Question asked by Maxwell
Dear Rinpoche, most historians agree that tantric Buddhism originated between the 4th and 8th centuries AD. If we accept this, this means that the tantras were not, as tradition states, spoken by the historical Buddha—revealed directly from the mind of enlightenment—and kept hidden by dragons, etc. until their historical appearance, but were created by ordinary people (like other religions). We might say that the tantras are symbolic, and therefore still worthwhile, but it would still be a bit like worshipping something which is entirely imaginary, like the Hulk (to use an example from below)! On the other hand, if we reject the findings of mainstream scholarship, this is like those religions who say the scientists are all wrong, and the earth is only a few thousand years old. What do you say about all this? Thank you very much for whatever you can suggest.
Dear Maxwell,
Science is based on observation. Not everything is observable. The expounding of the tantras are on many levels. Whether scientists can pinpoint a date of their beginning or not does not make the tantras valid or not valid. Many scientific findings are changed over time as science is by men also and men make mistakes as they are limited.
Some phenomenas are beyond scientific capabilities but that does not make them not exist.