LAMAISM

Lama means “teacher” or “master”, and the Tibetan version of Tantric Buddhism has been called Lamaism because of the great importance lamas have in it as spiritual guides of those who aspire for salvation. Lamaism too teaches that all is empty; that which we think real is mere illusion bred of igno¬rance. Reintegration with Buddhahood can only Lamaism come about when one recognizes the fallacious reasoning of ignorance, for to recognize is to elimi¬nate.

The Lamaist path to Nirvana is two fold: it calls for : (a) the understanding of the mechanism of our psycho physical life through introversive meditation and yoga, and acting accordingly. By pur¬suing the analysis that ends by abandoning all logical constructs for the pure light of intuition; and, at the same time, (b) showing compassionate love for all beings who are still ignorant of their real condi¬tion and therefore doomed to suffering. The two activities combined produce an irreversible state of mind termed “enlightenment”. Like in other Tan¬tric systems, sexual symbolism is used in Tibetan Lamaism to express ecstatic states and exalted con¬cepts. The male symbolizes “means” (Upaya), or active compassion” (Karuna) and the female “higher knowledge or wisdom” (Prajna or Vidya).