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The ideal of the Monk or Nun, who leaves behind the world, takes up wandering,
poverty, and meditation has long been a hallmark of Buddhism. The Buddha
himself is said to have become a monk, and to have started the orders of Monks
and Nuns. For this reason many followers of Buddhism believe the Monastic to
represent the truest representative of Buddhism. There are many schools of
Buddhism that hold that a lay person is just as close to Enlightenment as a
Monastic, but all traditions show their reverence to the monastic ideal. Many
times this is done by depicting the famous grouping of Eighteen Elders. "Elder"
is Arhat. For the earliest scriptures describe the success of these individuals
in reaching Enlightenment while keeping monastic vows. The Tibetans call them
"Enemy Destroyers," saying that they have destroyed the Enemy of suffering.
These are individuals who succeeded in attaining release from Samsara, and left
it behind. They proved that it could be done, and—according to the Theravada
tradition—they represent the Sumim Bonum of the transmission of self
liberation.
The monastic, even at the Buddha's time, would have worn the garb and lived by
the codes of monastics. The laity, particularly the ruling and business classes
were generally not in the position to become Monks or Nuns. The Teachings on
Bodhisattvas, Would-be-Buddhas," even in the Sutras, show that it is possible to
gain Enlightenment without being a Monk, without being a man, and without any of
the constrictions that the monkish life demands. If one practiced all things
with an altruistic intention, the good energy generated would, when combined
with Wisdom, make Buddhahood possible.
The Bodhisattva path is to practice whatever will create Merit, the positive
energy of good deeds, and Wisdom, the knowledge of what is real and what to do.
This kind of practice can be applied to anything one does, and does not require
living by the monastic code. Thus the Bodhisattva commitment to work for the
welfare of others, the Bodhicitta, may be applied at all levels of Buddhist
practice. The Buddha Gautama is said to have practiced as a Boddhisattva for
three eons in his quest for Buddhahood, and the stories of his former
Boddhisattva births, the Jataka Tales are often portrayed in Tibetan Art as an
inspiration to the Buddhist to persevere in altruistic intention, just as the
Buddha did.
The Vajrayana, the path presented in books called Tantras, and involving the
Samaya commitments, is that of Yoga. The individual who has grown world-weary,
sought refuge with the Buddha and his teaching, has resolved to bring all
beings to Enlightenment, may despair at the three immeasurable eons generally
required for a Bodhisattva to reach Enlightenment. There may also be those on
the Bodhisattva pathway who are ready to receive instructions into very speedy
success on the way to Enlightenment. The paths of Tantra often involve complex
and strange visualizations, requirements to remember intricate details, and the
instructions behind them. It is considered dangerous to practice the Vajrayana
without a guide, just as it is considered dangerous to pilot a jet plane without
having learned how to fly.
The majority of Tibetan Thangkas depict gods, divine residences, etc. of a
Vajrayana character, and/or contain depictions of how the Vajrayana teachings
descended from guru to guru to us. It will be wise to let the Thangkas
themselves unfold for us the complexity of their symbolism, remembering that
there may well be special instructions regarding the image, available only to
initiates.
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