User talk:Will in China/Vajrayana

Vajrayāna Buddhism (Devanagari: वज्रयान) is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle. Vajrayana probably came into existence in the 6th or 7th century CE. The term Vajrayana first came into evidence in the 8th century CE. The period of Vajrayana Buddhism has been classified as the fifth or final period of Indian Buddhism. Vajrayana is a complex and multifaceted system which evolved over several centuries and reveals much inconsistency and a variety of opinions. Its scriptures are called the Tantras. The tantric scriptures and its commentaries provide three strategies to discuss the theoretical nature of Vajrayana Buddhism:
 * 1) Vajrayana as a subset of Mahayana Buddhism
 * 2) Vajrayana as a fruitional or advanced vehicle (where Mahayana is a prelude to Vajrayana)
 * 3) Vajrayana as the sorcerer’s discipline (vidyadharasamvara)

When viewed as a subset of Mahayana, it is one of two practice paths: the Sutrayana method of perfecting good qualities and the Vajrayāna method of taking the intended outcome of Buddhahood as the path. Vajrayana requires mystical experience in order to experience Buddha-nature prior to full enlightenment. In order to transmit these experiences, a body of esoteric knowledge has been accumulated by Buddhist tantric yogis and is passed via lineages of transmission. In order to access this knowledge, the practitioner requires initiation from a skilled spiritual teacher or guru.

Vajrayana may also be viewed as the third major Yana (or "vehicle") of Buddhism, along with Theravada and Mahayana. According to this view, there were three "turnings of the wheel of dharma". In the first turning Shakyamuni Buddha taught the dharma as the Four Noble Truths at Varanasi which led to the Hinayana schools, of which only Theravada remains today. In the second turning the Perfection of Wisdom sutras were taught at Vulture's Peak and led to the Mahayana schools. According to Vajrayana tradition, the third turning took place at Dhanyakataka sixteen years after Buddha's enlightenment, but this is disputed by scholars who date the earliest stages of the Vajrayana tradition to the 4th century. This third turning includes the Yogachara tradition and expounds that all beings have Buddha-nature. Vajrayana subscribes to the two truths doctrine of conventional and ultimate truths. Attaining enlightenment is the purpose of all the various tantric techniques practiced in Vajrayana.