First Great Buddhist Tantrika Guru Padmasambhava Or Buddha Sakyamuni

Posted on May 8, 2008
Filed Under Self Improvement |

Padmasambhava is considered to be the first Tantrik Buddhist guru in Tibet and of Tantrik Buddhism though according to learned Tantrikas, Buddha himself was a great Tantrik teacher. Buddha’s earth touching gesture is regarded as a Tantrik gesture since according to Hindu Tantras an Avadhuta before staring his daily yoga practices firstly he by touching the earth does prostration to mother earth to sustain him in his all acts. Also on account of Buddha’s various teachings like Heart Sutra, Lankavatara Sutra, and Lotus Sutra etc it is evident that he was teaching some esoteric vidya to his most beloved disciples. He has not taught these esoteric teachings in general public rather in the assembly of the great monks. However it is a historical truth that these sutras are Mahayana Sutras in which the teacher is Sakyamuni yet it is true that in these sutras some distinct truths have been taught which are undoubtedly developed from the core teachings of Buddha. According to Mahayana faith the sutras namely Mahayana sutras taught by Tathagata on the mount of holy vulture (presently Griddha Kuta Parvata in Rajagriha) was other than what he was preaching earlier therefore it is said that on vulture peak he swung The Wheel of Law second time.

Atisa in his commentary on Lotus Sutra have written that second wheel of doctrine spoken by Tathagata can be summarized in two important teachings. One is on self realization and second one is about essence. That version of sutra which is called Saptasahasrika is about essence i.e. about Tantrayana In which dharni mantra the perfection of wisdom has been uttered by him. The mantra ‘Om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi swaha’ has great importance in Tantrik Buddhism; it is used for empowerment and various occult practices. Vairochana disciple of Padmasambhava in his commentary on the heart sutra explained the words of the sutra according to the Tantrik triad of the outer, inner and secret. Further more ‘Heart Sutra’ has been interpreted as higher tantra i.e. Uttar Tantra in which there is no ritual, only faith and awareness is essential. We should not take ‘tantra’ here as only occultism since Buddhism and Hinduism both consider tantra as a higher path.

One great Tantrik scripture Uttar Tantra of Maitreya gives a higher view of Tantra, here in this scripture it has been mentioned that highest wisdom (ultimate reality) can be only realized by those who are of good lineage i.e. spiritual lineage not by every one. This term has also been emphasized in ‘heart sutra’ wherein Sariputra asked to Avalokitesvara ‘how should a son of good lineage who wishes to practice the profound perfection of wisdom train.’ Good lineage is considered important regarding esoteric spiritual realization because it is profound and deep in meaning; this is why a spiritual teacher before initiating a disciple in the path judges him on several grounds set forth by teachers of the lineage. From above explanation it is much clear that Buddha was the first teacher of the esoteric path albeit through Mahayana sutras of which Guru Padmasambhava propagated in the masses combining hitherto all the Dhamma teachings of Tathagata. He was the first spiritual teacher who popularized Buddhist tantra in general and specific among the people of Tibet.

http://rajesh.theenlightenedworld.org/gallery.html

Author is an art critic and writer of three books ‘ contemporizing Buddha’, ‘ Hindu Tantra Yoga’ and ‘Concerning The Spiritual In Art-an Indian modern art perspective’. He has been awarded with ‘Lalit kala Academy Scholarship Award’ for art criticism in 2005. Currently working on a book ‘Buddhist tantra yoga’. He lives and works in Delhi India.

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