Yet when we think of the high plateau of Tibet, we think of a "Shangri-la," a land hidden deep within the folds of the Himalayas, isolated form the world for thousands of years. But in ancient times, the Tibetan empire was at the crossroads of the world, extending across China and into Nepal, India and Persia. From the confluence and mingling of commerce, culture and spiritual practices, Tibet became a unique crucible for forging one of the greatest spiritual traditions, and one that has great relevance today. Three great spiritual forces came together to create this high technology of the sacred known in Tibet simply as Dharma—the path, the Truth. These three traditions—the Shamanic, the Clerical and the Tantric—are described below, showing the unique contribution made by each to the extraordinary to what became the Vajrayana—the Diamond Path of Tibetan spirituality.
Clerical: the great Buddhist traditions of India were transmitted to the Land of Snow, bringing all the monastic disciplines and vast literature of Mahayana Buddhism to Tibet. At its core are the essential concepts of all-encompassing compassion for all beings, the truth of spiritual cause and effect (karma) and practices of the Six Perfections (generosity, morality, patience, diligence, concentration and wisdom) . The clerical tradition relied on the development of extensive communities—monasteries—where the faithful can devote their lives entirely to the religious ideals of enlightenment and benefitting others. Buddhist meditation in the Mahayana traditions includes many forms of profound meditation, designed to see into the nature of the mind and beyond life's superficialities.
Shamanic: The shamanic tradition has existed since ancient times across the trans-Himalyan region, but with the coming of Buddhism in 700 A.D., was assimilated into the rich matrix of the emerging Vajrayana path. The practical aspects of shamanism allowed Tibetan spirituality to enter the life of the people. Tibetan lamas are called upon to solve all manner of day-to-day problems through the sacred technology of life and earth energies. This includes harmonizing the land, altering weather patterns, healing sickness, clearing negative energies of all kinds, aiding the process of birth and assisting on the journey of dying.
Tantric: The origins of tantra are mysterious, developing in various parts of India and Persia from the 4th to the 8th century, and reaching full maturity by the turn of the millennium. The emphasis of these elaborate and extensive teachings is rapid spiritual development and the creation of a light body. Particularly, there are techniques to control the inner energies and channels, thus opening higher dimensions of being. They also rely on visualization of oneself in an archetypal light form (these "Deities" being the subject of Tibetan wall paintings or thankas) and mantras—specific sound patterns that can transform both mind and matter. These technologies were refined and perfected on the Himalayan plateaus and mountain fastness, reaching an extraordinary degree of power and depth. Note too that the popularized use of the word "tantra" to connote sexual practices and pleasures is unrelated to Buddhist and Tibetan tantra altogether. Tantra actually means lineage or thread, and refers to the unbroken transmission of enlightenment from its source to teachers and practitioners of our current day.
Benefitting Self and Other
Over time, a unique synergy occurred whereby three streams of spirituality described above were inextricably fused into one of the most potent systems of spiritual development and activity. This sophisticated approach offers many different kinds of solutions to the diverse problems that is part of the humans condition. All of these, however, fall into what are called the two aims: that of benefiting oneself, through attaining complete enlightenment, and that of benefitting others, materially, psychological and spiritually.
On the one hand, with proper guidance and diligent practice, the individual practitioner can attain the highest levels of development possible for human beings. This includes a consciousness that is so expansive that it transcends one's local "biography" and biology. It is cosmic and free from even the constraints of biological time and death itself. At the same time one can develop a light body that is able to benefit beings in remarkable ways.
On a far more practical and immediate level, Tibetan lamas and yogis were the traditional custodians of the health of Tibetan society and of the body and mind of her people. Thus there exist within this rich tradition, techniques that are effective for every aspect of human endeavour. Tibetan sacred technologies are imminently practical, helping us to live richer, fuller and more meaningful lives. These rituals can helps us with greater prosperity, safety, peace of mind, balance, harmony and vibrant health.
The Ritual Connection
While we may think of ritual as being a kind of repetitive activity, or one that merely maintains an old tradition, Tibetan ritual is both vibrant and purposeful. Ritual creates a sacred space, a protected sphere in which manipulations of time, space and karma can take place. Within the context of the music, chanting and the visualizations of the practitioners, lies a deep process wherein sacred spiritual energies enter into our mundane space. In this way, ritual is like a lens that can bring extraordinary forces to bear on our problems, and issues, and on the limited or fixed patterns of our mind and emotions. All such rituals, their words, melodies and internal meditations, come from fully enlightened sources. In other words, these are not composed on the basis of intellect and ego, but have a purely spiritual origin. By virtue of this fact, the enactment of these rituals opens the doors to highly transformative energies, which can benefit all aspects of our lives. While this is inherently true of the ritual itself, when it is conducted by a highly developed or realized Master, its impact is greatly magnified, rippling out in time and space, helping to unfold our deepest aspirations and reach our most profound goals.
