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- Open a Birth Center
- Research & Data
- Advocacy
- Education
- Membership
- About AABC
- Find a Birth Center
|Community Calendar
|Upcoming Past Month View
Here you can find out about upcoming events and view photo galleries of past events. Some events may allow for online registration and the ticket purchase. Click the event name to view more details.


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"Behold the Labrador. Though he be just a dog, he is our loyal companion, our good and trusted friend."
We have exciting news. Two of our adult chocolate Cherokee Belle/Cowboy pups are the featured canines for Kirkland's brand dog beds and throws on the Costco website as well as the model for some of Sams Clubs dog beds. Their photos have been used in ads, labeling and posters for the products. See the ad at www.costco.com and enter item # 294064 or item # 293965 to see the ad. These boys are owned by the Bellon family in Texas. MORE EXCITING NEWS. Jochamo, a one year old yellow pup from Lexi's 2007 litter was featured on the cover of The Rocky Mountain News (www.rockymountainnews.com) last summer. This good looking Labrador is owned by Chris Stiebler. See his photo in the above lefthand corner and on the Buyers Comments page.
We have been breeding top quality, picture perfect Labrador Retrievers in our home and family kennels for over 20 years and we take great pride in the quality of our Labs. We are not a puppy mill. We are professional breeders that care about the health and happiness of our companions. We work in conjunction with our veterinarian to provide the best home and breeding environment for our four legged family members. Our breeding Labradors have champion pedigrees in both hunting and show.
We breed for beauty, health, and disposition. Most of our Labrador's are English style with big wide heads and chests. All of our breeding Labradors are obedience trained family companions that are calm natured, highly intelligent, loving and very friendly. We follow a specific breeding program and only breed our females once every 12 - 18 months.
We raise chocolate, black and yellow (including light cream and fox red) pups. Our yellow pups range in color from solid white to Fox red depending on the breeding pair. We offer a two year hip/eye guarantee on every pup we sell and all of our pups are well socialized from the moment of birth. ALL puppies are veterinary inspected at 3 days when their dew claws are removed and again at 6 weeks. They are de-wormed at 3, 4 1/2 and 6 weeks and have their 1st shots.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tsojcanth II update
by, 07-25-2012 at 08:15 AM (5628 Views)
At this time there are 5 people signed up to play in the new (second) running of the "Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth" campaign. Hopefully between now and Aug. 25th, we will get the other 3 seats filled and be able to start this on that day. Anyone interested can send me a PM or post on the campaign thread in the Find or Advertise a Game section of the Forums. Again, this will take a very long time to complete, so be prepared for a game that won't be done in just a handfull of gaming sessions. Also, for any that are interested, this is a module that was written by Gygax and is the expanded version as opposed to the tournament version.


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- 12 ounces coarsely ground fresh coffee beans
- Milk (optional)
Recipe Preparation
Place ground coffee in a large container. Gradually add 7 cups cold water. Stir gently to be sure all grounds are moistened. Cover with a layer of cheese-cloth. Let stand at room temperature for 15 hours.
Remove cheesecloth and use it to line a fine-mesh sieve set over a large pitcher. Pour coffee through sieve into pitcher (do not stir); rinse jar and set aside. Discard cheesecloth with solids.
Line same sieve with a large coffee filter and set over reserved jar. Strain coffee through sieve into jar. (It may take up to 45 minutes for all of the coffee to drip through; do not stir or coffee may become cloudy.) Cover and chill. Coffee concentrate can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled.
Fill a glass with ice. Dilute 1 part coffee concentrate with 1 part milk, if desired, or water.


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Budget Airlines Stumble in Japan
Japan's All Nippon Airways will end its partnership with AsiaAir less than a year after it began. The WSJ's Yoree Koh tells Mariko Sanchanta why it's difficult for budget airlines to profit in Japan.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the ... Asia's biggest budget carrier in Japan's biggest carrier ... has very publicly ended their partnership less than a year after it began ... welcome to Asia today on my because Sanchanta ... joining me is your eco ... are Wall Street Journal transportation reporter based in Tokyo you and thanks for joining today ... tell me that the between the a N a N Air Asia ... has captivated us for the past few weeks ... because they've both been pointing fingers eight at each other and this was dissolved in a very public way ... what except me happened and what was said between these two companies ... Ray and not an ... officially ended for ... change alot and she said she's that ... kind of that and management that ... I've started a couple weeks ago when Tony Fernandes that CME charities Act ... I'm basically said things that I can and he might pull out Malin beginning of the engine away ... at least publicly but it seems like ... a network of us in the very beginning their disagreement on where to base the company where to look ... at how operations to a two person run the company house he rents out really Liz I'm ... there ... it seems now they're a lot of hurdles that they just couldn't seem to overcome ... it's pretty rare in Japan and that something would and so quickly and so publicly ... was there a lot of chatter in the aviation community about the dissolution of this partnership ... yesterday was a creek and ... they anxiously it decided to go into business about two years ago but only began operations just ... hang it ... and last I guess that it's been ten months and so today in a quick and didn't seem to be really given much time to ... aam become a bigger problem or or even commitments chance to solve the problem was ... that speaks ten ... ounces happened in on top of that different than it had the very beginning ... now let's talk about the landscape in general in Japan for budget carrier said it hasn't always been great there are few that it had to file for bankruptcy like hairdo ... um ... tell us about the landscape there now Coast Air Asia pros say in a two and a viable players on the ground ... what I say any other an ... magic and uncertainty in the last year ... peach Aviation is based at and also to come by therefore is doing very well ... and just to get something fierce than monthly ... passenger capacity is about seventy percent where is Aries to Japan's land ... averaging sixty three percent even fell to fifty three percent last month so ... the summit things that peak that peace is doing right is that they are based on current site which is a twenty four hour ... operating at or which gave them a little more flexibility in terms of a turnaround times ... I aam they can ... they have won a local news the really am and in very good about the marketing targeting ... that Western city and really speaking to play command a strong culture that ... at this hour ... in general why it's so difficult for the food budget carrier to exist in Japan and we know some of the hurdles ... Buckeye landing fees but what are some of the other regulatory hurdles that have to change ... I'm the cultural and dearie to CEO couple months back and that when he first took over in December ... that when things that she realize when isn't he comes in an airport operations Akron at an Narita airport as wedding use to ... dealing with budget carriers in N out how to quickly ... I aam accommodate these KSU has special needs like I'm ... getting flights in and out much quicker and getting passengers ... through Tech Into chemists faster so ... in a ... lot of like a aam ... nitty gritty what to make at our technical staff that meets be worked out ... I mean going forward are there any hopes for areas as I'm going back to the Japanese market or do you think that in him given what's happened in this very public bus out that it's gonna be awhile before they ever venturing again ... well well been to college and that unity have had a partner and Japan are to an operating ... budget airlines so that's why they beat Santana an Zhao has ... a lot when Quanta Swan and sista Rebuts and here they to put down on hand to stack ... I'm so ... considering that talent and a too big is really the only two main players in Japan ... the options are limited and finding and the carrier to team up with enough to go outside the ... aviation industry which might become a challenge ... great thank you so much during her Wall Street Journal to News reporter in Tokyo ... for more this story please go the WS J dot com for Asia Today ... Ahmadi the Sanchanta ...


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For Release Worldwide: September 2012
Release Number: 306PR12
Proximity Awareness brings new level of safety to surface mines by expanding machine operator awareness of the working environment
Massive surface mining machines working close to each other and near stationary objects are at risk of collisions. Caterpillar developed its comprehensive safety system, Detect, based on a simple premise: The more that equipment operators and mine administrators know about the working environment surrounding mobile equipment, the more safely all at the site can perform their jobs. Proximity Awareness brings the right information at the right time to the right people.
Detect, a capability set within Cat® MineStar™ System, allows mines to equip machines with practical, site specific systems that can both enhance operator awareness of the working environment and provide mine administrators with effective mobile equipment control in the interest of safety. In surface mining applications, Detect offers three levels of operator and administrator awareness: Vision; Object Detection; and Proximity Awareness.
Vision provides multiple cameras that allow operators to select the views, via an in-cab display, required to best assess objects and activity around their machines. Object Detection adds multiple radar sensors to the Vision capability, allowing the combined systems to identify hazards within critical zones around the machine and to display the hazard along with a graphic "proximity bar" that provides perspective for the operator.
Proximity Awareness builds on the capabilities of Vision and Object Detection by equipping all appropriate machines at the site with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and data radios that continually report their positions to a central office and to each other, which then broadcasts this information to all assets equipped with the system. The net result is that every machine operator is aware of the real-time position of all other reporting assets.
The power of Proximity Awareness, however, extends beyond this capability. By creating a digital envelope that defines a machine's physical dimensions (body), and by creating avoidance areas within and around the envelope, the system can determine the possibility of these envelopes intersecting using "path projection" technology. If a collision is anticipated, the system can provide adequate warning to operators.
Although the technology involves complex computations, the Proximity Awareness system presents this data to the operator via an intuitive graphic display in the cab. The system provides a low priority alarm when the path projection regions of two machines intersect, advising the operator with a graphic display on the site map, along with audio and visual alerts. A high priority alarm occurs when the avoidance areas and the body areas of two machines intersect, but with enough advance warning to enable operators to take corrective actions. Critical priority alarming occurs when body areas of two machines intersect, indicating immediate action is necessary. If machines routinely are in close proximity, such as loading and hauling vehicles, alarm filters can be implemented between machines classes to silence non-critical warnings.
Other features of Proximity Awareness include the ability for mining truck drivers to identify and report hazards, such as a boulder on the haul road. The administrator can evaluate the hazard, or the system can be configured to automatically distribute this updated information to all mobile assets in the system.
Proximity Awareness also provides continual information to the administrator about machine speeds, avoidance zones, and known hazards, allowing real-time feedback for effective control of the overall site. The system also allows capturing and playing back selected events by using the playback bar at the bottom of the incident map, which enables the administrator to determine the exact location of machines during the time surrounding the event.
