Mahayana Tantra: An Introduction

by Shri Dharmakirti

Tantra, considered by many as a dangerous and secret path, invariably generates a tremendous amount of curiosity. In this, the first comprehensive book of its kind, Shri Dharmakirti gives us a rare glimpse into the fascinating nature of Tantra.  A practitioner of the Mahayana Buddhist Tantra uses his intellect and moral discipline to attain Buddha-hood, the highest state of existence. How to achieve this state was first shown by the Buddha and, after him, by various incarnations of Indian and Tibetan gurus such as the Dalai Lama.

The author gives us a detailed account of the moral, ethical and philosophical basis of Buddhist Tantra. He also shows how the Buddhist Tantric Path of the Highest Secret Mantra decisively addresses the three crucial problems that every genuine spiritual warrior must resolve problems of death, sexuality and the true nature of reality.

The author discusses various facets of the Buddhist Tantric Path: its history, its harnessing of sexual energy to access subtle levels of reality, the doctrine of Karma, the concept of profound emptiness that is the philosophical core of the Buddha Dharma, and the Wheel of Existence or the Bhava-Chakra. Narrated simply and enriched with visual representations of the author's vision of Tantra, this is an invaluable guide for those seeking a meaningful spiritual path.

About the Author:

Shri Dharmakirti, a disciple of His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, was born in a Sikh family. He studied biochemistry in college, and later worked as an advertising executive and computer programmer. After encountering the Prasangika Madhyamika system of Arya Nagarjuna, he left home when he was twenty-seven, and became a disciple of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. During the six years he spent at the feet of his Guru in Dharamsala, he received initiation and further instructions in the practice of Mahayana Buddhist Highest Secret Mantra, into the lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa. He now lives in retreat in the Kullu valley, and occasionally teaches.