Illustrated Guide to Tibetan Vajrayana: Understanding the World's Most Mysterious Religion

Author: Losang Jampa
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: What is the mystery of Tibetan Vajrayana? How is the unique "enlightenment in this very body" achieved? Do the various practices mentioned in the scriptures yield immediate results? Is it superstition, or a unique religion with scientific methods and an academic spirit? With 200 exquisite hand-drawn illustrations and 300 concise diagrams summarizing the essence, this book reveals the scientific basis of Tibetan Vajrayana's practice of enlightenment according to the natural laws of the human body, lifting the veil of mystery and that shroud it. In the modern world, Tibetan Buddhism stands alongside Theravada and Chinese Buddhism as one of the three major traditions of Buddhism. At the same time, as the most important branch of the two major schools of Vajrayana (East Asian Vajrayana and Tibetan Vajrayana), its influence is becoming increasingly widespread globally. Tibetan Buddhism has completely inherited the Buddhist teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha from 2,500 years ago and has perfectly resolved the ultimate Buddhist challenges of "liberation" and "enlightenment," reaching the pinnacle of Buddhist development. Compared to other Buddhist traditions, the greatest characteristic of Tibetan Vajrayana lies in its emphasis on the purity of transmission, the perfection of reasoning, the gradual progression of practice, and the cultivation of Vajrayana methods. The four key features—purity, perfection, order, and practical realization—are precisely the main content and intrinsic qualities that this book, Illustrated Tibetan Vajrayana, aims to present. Through sharp insight, in-depth analysis, firsthand experience, and the remarkable reasoning of Buddhist scholars worldwide, we will collectively construct a unique overview of Tibetan Vajrayana, guiding you on an extraordinary spiritual pilgrimage. What is the mystery of Tibetan Vajrayana? How is the unique "enlightenment in this very body" achieved? Do the various practices mentioned in the scriptures yield immediate results? Is it superstition, or a unique religion with scientific methods and an academic spirit? With 200 exquisite hand-drawn illustrations and 300 concise diagrams summarizing the essence, this book reveals the scientific basis of Tibetan Vajrayana's practice of enlightenment according to the natural laws of the human body, lifting the veil of mystery and that shroud it. In the modern world, Tibetan Buddhism stands alongside Theravada and Chinese Buddhism as one of the three major traditions of Buddhism. At the same time, as the most important branch of the two major schools of Vajrayana (East Asian Vajrayana and Tibetan Vajrayana), its influence is becoming increasingly widespread globally. Tibetan Buddhism has completely inherited the Buddhist teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha from 2,500 years ago and has perfectly resolved the ultimate Buddhist challenges of "liberation" and "enlightenment," reaching the pinnacle of Buddhist development. Compared to other Buddhist traditions, the greatest characteristic of Tibetan Vajrayana lies in its emphasis on the purity of transmission, the perfection of reasoning, the gradual progression of practice, and the cultivation of Vajrayana methods. The four key features—purity, perfection, order, and practical realization—are precisely the main content and intrinsic qualities that this book, Illustrated Tibetan Vajrayana, aims to present.