Editing Vajrayana (section)

==Characteristics==
[[File:Manjushri from Rig Sum Gonpo (Lords of the Three Families), view 2, collected by Sven Hedin in 1930, Efi Khalkha temple, Chahar, Inner Mongolia - Östasiatiska museet, Stockholm - DSC09315.JPG|thumb|[[Manjushri]], the [[bodhisattva]] associated with [[Prajñā (Buddhism)|prajñā]]]]

===Goal===
The goal of spiritual practice in the Mahayana and Vajrayāna traditions is to become a ''[[Buddhahood|Sammāsambuddha]]'' (fully awakened [[Buddha]]); those on this path are termed [[Bodhisattvas]]. As with the Mahayana, motivation is a vital component of Vajrayāna practice. The Bodhisattva-path is an integral part of Vajrayāna, which teaches that all practices are to be undertaken with the motivation to achieve Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

In the vehicle of Sutra Mahayana, the "path of the cause" is taken whereby a practitioner starts with his or her potential Buddha-nature and nurtures it to produce the fruit of Buddhahood. In Vajrayāna, the "path of the fruit" is taken whereby the practitioner takes his or her innate Buddha-nature as the means of practice. Experiencing ultimate truth is said to be the purpose of all the various [[tantra techniques (Vajrayana)|tantric techniques]] practiced in Vajrayana.{{sfn|Palmo|2002|pp=224–5}}

=== Esoteric transmission ===
{{main|Esoteric transmission}}
[[Image:Kalachakra0045 tiny.jpg|thumb|Monks attending the 2003 [[Kalachakra]] empowerment in [[Bodhgaya]], India. Some empowerment ceremonies can include large numbers of initiates.]]

Vajrayāna Buddhism is esoteric in the sense that the transmission of certain teachings occurs only from teacher to student during an [[Empowerment (Vajrayana)|empowerment]] (''abhiṣeka''), and their practice requires initiation in a ritual space containing the mandala of the deity.{{sfn|Williams|Tribe|Wynne|2012|pp=198, 231}} Because of their role in giving access to the practices and guiding the student through them, the [[Vajracharya]] [[Lama]] is considered indispensable in Vajrayāna.{{sfnp|Mipham|2009|p=90}}

The secrecy of teachings was often protected through the use of allusive, indirect, [[Symbolic language (literature)|symbolic]], and metaphorical language ([[twilight language]]) that required interpretation and guidance from a teacher.{{sfn|Williams|Tribe|Wynne|2012|p=198}} The teachings may also be considered "self-secret", meaning that even if they were to be told directly to a person, that person would not necessarily understand the teachings without proper context. In this way, the teachings are "secret" to the minds of those who are not following the path with more than simple curiosity.<ref>Morreale, Don (1998) ''The Complete Guide to Buddhist America'' {{ISBN|1-57062-270-1}} p.215</ref><ref>Trungpa, Chögyam and Chödzin, Sherab (1992) ''The Lion's Roar: An Introduction to Tantra'' {{ISBN|0-87773-654-5}} p. 144.</ref>

Esler points out that while secrecy is presented as necessary to prevent the teachings from falling into the hands of unworthy recipients, it also serves to demarcate a kind of religious in-group. He observes that from an anthropological perspective, allowing reference to the secret to "remain close to the social surface" through veiled allusions plays a more important role in some ways than the secret content itself, as it mobilizes the secret as a kind of symbolic capital.<ref>Dylan Esler, Effortless Spontaneity: The Dzogchen Commentaries by Nubchen Sangye Yeshe,  page 56, Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library, Volume 54, Brill 2023</ref>

=== Affirmation of the feminine, antinomian and taboo ===
[[File:Chakrasamvara_01.jpg|thumb|upright|Tibetan [[Chakrasamvara]] statue in [[Yab-Yum]] union with his consort [[Vajravārāhī]]]]

Some Vajrayāna rituals traditionally included the use of certain [[taboo]] substances, such as blood, semen, alcohol, and urine, as ritual offerings and [[sacrament]]s, though some of these are often replaced with less taboo substances such as yogurt. Tantric feasts and initiations sometimes employed substances like human flesh, as noted by Kahha's ''Yogaratnamala''.<ref name="Williams, Wynne page 236">{{harvnb|Williams|Tribe|Wynne|2012|p=236}}.</ref>

