coming together” – conventional rule or practice; sacrament.

The sacred vow which bonds the tantric practitioner to his practice.

The sacred pledge, precepts or commitment of Vajrayana practice. Many details exist, and might be explored, but the samayas essentially consist of outwardly, maintaining harmonious relationship with the vajra master and one's Dharma friends and, inwardly, not straying from the continuity of the practice. BACK~~ BODIMAGES #23~~ NEXT

Sacred word of honor; the pledges and commitments made by a disciple at an initiation to keep tantric vows for life or to perform certain practices connected with the deity, such as daily sadhana recitation, or offering the Guru Puja on the tenth and the twenty-fifth of each Tibetan month.

( Skt. / Tib. damtsig): Literally, "promise." The sacred vow which binds the vajrayana practitioner to his or her teacher and yidam. The practitioner pledges and commits to keep certain vows and perform certain practices.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, samaya (Sanskrit, Tibetan damtsig) is the "sacred bond" formed between the vajra guru and disciple that protects both the disciple and integrity of the teachings. In one of the most widely followed teachings on samaya, Sakya Pandita, a preeminent 12th century Tibetan Buddhism scholar, outlined fourteen primary points of observance to consider in keeping one's samaya vow "pure."