Vajrayana
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Vajrayāna, otherwise known as Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a vehicle of the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition that emphasizes e
A vajra and bell (ghanta), which are classic ritual symbols of Vajrayāna Buddhism
Mahasiddhas, Palpung monastery. Note the figure of the great adept Putalipa at center, seated in a cave and gazing at an image of the meditational deity Samvara and the figure at the bottom left holding a skull-staff (khaṭvāṅga) and a flaying knife (kartika).
Vajra Realm Mandala, based on the tantric Vajrasekhara Sutra, and symbolizing the final realization of Vairocana Buddha in Shingon
Naked tantrikas dancing and eating from skull cups (kapalas), closeup of a Chakrasamvara mandala
Shingon Buddhism
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Shingon is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōm
Vajrayana
…Tibet, it evolved into Tibetan Buddhism, which became the dominant spiritual tradition, integrating local beliefs and practices. In Japan, it influenced Shingon Buddhism, established by Kūkai, emphasizing the use of mantras and rituals. Chinese Esoteric Buddhism also emerged, blending Vajrayāna practices with existing…
Danjō garan of Kongōbu-ji, the head temple of the Kōyasan sect based in Mount Kōya
Kamakura-period statue of Thousand-armed Kannon at Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto, Japan.
Painting of Kūkai from a set of scrolls depicting the first eight patriarchs of the Shingon school. Japan, Kamakura period (13th–14th centuries).
Jingo-ji, on Mount Takao, the first major temple in which Kūkai worked on his return to Japan