In this sixth and final volume in the Foundation of Buddhist Thought series. Geshe Tashi Tsering brings his friendly, helpful approach to the esoteric practices of Buddhist tantra.  Anticipating the many questions Westerners have upon first encountering tantra's colorful imagery and veiled language, Tantra uses straight talk to explain deities, initiations, mandalas, and the body's subtle physiology of channels and chakras.  Tantric Buddhism provides a quick avenue to buddhahood by means of dissolving the body's wind energies into the central channel at the heart, mimicking the transformations of consciousness that occur at the time of death. Guiding readers systematically from tantra's generation stage through to the full enlightenment of the completion stage, Geshe TAshi Tsering even unpacks a simple compassion practice composed by the DAlai Lama, using it to illustrate the building blocks common to all such visualization techniques.  Tantra is a fitting conclusion to this accessible and practical series.

Geshe Tashi Tsering was born in Tibet in 1958 and trained at Sera Monastery in India Since 1994, he has been the guiding teacher at Jamyang BUddhist Centre in London, and he also teaches at other Buddhist centers worldwide.

	Contents: Tantra: The Foundation of Buddhist Thought - Volume 6
	List of Tables	xi
	Foreword	xiii
	Preface	xv
	1: The Uniqueness of Tantra	1
	SUTRA AND TANTRA	1
	TANTRA AND THE MAHAYANA	2
	The Prerequisites	2
	The Vajrayana Was Taught by the Buddha	4
	Vajrayana and Its Many Names	5
	THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF VAJRAYANA	9
	The Four Complete Purities	10
	Vajrayana Combines Method and Wisdom	12
	DEITY YOGA	14
	Practicing Deity Yoga	14
	The Three Aspects of Deity Yoga	17
	UTILIZING AFFLICTIVE EMOTIONS ON THE PATH	20
	2: Entering the Vajrayana	23
	THE DOOR TO THE VAJRAYANA	23
	The Vajra Master and the Vajra Disciple	24
	Guru Yoga	29
	THE INITIATION	30
	The Purpose of an Initiation	32
	The Preliminary Stages of an Initiation	34
	The Main Initiation	35
	The Mandala	39
	Vows and Commitments	41
	3: The Lower Tantras	43
	THE DIFFERENCES AMONG THE FOUR CLASSES OF TANTRA	44
	Internal and External Activities	44
	Subduing the Vital Wind	46
	YOGA WITH SIGN	48
	The Concentration of the Four Branches of Recitation	49
	The Concentration of Abiding in Fire and Abiding in Sound	54
	YOGA WITHOUT SIGN	58
	4: Practicing Kriya Tantra	61
	A KRIYA TANTRA SADHANA	61
	Offerings	62
	The Sadhana	64
	Refuge and Purification	65
	The Purification of the Place	66
	Visualizing the Merit Field	66
	The Seven-Limb Prayer and Mandala Offering	68
	The Main Deity Practice	69
	PRANAYAMA	71
	A PASSPORT TO A NEW UNIVERSE	74
	5: Preparation for Highest Yoga Tantra	77
	THE MANY DEITIES WITHIN VAJRAYANA	77
	AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENERATION STAGE	78
	Preparation for Practicing the Generation Stage	80
	DEATH, INTERMEDIATE STATE, AND REBIRTH	82
	The Eight Dissolutions of Ordinary Death	82
	The Ordinary Intermediate State	86
	The Ordinary Rebirth	88
	THE FOUR LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT	89
	6: Practicing the Generation Stage	93
	BEFORE THE ACTUAL PRACTICE	93
	THE THREE COMPONENTS OF THE GUHYASAMAJA SADHANA	95
	THE YOGA OF TAKING DEATH AS THE DHARMAKAYA INTO THE PATH	98
	The Eight Dissolutions	98
	The Base, Path, and Result in the Death Practice	99
	THE YOGA OF TAKING THE INTERMEDIATE STATE AS THE SAMBHOGAKAYA INTO THE PATH	103
	The Base, Path, and Result in the Bardo Practice	103
	THE YOGA OF TAKING REBIRTH AS NIRMANAKAYA INTO THE PATH	106
	7: The Nature of the Body and Mind	111
	COARSE, SUBTLE, AND VERY SUBTLE BODY AND MIND	111
	CHANNELS, CHAKRAS, WINDS, AND DROPS	113
	Channels	113
	Chakras	117
	Loosening the Knots	119
	Winds	122
	Drops	125
	The Enlightenment Process	127
	8. The Six Levels of the Completion Stage	133
	PHYSICAL ISOLATION	135
	The Actual Meditation of Physical Isolation	139
	The Post-Meditation Session	144
	Tumo Practice	145
	VERBAL ISOLATION	148
	The Mantra-Drop Meditation	149
	The Light-Drop Meditation	150
	The Substance-Drop Meditation	151
	MENTAL ISOLATION	153
	The Two Levels of Mental Isolation	153
	The Action Seal	154
	THE ILLUSORY BODY	156
	CLEAR LIGHT	160
	UNION	162
	Learner's Union	162
	Non-Learner's Union	163
	NO-MORE LEARNING	165
	Appendix 1
	The Inseparability of the Guru and Avolokiteshvara: A Source of All Powerful Attainments	169
	Appendix 2
	The Six Deities within the Nyungne Practice	185
	Notes	191
	Glossary	197
	Bibliography	203
	Index	205
	About the Authors	213
	The Foundation of Buddhist Thought	215