Vajrayanan.
/ˌvadʒrəˈjɑːnə/, /ˌvʌdʒrəˈjɑːnə/, U.S. /ˌvɑdʒrəˈjɑnə/ Buddhism.
The Tantric tradition of Buddhism, which developed from Mahayana Buddhism, and is characterized by an emphasis on swift enlightenment (in the present lifetime) and esoteric practices. Frequently attributive.
ΚΠ
1895 L. A. Waddell Budhism Tibet i. 15 In the tenth century A.D., the Tantrik phase developed..into..the Kālacākra..which incorporated the Mantrāyāna practices, and called itself the Vajra-yāna, or ‘The Thunderbolt Vehicle’.]
1902 S. C. Das Tibetan-Eng. Dict. 586/2 The principal derivative of Mahāyāna origin is the Mantra yāna..or Vajrayāna..which follows mysticism and deals in a measure with esoteric Buddhism.
1926 Jrnl. Amer. Oriental Soc. 46 187 This is a well documented volume and will be indispensable to all scholars interested in Mahāyāna theology and in the identification of Mahāyāna, especially Vajrayāna deities.
1982 A. Ginsberg Spontaneous Mind (2001) 416 I come from the Vajrayana school [of Buddhism], which says work with energy—work with mistakes, work with passion, transform passions into light energy rather than heavy chains of bondage.
2004 P. J. Conradi Going Buddhist 89 Its famous secret Vajrayana or tantric teachings propose a way of enfranchising all spiritual energy and transmuting it.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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