The Essential Teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism (4/5)

Buddhism in Tibetan Following China's conquest of Tibet, the religion known as Tibetan Buddhism was driven from its native territory and into exile. It was once believed that one in six Tibetan men was a monk practicing Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in India since escaping the Chinese takeover of his nation in 1959, is the most well-known representative of Tibetan Buddhism.

Tibetan Buddhism incorporates elements from an old Tibetan religion known as Bon, Tantric, and Shamanic teachings, as well as the core teachings of Mahayana Buddhism.

While Vajrayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism are sometimes confused, they are not the same. In Tibetan Buddhism, Vajrayana is taught alongside the other vehicles. 

The characteristics of Tibetan Buddhism

1) The status of the teacher, or "Lama.
2) The significance of initiations and rituals. 
3) Rich symbolism in the visual

4) Parts of the ancient Tibetan religions

5) Mantras and meditation practices. 

Mantras and yogic techniques are just two. of the many rituals and spiritual exercises that are part of Tibetan Buddhism.  

Tibetan Buddhism places a strong emphasis on supernatural entities. There are many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—gods and spirits. The ancient Tibetan faiths are still revered. Bodhisattvas are shown as both merciful deities and vengeful ones. 

Among lay Tibetan Buddhists, rituals and basic spiritual exercises like mantras are common. These encompass kneeling, presenting offerings to Buddha or Bodhisattva statues, as well as any lectures or rituals that are conducted in public. 

Tibetan temple ceremonies are often noisy and visually striking, with brass instruments, cymbals, gongs, and dressed monks. It takes place in strikingly designed temples and monasteries. 

Cutting-edge methods  

Tibetan Buddhism also includes a great deal of complex ceremony. These are only accessible to individuals who have attained a highly developed comprehension of spiritual practice. 

Advanced spiritual practices are also available. These consist of complex imagery and strenuous meditations. Senior Tibetan yoga practitioners are reported to possess far more bodily control than most people, including the ability to regulate their body temperature, heart rate, and other often automatic processes.  

Existence and dying 

Tibetan Buddhism places a strong emphasis on impermanence and death awareness. As a constant reminder of our own transience, everything is dying, even the cells that make up our bodies. Additionally, everything that is alive is perishing around us.  

A Buddhist should not become depressed or hopeless as a result of this realization, nor should it prompt them to begin chasing the fleeting pleasures of life. Rather, it ought to inspire the Buddhist to treasure each minute of life and practice meditation and other forms of devotion with diligence. 

Awareness of death, combined with an understanding of the impermanence of everything, leads the Buddhist to realize that only spiritual things have any lasting value. 

Making arrangements for death

Tibetan Buddhists visualize death and get ready for the bardo through visualization meditations and other practices. They strive for a comprehensive comprehension and acceptance of death as an essential component of their path. 

Assisting individuals who have passed away due to their experiences in the bardo is an additional method of becoming ready for death. This benefits the deceased as well as giving the practicing live a true understanding of the bardo before entering. 

Even those who cannot gain the spiritual awareness to have a consciousness of the bardo are helped by achieving a greater experience of the impermanence of everything.

A deeper understanding of the transience of all things benefits those who are unable to develop the spiritual awareness necessary to become mindful of the bardo. 

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Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease.
But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit
By this merit, may we then obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrongdoings
May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.
With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

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