Classes of Tantra in Tibetan Buddhism refers to the categorization of Buddhist tantric scriptures in

Indo-Tibetan Buddhism The Tibetan people (; ) are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group indigenous peoples, native to Tibet. Their current population is estimated to be around 6.7 million. In addition to the majority living in Tibet Autonomous Region of Chin ...

. Tibetan Buddhism inherited numerous tantras and forms of

tantric practice Tibetan tantric practice, also known as "the practice of secret mantra", and "tantric techniques", refers to the main tantric practices in Tibetan Buddhism. The great Rime scholar Jamgön Kongtrül refers to this as "the Process of Meditation i ...

from medieval Indian Buddhist Tantra. There were various ways of categorizing these tantras in India. In Tibet, the Sarma (New Translation) schools categorize tantric scriptures into four classes, while the

Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...

(Ancients) school use six classes of tantra.

Sarma ("New Translation") classification

The Sarma, "New Translation" schools of Tibetan Buddhism (

Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous ...

Sakya The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu. Origins Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...

Kagyu The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. The Kagyu lineag ...

Jonang The Jonang () is one of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Its origins in Tibet can be traced to early 12th century master Yumo Mikyo Dorje, but became much wider known with the help of Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, a monk originally trained in the ...

) classify tantric practices and texts into four. In this, they follow Indian Tantric Buddhists such as Abhayākara, who makes this distinction in his ''Clusters of Quintessential Instructions''. Tantras are classified according to the capacity of persons, the deities they use, the specific types of methods they employ and how they use desire (''kama'').Tsong-kha-pa, ''The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra, Part One'' in Tsong-kha-pa et al. (2016), pp. 63 - 155.Jamgön Kongtrül (2005), pp. 40, 93.

Kriyā

Kriyā (Tib. ''bya ba'', Action) tantras were taught for practitioners of lower ability who have an inclination for performing many external ritual activities for protection and purification purposes, such as ritual bathing, the sprinkling of scented water, the creation of a circle of protection, the use of mudras and the chanting of mantras. There are also various prescriptions dealing with eating, drinking, and clothing.Jamgön Kongtrül (2005), p. 41. According to Kongtrul, in Kriyā Yoga, one relates to the deity as a subject relates to their lord and only meditates on an external deity (not on oneself as being the deity).Jamgön Kongtrül (2005), pp. 59, 96. According to Kongtrul, "the essence of action tantra" is: Regarding

initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...

, ''The Essence of Pristine Awareness'' states: "it is widely known that in action tantra there are the water and crown initiations." Each action tantra text generally centers on a particular

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

, and many are based on

dharani Dharanis (IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the Bud ...

s. Some of these texts are actually titled "sutra" or "dharani". Action tantra includes various practices for deities such as Medicine Buddha, "the eleven faced" Chenrezig and Vajrapani. Examples of Action Tantra texts include: * ''Mahāmegha Sutra'', * '' Sacred Golden Light Sutra,'' notably a very popular sutra in East Asia * ''Dharani of the Eleven-Faced Avalokiteshvara'' * ''Marichi Dharani'' * '' Ārya-mañjushrī-mūla-kalpa'', which notably states that mantras taught in the

Saiva ''Saiva'' is a genus of Asian planthoppers, family Fulgoridae. They are colourful insects, marked boldly in red, blue, white and black, with a prominent slender stalk like structure arising on the head that points upwards or forward. The known ...

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...

and

Vaisnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by

Manjushri Mañjuśrī (Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumārab ...

. * ''Subhāhu-pariprcchā'' (Dialogue with Subahu), * ''Secret General Tantra'' * ''Susidhi Tantra'' * ''Manjushri Root Tantra'' * ''Supreme Knowledge of Vajrapani Tantra'' * ''Aparimitāyur-jñāna-hrdaya-dhāranī''. * '' Heart Sutra'' (''Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya'', which contains a

mantra A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...

