The Philosophy and Practice of Amulets in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra: Wearing, Analyzing, and Recognizing Your Way to Liberation
Journal of Contemplative Studies July 23, 2025 James Gentry
Buddhist amulets, often dismissed as popular piety, were integrated into elite Tibetan contemplative and philosophical practice. Thirteenth-century visionary Guru Chöwang's commentary on 'liberation-through-wearing' introduced analytic contemplation into amulet-tantra use. This shift, responding to criticisms of the Great Perfection, bridged the earlier Heart Essence of Vimalamitra and later Heart Essence of the Ḍākinī revelations. The later tantra-amulets harmonized analytic inquiry with embodied practice, blurring boundaries between discursive philosophy and tantric ritual. This challenges assumptions about amulets' marginal role and reshapes how Buddhist Tantra and philosophy are studied.