Caterpillar is committed to helping customers protect the health and safety of their workers. Proximity Awareness is one tool that can help. To learn more about Proximity Awareness and other tools to enhance mine safety and productivity within Cat MineStar System, go to: https://mining.cat.com/miningtechnology
# # #
Note to Editors: Caterpillar rolls-out products and services in each of its territories at different time intervals. Although every effort is made to ensure that product information is released only after Caterpillar has received confirmation from our dealer network, our plants, and our marketing subsidiaries that products and services are available in the relevant region, editors are kindly requested to verify with their local dealer for product availability and specifications.
Sharon Holling: firstname.lastname@example.com
Christina Schave: email@example.com
Europe, Africa, Middle East
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General Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
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2018-08-14 : Page 1
In this issue of Starbene : Starbene, leading magazine in its sector, proposes a lifestyle for the entire family that focuses on health and well-being, translating specialised content into clear and accessible information.
Issued weekly since May 2014, Starbene covers all realms of health, from prevention to non-aggressive cures, from beauty treatments to psychology, plus sports, ecology and food, as well as travel and fashion, and the scientific and authoritative pieces that have always made it unique.
A major strength of the brand is its network of over 100 experts, who answer readers on the telephone and on Starbene.it daily and free of charge, through the "Chiedi a Starbene" (Ask Starbene) service.
The site also has thematic tools allowing you to calculate your ideal weight, your body mass index, calorie consumption per activity and calories in food, in addition to a medical encyclopaedia that uses simple language to explain over 10 thousand medical terms – from the diseases to the cures and drugs, along with a complete database of all prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Completing the Starbene system is the Canale 5 television format In forma con Starbene, and the radio show RMC D.O.C. by Starbene, with the faces and voices of experts of the magazine.
stileitaliaedizioni.i... /


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Yorkshire Cheese Monster Hamper (Available only at Christmas)
A classy selection of local cheeses for the festive season
Hawes Wensleydale Truckle; Just Jane Cheddar truckle from Skegness; award winning Yorkshire Blue from Shepherds purse near Thirsk; Raydale Preserves chutney, from Stalling Busk; two packs of crackers for cheese
Related Products
For those with a sugar soft spot- delicious local treats. Traditional cinder toffee from BonBons in Wetherby; traditional toffee from Cartwright & Butler in Brough; Handmade Chocolate Lollypop from ChocAffair in York; Handmade chocolate bar from Bear & Mouse in Ripley; Handmade chocolate shards from Guppy's in York; Handmade Yorkshire fudge from Laura's Confectionery in Sheffield£55.00 Add to basket
Our selection of goodies designed to warm the cockles. Lottie Shaw's Seriously Good Yorkshire Parkin; Elizabeth Botham Shah Ginger Biscuits, from Whitby; Raydale Preserves Tomato & Chilli Chutney from North Yorkshire; Raydale Preserves Hellish Relish from North Yorkshire; Chilli Chocolate shards from Guppy's in York; Bottle of red wine; Mulling syrup from Makers & Merchants; Belvoir Honey, Lemon & Ginger Cordial; Taylors of Harrogate tea£70.00 Add to basket
Our most popular hamper filled with our favourite local goodies: Sloemotion Sloe Gin from Barton-le-Willows; Lottie Shaw's Seriously Good Yorkshire Parkin from Elland; Bear & Mouse Chocolate Gift Box, handmade in Ripley; Raydale Preserves Elijah's Yorkshire chutney from Stalling Busk; Yorkshire Honey; Handmade Yorkshire Fudge from Laura's Confectionery in Sheffield; Olive & Garlic Flatbreads from Cartwright & Butler in Brough; Handmade chocolate bar from Bear & Mouse in Ripley; Handmade chocolate shards from Guppy's in York; Elizabeth Botham Biscuits from Whitby; Raydale Preserves jam, from Stalling Busk; ChocAffair Chocolate Stirrer from York; Wright's traditional Brandy Snaps from Brighouse£100.00 Add to basket


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Over the years with rapid changes in Knowledge and information, the needs and requirements of the users have also altered drastically. The incessant flow of Print and E-reading materials has made libraries hub and harbingers of intellectual resources. The Library at DAV College, Sector-10 is also making its humble contribution in empowering the students with Knowledge. Thanks to our esteemed DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi and our revered Principals for providing active all round support in our endeavor. The library professionals at DAV shall remain innovative and committed to disseminate the knowledge and information to our worthy readers.
- Deepti Madaan
College Librarian


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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Mumford & Sons' "Babel" has won the Grammy for album of the year.
The British rockers said they didn't expect to win "since the Black Keys have been sweeping all day."
It was the foursome's second win Sunday night. They also won best long form music video.
"Babel" is platinum-selling success that is still rocking on the charts.
The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach is the night's top winner with four awards.
Gotye, Skrillex, Black Keys, Jay-Z and Kanye West won three Grammys each. Ocean, Chick Corea, Esperanza Spalding and Matt Redman were double winners.


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We've all been hearing the multi-core drumbeat for some time now. The general consensus is that if you want to wring more performance from your application by taking advantage of tomorrow's processors, you're going to need to embrace parallelism in your code today. Yesterday at SD West, the man beating that drum was James Reinders, Chief Software Evangalist for Intel.
Reinders began his keynote with the now-familiar reasons why we've left the "gigahertz era" and entered the "multi-core era". We're approaching the physical limits of processor performance: each further improvement in clock speed now becomes dramatically more difficult to achieve. Multi-core is the way forward, and is quickly becoming the norm in commercial hardware. Quad-core processors are here now, octo-core processors are coming soon, and it won't stop there.
So it's a trend that's not going away, and we ignore it at our peril. Reinders then posed the question: "Are you ready?" Successful parallel programing, according to Reinders, centers around three things:
- Scaling
- Debugging
- Future Proofing
Of these, scaling may be the trickiest concept. No one expects to get a 4X speedup in their app by running it on a quad-core processor, of course, but we'd like to get as close to that ideal as possible. But, according to Reinders, this can get very tricky. Even the best parallel code optimized for two or four cores can fall apart when it's run on 5, 6, 7 or 8 cores. "At 8 or 16 cores, something happens," he said, noting that latencies loom large at this scale.
Part of the problem here is Amdahl's law, says Reinders: The rule that says the speedup of your program that comes from throwing more cores at the problem is limited by the amount of your program that can be parallelized. At some point, you reach a point of diminishing returns, and 16 processors may be just as fast as 6,000.
So what to do? There's no one solution of course, but one very good idea is to rely on abstractions. Don't program directly to raw threads, but rely on mechanisms (at least for C/C++ programmers) like libraries, OpenMP, or Intel's Threading Building Blocks (TBB). "Parallel programming shouldn't be about writing thread management code," said Reinders.
Another good reason to use abstractions is that future architectures may not, and according to Reinders, certainly will not, use cores of equal speed. Code that assumes identical cores will break on these platforms. Having a mechanism to abstract away the underlying architecture will make life much easier in this situation.
Reinders also offered what he calls a "gem of a tip" for debugging: Give yourself a way to turn off concurrency entirely. It is essential to have a way to separate the concurrency bugs from the other bugs. Debug it sequentially first, then introduce concurrency.
To get started moving your code into the multi-core era, Reinders suggests a couple of Intel web sites:


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People magazine has finally unveiled its official "Kim Kardashian Wedding Issue," complete with the bride's first "official" wedding portrait on the cover.
Now that the dust has settled, the newlyweds have also had a chance to reflect a little on their big wedding day.
"It was like we were in heaven," Kardashian told the magazine, adding she "felt like a princess" in her custom Vera Wang gown. New hubby Kris Humphries concurred, saying he will always "remember how perfect it was."
U.S. & World
Despite the A-list guests, the media attention, and the eventual E! News special, Kardashian insists the day was and always will be a personal thing.
"Glam aside, that wasn't our main goal," she says. "It was really about our family and each other."
The two-part special "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event" will air October 9th and 10th on E!
The new issue of People hits newstands Friday.


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Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has just announced the permanent closure of the Kingston Penitentiary and the Leclerc Institution in Laval, QC. Apparently, both facilities are antiquated relics of a bygone era. Kingston, built in 1835, is one of the oldest, continuously operating prisons in the world.
I've never been to prison. But several years ago a realtor took us to look at a house located just across the road from one. "Not a problem," she said, "there are only a couple of escapes every year." That federal prison located in Dorchester, NB, is also an old facility, built in 1880. Once a notorious maximum security lock-up, it now handles all of Atlantic Canada's medium security offenders with an emphasis on psychiatric care and rehabilitation. There's a big farm attached to it to prove it. But the place still seems pretty rough. Just looking at it one gets the idea that Canada's prison infrastructure is a bit out of date.
As I read the news about Toews' announcement, I expected to read that there would be some new, high-tech Panopticon-style facility being built to replace the old prisons. But I was wrong. The prisoners are being merged with existing prison populations elsewhere. According to Toews, this is not a problem.
The good news is the government, or "we," will be saving $120 million a year, and most of the staff will be reassigned to other institutions. And we won't be spending any more money to build new prisons.
The bad news is the existing prisons are already running at over-capacity. Millhaven is 112 inmates over capacity and the max security complex in Saint-Anne-des-Plaines in Quebec is 217 inmates over its design. Closing Kingston today would result in nearly 100 more inmates over the Canadian prison system capacity. And there's talk that about 100 prison workers will lose their jobs.
The whole thing is a bit more complicated than that, of course. The Conservatives have committed to adding 2,700 new prisoner spaces to existing facilities over the next five years, which should alleviate some of the pressure.
And then there's the new "tough on crime" legislation introduced last year. Stats show that the increase in new inmates is lower than expected, and Toews states that, "Instead of attracting all sorts of new criminals into the system, we're just retaining the old ones." Hmm. That doesn't sound like progress.
