COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an overview of the fundamental principles and practices of Vajrayāna Buddhism, the ‘thunderbolt vehicle,’ one of the many names given to the occult, esoteric form of Buddhism that developed in medieval India during the 5th century AD and spread throughout Asia. This course expands upon the ideas presented in the Eight Schools of Buddhism course and presumes a certain basic understanding of Buddhist teachings as well as Buddhist history and geography.
SYLLABUS
SESSION 1 - Ṛddhipāda / Bases of Spiritual PowerSESSION 2 - Vajra / The Indestructible SESSION 3 - Trikāya / Three Bodies of the BuddhaSESSION 4 - Mahāvairocana / The Great IlluminatorSESSION 5 - Mantra / ‘Thought Preservers’ SESSION 6 - Mudrā / SealsSESSION 7 - Mandala / Altars SESSION 8 - Adhiṣṭhāna / EmpowermentSuggested Reading
1️⃣ Ronald M. Davidson, Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A social history of the Tantric movement (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002)
2️⃣ Ryūichi Abé, The Weaving of Mantra: Kūkai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999)
3️⃣ Reginald A. Ray, Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2002)