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Buddhism
Buddhism is one of the oldest of the world religions. It takes its name
from its founder Buddha, "the awakened one". In Austria, Buddhists
comprise one of the officially recognized religious communities.
The Historical Buddha
The historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born in northern India
around 2,500 years ago. At the age of 35, he attained enlightenment or
nirvana, a spiritual state of permanent bliss and peace, through the use
of spiritual exercises and meditation. He used his own experience to teach
others how to achieve this state as well.
The Essence of Buddhism
At the heart of Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths: suffering; the cause
of suffering; the cessation of suffering; and the paths that lead to the
cessation of suffering. This teaching of the Buddha explains how spiritual
exercises can allow individuals to recognize the true nature of existence,
overcome all suffering and realize a state of nirvana. This goal is served
by the three disciplines of ethical rigor, concentrated meditation and
wisdom.
The Spread of Buddhism
The Buddha expounded his teachings in a variety of ways in order to appeal
to the differing interests and predispositions of his pupils. The Four Truths
form a common basis for all Buddhists, but beyond these, different schools
developed with different philosophical and methodological focal points.
Buddhism had its origins in India and spread to South East Asia, Central
Asia and the whole of Eastern Asia. Today it is mainly practiced in Burma,
Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam
by a total of nearly 400 million people.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the enlightenment of all sentient beings lies at the
heart of religious practice; exercises for the development of altruistic
attitudes such as love and compassion form the essence of this path.
Over the course of the centuries different traditions and schools have grown
up under the influence of various cultures. They are complementary and mutually
respectful of one another. Since the beginning of the twentieth century,
Buddhism has also been attracting increasing numbers of followers in the
West.
Introduction to Tantra
Buddha Shakyamuni taught many different methods of transforming one's
consciousness and attaining enlightenment. One of the most effective ones
is the tantric system of meditation and exercises.
The Basis
The Buddhist doctrine rests on the concept of the Four Noble Truths: suffering;
the cause of suffering; the cessation of suffering; and the path to the
cessation of suffering. The goal of Buddhist practice is the liberation
of the mind from negative factors such as greed, envy and anger, in order
to reach a state beyond all suffering (nirvana). In the Mahayana, known
as the "Greater Vehicle", the Buddha also demonstrated methods
for practitioners who want to achieve perfect enlightenment not just for
their own sake, but for the sake of all beings.
Tantra
Tantra is a branch of the Mahayana. Through the use of tantric methods,
based on intense compassion, the state of Buddhahood can be attained particularly
fast. Tantra involves the implementation of additional meditation methods,
which are related to the subtle dimensions of the mind. An essential element
of tantra is a visualization technique where practitioners identify themselves
not with their everyday ego and its endless problems, but see themselves
as enlightened beings.
Preconditions
Only when practitioners have acquired experience in all the general Buddhist
contemplations, such as the nature of suffering, the transitory nature
of all existence, compassion for all beings and the realization of selflessness,
can they devote themselves to tantric practices.
The Initiation
Actual admittance to the tantra is achieved via an initiation. This takes
the form of a ritual in which the master transmits the blessing of the
body, speech and mind of the respective meditation Buddha to the student.
The master then initiates the student into special forms of meditation
which the latter proceeds to integrate into his/her daily Buddhist practice.
There are initiations for a great variety of meditation Buddhas, each
of whom represents a different aspect of the enlightened consciousness,
e.g. compassion or wisdom.
The Teacher
In tantra the teacher-student relationship is seen as the key to realization.
In order to enter such a relationship, the students have to test their
potential teacher in depth as to his qualifications. Above all he needs
to have disciplined himself through the exercise of ethics, concentration
and wisdom and must be motivated by compassion for the students. A teacher
who conducts tantric rituals must hold the appropriate transmission lineage
and have observed the correct period of meditational seclusion, which
involves an intense imagination of himself in form of the meditation Buddha.
Only then will he be able to establish the necessary bond with the meditation
Buddha and sow in his students the seeds which will allow them in turn
to reach a state of perfection through continual practice over a long
period of time.
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