The scriptures followed by the trainees are the Mahayana sutras, taught by the Buddha and other Buddhist masters. |
In a footnote to this discussion Semple notes that the Mahayana tantra belongs to the wider Sunyatavada Doctrine. |
In the Mahayana school, Buddhism incorporated Chinese Taoism and eventually evolved into Ch'an, or better yet known as Zen in Japan. |
Once you have a proper knowledge about Mahayana you can ask a qualified teacher how to approach Vajrayana. |
But even if one is practicing Hinayana or Mahayana practice, the entire goal is to actually realize the ultimate Dharmata. |
The former were known as the followers of Hinayana or the Lesser Vehicle and latter of Mahayana or the Greater Vehicle. |