Still, the prison population has grown from 13,300 two years ago to about 15,000 today. If that rate continues at the same pace (about 1,100 a year) due to new legislation and a tougher economy for those living on lower incomes, Toews' plan to add new spaces is going to be half as much as the system will actually need. Hello, more overcrowding.
I'm no prison expert, but I suspect that the short-term solution of packing more inmates into aging facilities is a recipe for long-term disaster.
A report by the Alberta John Howard Society in 1996 stated the same thing. It noted that Canada's prisons were already overcrowded with over 20 per cent of prisoners "double-bunking" in cells. The report cited the decision by Correctional Service of Canada (which was dealing with a total prison population of 12,400 at the time) to "more effectively deal with violent high-risk offenders, while examining alternatives to incarceration for low-risk offenders," which represents the most dangerous 18 per cent and lowest risk 17 per cent of the prison population.
And those alternatives are exactly the initiatives the current Conservative government is eliminating with its new tougher stance on crime as we begin to overfill our prisons with petty thieves and drug offenders -- to teach them a lesson.
But what lesson will "we" be teaching? Today's prisons are dealing with epidemics of mental illness as social downloading has offloaded the mentally ill on the justice system. HIV/AIDS is an ongoing concern, especially in overcrowded and thus emotionally charged prison conditions. Not to mention the obvious, that every neophyte offender going in gets a thorough crash course in a life of professional crime and violence.
Race is another hidden aspect of these new, wrongheaded policies. Canada's prisons have a disproportionately large population of aboriginal inmates. But Toews and his fellow Conservatives, with dark glasses securely in place, are conveniently colour-blind now, as well.
As for Correctional Service of Canada, its reward for making those recommendations all those years ago with be a growing problem and a cut of $295 million over the next five years. I expect that this won't make for a more "efficient" department.
But wait. There is hope on the horizon. If the government system becomes too inefficient, we can privatize parts of it. Bad idea. It's not working too well in the U.S. where the private prison model requires high levels of incarceration to remain profitable. And it didn't work well here, either, when the new, five-year-old 1,200-inmate private super-prison at Penetanguishene was shut down in 2006. Rates of reoffending were higher, the health of prisoners was lower and the security was worse than in our old publicly-run institutions. End of that story.
So what should we be doing? We should be looking at our whole society first. World data (via Wilkinson and Pickett) show that more income-equal societies have lower rates of crime and incarceration. So the job starts with creating good jobs and shifting a proportionally greater share of taxes to the top income earners in Canada.
Second, we have to address mental health issues head on in this country which are now at unmanageable levels. Third, we need to reach out to our First Nations people, and bring them into the economic decision-making process of the country. Fourth, we need to invest in rethinking, redesigning and rebuilding a more enlightened prison system worthy of the 21st century.
And finally, we need to start redeveloping a sense of ourselves as forward-thinking, caring Canadians, with a common vision of our own future -- beyond hauling non-renewable oil and minerals out of the ground (like some Third World country) and selling off them to the lowest bidders, along with the remnants of our Canadian-owned corporations.
It's time we told our politicians to take off the dark glasses. Those people we're tossing in our jails are our neighbours and fellow Canadians, not scum to be cleaned off the soles of our shoes.
It's been said before and I'll say it again: the American prison model isn't working for them, and it sure as hell won't work for us. And if you don't believe me, just ask Conrad Black.


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RXR ATV Gear and Accessories
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Operating results in-line, lower tax rate boosts PAT
India Cements' Q3FY12 results were in-line with our estimates on operational parameters with Revenues at Rs9.4bn, 1.1% below our estimates of Rs9.5bn and EBITDA at Rs1.9bn, 2.8% below our estimates of Rs2bn. The company reported EBITDA margin of 20.7% against our estimates of 21%. However, lower tax rate of 9.2% vs. est. 33.3% resulted in higher-than-estimated profits of Rs563mn (est. Rs495mn). Though the despatches growth improved in Q3 in the South region (In Q3 demand grew 3.3% YoY against decline of 4.3% reported in 9MFY12), the management believes that demand was primarily on the back of low base effect of last year and demand by private sector housing. Demand from infrastructure sector and government related projects have not yet improved, as per the management, but it believes that demand will be robust for next 4-5 months as busy construction period sets in. The management remains confident of passing on any cost push to the consumers. EBITDA margin of the company is expected to be in the range of 21-23% over the next two years against 12.1% in FY11. We roll forward our valuation to FY14 and maintain Buy rating on the stock with revised price target of 118 (earlier: Rs101), an upside of 25% from CMP.
■ Higher realization and sales volume leads to improved performance: Revenue of the company increased 20.6% YoY to Rs9.4bn driven by a) 15.8% YoY increase in cement realization to Rs4,245/tonne and b) 7.1% YoY increase in cement sales volume to 2.19mt. Improvement in realization and sales volume led to 54.1% YoY growth in EBITDA and 2.6x increase in PAT to Rs563mn.
■ Increase in operating costs offset by steep increase in realization: Operating cost for the Cement division increased 9.2% YoY to Rs3,380/tonne due to increase in energy costs, freight cost and raw material costs. Raw material cost increased 12% YoY to Rs584/tonne due to increase in fly ash and gypsum price. Freight cost increased 4.9% YoY to Rs783/tonne due to increase in railway freight charges and diesel price. Energy cost increased 7.2% YoY to Rs1,221/tonne due to a) increase in Electricity charges by Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh SEBs, b) increase in domestic coal price and c) higher usage of imported coal in the quarter. Despite higher operating costs, EBITDA margin improved 4.5pp YoY to 20.7% primarily driven by steep 15.8% increase in cement realization/tonne. EBITDA/tonne of cement increased 43.8% YoY to
■ Management remains confident of cost push to consumers: Cement price in the South region has increased significantly over the last one year despite low demand and ~60% utilization rate. The management remained confident of passing on any cost increase to the consumers.
■ Rolling valuations to FY14, maintain Buy: At the CMP, the stock trades at 6.8x FY14E EPS, 4.6x EV/EBITDA, and EV/tonne of US$77.8. The company is set to benefit from commissioning of power plants (50 MW power plant in Sankarnagar has been commissioned the trial run is going on) and coal procurement from its mines in Indonesia. We roll forward our valuation to FY14E and maintain Buy on the stock with revised price target of Rs118 (earlier: Rs101), an upside of 25% from CMP.


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If you like your men big, I got a Buy/Sell that will knock your panties off. First up is Tyler Zeller. On Monday, I wrote: "Despite beefy minutes (38), he only went for 13 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks. On the other hand, he still got 13 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks. He has double digit points over the last 3 games, plus an average of 3 blocks and 10 rebounds during that time." And that's me copying and pasting me after browsing through my post, written by me! ME. Me me me me me. Where were me? Oh, yeah, over the past 4 games (rebounds/blocks), he's 10/6, 14/3, 9/2, 6/4. How's that ring your zell?
Ed Davis – I know he sounds like the guy who's worked in accounting for 17 years and has a coffee mug that says "#1 Dad," but this guy has been a solid choice at PF or C. He's still only 40% owned, and he's been giving those 40% of owners 15 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists every night. What do you need? Blocks?
Amir Johnson – Okay, so you want blocks. Sacrifice some points (13 instead of 15) for a block, and you still get 8 rebounds, 2 1/2 assists, and 1 1/2 steals. Bam. Even better than Davis, and he's only 43% owned. That's it, I quit!
Shannon Brown – Alright, I'm back. He's not a big man, but over the past week, he's been producing 16 points, 3 1/2 boards, 2 1/2 assists, and 4 steals. Those points have been steady all month. He's 24% owned. Don't guard your heart, guard your team! Okay, one caveat: this is a soft buy. Don't trade a guy like Nicolas Batum for him. Drop Jason Terry (see below) for him.
Kyle Korver – Over the past week, he has been a top 15 player with 16 points, 4 threes, 4 1/2 boards, 2 dimes and a steal. His production will come down, especially as Atlanta sorts itself out with injuries, but he has still been a decent option for a while now. May as well grab him in a non-sexual way while his decency has become indecent in a sexual way.
Jason Terry – Over the past 2 weeks, he's averaging a miserably 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal in less than 20 minutes (including 2/2/3 last night). This guy may be a "dump" at this point. If Terry is a pirate, he walked the plank a long time ago.
Marcus Thornton – You probably should have ditched him a while ago, but now he's worse than ever. His only value came from points and threes, and those have been low. Since returning on January 12, he's scored 18 or more points twice and 8 or less 5 times. He's 9 for his last 29 from downtown. What else does he have to do for you to give up on him?


text:
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Vajrayāna (Sanskrit: वज्रयान, Bengali: বজ্রযান) is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Way or Thunderbolt Way. The Lama and the Guru yoga are central in this system.[1] Vajrayāna is a complex and multifaceted system of Buddhist thought and practice which evolved over several centuries.[2]
According to Vajrayāna scriptures[which?], the term Vajrayāna refers to one of three vehicles or routes to enlightenment, the other two being the Śrāvakayāna (also known as the Hīnayāna) and Mahāyāna. Note that Hinayāna (or Nikaya) is not to be confused with Theravada (a practice lineage), although it is sometimes equated to it.
Founded by Indian Mahāsiddhas, Vajrayāna subscribes to Buddhist tantric literature.[2]
- 1 History of Vajrayāna
- 2 Place within Buddhist tradition
- 3 Philosophical background
- 4 Characteristics of Vajrayana
- 5 Tantra techniques
- 6 Symbols and imagery
- 7 Vajrayana textual tradition
- 8 Schools of Vajrayana
- 9 Academic study difficulties
- 10 See also
- 11 Notes
- 12 References
- 13 Web references
- 14 Sources
- 15 Further reading
- 16 External links
History of Vajrayāna
Although the first tantric Buddhist texts appeared in India in the 3rd century and continued to appear until the 12th century,[3] scholars such as Hirakawa Akira assert that the Vajrayāna probably came into existence in the 6th or 7th century,[4] while the term Vajrayāna itself first appeared in the 8th century.[2] The Vajrayāna was preceded by the Mantrayāna, and then followed by the Sahajayāna and Kalacakrayāna.[5]
The period of Indian Vajrayāna Buddhism has been classified as the fifth[4] or final[2] period of Buddhism in India. Vajrayāna literature does not appear in the Pāli Canon and the Agamas.
