Professor Robert A,F, Thurman draws from his book, Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp of the Five Stages for a discussion on the distinctions between Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, delving into a discussion of Tantra, the creation stage and perfection stage; the extraordinary-ordinary mergers pertaining to basis, path and fruition; and the five stages of the Glorious Esoteric Community (Shri Guhyasamaja) — (1) body isolation, (2) speech isolation, (3) mind isolation, (4) clear light, and (4) communion.

This episode is an excerpt from a lecture given at Tibet House US on April 22, 2015, as part of a lecture series there called “Essential Tibetan Buddhism, and its Context in Tibet and the World.”

Buddhism 101: How Vajrayana & Tantra Works Photo by Manuel Bauer from www.dalailama.com.

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