The two varieties of Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism and Chan, flourished in entirely different cultural contexts but followed more or less the same pattern of development. By analyzing their history, this article argues that both Tantric Buddhism and Chan originated from Mahayana and had seen three stages of development. In the first stage, Tantric Buddhism and Chan took over the training of Dharami and Samadhi respectively and their systems of belief began to take shape. In the second stage, Tantric Buddhism and Chan were "naturalized" as they spread on foreign soils and were consequently further removed from their roots. Finally, in the third stage, Tantric Buddhism and Chan were both secularized, with a distinctive tendency towards "Non-Buddhism". The three stages of development transformed Buddhism into a much more accessible religion which to the initiated would bring salvation closer to mankind.
