Tantra For Beginners

Tantra for beginners means knowing the lower yanas and learning about the outer and inner yanas. Study samaya, ngondro, mandala, deity, 3 roots, 2 accumulations, creation and completion, luminosity, lineage, and mantra. If this appeals, seek out a guru for initiation and guidance.

Beginner’s tantra, though a bit contradictory, would include the study of mandala, mantra and samaya, plus proficiency in basic shamatha meditation. Study the nature of mind, as well. That’s the short version.

Long version. Beginner’s tantra really means mastering hinayana and mahayana from the point of view of tantra. The following topic list is a great jumping off point

Mandala
Mantra
Samaya
3 roots
3 Kayas
3 Gates
Guru & Lineage
Abhisheka (empowerment)
Vajra principle
Masculine and feminine energy
Creation and Completion Stages
2 accumulations of merit and wisdom

Mandala Principle

A Key point of tantra for beginners is the principle of mandala, meaning the vision of the enlightened world. Mandala presupposes an understanding of sacredness and a view of sacredness. It is how the enlightened mind or the nature of mind emerges into the reality, into the relative reality. Mandala is how a practitioner views the world.

The mandala principle is a four or eight or ten-directional principle, east, south, north, west, the intermediate directions, and also up and down if that particular mandala includes up and down. The four directions generally correspond to the four directional Buddhas and the four Buddha wisdoms of vajra, ratna, padma and karma plus the central wisdom of buddha.

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Samaya

The next fundamental concept in tantra for beginners is Samaya. Samaya is the sacred vow, also called Damsig. It means “to bind,” or “sacred bond.” Generally, people think of Samaya as the bond to the guru. In part this is true, but there is much more to it than that.

It also applies to the sacred bond to the deity, the Yidam, dam-sig is the same root. This is generally offered by the guru, and in some way the guru is all three and represents all three. It’s somewhat of a gray area if the human guru is also the Yidam.

Of course, their mind encompasses the Yidam, but in another way one must claim one’s own Yidam. In the absolute, there’s no separation. They’re not the same, nor are they different. At any rate, Dam-sig or Samaya is the sacred bond, the nail that ties one to the path.

It’s often considered somewhat fearful. If you violate your Samaya and give up on the bond with the guru and/or the Yidam, then the mind goes downwards towards the hell realm. If the Samaya is maintained, the mind goes upwards towards liberation and towards enlightenment. Generally, there are fourteen root branch downfalls to Samaya. The essence of Samaya is maintaining the sacred outlook of the world and maintaining the pure, the view of purity and equality of all phenomena. There’s more on Samaya, including the general and special Samayas.

Mantra

The third basic principle of tantra for beginners is mantra. Tantra or Vajrayana is also called mantrayana. Mantra can mean mind protection. It is strongly associated, of course, with speech, as most mantras are acts of speech. As mantra is an act of speech, it is an indication of speech. From this sense, it is the layer around the mind, the aspect of mind that protects the mind itself.

If speech is sanctified and created to be sacred, then this will automatically create protection to the mind by invoking the mantra of the Yidam (or any mantra). The speech is purified and rendered into enlightened speech, the speech of the Buddha. Obviously, it takes many repetitions, but each repetition does its small bit of purification.

Many practitioners recite Om Mani Padme Hum, the mantra of Aviloketeshvara and the Mantra of Compassion, a hundred million times. Others recite the Vajru Guru Mantra

Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum
Vajra Guru Mantra

Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum, the mantra of Padmasambhava, which is more of a tantric mantra, a hundred million times. Some mantras belong to different yidams, such as Vajruyogini and Chakrasamvhara, Vajrakilaya, Kalachakra, Hayagriva, and so forth.

Mantras include the calling and the activities mantra in some cases. Mantras have sacred meanings and they generally include a seed syllable, such as Om, Ah, Hum, or Hri. The seed syllable is the indication of the deity in its purest form and represents mind in its purest form. It’s clear to see that mind and speech are not distinct and separate in this, nor are they the same. There’s an overlap, a smooth transition from one to the other, almost as if speech is the activity of mind and mind is the essence of speech.

Nature of Mind

The other essential thing in Tantra for beginners is the nature of mind, pointing out the nature of mind. The pointing out is at the heart and the core of all tantra. It’s the fundamental aspect of how to practice. It is the essential nature of reality altogether. The idea here is that all reality depends on a mind perceiving it, otherwise there’s no meaning to reality. It’s only the act of engagement that creates it.

The nature of mind means penetrating the outer shell of the seeming appearance of mind and the feeling of mind, the emotions and thoughts and so forth – penetrating to the essence of the mind itself. Then, that insight can be practiced with and maintained in all practices and in daily activities to the greatest extent possible.

As this recognition deepens and stabilizes through view and understanding of the nature of mind, then tantra comes alive. This begins a very rapid path towards enlightenment.

Sacred World

There’s a vastly greater variety of things to tantra for beginners, including guru, yidam and protector, the three roots, feast practice, supplication and aspiration, tantra, terma, and so forth. Each of these topics goes much, much deeper. Everything covered here is the subject of entire shelves of books written by great masters. This is just the beginning to give an idea of it.

The journey is profound and deeply meaningful. It takes tremendous effort, but it also carries with it immense rewards. There is, however, some risk. If the practitioner decides to pursue it, the advice is to do it completely and thoroughly but to do so carefully. If the commitment is not very strong, it’s better to remain on a hinayana or a mahayana path.

How do I start learning tantra?

You can start learning tantra by learning the basics of Buddhist philosphy and practice, notably the Hinayana and Mahayana vehicles.

Following that study the theory of Tantric Buddhism (See this Ultimate Guide to Tibetan Meditation) – the 3 roots, 9 yanas, creation and completion meditation, samaya and so forth. Find a teacher, preferably one with the title Rinpoche.

faq

Can you practice tantra on your own?

You can’t practice tantra on your own. You need a guru to guide and provide initiations. There is much power here, and it has to be transmitted properly to be effective.