Tibet Buddhism - Tantra and Deity Yoga - Essay Example

Deity yoga is the practice of seeing oneself as the meditation Buddha. This helps the individual feel like the Buddha, or sees and understands what the Buddha felt. This relates to the vehicles by practicing the Buddha’s teachings. Vehicles are paths followed to gain enlightenment. The vehicles are Hinayana, Mahayana and Tantrayana. The three turnings are teachings that allow an individual to choose a vehicle to enlightenment    
2. What happens in the Creation aka Generation Stage? What happens in the Completion aka Perfection Stage? How does the Great Perfection fit into this schema?
The Creation of the Generation Stage is the first step in the meditation of Buddhist sadhana. The Completion or Perfection Stage is when an adept realize their personal path of enlightenment. The Great Perfection is the highest teaching of the Tibetan tradition. Thus first the Generation Stage must be complete, the Perfection Stage, and finally, Great Perfection can be learned. 
3. What does C. Trungpa means when he says, Tantric wisdom brings nirvana into samsara. What is the relationship between luminosity, bliss, and emptiness?

Trungpa meant that Tantric wisdom allows the suffering to stop, or nirvana, which goes into the cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation, or samsara. If hate, pain, and anger are stopped, the individual reaches nirvana. If these emotions are no longer there then samsara is easier to accept. Luminosity, bliss, and emptiness are the states of the mind. Every mind is a luminous mind. Bliss is a state the mind tries to achieve. Emptiness leads to bliss due to the purging of all negative emotions. The reason Buddhists want to empty their minds is to alleviate suffering. If a soul is empty it cannot suffer.

4. Using Davidson’s Tibetan Renaissance and Karmay’s The Great Perfection as guides, tell me how the relationship between the Tibetans and Tantra changed from the time of Relpachen to roughly one hundred years after his assassination.

During Relpachen’s rule, the Tibetans and Tantra were closely intertwined. The Tantra was ancient Tibetan teachings of love. Since Relpachen support Buddhism, the Tantra was encouraged during his time. However, after his assassination of Relpachen, his brother became king. This king was anti-Buddhist. So for a period of time, Buddhists were persecuted. Thus the Tantra passed down by the Tibetans was weakened through this persecution, civil wars, and time. This could mean that the practice of love was weakened with time.

Pretend you are trying to become enlightened. Which of the vehicles would help you most and which would help you least? Explain why.

The Hinayana tradition would help the most. The Four Noble Truths give specific directions to the path of enlightenment. 1. Life means suffering. 2. The origin of suffering is attachment. 3. The cessation of suffering is obtainable. 4. The path to the cessation of suffering. These four rules could help an individual step by step on the path of enlightenment. The Four Noble Truths could allow any being to become enlightened. The Mahayana is more of the older Tibetan teachings more suitable to monks. This path of enlightenment is only available for a few. I do not believe that I would have the disciple to be one of the few. Thus the path I would choose is the Hinyana tradition.