What is Buddhist Tantra – really?

Many people today are drawn to Tantra, but there are significant misconceptions about what this profound spiritual tradition entails. Contrary to popular belief, Tantra is not primarily about sexual practices. It is a comprehensive spiritual path that involves working with various aspects of our being to achieve enlightenment. In the context of Vajrayana Buddhism, Tantra’s foundational practice is known as Ngöndro. This practice is essential for anyone serious about embarking on the tantric path, serving as the gateway to deeper teachings and ensuring a well-grounded spiritual journey.

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Understanding Ngöndro: The Gateway to Vajrayana

Ngöndro, the foundational practice of Vajrayana Buddhism, is divided into four profound sections. These practices are powerful tools for deep purification and transformation of body, speech, and mind, preparing the practitioner for the profound path of Vajrayana. Beyond preparation, Ngöndro also guides practitioners toward enlightenment in a step-by-step manner, ensuring a grounded and progressive spiritual journey.

Without Ngöndro, beginners on the Vajrayana path risk straying from their intended course. Thus, it is rightly considered the essential portal to tantric practices. But what exactly is Tantra?

The Essence of Tantra in Vajrayana Buddhism

Tantra, which literally means “thread,” “loom,” or “warp,” seeks to weave together various strands of spiritual practice into a cohesive path toward enlightenment. Vajrayana Buddhism holds that tantras, like sutras, were taught by the historical Buddha in his tantric form, Vajradhara, or by other enlightened beings. While Theravada Buddhism considers the tantras to be later additions, Vajrayana integrates them deeply into its practices.

Historically, Buddhist tantras emerged in India and continued to evolve, spreading to many parts of Asia. Today, Buddhist tantra is primarily found in Tibetan lineages and Japanese Buddhism. Tantric texts and practices, with some resemblances to Buddhist versions, are also present in Hinduism.

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Practices and Principles of Tantra

Tantric practices are numerous and diverse, involving the use of sound through mantra (sacred words and phrases), gesture through mudra (ritualized sacred hand gestures), sight through visualizations and mandalas (diagrams of the universe), and vital energies through meditation and Tibetan yoga, ‘phrul ‘khor, pronounced “trul-khor.” Trul-khor is the generic name for Tibetan movement practices. These practices are sacred and secret, and aim to transform impure vision into pure vision, allowing practitioners to see reality as it truly is.

In Vajrayana, the core idea is that our suffering arises from misapprehending reality. We falsely perceive phenomena, which are empty of inherent existence, as objectively real and unchanging. Tantra seeks not only to reveal the nature of reality but also to manifest one’s intrinsic buddhanature, the potential to become a buddha.

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The Role of Visualizations and Rituals

Tantric practice often involves elaborate rituals and visualizations. For example, practitioners may engage in the practice of Tara, the female bodhisattva of compassion and action. This practice involves visualizing Tara as a figure made of light above one’s head, then visualizing oneself as Tara, thereby identifying one’s mind with the deity’s enlightened mind. This process, known as “taking the result as the path,” is central to tantric practice and culminates in the deity dissolving into emptiness, allowing the practitioner’s mind to rest in its own true nature.

The Importance of Guru Yoga and Ngöndro

Such practices require a nuanced and subtle understanding of oneself and the world. Thus, they are approached gradually, beginning with guru yoga. This involves forming a deep bond with a teacher and completing extensive Ngöndro practices. The teacher provides empowerment, authorizing the student to visualize themselves as the meditation deity and recite sacred texts. This bond, known as samaya, encourages maintaining a pure view of the teacher and fellow disciples while ultimately fostering an awareness of the true nature of one’s mind and surroundings. For any type of tantric practices, one needs initiation, teachings, and empowerment from a qualified teacher.

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Additionally, figures like Yeshe Tsogyal, (pictured above)an important female figure in Tibetan Buddhism, serve as inspiring examples of devotion and realization. Her life and accomplishments remind practitioners of the transformative power of these practices when approached with dedication and sincerity.

Embracing the Path of Tantra

The advanced nature of tantric practices demands a stable mind and a pure outlook. Without these, one can easily lose their way. This is why the gradual, step-by-step approach through Ngöndro is so strongly recommended. If the tantric path calls to you, proceed slowly, embrace each step fully, and seek guidance from trustworthy teachers.

Embarking on this journey with mindfulness and care will lead to profound transformation and deep spiritual growth.

Blessed be,

Lama Chimey

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