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Vajrayāna
is a form of Buddhism that evolved out of Mahāyāna during
the 7th or 8th centuries in India. The name means 'the Diamond Way'
and refers to the supposedly unbreakable logic Vajrayānists use to
support their interpretation of the Dhamma. It is also sometimes
called Tantrayāna, tantras being esoteric religious texts, or
Mantrayāna, because of the importance it gives to the use of
mantras. Vajrayāna eventually spread to Sri Lanka, Burma,
Thailand and became particually dominant in China and Japan but
eventually died out in all these places. Today Vajrayāna Buddhism is
practiced in Mongolia, Tibet, Bhutan and in some
areas in the Indian Himalayas. Of late Vajrayāna has become very
popular in the West, due to the influence of the Dalai Lāma and
many Tibetan monks teaching there. | |
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