Secret of the Vajra World : The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet (Ray, Reginald a. World of Tibetan Buddhism ; V. 2.)

Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Second Volume
Review: I read Reginald Ray's "Indestructable Truth", the first volume in his "World of Tibetan Buddhism" series, last summer while camping in the Sierras. I was fascinated by the account of the various masters, lineages, stories and practices of the Tibetan Buddhist religion, and was left wanting more.

With "Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet", I got what I wanted.

Here Ray has delivered exactly what someone who holds the title "senior teacher" (Acharya) should- he shows the reader the history and philosophy of the Tantric path in as much detail as a single book can allow. He discusses the Vajrayana lineages of Tibet, with special emphasis on the Nyingma and Kagyu. He tells us tales of the Mahasiddhas- individuals like Padmasambhava, Tilopa, Marpa, and (my favorite), Milarepa. He discusses the institutionalization of the Tantra as the Vajrayana, the "third yana" of Buddhism (along with the Hinayana and Mahayana).

Ray then goes on to discuss the philosophy behind the Vajrayana and how it developed out of Nagarjuna's Madhyamika philosophy and the work of "forest adepts" (siddhas) in Northern India in the 7th-8th centuries. He discusses the sadhanas that make up the basis of Tantric practices, as well as the six internal yogas of Naropa, the Mahamudra, and the Dzokchen teachings. He then concludes the book with a discussion of the Tulku tradition, death practices, reincarnation, and the peculiar events surrounding the death of the Karmapa in 1981, as well as the peculiar events surrounding the birth of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (I was also happy to hear that a new Trungpa Tulku has been discovered and is in training). Ray doesn't even shy away from discussing the Dzokchen "Rainbow Body" and the passing of realized masters into the samboghakaya, no matter how much this seems to conflict with modern materialist beliefs.

The Siddhas weren't just mythical adepts who lived many centuries ago- it's just as possible to become one today. In a world sorely in need of transcendental aspirations beyond insipid materialism and potential-denying Christianity, Tibetan Buddhism, mysteriously enough, provides a vision that takes us beyond the modern, postmodern, and premodern world- and into a world of unlimited spiritual possibilities. Read Ray's "World of Tibetan Buddhism" series, and you'll understand why.

Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction to Buddhist tantric practice rationale
Review: Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism by Reginald A. Ray (Shambhala) Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet by Reginald A. Ray (Shambhala) are companion volumes that can be read together or apart. It is approaching 30 years or so that authentic Tibetan Buddhist teachings became generally available in America for Americans. Ray is a Buddhist scholar who is also a disciple of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado; where Ray now teaches. These two books represent a brilliant synthesis of the general outlines and assumptions, degrees and types of Buddhist practice within the Tibetan American tradition as it has become popular in American religious practice and thought. Ray is pretty clear about the narrow scope of his writing. It is not Tibetan religion per se that is being described but the uniquely evolving hybrid that is adapting to American spiritual needs. Seen baldly in such a light, the volumes might be seen as a product of this synthesis, but that does not mean what Ray writes is inaccurate, quite the contrary. Learning Tibetan Buddhism can be an overwhelming emotional intellectual whirlwind of strange demonesque gods and bodhisattvas, complex, time-consuming rituals, complex and simple meditations, and mountains of scriptures with even more massive commentaries. In Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism, Ray not only provides an accessible new introduction to the history, the religion, and the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism, which may quell the concerns friends and relatives of new practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. Ray provides important relevant context to what Tibetan Buddhism is trying to do and historical and religious explanations that makes intelligible these practices to outsiders and neophytes alike. The information presented in these volumes gives a Tibetan overview of the whole of Buddhist tradition with some special pleading toward a new emerging nonsectarian ecumenical Buddhist practice that attempts to embrace and transcend postmodernisms so that a devout Catholic or Jew can remain within their own tradition and still seek enlightenment from a Tibetan guru. Even if one is not so blithe to such a pluralistic eventuality these volumes come close to explaining what Tibetan Buddhists are up to and what one is likely to be challenged to do if one is persuaded toward Buddhist practice. And as popular marketing these books should work wonders. They are likely to attract many newcomers to experiment with Buddhist practice and at the same time calm the fears of people who do not understand what all the fuss is about. It is unlikely that those of serious narrow religious conviction will actually be tolerant enough to read these volumes, but for parents and friends concerned about a youth's choice to practice Buddhism, they provide a reasonably honest portrait of what Tibetan Buddhism has been coming to meaning within America and Western Europe today. With meticulous care and poignant specify, Ray tells how Buddhism ended up in Tibet from the great universities of Mahayana teachings in India. We are regaled with fantastic tales of scholar monk saints pioneering into the Tibetan frontier, laying the foundation for various schools of Buddhist practice that developed over the centuries. Ray is neither popularizing nor secularizing the images and history of Tibetan Buddhism, nor does he diminish its magical and mythical elements. Ray introduces to a shamanic cosmos populated gods and demons, an animistic cosmos that also integrates the major agnostic and antimetaphysical tenets of Buddhism, highlighting the resulting practices and their schools. Ending Indestructible Truth, Ray shows how the various schools of Madhyamika, Buddhist centrist philosophy, developed to current consensual particle and debate today. It is fare to say that Indestructible Truth offers a fine introduction to Tibetan Buddhism as Mahayana practice. The recently published Secret of the Vajra World continues to unveil the meaning of Tantric practice within Tibetan Buddhist American context. Many fine points are offered,explaining rationales for teacher worship (not the zombie mind-control so common in the media but a sort of high ethical introject, or transference for personal maturation), visualization of gods and goddesses, the meaning of mahamudra and dzogchen, and the importance of retreat. Both Indestructible Truth and Secret of the Vajra World represent important landmarks for explaining how Tibetan Buddhism is becoming Americanized and how Buddhism is appealing to those with spiritual longings. If you want to get a good idea about what Tibetanism Buddhism is in America then these two books provide a grand roadmap. Highly recommended