Historical origins
Mantrayana and Vajrayana
Although the Vajrayana claims to be as ancient and authentic as any other Buddhist school, it may have grown up gradually in an environment with previously existing texts such as the Mahasannipata and the Ratnaketudharani.[6] The basic position of Vajrayana is still the same as the early Buddhist position of anatta.[7] The changes that took place reflected the changing society of medieval India: the presentation changed, the techniques of the way to enlightenment changed, and the outward appearance of Buddhism came to be dominated by ritualism and arrays of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and gods and goddesses.[7]
There are differing theories as to where in the Indian sub-continent that Vajrayāna began. There are assumptions about the origin of Vajrayana in Bengal,[8] Oddiyana, located at Odisha, or in the modern-day Swat District in Pakistan.
The earliest texts appeared around the early 4th century. Nālanda in East India became a center for the development of Vajrayana theory, although it is likely that the university followed, rather than led, the early tantric movement.
Only from the 7th[9] or the beginning of the 8th century, tantric techniques and approaches increasingly dominated Buddhist practice in India.[3] From the 7th century onwards many popular religious elements of a heterogeneous nature were incorporated into Mahayana Buddhism, which finally resulted in the appearance of the Sahaja-siddhi tantras, the Kalachakra tantra and Vajrayāna. These new tantric movements introduced mantra, mudra and mandala along with a respectful attitude towards women and denial of the caste system in India.
India would continue as the source of leading-edge Vajrayana practices up until the 11th century, producing many renowned mahasiddhas.
Buddhism had mostly died out in India by the 13th century and surviving tantric schools of Buddhism and Hinduism were also experiencing pressure from invading Islamic armies. By that time, the vast majority of the practices were also manifest in Tibet, where they were preserved until recently.
In the second half of the 20th century a sizable number of Tibetan exiles fled the oppressive, anti-religious rule of the Communist Party of China to establish Tibetan Buddhist communities in India, particularly around Dharamsala, but also in South India.
Sahaja-siddhis and Kalacakra tantra
The Vajrayana established the symbolic terminology and the liturgy that would characterize all forms of the tradition.[9]
The sahaja-siddhi movement developed in the 8th century in Bengal.[10] It was dominated by long-haired, wandering siddhas who openly challenged and ridiculed the Buddhist establishment.[9] Its most important text is the Dohakosa of Saraha.[10] Saraha is considered the founder of the Mahamudra traditions of Vajrayana.
The Kalachakra tantra developed in the 10th century.[5] It is farthest removed from the earlier Buddhist traditions, and incorporates concepts of messianism and astrology not present elsewhere in Buddhist literature.[9]
Despised classes
Tantric Buddhist sects made efforts to raise the dignity of the lowest of the low of the society to a higher level. Many celebrated Vajrayana Acharyas like Saraha, Hadipa, Dombi, Tsangnyön Heruka, Tantipa (Tantripāda) and Luipāda came from the so-called despised classes.
The cult exerted a tremendous influence over the tribal and despised classes of people of Sambalpur and Bolangir region.
In the 9th or 10th century seven famous Tantric maidens appeared in the Patna (Patnagarh) region, which was then called Kuānri-Pātaṇā. These maidens are popularly known as Sāta Bhauni (seven sisters), namely, Gyanadei Maluni, Luhakuti, Luhuruṇi, Nitei Dhobani, Sukuti Chamaruṇi, Patrapindhi Sabaruṇi, Gangi Gauduṇi and sua Teluṇi. They hailed from the castes which were considered the lower castes of society, and were followers of Lakshminkara. Because of their miraculous power and feats, they were later deified and worshiped by the locals.[11]
Esoteric teachings followed the same route into northern China as Buddhism itself, arriving via the Silk Road sometime during the first half of the 7th century, during the Tang Dynasty. Esoteric Mantrayana practices arrived from India just as Buddhism was reaching its zenith in China, and received sanction from the emperors of the Tang Dynasty. During this time, three great masters came from India to China: Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra. These three masters brought the esoteric teachings to their height of popularity in China.[12] During this era, the two main source texts were the Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra, and the Tattvasaṃgraha Tantra. Traditions in the Sinosphere still exist for these teachings, and they more or less share the same doctrines as Shingon, with many of its students themselves traveling to Japan to be given transmission at Mount Koya.
Esoteric methods were naturally incorporated into Chinese Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty. Śubhakarasiṃha's most eminent disciple, Master Yixing (Ch. 一行), was a member of the Chán school. In such a way, in Chinese Buddhism there was no major distinction between exoteric and esoteric practices, and the northern school of Chán Buddhism even became known for its esoteric practices of dhāraṇīs and mantras.[13][14]
During the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongol emperors made Esoteric Buddhism the official religion of China, and Tibetan lamas were given patronage at the court.[15] A common perception was that this patronage of lamas caused corrupt forms of tantra to become widespread.[15] When the Mongol Yuan Dynasty was overthrown and the Ming Dynasty was established, the Tibetan lamas were expelled from the court, and this form of Buddhism was denounced as not being an orthodox path.[15]
In late imperial China, the early traditions of Esoteric Buddhism were still thriving in Buddhist communities. Robert Gimello has also observed that in these communities, the esoteric practices associated with Cundī were extremely popular among both the populace and the elite.[16]
In China and countries with large Chinese populations such as Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, Esoteric Buddhism is most commonly referred to as the Chinese term Mìzōng (密宗), or "Esoteric School." Traditions of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism are most commonly referred to as referred as Tángmì (唐密), "Tang Dynasty Esoterica," or Hànchuán Mìzōng (漢傳密宗), "Han Transmission Esoteric School" (Hànmì 漢密 for short), or Dōngmì (東密), "Eastern Esoterica," separating itself from Tibetan and Newar traditions. These schools more or less share the same doctrines as Shingon. Casual attempts to revive Esoteric Buddhism occur in modern china.[17]
See Zhenyan at encyclopedia.com on Chinese Esoteric Buddhism.
Tibet and other Himalayan kingdoms
In 747 the Indian master Padmasambhava traveled from Afghanistan to bring Vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet and Bhutan, at the request of the king of Tibet. This was the original transmission which anchors the lineage of the Nyingma school. During the 11th century and early 12th century a second important transmission occurred with the lineages of Atisa, Marpa and Brogmi, giving rise to the other schools of Tibetan Buddhism, namely Sakya, Kadam, Kagyu, Jonang, and Gelug (the school of the Dalai Lama).
During the Tang dynasty in China, when esoteric Buddhist practices reached their peak, Japan was actively importing Buddhism, its texts and teachings, by sending monks on risky missions across the sea to stay in China for two years or more. Depending on where the monk stayed and trained, they may have brought back esoteric Buddhist material and training back to Japan.
In 804, the bhikṣu Saichō came back from China with Tiantai teachings but also trained in esoteric lineages. When he later founded the Tendai school in Japan, esoteric practices were integrated with Tendai teachings, but Tendai is not an exclusively esoteric sect. Subsequent disciples of Saichō later went to China and returned with further esoteric training, which helped to flesh out the lineage in Japan.
On the same mission in 804, Emperor Kanmu also sent the bhikṣu Kūkai to the Tang capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). Kūkai absorbed Vajrayana teachings from Indian and Chinese Vajrayana teachers at the time and synthesized a version of which he took back with him to Japan, where he founded Shingon Buddhism, a school which continues to this day. Unlike Tendai, Shingon is a purely esoteric sect.
Indonesian Archipelago
The empire of Srivijaya in southeast Sumatra was already a center of Vajrayana learning when Dharma Master Yijing (Ch. 法師義淨) resided there for six months in 671, long before Padmasambhava brought the method to Tibet. In the 11th century, Atiśa studied under Dharmakīrtiśrī, an eminent Buddhist scholar.
Through early economic relationships with Srivijaya, the Philippines came under the influence of Vajrayana Buddhism.[18] Vajrayana also influenced the construction of Borobudur, a three-dimensional mandala, in central Java circa 800.
In the 13th century, the Tibetan Buddhist teachers of the Sakya school led by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen, took part in a religious debate with Christians and Muslims before the Mongolian royal court. As a result the Mongolian Prince Godan adopted Tibetan Buddhism as his personal religion, although not requiring it of his subjects. Drogön Chögyal Phagpa, Kagyupa Pandita's nephew, eventually converted Kublai Khan to Buddhism.
Since the Khan conquered China and established the Yuan Dynasty which lasted from 1271 to 1368, this led to the renewal in China of the Tantric practices which had died out there many years earlier. Vajrayana practice declined in China and Mongolia with the fall of the Yuan Dynasty. Mongolia saw another revival of Vajrayana in the 17th century, with the establishment of ties between the Dalai Lama in Tibet and the Mongolian princedoms. This revived the historic pattern of the spiritual leaders of Tibet acting as priests to the rulers of the Mongol empire. Having survived suppression by the Communists, Buddhism in Mongolia is today primarily of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, and is being re-invigorated following the fall of the Communist government.
Place within Buddhist tradition
Various classifications are possible when distinguishing Vajrayana from the other Buddhist traditions.
Third turning of the wheel
Vajrayana can also be seen as the third of the three "turnings of the wheel of dharma":[9]
- In the first turning Shakyamuni Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths at Varanasi in the 5th century BC, which led to the founding of Buddhism and the later early Buddhist schools. Details of the first turning are described in the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta. The oldest scriptures do not mention any further turnings other than this first turning.
