The Tree of Enlightenment

Shuddhodana while still a layman. In the Mahayana tradition,
this current was accelerated and amplified, so that the figure of
the householder Bodhisattva became the norm.
Examples of the magical or ritual current occur in accounts
in the Pali canon. We find the Buddha pronouncing formulas of
protection against snakebite and the perils of childbirth. ere is
also an account of the Buddha’s conversion of a queen, Kshema,
in which the Buddha creates the vision of a lovely maiden who,
as Kshema watches, becomes old and decrepit in a matter of
moments. In this case the Buddha used extraordinary powers
to create an apparition that would teach the truth of impermanence.
is happens with great frequency in Mahayana literature,
where we find the Buddha assuming various forms in
order to teach. In the Mahayana, too, there is an increasing use
of dharanis (verbal formulas that are precursors of mantras), as
well as the continuation of various rituals of the early Buddhist
period, particularly ordination rituals like the removal of the
hair and donning of yellow robes.
e use of symbols was also present in the Buddhist tradition
from the earliest period. For example, the symbol of the
wheel was used to indicate the Dharma, and the symbol of the
lute was used to explain the Middle Way. In the Mahayana, this
use of symbols continued to play an important role. In these
three currents of thought and action – the democratic, magic or
ritual, and symbolic – we have the main streams that contributed
to the growth of the Vajrayana tradition.
e phenomenon that we now identify as the Vajrayana tradition
originated in India between the third and seventh century
c.e. By the seventh century, the Vajrayana was flourishing
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