The word buddha is a descriptive term in Sanskrit that means “fully awake to reality as it is.” The story is told that Siddhartha, an Indian prince who lived about 2,600 years ago, left his pleasure palaces in disillusionment, seeking an answer to suffering for all living beings. Through great self-discipline and diligence in meditation, he attained a supreme state beyond suffering called “enlightenment.” The Buddha saw with perfect clarity that all sentient beings had the same potential to awaken to their own enlightened nature, to perfect themselves, and he saw how they could do it.

For the next 42 years, the Buddha taught variations on a deceptively simple theme: that all beings involuntarily take rebirth due to their actions, or karma; that all beings suffer to one degree or another; that this suffering has an identifiable root cause – clinging to a concept of ‘self’ and grasping for happiness outside this ‘self’; that the cessation of clinging to self is the cessation of suffering; and that there is a path by which anyone can attain liberation from suffering.  These teachings are called the Four Noble Truths.

The Buddha taught the path to liberation which can be summarized as ethical living, contemplation, and meditation on many levels, according to the capacity of his listeners. As a result, we now have three broad yanas, or spiritual vehicles, the means by which we can get from here’ (ignorance and suffering) to there’ (enlightenment and freedom from suffering).

The Hinayana is the Vehicle of Individual Liberation. One begins by developing renunciation for worldly concerns and “taking refuge” in the Buddha, the Dharma (the Buddha’s teachings), and the Sangha (the community of Buddhist followers). The path consists of a foundation of conscious ethics, contemplation of the teachings on suffering and its true causes, and meditation to directly experience liberation in the egoless state. The result is the state of an Arhat, or one who has destroyed the enemies’ of anger, attachment, and ignorance.

The Mahayana is the Vehicle of Universal Compassion. One enters by developing an understanding of one’s essential equality with all other beings, and the compassionate recognition that their liberation and happiness is as important, if not more so, than one’s own. This leads to bodhicitta, the mind that strives for enlightenment in order to bring others to that very same state. With this profoundly loving attitude, one takes the Bodhisattva Vow, promising never to rest in the bliss of enlightenment until all beings are free from suffering. One follows the path of the Six Perfections generosity, ethical discipline, patience, enthusiastic perseverance, concentration, and wisdom. The result is the ten progressively more subtle levels of a realized Bodhisattva and, finally, full enlightenment as a Buddha.

The Vajrayana is the Vehicle of Skillful Means. The view of this path is very different. It asserts that one needn’t laboriously create the causes over huge periods of time to effect one’s future enlightenment. One is enlightened right now; this fact has simply been obscured by mental habits and emotions. Special meditative techniques detailed in the tantras (esoteric texts that contain the philosophy and practice instructions of the Vajrayana) can quickly dispel these obscurations and bring about sudden recognition of one’s awakened nature, possibly in one lifetime. One enters through an empowerment ceremony performed by a fully qualified Vajrayana master. The Vajrayana depends heavily on the devoted relationship between master and disciple. The master guides the disciple through a highly personalized path that may include visualization and mantra recitation, physical exercises, and other methods to swiftly bring about experience of one’s true nature. The result is achievement of a Siddha, one who has gained spiritual power, and ultimately that of a Buddha.

In the holy lands of India, Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan and elsewhere, these three paths have been practiced as a unity, without conflict. At Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC), we offer the path as it was first established in Tibet over 1,200 years ago by the incomparable masters Padmsambhava, Vimalamitra, Vairochana, Yeshe Tsogyal, Khenpo Shantarakshita, and others. This lineage is now known as the Nyingma, or Ancient Translation School. There are six ‘mother monasteries’ of the Nyingma lineage. One of these is called Palyul, whose traditions KPC follows.

In addition to the teachings transmitted and preserved from that time, known as kama, Padmasambhava concealed countless other teachings that he foresaw would be more beneficial to future generations. These rediscovered teachings are known as terma, or “treasures.” Certain cycles, such as those discovered and propagated by the treasure revealers Migyur Dorje, Ratna Linga, Longchen Rabjam, and Dudjom Lingpa, are the ones that also form the basis of Vajrayana practice at KPC.

The teachings and transmissions of all three levels of the path are regularly made available at KPC. To stay informed of upcoming opportunities to learn about Buddhist teachings and practice, please check our monthly calendar and sign up for email notices.