- The Mahayana tradition claims that there was a second turning in which the Perfection of Wisdom sutras were taught at Vulture's Peak, which led to the Mahayana schools. Generally, scholars conclude that the Mahayana scriptures (including the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras) were composed from the 1st century CE onwards.[a]
- According to the Vajrayana tradition, there was a third turning which took place at Dhanyakataka sixteen years after the Buddha's enlightenment. Some scholars have strongly denied that Vajrayana appeared at that time,[9] and placed it at a much later time. The first tantric (Vajrayana Buddhist) texts appeared in the 3rd century CE, and they continued to appear until the 12th century.[3]
Sutrayana and Vajrayana
Vajrayana can be distinguished from the Sutrayana. The Sutrayana is the method of perfecting good qualities, where the Vajrayāna is the method of taking the intended outcome of Buddhahood as the path.
Paramitayana and Vajrayana
According to this schema, Indian Mahayana revealed two vehicles (yana) or methods for attaining enlightenment: the method of the perfections (Paramitayana) and the method of mantra (Mantrayana).[20]
The Paramitayana consists of the six or ten paramitas, of which the scriptures say that it takes three incalculable aeons to lead one to Buddhahood. The tantra literature, however, claims that the Mantrayana leads one to Buddhahood in a single lifetime.[20] According to the literature, the mantra is an easy path without the difficulties innate to the Paramitayana.[20] Mantrayana is sometimes portrayed as a method for those of inferior abilities.[20] However the practitioner of the mantra still has to adhere to the vows of the Bodhisattva.[20]
Philosophical background
Vajrayana is firmly grounded in Mahayana-philosophy, especially Madhyamaka.
Two Truths Doctrine
Vajrayana subscribes to the two truths doctrine of conventional and ultimate truths, which is present in all Buddhist tenet systems.[21][22] The two truths doctrine is a central concept in the Vajrayana path of practice and is the philosophical basis for its methods. The two truths identifies conventional a.k.a. relative, and absolute a.k.a. nirvana. Conventional truth is the truth of consensus reality, common-sense notions of what does and does not exist. Ultimate truth is reality as viewed by an awakened, or enlightened mind.
Characteristics of Vajrayana
The goal of spiritual practice within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions is to become a Bodhisattva (i.e. attainment of a state in which one will subsequently become a Buddha—after some further reincarnation), whereas the goal for Theravada practice is specific to become an arhat (i.e. attain enlightenment with no intention of returning, not even as a Buddha).
In the Sutrayana practice, a path of Mahayana, the "path of the cause" is taken, whereby a practitioner starts with his or her potential Buddha-nature and nurtures it to produce the fruit of Buddhahood. In the Vajrayana the "path of the fruit" is taken whereby the practitioner takes his or her innate Buddha-nature as the means of practice. The premise is that since we innately have an enlightened mind, practicing seeing the world in terms of ultimate truth can help us to attain our full Buddha-nature.[23]
Experiencing ultimate truth is said to be the purpose of all the various tantric techniques practiced in the Vajrayana. Apart from the advanced meditation practices such as Mahamudra and Dzogchen, which aim to experience śūnyatā, the empty nature of the enlightened mind that can see ultimate truth, all practices are aimed in some way at purifying the impure perception of the practitioner to allow ultimate truth to be seen. These may be ngöndro "preliminary practices" or the more advanced techniques of the tantric sādhanā.
As with the Mahayana, motivation is a vital component of Vajrayana practice. The Bodhisattva-path is an integral part of the Vajrayana, which teaches that all practices are to be undertaken with the motivation to achieve Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.
The distinctive feature of Vajrayana Buddhism is ritual, which is used as a substitute or alternative for the earlier abstract meditations.[24][25] For Vajrayana Tibetan death rituals, see phowa.
The Vajrayana is based on the concept of "skilful means" (Sanskrit: upaya) as formulated in Mahayana Buddhism. It is a system of lineages, whereby those who successfully receive an empowerment or sometimes called initiation (permission to practice) are seen to share in the mindstream of the realisation of a particular skillful means of the vajra Master. In the Vajrayana these skilful means mainly relate to tantric, Mahamudra or Dzogchen practices. Vajrayana teaches that the Vajrayana techniques provide an accelerated path to enlightenment.[citation needed]
Esoteric transmission
Vajrayana Buddhism is esoteric in the sense that the transmission of certain teachings only occurs directly from teacher to student during an empowerment and cannot be simply learned from a book. Many techniques are also commonly said to be secret, but some Vajrayana teachers have responded that secrecy itself is not important and only a side-effect of the reality that the techniques have no validity outside the teacher-student lineage.[26] In order to engage in Vajrayana practice, a student should have received such an initiation or permission:
If these techniques are not practiced properly, practitioners may harm themselves physically and mentally. In order to avoid these dangers, the practice is kept "secret" outside the teacher/student relationship. Secrecy and the commitment of the student to the vajra guru are aspects of the samaya (Tib. damtsig), or "sacred bond", that protects both the practitioner and the integrity of the teachings."[27]
The teachings may also be considered "self-secret", meaning that even if they were to be told directly to a person, that person would not necessarily understand the teachings without proper context. In this way the teachings are "secret" to the minds of those who are not following the path with more than a simple sense of curiosity.[28][29]
Vows and behaviour
Practitioners of the Vajrayana need to abide by various tantric vows or samaya of behaviour. These are extensions of the rules of the Prātimokṣa and Bodhisattva vows for the lower levels of tantra, and are taken during initiations into the empowerment for a particular Anuttarayoga Tantra. The special tantric vows vary depending on the specific mandala practice for which the initiation is received, and also depending on the level of initiation. Ngagpas of the Nyingma school keep a special non-celibate ordination.
A tantric guru, or teacher, is expected to keep his or her samaya vows in the same way as his students. Proper conduct is considered especially necessary for a qualified Vajrayana guru. For example, the Ornament for the Essence of Manjushrikirti states:[30]
Distance yourself from Vajra Masters who are not keeping the three vows
who keep on with a root downfall, who are miserly with the Dharma,
and who engage in actions that should be forsaken.
Those who worship them go to hell and so on as a result.
Tantra techniques
Classifications of tantra
The various Tantra-texts can be classified in various ways.
Fourfold division
The best-known classification is by the Gelug, Sakya, and Kagyu schools, the so-called Sarma or New Translation schools of Tibetan Buddhism. They divide the Tantras into four hierarchical categories:
- Kriyayoga, action tantra, which emphasizes ritual;
- Charyayoga, performance tantra, which emphasizes meditation;
- Yogatantra, yoga tantra;
- Anuttarayogatantra, highest yoga tantra, which is further divided into "mother", "father" and "non-dual" tantras.
Outer and Inner Tantras
A different division is used by the Nyingma or Ancient Translation school. Kriyayoga, Charyayoga and Yogatantra are called the Outer Tantras, while Anuttarayogatantra is divided into Three Inner Tantras, which correspond to the
- Mahayoga
- Anuyoga
- Atiyoga, or Dzogchen. The practice of Atiyoga is further divided into three classes: Mental SemDe, Spatial LongDe, and Esoteric Instructional MenNgagDe.
Annuttara-yoga tantras
In the highest class of tantra, two stages of practice are distinguished. Details of these practices are normally only explained to practitioners by their teachers after receiving an initiation or 'permission to practice'.
In some Buddhist tantras, both stages can be practiced simultaneously, whereas in others, one first actualizes the generation stage before continuing with the completion stage practices.
Generation stage
In the first stage of generation, one engages in deity yoga. One practices oneself in the identification with the meditational Buddha or deity (yidam) by visualisations, until one can meditate single-pointedly on 'being' the deity.[b]
Four purities
In the generation stage of Deity Yoga, the practitioner visualizes the "Four Purities" (Tibetan: yongs su dag pa bzhi; yongs dag bzhi)[web 1] which define the principal Tantric methodology of Deity Yoga that distinguishes it from the rest of Buddhism:[31]
- Seeing one's body as the body of the deity
- Seeing one's environment as the pure land or mandala of the deity
- Perceiving one's enjoyments as bliss of the deity, free from attachment
- Performing one's actions only for the benefit of others (bodhichitta motivation, altruism)[web 2]
Completion stage
In the next stage of completion, the practitioner can use either the path of method (thabs lam) or the path of liberation ('grol lam).[32]
At the path of method the practitioner engages in Kundalini yoga practices. These involve the subtle energy system of the body of the chakras and the energy channels. The "wind energy" is directed and dissolved into the heart chakra, where-after the Mahamudra remains,[33] and the practitioner is physically and mentally transformed.
At the path of liberation the practitioner applies mindfulness,[34] a preparatory practice for Mahamudra or Dzogchen, to realize the inherent emptiness of every-'thing' that exists.[35]
Deity yoga
Deity Yoga employs highly refined techniques of creative imagination, visualisation, and photism in order to self-identify with the divine form and qualities of a particular deity as the union of method or skilful means and wisdom. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, "In brief, the body of a Buddha is attained through meditating on it".
By visualizing oneself and one's environment entirely as a projection of mind, it helps the practitioner to become familiar with the mind's ability and habit of projecting conceptual layers over all experience. This experience undermines a habitual belief that views of reality and self are solid and fixed. Deity yoga enables the practitioner to release or purify themself from kleśās and to practice compassion and wisdom simultaneously.
Recent studies indicate that deity yoga yields quantifiable improvements in the practitioner's ability to process visuospatial information, specifically those involved in working visuospatial memory.[37]
Guru yoga
Guru yoga (or teacher practice) (Tibetan: bla ma'i rnal 'byor)[38] is a tantric devotional process whereby the practitioners unite their mindstream with the mindstream of the guru.