The use of these substances is related to the [[non-dual]] (''advaya'') nature of a Buddha's wisdom (''buddhajñana''). Since the ultimate state is in some sense non-dual, a practitioner can approach that state by "transcending attachment to dual categories such as pure and impure, permitted and forbidden". As the ''Guhyasamaja Tantra'' states, "the wise man who does not discriminate achieves Buddhahood".<ref name="Williams, Wynne page 236" />

Vajrayāna rituals also include [[karmamudra|sexual yoga]], union with a physical consort as part of advanced practices. Some tantras go further: the ''Hevajra tantra'' states, "You should kill living beings, speak lying words, take what is not given, consort with the women of others".<ref name="Williams, Wynne page 236" />  While some of these statements were taken literally as part of ritual practice, others, such as killing, were interpreted metaphorically. In the Hevajra, "killing" is defined as developing concentration by killing the life-breath of discursive thoughts.{{sfn|Williams|Tribe|Wynne|2012|p=237}} Likewise, while actual sexual union with a physical consort is practiced, it is also common to use a visualized consort.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

Wayman points out that the symbolic meaning of tantric sexuality is ultimately rooted in ''[[bodhicitta]]'' and the bodhisattva's quest for enlightenment is likened to a lover seeking union with the mind of the Buddha.{{sfn|Wayman|2008|p=39}} [[Judith Simmer-Brown]] notes the importance of the psycho-physical experiences arising in sexual yoga, termed "great bliss" (''mahasukha''): "Bliss melts the conceptual mind, heightens sensory awareness, and opens the practitioner to the naked experience of the nature of mind."{{sfn|Simmer-Brown|2002|p=217}} This tantric experience is not the same as ordinary self-gratifying sexual passion since it relies on tantric meditative methods using the [[illusory body]] and visualizations as well as the motivation for enlightenment.{{sfn|Simmer-Brown|2002|pp=217-219}} The ''Hevajra tantra'' says:

{{blockquote|This practice [of sexual union with a consort] is not taught for the sake of enjoyment, but for the examination of one's own thought, whether the mind is steady or waving.{{sfn|Simmer-Brown|2002|p=219}} }}

Feminine deities and forces are a major element of Vajrayāna. In the Yogini tantras in particular, women and female yoginis are given high status as the embodiment of female deities such as the wild and nude [[Vajrayogini]].<ref name="Williams, Wynne pages 198, 240">{{harvnb|Williams|Tribe|Wynne|2012|pp=98, 240}}.</ref> The ''Candamaharosana Tantra'' (''viii:29–30'') states:

{{poem quote |Women are heaven, women are the teaching (''dharma'')
Women indeed are the highest austerity (''tapas'')
Women are the Buddha, women are the ''[[Sangha]]''
Women are the Perfection of Wisdom.<ref name="Williams, Wynne pages 198, 240" />}}

In India, there is evidence that women participated in tantric practice alongside men and were also teachers, adepts, and authors of tantric texts.{{sfn|Williams|Tribe|Wynne|2012|pp=198, 242}}

=== Vows and behaviour ===
{{main|Samaya}}
Practitioners of Vajrayāna must abide by various tantric vows or pledges called ''[[samaya]]''. These are extensions of the rules of the [[Prātimokṣa]] and [[Bodhisattva vow]]s for the lower levels of tantra, and are taken during initiations into the empowerment for a particular [[Anuttarayoga Tantra|Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra]]. The special tantric vows vary depending on the specific mandala practice for which the initiation is received and on the level of initiation. [[Ngagpa]]s of the [[Nyingma]] school keep a special non-celibate ordination.

A tantric [[guru]], or teacher, is expected to keep his or her ''samaya'' vows in the same way as his students. Proper conduct is considered especially necessary for a qualified Vajrayana guru. For example, the ''Ornament for the Essence'' of Manjushrikirti states:

{{poem quote|Distance yourself from Vajra Masters who are not keeping the three vows
who keep on with a root downfall, who are miserly with the Dharma,
and who engage in actions that should be forsaken.
Those who worship them go to hell and so on as a result.{{sfn|Tsongkhapa|2005|p=46}} }}