiyoga was transmitted mind to mind at the very beginning of time by Adibuddha, the Primordial Buddha Samantabhadra (Kun tu bzang-po) the Dharmakaya aspect of Buddha, to Vajrasattva It is the direct approach to the essential nature of the mind, which is Buddha nature through the recognition of the naked awareness state of ones own mind. The view is established that all phenomena are spontaneously enlightened from the beginning. Use the spontaneous wisdom of the sambhogakaya and achieve the rainbow body of the nirmanakaya, which is spontaneous luminosity.
Adoption of Sanskrit alphabet variant (Lantsa) Full importation of texts with direct translations from India Giant monastic centers established patterned after Indian model Ended with assassination of Ralpachen (823-840 CE ) an end of early Buddhocracy and an end to informal tantra
Shift from Yogacara to Madhyamaka emphases Atisha (982-1054 AD) and the Kadam: the great Indian reformer and writer of first Lam Rim or "Path Stages" text
High Lama and King Yeshe Od and the search for true dharma Clean it up chums! Three scopes
Terma text
Development of the Bardo doctrine Lang Chenpa or Lang-chen Rabjam (13081363): Systematizing Dzogchen
Gampopa 1079-1153
The Union of Vinaya and Tantra in a Tibetan master Sutra Mahamudra Sympathy with Nyingma concerns
Chinese Dzogchen and Mahamudra should be avoided Buton: the Hwa shang is a buffoon Priest/Patron relationship begins
Kublai Khan
The Three Scopes of Practitioner 1. persons of low motivation 2. person of medium motivation 3. person of high motivation
Karma Paksi (1204-1283) the first tulku First Dalai Lama: Gendun Drup (Tsong kha pa's close disciple) Third Dalai Lama (actually the First) Sonam Gyatso (1543-1588), received the name Dalai from his Mongolian patron and follower Altan Khan in 1578 Panchen Lama - In the 17th century, the Fifth Dalai Lama declared his tutor, the abbot of the Tashilhunpo monastery, Panchen Lama or the "Great Scholar" Lama. This abbot, by retroactively applying the title to the three abbots preceding him, thereby became the Fourth Panchen Lama
The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682) tulku and bodhisattva in one
The Mongol Chieftain Gushri Khan sided with Geluks against Kagyu King of Tsang The Great Fifth declared temporal ruler of Tibet 1644: the Manchus or Chichen or Qing The gshugs bden controversy
Potala Palace
Importance of the regent The Sixth Dalai Lama - preferred going to brothels and writing love poetry than ruling the nation - where is Avalokitesvara?
"When the iron bird flies, and horses run on wheels, The Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the World, And the Dharma will come to the land of the Red Man."
The role of Yogacara and Madhyamaka The role of Vajrayana versus Mahayana The role played by great monasteries The issue of sudden versus gradual awakening The text focus: Sutras versus Shastras The role of Taoism/Confucianism versus shamanism