Occult Buddhism

The origins of Christianity in terms of what exactly Jesus taught are obscure, though we have a better idea of how Christianity developed and became a world religion. This status was achieved through a single historical accident : the adoption of Christianity by the Emperor Constantine as the state religion of the Roman empire. Buddhism also achieved its widespread acceptance (across countries from Afghanistan to Japan) through its adoption by an emperor, in this case King Ashoka. The similarities end there however, because, while both Emperors had the natural preoccupations of state, Ashoka was greatly taken by the pacifist message of the new religion, Constantine clearly not. The propagation and tenure of Ashoka's empire, though it must have made use of force to some degree, was (after Ashoka's conversion) carried out in as peaceful a way as possible, and with great deference to local religions. This meant that Buddhism absorbed local religions, such as Zoroastrianism in Afghanistan, the Bon religion in Tibet, and Taoism in China, to become a highly varied religion, much as Hinduism is.

From the Pali Canon it is clear that the Buddha was creating a jnani religion of transcendence. However it quickly gained a social dimension with its community (sangha) and the spiritual rules of conduct for the community. When it spread it also developed a lay following which broadened its social dimension (using 'social' in the sense defined here). It also absorbed occult traditions, in particular in Tibet.

'Buddhism was open to diverse influences from as along ago as the 4th century BC, including that of occult traditions. The Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the Life of Milarepa are just two examples of how occult knowledge and jnani transcendence can become intertwined.'

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a good example of how Buddhism absorbed the occult elements of the Bon religion (which is an ancient Shamanistic tradition). The book is a manual for helping the deceased in the preparation for dying and for the 'bardo realm' of disembodied experience before rebirth, the essential aim being to prevent the soul from taking birth again, or if it does, to help it gain an 'auspicious' birth. (The engagement with reincarnation in this way is shown in the contemporary political drama, acted out between Tibet, China and India of the spiritual succession in modern Tibetan Buddhism of the Karmapa, a titular role that one is reborn into.) The Tibetan Book of the Dead, while it incorporates occult elements (as defined here) is however a book of jnani transcendence, showing how close these areas can come. The occultism in it is always as a description of the structure of the human condition, and in the service of a better understanding of the way to transcendence. This is in contrast to much of occultism which seeks knowledge for its own sake (as a science), for dominion over the occult realms (as an application of that science), or for power in the service of disreputable ends.

Another Tibetan Buddhist text that is notable for the mixture of jnani transcendence and occultism is the popular Life of Milarepa. The story is of the search for Enlightenment by Milarepa, which can be read as standard Buddhist account of the path to enlightenment, but its popularity derives more from the occult elements (Milarepa uses occult powers when young to take revenge on his family's persecutors) and from sympathy for the extremes of hardship undergone by him in his search. For us it is also a good example of the via negativa, in that, unlike his teacher, Milarepa does not take a wife or property, living instead a life of harsh asceticism. It may give us a clue as to the temperament that is inclined to the via negativa, one that is penitent for past sins.

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