). Regarding the practice of

deity yoga The fundamental practice of Vajrayana and Tibetan tantra is deity yoga (''devatayoga''), meditation on a chosen deity or "cherished divinity" (Skt. ''Iṣṭa-devatā,'' Tib. ''yidam''), which involves the recitation of mantras, prayers and vi ...

in Action Tantra, Kongtrul outlines six main elements or deities, namely "Emptiness, letter, sound, form, Seal, and sign":

Caryā

Caryā (''spyod pa'', Performance, or Conduct) tantras are meant for practitioners of middle ability. According to Tsongkhapa, it is for "those who balance external activities and internal meditative stabilization without relying on very many activities." The kind of desire it uses is the weakest kind, comparable to a couple looking at each other. They are also known as ''Upa tantra,'' or ''Ubhaya tantra.'' Although these tantras maintain numerous external ritual actions, the emphasis is now upon obtaining liberation through meditation. It is thus seen as maintaining a balance between inner and outer actions. It is externally similar to Kriyā tantra, and internally similar to Yoga tantra. According to Kongtrul, the main elements of Conduct tantra are: Kongtrul further states, "conduct tantra is known to have five initiations: water, diadem, vajra, bell, and name." In this class of tantras,

Vairochana Vairocana (also Mahāvairocana, sa, वैरोचन) is a cosmic buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in texts like the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'', as the dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha. In East ...

is a principal deity. In Tibetan Buddhism, this tantra class includes practice lineages for the '' Mahãvairocanãbhisaṃbodhitantra'' ('Awakening of Great Vairocana'), for the ''Vajrapãṇyabhiṣekamahãtantra'' (''

Vajrapāṇi (Sanskrit; Pali: Vajirapāṇi, meaning, "Vajra in ishand") is one of the earliest-appearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapāni is also c ...

Initiation Tantra'') and for

. The presence of

Buddha Vairocana Vairocana (also Mahāvairocana, sa, वैरोचन) is a cosmic buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in texts like the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'', as the dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha. In East ...

is often evident in tantras of this class where he is often depicted in the centre of a mandala with four other Buddhas of his retinue placed to the four quarters, the

cardinal direction The four cardinal directions, or cardinal points, are the four main compass directions: north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials N, E, S, and W respectively. Relative to north, the directions east, south, and west are at ...

s. Importantly, during the Caryā tantra class and literary period, there developed the salient innovation wherein the sadhaka is to cultivate identification with the deity in meditative absorption (known as "self generation"). This class of literature was also important to Chinese Zhenyan Buddhism and tantric masters such as

Śubhakarasiṃha Śubhakarasiṃha (637-735 CE) () was an eminent Indian Buddhist monk and master of Esoteric Buddhism, who arrived in the Chinese capital Chang'an (now Xi'an) in 716 CE and translated the ', better known as the ''Mahāvairocana Sūtra''. Four yea ...

(637-735),

Vajrabodhi Vajrabodhi ( sa, वज्रबोधि, , 671–741) was an Indian esoteric Buddhist monk from Kerala and teacher in Tang China. He is one of the eight patriarchs in Shingon Buddhism. He is notable for introducing Vajrayana Buddhism in the te ...

(671–741) and

Amoghavajra Amoghavajra ( sa, अमोघवज्र ; , 705–774) was a prolific translator who became one of the most politically powerful Buddhist monks in Chinese history and is acknowledged as one of the Eight Patriarchs of the Doctrine in Shingon ...

(705–774). This focus was later imparted by Amoghavajra's disciple

Huiguo Huiguo () (746–805) was a Buddhist monk of Tang China who studied and taught Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, a Vajrayana tradition recently imported from India. Later Huiguo would become the teacher of Kūkai, founder of Shingon Buddhism, a prominen ...

(746-805) to the monk

Kūkai Kūkai (; 27 July 774 – 22 April 835Kūkai was born in 774, the 5th year of the Hōki era; his exact date of birth was designated as the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Japanese lunar calendar, some 400 years later, by the Shingon sec ...

(774–835), leading to the development of Japanese

Shingon Buddhism Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra. K ...

. Guarisco & McLeod explain Jamgon Kongtrul's codification of this class as follows: In Caryā yoga, the yogi visualizes themselves as the 'commitment being' (Sanskrit: ''samayasattva'') and visualizes the 'gnosis being' (''jñānasattv''a), who is envisioned in the relationship of a spiritual friend, in front of them. Various "meditations with signs" are part of this practice including: bija (seed syllable) and

mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

visualization,

mudra A mudra (; sa, मुद्रा, , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ,) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As wel ...

