Posts

Showing posts with the label Esoteric Buddhism

Esotericism

Image
Esotericism  Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of Esoteric Opinions or Beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group of those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term can also refer to the academic study of Esoteric Religious Movements and Philosophies, and Religious Movements or Philosophies whose proponents distinguish their beliefs, practices, and experiences from mainstream Exoteric and more Dogmatic institutionalized traditions. The term derives from the Greek ἐσωτερικός (esôterikos), a compound of ἔσω (esô): "within", thus pertaining to interiority or mysticism. Its antonym is "exoteric".

Esoteric Buddhism

Image
Esoteric Buddhism  Vajrayāna (Bengali: বজ্রযান; Devanagari: वज्रयान; Sinhala: වජ්‍රායන; Malayalam: വജ്രയാന;Oriya: ବଜ୍ରଯାନ; Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་ཐེག་པ་, rdo rje theg pa; Mongolian: Очирт хөлгөн, Ochirt Hölgön;Chinese: 密宗, mì zōng) is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Way or Thunderbolt Way. Vajrayāna is a complex and multifaceted system of  Buddhist  thought and practice which evolved over several centuries. According to Vajrayāna scriptures "Vajrayāna" refers to one of three vehicles or routes to enlightenment , the other two being the  Hinayāna  and  Mahayana . Note that Hinayāna (or Nikaya ) is not to be confused with  Theravada  (a practice lineage); although is sometimes equated to it.