Tantric Buddhism is concerned with the direct experience of who we are and what we can become. Its sole aim is to help us realize our potential for profound wisdom and unbounded compassion by transforming the energy locked in by old habits, fears, and narrow views. For the Tantra this experience cannot be mediated by concepts; it is beyond words and thought, beyond the everyday mind and personality. But it can be evoked with the help of symbols. Without the help of a reliable guide one could easily get lost or overwhelmed in this unfamiliar world of symbols. Sangharakshita is such a guide, having received initiations and teachings in India from some of the most important Tibetan teachers of the twentieth century.