The guru is engaged as yidam, as a nirmanakaya manifestation of a Buddha. The process of guru yoga might entail visualization of an entire lineage of masters (refuge tree) as an invocation of the lineage. It usually involves visualization of the guru above or in front of the practitioner. Guru yoga may entail a liturgy or mantra such as the Prayer in Seven Lines. (Tibetan: tshig bdun gsol 'debs)[39]
The Guru or spiritual teacher is essential as a guide during tantric practice, as without their example, blessings and grace, genuine progress is held to be impossible for all but the most keen and gifted. Many tantric texts qualify the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha thus: "The Guru is Buddha, the Guru is Dharma, the Guru is also Sangha"[40] to reflect their importance for the disciple. The guru is considered even more compassionate and more potent than the Buddha because we can have a direct relationship with the guru. The guru therefore appears with the yidam and dakini in the Three Roots refuge formulation of the three factors essential for tantric attainments.
Death yoga
According to the Vajrayana tradition,[41] at certain times the bodymind[42] is in a very subtle state which can be used by advanced practitioners to transform the mindstream. Such liminal times are known in Tibetan Buddhism as Bardo states and include such transitional states as during meditation, dreaming, sex and death.
Death yoga, or "bringing the three bodies into the path of death, intermediate state (bardo) and rebirth",[43] helps to prepare the practitioner for what they need to do at the time of death. It can be practiced first according to generation stage, and then according to completion stage. The accumulation of meditative practice helps to prepare the practitioner for what they need to do at the time of death.
At the time of death the mind is in a subtle state (clear light) that can open the mind to enlightenment if it is skilfully used to meditate on emptiness (shunyata). During completion stage meditation it is possible to manifest a similar clear light mind and to use it to meditate on emptiness. This meditation causes dualistic appearances to subside into emptiness and enables the practitioner to destroy their ignorance and the imprints of ignorance that are the obstructions to omniscience. It is said that masters like Lama Tsong Khapa used these techniques to achieve enlightenment during the death process. Actually, there are three stages at which it is possible to do this: at the end of the death process, during the bardo (or 'in between period') and during the process of rebirth. During these stages, the mind is in a very subtle state, and an advanced practitioner can use these natural states to make significant progress on the spiritual path. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is an important commentary for this kind of traditional practice.
This death yoga should not be confused with the non-Tantric meditation on impermanence and death, which is a common practice within Buddhist traditions used to overcome desirous attachment.
Another Tibetan ritual practice related to death is phowa (transference of one's consciousness), which can be done by oneself at the moment of death or by ritual specialists, phowa-lamas, on behalf of the dead. For the Anuttarayoga Tantras (Tib. rnal-'byor bla-med-kyi-rgyud), transferring one's consciousness constitutes one of the two ways to separate the coarse and subtle bodies through meditation. Daniel Cozort explains that 'pho-ba (phowa) merely separates the coarse and subtle bodies without leading to the attainment of an "illusory body" (Tib. sgyu-lus). On the other hand, during the perfection type meditation, known as the "final mental isolation" (Tibetan: sems-dben) because it necessitates the presence of an "actual consort" (Tib. las-rgya), "the winds are totally dissolved in the indestructible drop", and "the fundamental wind naturally rises into an illusory body".[44]
Symbols and imagery
The Vajrayana uses a rich variety of symbols and images.
The Vajra
The Sanskrit term "vajra" denoted the thunderbolt, a legendary weapon and divine attribute that was made from an adamantine, or indestructible, substance and which could therefore pierce and penetrate any obstacle or obfuscation. It is the weapon of choice of Indra, the King of the Devas in Hinduism. As a secondary meaning, "vajra" refers to this indestructible substance, and so is sometimes translated as "adamantine" or "diamond".[citation needed] So the Vajrayana is sometimes rendered in English as "The Adamantine Vehicle" or "The Diamond Vehicle".
A vajra is also a scepter-like ritual object (Template:Lang-bo dorje), which has a sphere (and sometimes a gankyil) at its centre, and a variable number of spokes, 3, 5 or 9 at each end (depending on the sadhana), enfolding either end of the rod. The vajra is often traditionally employed in tantric rituals in combination with the bell or ghanta; symbolically, the vajra may represent method as well as great bliss and the bell stands for wisdom, specifically the wisdom realizing emptiness.
Imagery and ritual in deity yoga
Representations of the deity, such as a statues (murti), paintings (thangka), or mandala, are often employed as an aid to visualization, in Deity yoga. Mandalas are sacred enclosures, sacred architecture that house and contain the uncontainable essence of a yidam. In the book The World of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama describes mandalas thus: "This is the celestial mansion, the pure residence of the deity."
All ritual in Vajrayana practice can be seen as aiding in this process of visualization and identification. The practitioner can use various hand implements such as a vajra, bell, hand-drum (damaru) or a ritual dagger (phurba), but also ritual hand gestures (mudras) can be made, special chanting techniques can be used, and in elaborate offering rituals or initiations, many more ritual implements and tools are used, each with an elaborate symbolic meaning to create a special environment for practice. Vajrayana has thus become a major inspiration in traditional Tibetan art.
Vajrayana textual tradition
The Vajrayana tradition has developed an extended body of texts:
Though we do not know precisely at present just how many Indian tantric Buddhist texts survive today in the language in which they were written, their number is certainly over one thousand five hundred; I suspect indeed over two thousand. A large part of this body of texts has also been translated into Tibetan, and a smaller part into Chinese. Aside from these, there are perhaps another two thousand or more works that are known today only from such translations. We can be certain as well that many others are lost to us forever, in whatever form. Of the texts that survive a very small proportion has been published; an almost insignificant percentage has been edited or translated reliably.[45]
Schools of Vajrayana
Although there is historical evidence for Vajrayana Buddhism in Southeast Asia and elsewhere (see History of Vajrayana above), today the Vajrayana exists primarily in the form of the two major sub-schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Esoteric Buddhism in Japan known as Shingon, with a handful of minor subschools utilising lesser amounts of esoteric or tantric materials.
The distinction between traditions is not always rigid. For example, the tantra sections of the Tibetan Buddhist canon of texts sometimes include material not usually thought of as tantric outside the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, such as the Heart Sutra[46] and even versions of some material found in the Pali Canon.[47][c]
Tibetan Buddhism
The Tibetan Buddhist schools, based on the lineages and textual traditions of the Kangyur and Tengyur of Tibet, are found in Tibet, Bhutan, northern India, Nepal, southwestern and northern China, Mongolia and various constituent republics of Russia that are adjacent to the area, such as Amur Oblast, Buryatia, Chita Oblast, the Tuva Republic and Khabarovsk Krai. Tibetan Buddhism is also the main religion in Kalmykia.
Vajrayana Buddhism was established in Tibet in the 8th century when Śāntarakṣita was brought to Tibet from India at the instigation of the Dharma King Trisong Detsen, some time before 767. He established the basis of what later came to be known as the Nyingma school. As a Tantric Mahasiddha Padmasambhava's contribution ensured that Vajrayana became part of Tibetan Buddhism. While Vajrayana Buddhism is a part of Tibetan Buddhism in that it forms a core part of every major Tibetan Buddhist school, it is not identical with it. Buddhist scholar Alexander Berzin refers to "the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism".[web 3] Training in the "common paths" of Sutra (including Lamrim) are said to be the foundation for the "uncommon path" of Vajrayana.[48] The Vajrayana techniques add 'skillful means' to the general Mahayana teachings for advanced students. The 'skillful means' of the Vajrayana in Tibetan Buddhism refers to tantra techniques, Dzogchen (Tibetan; Sanskrit:maha-ati) and Mahamudra (Tibetan:Chagchen).
Nepalese Newar Buddhism
Newar Buddhism is practiced by Newars in Nepal. This is the only form of Vajrayana Buddhism in which the scriptures are written in Sanskrit. Its priests do not follow celibacy and are called Vajracharyas.
Ari Buddhism
Ari Buddhism was common in Burma, prior to Anawrahta's rise and the subsequent conversion to Theravada Buddhism in the 11th century.[citation needed]
Azhali religion
The Acharya religion is said to be a form of Vajrayana Buddhism transmitted from India to the Kingdom of Dali of the Bai people.[49] The monks have families, eat meat and drink wine. The Zhengde Emperor banned it in 1507.[50][51][52]
Chinese Esoteric Buddhism
Esoteric traditions in China are similar in teachings to the Japanese Shingon school, though the number of practitioners was greatly reduced, due in part of the persecution of Buddhists under Emperor Wuzong of Tang, nearly wiping out most of the Chinese Esoteric Buddhist lineage. In China and countries with large Chinese populations such as Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism is commonly referred as Tángmì (唐密) "Tang Dynasty Secret Buddhism," or Hànchuánmìzōng (漢傳密宗) "Secret Buddhism of the Han Transmission" (Hànmì 漢密 for short), or Dōngmì (東密) "Eastern Secret Buddhism." In a more general sense, the Chinese term Mìzōng (密宗) "The Secret Way", is the most popular term used when referring to any form of Esoteric Buddhism. These traditions more or less share the same doctrines as the Shingon school, with many of its students themselves traveling to Japan to be given transmission at Mount Koya.
According to Master Hsuan Hua, the most popular example of esoteric teachings still practiced in many Zen monasteries of East Asia, is the Śūraṅgama Sūtra and its dhāraṇī (Sitātapatroṣṇīṣa Dhāraṇī), along with the Great Compassion Dharani (Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāranī), with its 42 Hands and Eyes Mantras.[53]
Shingon Buddhism
The Shingon school is found in Japan and includes practices, known in Japan as Mikkyō, which are similar in concept to those in Vajrayana Buddhism. The lineage for Shingon Buddhism differs from that of Tibetan Vajrayana, having emerged from India during the 9th-11th centuries in the Pala Dynasty and Central Asia (via China) and is based on earlier versions of the Indian texts than the Tibetan lineage. Shingon shares material with Tibetan Buddhism–-such as the esoteric sutras (called Tantras in Tibetan Buddhism) and mandalas – but the actual practices are not related. The primary texts of Shingon Buddhism are the Mahavairocana Sutra and Vajrasekhara Sutra. The founder of Shingon Buddhism was Kukai, a Japanese monk who studied in China in the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty and brought back Vajrayana scriptures, techniques and mandalas then popular in China. The school mostly died out or was merged into other schools in China towards the end of the Tang Dynasty but flourished in Japan. Shingon is one of the few remaining branches of Buddhism in the world that continues to use the siddham script of the Sanskrit language.
