The Buddhist Tantras

by Alex Wayman

The book, volume 9 of the Buddhist Tradition series, places the position of the Buddhist Tantras within Mahayana Buddhism and recalls their early literary history. It discusses the foundations of Buddhist Tantras and rarely available Special Studies; female energy and symbolism a correlation between the tantric portions of the Kanjur and the Tanjur.

This book has been divided into four sections.  Part One: The Introduction places the position of the Buddhist Tantras within Mahayana buddhism and recalls their early literary history, especially the Guhyasamajatantra; the section also covers Buddhist Genesis and the Tantric tradition as well as the analogical thinking in the Buddhist Tantras.  Part Two: The author discusses the foundations of the Buddhist Tantras - he considers the Tantric presentation of divinity; the preparation of disciples and the meaning of initiation; some Tantric materials; symbolism of the mandala palace;

Material includes such matters as the tantric theory of divinity, classification of offering materials, authoritative symbolism of the mandala-palace, an explanation of tantric ritual, the tantric teaching about the body's nice orifices, and the theory of female energy in the buddhist Tantras.  It concludes with a correlation of the two Tantra collections of the Tibetan buddhist canon, which are the revealed Tantra in the Kanjur, and exegetical works in the Tanjur.  The work is leavened with illustrations and drawings.  The author demonstrates here, as he does in his other works on the tantra, an "at-homeness" with the tantric literature; and shares with the reader his sympathetic burrowing in these recondite texts.

About the Author:

Alex Wayman, formerly Professor of Sanskrit at Columbia University, New York, is in the forefront of Western Buddhist Scholarship by his series of books in both tantric and non-tantric Buddhism based on over 30 years of research. He has authored over 100 articles for professional journals and honorary volumes in various countries.