BEN KINGSLEY: Tibetan Buddhists also use the mantra, which means "sacred utterance" in Sanskrit. Indeed one must concentrate upon the mantra if it is to be effective, and Tibetan Buddhism has sometimes been called Mantrayana Buddhism because of its extensive use of mantras. Mantras are ritual chants, and they had earlier been used in connection with Brahmanical sacrificial rituals. Mantras were viewed as power-filled words to help one achieve various results, and Tibetan Buddhism easily adapted them to its own non-sacrificial use. . . . The sacred syllables of the mantra are to be made a part of oneself. They are used to rid oneself of impurities, to attain higher and higher spiritual states, and finally to achieve spiritual liberation.

One last special feature of Tibetan Buddhism is Bardo, a Tibetan Buddhist teaching about the process of dying. Here, as with the Mandala, a dying person confronts various shapes, such as demons, gods, and Bodhisattvas. These are understood to be that person’s own internal good or bad traits in graphic form. In Tibetan Buddhism, death is considered to be a gradual transition to a new life, lasting perhaps as long as seven days. A spiritual attendant repeats directions and encouragements in the ear of the individual who is dying. Thus Tibetan Buddhism ensures a safe passage to a new and good existence.

BEN KINGSLEY: Buddhism originally had entered Japan in the mid-sixth century from Korea, where it had been active since the late fourth century. A Buddha image was given to the Japanese emperor, along with some monk priests who could give ritual performances. From this small beginning, Buddhism became a major religious and cultural force in Japan for about 1,000 years.