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Guru, Methods in Tantric Buddhism
Guru according to Tantric Buddhism is the only way to attain enlightenment. A disciple can never realise the ultimate truth without the assistance of a Guru.
The term Guru means one who dispels darkness. Guru and a disciple have a direct and cordial relationship. The relationship between the two can be called an intimate, vital contact or a spiritual courtship. It can also be said that guru is one who gives diksha. A guru is endowed with all qualities such as spiritual maturity, age, renown, learning etc. It is the Guru who bestows liberation.
Tantric Buddhism has said that the Guru exercises four kinds of compassion namely the constant compassion, the spontaneous compassion, the compassion of granting benediction and prayers and the compassion of guiding the disciples according to their needs. The Tantra says that it is only with the help a Guru that the innate knowledge can be achieved. An individual may not be able to attain enlightenment without the assistance of the Guru.
According to Tantric Buddhism the primary responsibility of the Guru is to know the inner disposition of his disciple. A Guru must firstly closely observe the nature of his disciple and identify its predominant defect. In this manner the Guru determines the family of the disciple. He then assigns to him the mandala in which the Buddha of his family is at the centre. The disciple in turn should honour his Guru with worship and hymns and should make offerings of food and drink. As the disciple offers food and drink to the Guru the Guru confers on the disciple of the required abhiseka during the Initiation ceremony.
In the Hevajra tradition the Guru first performs the purification of the site for the construction of the mandala followed by the Hevajra rite and then the Guru constructs the mandala of the particular deity. This tradition is followed by the conferring of the four consecrations namely the Master consercation, Secret Consercation, Wisdom Consecration and finally the Fourth Consecration. During the Initiation, the Guru instructs the disciple of the way in which the mantra should be recited and the number of times it should be muttered in order to attain the different kinds of perfections.
Guru according to Tantric Buddhism is an indispensable instrument in the process of reintegration of the sadhaka. The tantric aspirant is explicitly warned not to embark on this sure, yet dangerous, means of liberation without the guidance of a competent Guru. Through the observation of his disciple through instructions, by conferring abhisekas and by constant monitoring of his progress, the Guru accompanies the disciple in the process of reintegration.
Hence it can be concluded saying that for a disciple the Guru is the all the deity, the mantra the very foundation of the tantric sadhana.
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