Primary Philosophical Points in Buddhism
As stated at the beginning of this section, there are many approaches to teaching Buddhism. A single point from the Noble Eightfold Path (i.e. right view) or grouping (i.e. practice) can be taken as the entrance point for teaching. As you peel back any one of the Four Noble Truths you encounter the key views of Buddhist philosophy.
The Tibetan Vajrayana tradition spends less time expounding on the Four Noble Truths, and dives right into a very direct exploration of the mind through meditation practice and Buddhist philosophy. As an example, Vajrayana talks a great deal about blissful emptiness and the true nature of mind. While these ideas are not to be found anywhere in the typical summaries of Buddhism, they are in fact the more subtle, nuanced realizations that lie at the heart of the Wisdom and Practice categories of the Noble Eightfold Path. In fact, experiencing emptiness and the true nature of mind are the end goal - realization, enlightenment.
The Vajrayana path puts substantial emphasis on the quality of the teacher and his skill at working with his students. Teachers who have achieved very high levels of mental awareness are able to work with precision to accelerate a student's practice. The practices in Vajrayana, as described in the section 'History of the Teachings', have been organized to guide those who have great trust in themselves and others to reach enlightenment quickly.
For this reason, Vajrayana teachings appear to dive right into the heart of the matter: exploring the nature of mind, immediately, directly. This means that many of the teachings in Vajrayana expect a level of awareness of Buddhist philosophy.
The following is a summary of the key aspects of Buddhist ideas, and how you may encounter them when you are learning with a Vajrayana teacher.
Everything is Mind - or how we view things. But not everyone can grasp the fullness of this truth, so the teachings talk about realities on two levels: relative and absolute.
Relative Reality: the world as we typically experience it. This is the reality of our day-to-day life. By examining some of the key aspects of this experience, we can gain a window into the absolute realities of emptiness and selflessness.
The Four Noble Truths | Karma | Love and Compassion
Absolute Reality: the underlying truth as we come to experience it through practice