Rating:
Summary: Secrets of Tibetan Buddhism.
Review: Reginald Ray (or "Reggie," as his students call him) is a Professor of Buddhist Studies at Naropa University and at the University of Colorado here in Boulder. He was a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and is now a senior teacher (or "acharya") in that lineage. He is also a frequent contributor to the "Shambhala Sun" magazine. Reggie recently led a weekend meditation retreat at Naropa, in which he demonstrated his ability as a teacher to give practical application to Tibetan Buddhism in the modern world. It is his same remarkable ability to give ordinary meaning to the otherwise esoteric teachings and practices of Tibetan Buddhism that makes Reggie's SECRET OF THE VAJRA WORLD such a compelling book.

This is the companion volume to Ray's previous book, INDESTRUCTIBLE TRUTH (2000). Whereas his earlier book examined the Hinayana (the "lesser vehicle") and Mahayana (the "great vehicle") traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, this book focuses on the Vajrayana ("adamantine") vehicle. In Buddhism, one's spiritual life is viewed as a progressive journey through these three "yanas," or stages. (p. 66). When read together, these two volumes provide us with a broad survey of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Hinayana vehicle consists of entering the path of Buddhism by taking refuge, and then training oneself in ethics, meditation, and wisdom. The Mahayana vehicle involves taking the bodhisattva vow to liberate all beings from suffering (p. 67). The "indestructible vehicle" of Vajrayana is a more advanced level of bodhisattva practice, in which the tantric practitioner works to fulfill his bodhisattva vow through yoga, meditation, and retreat practices (p. 68). The Vajrayana practice examines the nature of reality "beyond emptiness" (p. 87). The vajra practitioner, Trungpa Rinpoche taught, "is extremely sharp, intellectual, analytical" and relates with things precisely . . . "precisely open and clear, analytically cool, cold, possibly unfriendly, but always on the dot. Seeing all the highlights of things as they are" (p. 135).

Reggie's SECRET OF THE VAJRA WORLD is organized into four parts: the first, an overview of the history, philosophy, and training supporting Vajrayana Buddhism; the second, an examination of the special role of a teacher, "guru," or tantric mentor; the third, an exploration of the mahamudra and dzokchen culminating practices; and the fourth, a fascinating look at the tulku tradition surrounding reincarnation.

Whether he is teaching his students how to meditate in the ancient traditions of Tibetan Buddhism in the modern world, or giving everyday meaning to the esoteric teachings and practices of Tibetan Buddism in his books, Reggie Ray is a trusted teacher who knows his subject. And for anyone interested in exploring Tibetan Buddhism, the SECRET OF THE VAJRA WORLD and its earlier companion, INDESTRUCTIBLE TRUTH, are the books to read.

G. Merritt

Rating:
Summary: The essence of Tantric Buddhist philosophies
Review: Secret Of The Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism Of Tibet by Reginald A. Ray (Professor of Buddhist Studies, Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado) is the second and final volume of "The World of Tantric Buddhism" series from Shambhala Publications. A straightforward presentation written in plain accessible terms for readers at all Buddhist studies and experience levels, Secret Of The Vajra World deftly explores the foundations of Vajrayana, the essence of Tantric Buddhist philosophies, and applications of Buddhist principles and insights to one's own personal life, bodhisattvas in the world, and a great deal more. Secret Of The Vajra Worlds is a very welcome, superbly presented, truly comprehensive introduction focusing upon a unique and profoundly important aspect of Buddhist spiritual practice.