Tendai Buddhism
Although the Tendai school in China and Japan does employ some esoteric practices, these rituals came to be considered of equal importance with the exoteric teachings of the Lotus Sutra. By chanting mantras, maintaining mudras, or practicing certain forms of meditation, Tendai maintains that one is able to understand sense experiences as taught by the Buddha, have faith that one is innately an enlightened being, and that one can attain enlightenment within the current lifetime.
Shugendō was founded in 7th century Japan by the ascetic En no Gyōja, based on the Queen's Peacocks Sutra. With its origins in the solitary hijiri back in the 7th century, Shugendō evolved as a sort of amalgamation between Esoteric Buddhism, Shinto and several other religious influences including Taoism. Buddhism and Shinto were amalgamated in the shinbutsu shūgō, and Kūkai's syncretic religion held wide sway up until the end of the Edo period, coexisting with Shinto elements within Shugendō[54]
In 1613 during the Edo period, the Tokugawa Shogunate issued a regulation obliging Shugendō temples to belong to either Shingon or Tendai temples. During the Meiji Restoration, when Shinto was declared an independent state religion separate from Buddhism, Shugendō was banned as a superstition not fit for a new, enlightened Japan. Some Shugendō temples converted themselves into various officially approved Shintō denominations. In modern times, Shugendō is practiced mainly by Tendai and Shingon sects, retaining an influence on modern Japanese religion and culture.[55]
Literary characteristics
Vajrayana texts exhibit a wide range of literary characteristics—usually a mix of verse and prose, almost always in a Sanskrit that "transgresses frequently against classical norms of grammar and usage," although also occasionally in various Middle Indic dialects or elegant classical Sanskrit.[56]
Dunhuang manuscripts
The Dunhuang also contains Tibetan Tantric manuscripts. Dalton and Schaik (2007, revised) provide an excellent online catalogue listing 350 Tibetan Tantric Manuscripts] from Dunhuang in the Stein Collection of the British Library which is currently fully accessible online in discrete digitized manuscripts.[web 4] With the Wylie transcription of the manuscripts they are to be made discoverable online in future.[57] The 350 texts is just a small number compared to the vast cache of the Dunhuang manuscripts.
Academic study difficulties
Serious Vajrayana academic study in the western world is in early stages due to the following obstacles:[4]
- Although a large number of Tantric scriptures are extant, they have not been formally ordered or systematized.
- Due to the esoteric initiatory nature of the tradition, many practitioners will not divulge information or sources of their information.
- As with many different subjects, it must be studied in context and with a long history spanning many different cultures.
- Ritual as well as doctrine need to be investigated.
Buddhist tantric practice are categorized as secret practice; this is to avoid misinformed people from harmfully misusing the practices. A method to keep this secrecy is that tantric initiation is required from a master before any instructions can be received about the actual practice. During the initiation procedure in the highest class of tantra (such as the Kalachakra), students must take the tantric vows which commit them to such secrecy.[web 5] "Explaining general tantra theory in a scholarly manner, not sufficient for practice, is likewise not a root downfall. Nevertheless, it weakens the effectiveness of our tantric practice." [web 6]
The terminology associated with Vajrayana Buddhism can be confusing. Most of the terms originated in the Sanskrit language of tantric Indian Buddhism and may have passed through other cultures, notably those of Japan and Tibet, before translation for the modern reader. Further complications arise as seemingly equivalent terms can have subtle variations in use and meaning according to context, the time and place of use. A third problem is that the Vajrayana texts employ the tantric tradition of twilight language, a means of instruction that is deliberately coded. These obscure teaching methods relying on symbolism as well as synonym, metaphor and word association add to the difficulties faced by those attempting to understand Vajrayana Buddhism:
In the Vajrayana tradition, now preserved mainly in Tibetan lineages, it has long been recognized that certain important teachings are expressed in a form of secret symbolic language known as saṃdhyā-bhāṣā, 'Twilight Language'. Mudrās and mantras, maṇḍalas and cakras, those mysterious devices and diagrams that were so much in vogue in the pseudo-Buddhist hippie culture of the 1960s, were all examples of Twilight Language [...] [58]
The term Tantric Buddhism was not one originally used by those who practiced it. As scholar Isabelle Onians explains:
"Tantric Buddhism" [...] is not the transcription of a native term, but a rather modern coinage, if not totally occidental. For the equivalent Sanskrit tāntrika is found, but not in Buddhist texts. Tāntrika is a term denoting someone who follows the teachings of scriptures known as Tantras, but only in Saivism, not Buddhism [...] Tantric Buddhism is a name for a phenomenon which calls itself, in Sanskrit, Mantranaya, Vajrayāna, Mantrayāna or Mantramahāyāna (and apparently never Tantrayāna). Its practitioners are known as mantrins, yogis, or sādhakas. Thus, our use of the anglicised adjective "Tantric" for the Buddhist religion taught in Tantras is not native to the tradition, but is a borrowed term which serves its purpose.[59]
See also
- Buddhism in Bhutan
- Buddhism in Russia
- Buddhism in Nepal
- Newar Buddhism
- Gyuto Order
- Drukpas
- Tibetan Buddhist teachers (category)
- Tawang Taktshang Monastery
- Tantric Theravada
- ^ Large numbers of Mahayana sutras were being composed in the period between the beginning of the common era and the fifth century.[19]
- ^ A comparison may be made with the "Role theory" of Hjalmar Sundén, which describes how identification with a religious figure can lead to conversion. See (in Dutch) N. Hijweege (1994, Bekering in de gereformeerde gezindte, which describes how the story of Paulus conversion on the road to Damascus serves as an example of the "ideal-conversion" in orthodox Protestant churches.
- ^ Skilling, Mahasutras, volume I, parts I & II, 1997, Pali Text Society, page 78, speaks of the tantra divisions of some editions of the Kangyur as including Sravakayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana texts
- ^ Oral tradition - Buddhist radio (in portuguese)
- ^ a b c d Macmillan Publishing 2004, p. 875-876.
- ^ a b c Williams 2000, p. 194.
- ^ a b c Akira 1993, p. 9.
- ^ a b Schumann 1974.
- ^ Warder 1999, p. 459-461.
- ^ a b Warder 1999, p. 477.
- ^ Banerjee 1977.
- ^ a b c d e f Kitagawa 2002, p. 80.
- ^ a b Schumann & 1974 163.
- ^ Mishra 2011.
- ^ Baruah, Bibbhuti (2008) Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism: p. 170
- ^ Sharf, Robert (2001) Coming to Terms With Chinese Buddhism: A Reading of the Treasure Store Treatise: p. 268
- ^ Faure, Bernard (1997) The Will to Orthodoxy: A Critical Genealogy of Northern Chan Buddhism: p. 85
- ^ a b c Nan Huaijin. Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen. York Beach: Samuel Weiser. 1997. p. 99.
- ^ Jiang, Wu (2008). Enlightenment in Dispute: The Reinvention of Chan Buddhism in Seventeenth-Century China: p. 146
- ^ http://www.tangmi.com
- ^ Buddhism In The Philippines
- ^ Buswell 2004, p. 494.
- ^ a b c d e Macmillan Publishing 2004, p. 875.
- ^ Williams, Paul. Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, p. 315. Routledge, 2006. ISBN 0-415-33226-5
- ^ Berzin, Alexander (2007). The Two Truths in Vaibhashika and Sautrantika. March 2001; revised September 2002 and July 2006. Source: Berzin Archives: Two Truths (accessed: January 2, 2008).
- ^ Palmo, Tenzin (2002). <span />Reflections on a Mountain Lake:Teachings on Practical Buddhism<span />. Snow Lion Publications. pp. 224–5. ISBN 1-55939-175-8.
- ^ Warder 1999, p. 466.
- ^ Hawkins 1999, p. 24.
- ^ Dhammasaavaka. The Buddhism Primer: An Introduction to Buddhism, p. 79. ISBN 1-4116-6334-9
- ^ Ray 2001.
- ^ Morreale, Don (1998) The Complete Guide to Buddhist America ISBN 1-57062-270-1 p.215
- ^ Trungpa, Chögyam and Chödzin, Sherab (1992) The Lion's Roar: An Introduction to Tantra ISBN 0-87773-654-5 p. 144.
- ^ Tsongkhapa , Tantric Ethics: An Explanation of the Precepts for Buddhist Vajrayana Practice ISBN 0-86171-290-0, page 46.
- ^ Yuthok, Choedak (1997) p.27. Lamdre: Dawn of Enlightenment. (Transcribed and edited by Pauline Westwood with valued assistance from Ot Rastsaphong, Rob Small, Brett Wagland and Whitethorn. Cover Design: Rob Small) Canberra, Australia: Gorum Publications. ISBN 0-9587085-0-9. Source: PDF
- ^ Harding 1996, p. 19.
- ^ Snelling 1987, p. 116.
- ^ Harding 1996, p. 17.
- ^ Harding 1996, p. 16-20.
- ^ Beer, Robert (2004). The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs. Serindia Publications, Inc. ISBN 1-932476-10-5. p.142. Source: [1] (accessed: January 9, 2008)
- ^ M. Kozhevnikov, O. Louchakova, Z. Josipovic, and M.A. Motes (2009). "The Enhancement of Visuospatial Processing Efficiency Through Buddhist Deity Meditation". Psychological Science 20 (5): 645–53. PMID 19476594. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02345.x.
- ^ Patrul Rinpoche 1994, p. 416.
- ^ Patrul Rinpoche 1994, p. 442.
- ^ Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, Offering to the Spiritual Guide (Tib. Lama Chopa), Tharpa Publications, p. 12
- ^ Luminous Emptiness. 2001. Francesca Fremantle. Boston: Shambala Publications. ISBN 1-57062-450-X
- ^ Arpaia, Joseph & D. Lobsang Rapgay (2004). Tibetan Wisdom for Modern Life. Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 81-208-1955-1.
