Vajrayana - History of Vajrayana

History of Vajrayana

Although the first tantric Buddhist texts appeared in India in the 3rd century and continued to appear until the 12th century, scholars such as Hirakawa Akira assert that the Vajrayana probably came into existence in the 6th or 7th century, while the term Vajrayana itself first appeared in the 8th century. The Vajrayana was preceded by the Mantrayana, and then followed by the Sahajayana and Kalachakrayana.