Rating:
Summary: The essence of Tantric Buddhist philosophies
Review: Secret Of The Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism Of Tibet by Reginald A. Ray (Professor of Buddhist Studies, Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado) is the second and final volume of "The World of Tantric Buddhism" series from Shambhala Publications. A straightforward presentation written in plain accessible terms for readers at all Buddhist studies and experience levels, Secret Of The Vajra World deftly explores the foundations of Vajrayana, the essence of Tantric Buddhist philosophies, and applications of Buddhist principles and insights to one's own personal life, bodhisattvas in the world, and a great deal more. Secret Of The Vajra Worlds is a very welcome, superbly presented, truly comprehensive introduction focusing upon a unique and profoundly important aspect of Buddhist spiritual practice.

Rating:
Summary: Read this after you've been on the road awhile
Review: ~
Despite its unfortunate title, this is one of the most readable and informative books I've read about Tibetan Tantra. It's not a "first book" -- not one of those books that makes converts, like Walpola Rahula's "What the Buddha Taught," or the Dalai Lama's "Art of Living," or Suzuki Roshi's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." Those books distill the Buddhism into a single powerful, moving message, leaving behind everything distracting or extraneous -- they're basically the Four Noble Truths, told again, told new. If you want a simple introduction to Buddhism, read one of those, not this.

This is a completely different kind of book. It's full of details and byways. What's the difference between Nyingma, Gelugpa, Kagyu, and Sakya? What are the four different Ngondro practices? What's a Yidam? What's Tummo? What are all those Kayas, and how do they signify? How is Mahamudra different from Dzogchen?

If you're not already a Tibetan Buddhist, you probably don't want to know these things. If you just became one, don't mess with all that stuff yet: find a good teacher, listen to what he or she says, ask a lot of questions, and meditate a lot.

This is, however, a great book for a year or two down the road, when you've settled down to some practice and are starting to get irritated by all the terminology you still don't know, and all the references to persons, places, practices, and things that everyone seems to think you'd just magically already know about. This book is sort of like that trusted friend you sidle up to after puja to ask, "so just what *is* a Bhumi, anyway?"

Not that The Secret of the Vajra World doesn't have its inspiring moments. The story of the 16th Karmapa's death in a Western hospital is very moving, as are the stories of various Westerners on retreat. Ray's own commitment and inspiration come through very clearly. But the book's main virtues are accuracy and detail. There's simply a lot of information here, easy to find, easy to digest, about what people who practice Tibetan Buddhism actually do, how they do it, and why they do it.

Rating:
Summary: Read this after you've been on the road awhile
Review: ~
Despite its unfortunate title, this is one of the most readable and informative books I've read about Tibetan Tantra. It's not a "first book" -- not one of those books that makes converts, like Walpola Rahula's "What the Buddha Taught," or the Dalai Lama's "Art of Living," or Suzuki Roshi's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." Those books distill the Buddhism into a single powerful, moving message, leaving behind everything distracting or extraneous -- they're basically the Four Noble Truths, told again, told new. If you want a simple introduction to Buddhism, read one of those, not this.

This is a completely different kind of book. It's full of details and byways. What's the difference between Nyingma, Gelugpa, Kagyu, and Sakya? What are the four different Ngondro practices? What's a Yidam? What's Tummo? What are all those Kayas, and how do they signify? How is Mahamudra different from Dzogchen?

If you're not already a Tibetan Buddhist, you probably don't want to know these things. If you just became one, don't mess with all that stuff yet: find a good teacher, listen to what he or she says, ask a lot of questions, and meditate a lot.

This is, however, a great book for a year or two down the road, when you've settled down to some practice and are starting to get irritated by all the terminology you still don't know, and all the references to persons, places, practices, and things that everyone seems to think you'd just magically already know about. This book is sort of like that trusted friend you sidle up to after puja to ask, "so just what *is* a Bhumi, anyway?"

Not that The Secret of the Vajra World doesn't have its inspiring moments. The story of the 16th Karmapa's death in a Western hospital is very moving, as are the stories of various Westerners on retreat. Ray's own commitment and inspiration come through very clearly. But the book's main virtues are accuracy and detail. There's simply a lot of information here, easy to find, easy to digest, about what people who practice Tibetan Buddhism actually do, how they do it, and why they do it.