365bet娱乐

Chapter I: Tantric Buddhism
1. Mah膩y膩na Buddhism Altruistic Motivation
"
"
Buddhism is universally known as the teaching of the historical Buddha
Sh膩kyamuni who lived in the 6th century B.C. His teaching is vast and
profound. In Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha is viewed as a physician and
the practitioners are patients who will be cured from their state of
illness and reach a state of perfect health, by taking the medicine of
Buddha's doctrine. On observing the need of the suffering beings, Buddha
set forth many systems and vehicles. The practitioners who were
listening to his teaching had various dispositions, interests, and abilities,
and thus he taught methods that were suitable for each of them. For
those who temporarily did not have the strength to strive for Buddhahood
or who did not at all have the capacity of obtaining Buddhahood at that
time, Buddha did not say, 'You can attain Buddhahood.' Rather, he set
forth a path appropriate to the trainees' abilities. Buddha spoke in terms
of their situation, and everything that he spoke was a means of
eventually attaining highest enlightenment even though he did not always
say that these were means for attaining Buddhahood. In general his
teachings are classified into two major Vehicles: the Lesser Vehicle and
the Greater Vehicle.1
In Mah膩y膩na Buddhism the altruistic endeavor is most emphasized. The
reason for a Bodhisattva to attain the state of Buddhahood is to not only
seek self liberation but liberation for all sentient beings. It is in the
state of Buddhahood that one has gained limitless and spontaneous
capacity to effectively help other beings. The beginnings of the Mah膩y膩na
can be distinctly traced in the Mah膩sangika schools which seceded from
1 The former is further classified into two: the 艢r膩vaka or Hearers' Vehicle and
the Pratyeka-buddha or Solitary Realizers' Vehicle. Similarly, the Greater Vehicle
is also classified into two: the Perfection Vehicle and the Tantric or Vajra
Vehicle.
-6-