Essentials of Esoteric Buddhism -- A Series of Small Books on the Various Schools of Buddhism

Author: Yingwu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features:
Esoteric Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana, is a shortened term for the secret teachings of Buddhism, contrasting with the exoteric teachings. The Great Treatise on the Perfections of Wisdom (Vol. 4) states: "In the Dharma, there are two types: one secret, and one revealed. Among the revealed teachings, the Buddha, Pratyekabuddhas, and Arhats are all of the Buddha's field, as they have completely extinguished. In the secret teachings, it is said that the Bodhisattvas attain the unproduced Dharma-nature, completely cut off, possess the six supernatural powers, and benefit all beings." The exoteric and esoteric teachings initially were merely concepts used to interpret the Buddha's teachings and classify the Dharma, but later, as the esoteric teachings developed into a distinct school, they gradually acquired a sectarian meaning.
The division of Indian Mahayana Buddhism by content can be seen as three distinct stages of development: the first stage is Madhyamaka (the school of emptiness), the second stage is Yogācāra (the school of consciousness-only), and the third stage is Esoteric Buddhism. The author has titled this book An Outline of Esoteric Buddhism, with a focus on the Esoteric Buddhism established during the Tang Dynasty, also known as "Tang Esoteric Buddhism," without covering the introduction of the Tibetan or other esoteric traditions. Esoteric Buddhism is called "esoteric" because it claims to receive profound secret transmissions from the Dharma-body Buddha Vairocana, and without proper empowerments, it is not permitted to arbitrarily transmit or reveal these teachings to others.