Tibetan Longevity Meditation
Asian Traditions of Meditation October 31, 2016 DOI: 10.21313/hawaii/9780824855680.003.0008
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractTantric practice in Tibetan Buddhism aims at enlightenment but is also used for health and longevity. The visualization of a Tantric deity and mandala re-creates a universe linking body-mind and environment. Along with mantra recitation, secret breathing, sometimes sexualized visualizations, and movements, these techniques help reabsorb life-essence lost to the environment. Technique and culture intertwine, as the practices rest on a shamanic worldview where life-essence can be lost to external forces and recovered to restore health.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Tantric practice in Tibetan Buddhism uses visualization, mantra, breathing, and movement to recover lost life-essence, linking health and enlightenment within a shamanic worldview. |
Abstract
The central aim of Tantric practice in Tibetan Buddhism is enlightenment, but the same techniques are also used to attain good health and a long life. The image of the Tantric deity and the surrounding mandala enables the imaginative recreation of a universe in which body-mind and wider environment are connected. Along with mantra recitation, secret breathing techniques, sometimes sexualized visualizations, and various movements and postures, this is understood to help the person reabsorb various kinds of life-essence that have been lost to the environment. Technique and culture are intertwined, since the practices are based on a ‘shamanic’ world-view in which life-essence may be lost to external forces, and the body-mind complex restored to good health and functioning through their recovery.