- ^ Guide to Dakini Land, pages 109-119, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1996) ISBN 978-0-948006-39-5
- ^ Highest Yoga Tantra: An Introduction to the Esoteric Buddhism of Tibet. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1986: p. 98.
- ^ Isaacson, Harunaga (1998). Tantric Buddhism in India (from c. 800 to c. 1200). In: Buddhismus in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Band II. Hamburg. pp.23–49. (Internal publication of Hamburg University.) pg 3 PDF
- ^ Conze, The Prajnaparamita Literature
- ^ Peter Skilling, Mahasutras, volume I, 1994, Pali Text Society[2], Lancaster, page xxiv
- ^ Tantric Grounds and Paths: How to Enter, Progress on, and Complete the Vajrayana Path, page 1, Tharpa Publications (1994) ISBN 978-0-948006-33-3
- ^ 云南阿吒力[dead link]
- ^ 大理国写本佛经整理研究综述
- ^ 南诏大理国佛教新资料初探
- ^ 阿吒力教与密教──依现存之大理古代文物所作的考察
- ^ Hua 2003, p. 68-71.
- ^ Miyake, Hitoshi. Shugendo in History. pp45–52.
- ^ 密教と修験道
- ^ Isaacson[citation needed]
- ^ Dalton, Jacob & van Schaik, Sam (2007). Catalogue of the Tibetan Tantric Manuscripts from Dunhuang in the Stein Collection [Online]. Second electronic edition. International Dunhuang Project. Source: [3] (accessed: Tuesday February 2, 2010)
- ^ Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4.
- ^ Isabelle Onians, "Tantric Buddhist Apologetics, or Antinomianism as a Norm," D.Phil. dissertation, Oxford, Trinity Term 2001 pg 8
Web references
- ^ yongs su dag pa bzhi[dead link] (accessed: January 3, 2008)
- ^ Kalachakranet (2006), Tantric Practice[dead link] (Source: January 3, 2008)
- ^ "Berzin Archives". Retrieved 2008-06-22.
- ^ Catalogue of the Tibetan Tantric Manuscripts from Dunhuang in the Stein Collection
- ^ Kalachakra Tantra taking initiation (accessed June 26, 2010)
- ^ Dr Alex Berzin on Tantric Vows accessed June 26, 2010
- Akira, Hirakawa (1993), Paul Groner, ed., History of Indian Buddhism, Translated by Paul Groner, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
- Banerjee, S. C. (1977), Tantra in Bengal: A Study in Its Origin, Development and Influence, Manohar, ISBN 81-85425-63-9
- Buswell, Robert E., ed. (2004), Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Macmillan Reference USA, ISBN 0-02-865910-4
- Datta, Amaresh (2006), The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1, Sahitya Akademi publications, ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1
- Harding, Sarah (1996), Creation and Completion - Essential Points of Tantric Meditation, Boston: Wisdom Publications
- Hawkins, Bradley K. (1999), Buddhism, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-21162-X
- Hua, Hsuan; Bhikshuni Rev. Heng Chih, Bhikshuni Rev. Heng Hsien, David Rounds, Ron Epstein, et al (2003), The Shurangama Sutra - Sutra Text and Supplements with Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, Burlingame, California: Buddhist Text Translation Society, ISBN 0-88139-949-3 [dead link]
- Kitagawa, Joseph Mitsuo (2002), The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture, Routledge, ISBN 0-7007-1762-5
- Mishra, Baba; Dandasena, P.K. (2011), Settlement and urbanization in ancient Orissa
- Patrul Rinpoche (1994), Brown, Kerry; Sharma, Sima, eds., The Words of My Perfect Teacher (Tibetan title: kunzang lama'i shelung). Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. With a forward by the Dalai Lama, San Francisco, California, USA: HarperCollinsPublishers, ISBN 0-06-066449-5
- Ray, Reginald A (2001), Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet, Boston: Shambhala Publications
- Schumann, Hans Wolfgang (1974), Buddhism: an outline of its teachings and schools, Theosophical Pub. House
- Snelling, John (1987), The Buddhist handbook. A Complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice, London: Century Paperbacks
- Wardner, A.K. (1999), Indian Buddhism, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
- Williams, Paul; Tribe, Anthony (2000), Buddhist Thought: A complete introduction to the Indian tradition, Routledge, ISBN 0-203-18593-5
Further reading
- Rongzom Chözang; Köppl, Heidi I. (trans) (2008). Establishing Appearances as Divine. Snow Lion. pp. 95–108. ISBN 9781559392884.
- Kongtrul, Jamgon; Thrangu Rinpoche; Harding, Sarah (2002). Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric Meditation. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-312-5.
- Kongtrul, Jamgon; Barron, Richard (1998). Buddhist Ethics. The Treasury of Knowledge (book 5). Ithaca: Snow Lion. pp. 215–306. ISBN 1-55939-191-X.
- Kongtrul, Jamgon; Guarisco, Elio; McLeod, Ingrid (2004). Systems of Buddhist Tantra:The Indestructible Way of Secret Mantra. The Treasury of Knowledge (book 6 part 4). Ithaca: Snow Lion. ISBN 9781559392105.
- Kongtrul, Jamgon; Guarisco, Elio; McLeod, Ingrid (2008). The Elements of Tantric Practice:A General Exposition of the Process of Meditation in the Indestructible Way of Secret Mantra. The Treasury of Knowledge (book 8 part 3). Ithaca: Snow Lion. ISBN 9781559393058.
- Kongtrul, Jamgon; Harding, Sarah (2007). Esoteric Instructions: A Detailed Presentation of the Process of Meditation in Vajrayana. The Treasury of Knowledge (book 8 part 4). Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-284-3.
- Kongtrul, Jamgon; Barron, Richard (2010). Journey and Goal: An Analysis of the Spiritual Paths and Levels to be Traversed and the Consummate Fruition state. The Treasury of Knowledge (books 9 & 10). Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications. pp. 159–251, 333–451. ISBN 1-55939-360-2.
- Tantric Ethics: An Explanation of the Precepts for Buddhist Vajrayana Practice by Tson-Kha-Pa, ISBN 0-86171-290-0
- Perfect Conduct: Ascertaining the Three Vows by Ngari Panchen, Dudjom Rinpoche, ISBN 0-86171-083-5
- Āryadeva's Lamp that Integrates the Practices (Caryāmelāpakapradīpa): The Gradual Path of Vajrayāna Buddhism according to the Esoteric Community Noble Tradition, ed. and trans by Christian K. Wedemeyer (New York: AIBS/Columbia Univ. Press, 2007). ISBN 978-0-9753734-5-3
- S. C. Banerji, Tantra in Bengal: A Study of Its Origin, Development and Influence, Manohar (1977) (2nd ed. 1992). ISBN 8185425639
- Gyatso, Geshe Kelsang (2003). Tantric Grounds and Paths. Glen Spey: Tharpa Publications ISBN 978-0-948006-33-3.
- Gyatso, Geshe Kelsang (2005). Mahamudra Tantra. Glen Spey: Tharpa Publications ISBN 978-0-948006-93-7.
- Arnold, Edward A. on behalf of Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies, fore. by Robert A. F. Thurman. As Long As Space Endures: Essays on the Kalacakra Tantra in Honor of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Snow Lion Publications, 2009.
- Snellgrove, David L.: Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. Indian Buddhists and Their Tibetan Successors. London: Serindia, 1987.
External links
|Wikiversity has learning materials about Vajrayāna
- The Berzin archive. Archive on texts and teachings of Vajrayana, Tibetan Buddhism, Islam and Bon
- A Study of Traditional Vajrayana Buddhism of Nepal
- Shugendo, japanese vajrayana sources by a western priest of Kyoto Shogoin temple
- Trikaya del Lama Kunsal Kassapa
- Shugendo Website from Christian Grübl an Austrian Yamabushi Monk
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Yes, I know what you're thinking — headlines of this nature really aren't revelations at all anymore; in fact, they're getting kind of old and tired, at least by my count. But as long as environmentalists continue to use their political clout to prematurely force their quixotic renewable endeavors upon the masses, at the masses' expense and for the masses' "own good," fear not, for I shall continue to post about it.
According to a report by the WSJ, electricity plants that burn biomass as their energy source (organic materials that qualify as biomass can range from wood chips to animal waste) have received at least $700 million in federal and state subsidies since just 2009, even though they often fail to meet the environmental standards imposed upon their traditional fossil-fuel counterparts.
Yet of 107 U.S. biomass plants that the Journal could confirm were operating at the start of this year, the Journal analysis shows that 85 have been cited by state or federal regulators for violating air-pollution or water-pollution standards at some time during the past five years, including minor infractions. …
Biomass is growing as a source of electricity, its production up about 14% in the past 10 years, according to the Department of Energy. Alternative electricity-production sources as a whole generate about 13% of power in the U.S., and biomass is about 11% of the alternative production.
As federal and state governments promote such sources—largely to cut emissions believed to affect the climate but also for related goals such as providing cleaner air to breathe, preventing acid-rain harm to lakes and reducing reliance on energy imports—biomass plants generally qualify along with wind and solar. …
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Thanks for covering Brown's Mill
I enjoyed your recent article of the possible sale of the "big barn at Belmont Bridge"– although it was always referred to as the "Brown Milling Company" or "Brown's Mill" by my family members. [On the Block, February 17: "Not half-baked: Old mill has huge potential"]
As shown in Holsinger's Charlottesville, it was in the business of "buy, sell and exchange." I have several pictures of the old mill, passed down by family members. It was quite the structure, as your article mentioned. My grandfather, Jury Yates Brown Sr., was one of the owners and also once mayor of Charlottesville.
Again, keep up the good work. I believe it was the Hook that also wrote of the sale of "Brown's Mountain." [Cover story, February 5, 2004: "Mountain views: How Monticello got Montalto back"]. You will soon become local historians!
Jeffrey P. Brown


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