(hand seals), repetition of mantras, etc. as found in Action tantra. Conduct yoga also includes a special "yoga without signs", described by Kongtrul as follows:

Yoga

Yoga tantra (''rnal’byor'') is, according to Tsongkhapa, meant for practitioners of high ability who "mainly rely on meditative stabilization and rely on only few external activities." The level of desire they use is said to be similar to a couple holding hands or embracing. "Yoga" refers to the union or yoking of method and wisdom. One sees one's body, speech and mind as inseparably united with those of the deity. Kongtrul defines Yoga tantra thus: Yoga tantra is the last and highest of the outer tantras, and here external rites are seen as much less important than internal practices. The empowerments given are the empowerment of the 5 Buddha families, and the empowerment of the Vajra master, and disciples must take on the commitments of the 5 buddha families, and take the tantric vows. The path is split into 4 seals; the great seal of body, the seal of the speech of Dharma, the seal of the mind of commitment, and the seal of enlightened actions. Some Vajrasattva practices fall under this category, as well as the '' Tattvasaṃgraha Tantra'' (Summation of Essential Principles) and the '' Vajraśekhara Tantra'' (Indestructible Peak). Other Yoga tantras include the ''All-Secret Tantra,'' the ''Victorious in the Three Worlds Tantra;'' and ''the Glorious Supreme Original Being''. While

maintains his position as principal deity, he is now envisaged as being in the center of 5 buddha families instead of 3, each family belonging to one of the Five Tathagathas. The '' Shurangama Sutra'' and the ''

Shurangama Mantra The Shurangama or Śūraṅgama mantra is a dhāraṇī or long mantra of Buddhist practice in East Asia. Although relatively unknown in modern Tibet, there are several Śūraṅgama Mantra texts in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. It has strong as ...

'' from which it (called the '' Shitatapatra

Ushnisha The ushnisha (, IAST: ) is a three-dimensional oval at the top of the head of the Buddha. In Pali scriptures, it is the crown of Lord Buddha, the symbol of his Enlightenment and Enthronement. Description The Ushnisha is the thirty-second of th ...

Dharani Dharanis (IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the Bud ...

'') comes can be included in this category.

Unsurpassable Yoga

''Anuttarayoga tantras'' (''rnal ’byor bla med'', Unexcelled or Unsurpassable yoga tantras), also known as ''Yoganiruttaratantra'' are meant for practitioners of the highest ability who do not rely on external activities. It uses the highest level of desire, sexual union and is thus also designated the “tantra of union of the two.” According to Kongtrul, only Highest Yoga includes both the generation and completion phases. Kongtrul states that these are "supreme among all tantras" and "there is no other tantra above it." Anuttarayoga is characterized by the practice of Deity Yoga as well as various

subtle body A subtle body is a "quasi material" aspect of the human body, being neither solely physical nor solely spiritual, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. This contrasts with the mind–body dualism that has dominated We ...

yogas (such as the

six Dharmas of Naropa The Six Dharmas of Nāropa (, Skt. ''ṣaḍdharma'', "Naro's six doctrines" or "six teachings"), are a set of advanced Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices compiled by the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Nāropa (1016-1100 CE) and passed on to the ...

), to generate great bliss and attain the subtle clear light (luminous) mind. According to Miranda Shaw, Anuttarayoga Tantra texts "have remained at the forefront of contemplation, ritual, and interpretation throughout the Himalayan Buddhist sphere". In the classification of the

Dzogchen Dzogchen (, "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bon aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. ...

system, used by the

, it is considered equivalent to the

Mahayoga Mahāyoga (Sanskrit for "great yoga") is the designation of the first of the three Inner Tantras according to the ninefold division of practice used by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Mahāyoga is held to emphasise the generation stage (or ...

tantras. The

Dalai Lama XIV The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...

states: "old translation Dzogchen and new translation ''anuttarayoga tantra'' offer equivalent paths that can bring the practitioner to the same resultant state of

Buddhahood In Buddhism, Buddha (; Pali, Sanskrit: 𑀩𑀼𑀤𑁆𑀥, बुद्ध), "awakened one", is a title for those who are awake, and have attained nirvana and Buddhahood through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out ...

". Kongtrul describes the essence of Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra as being This statement contains various tantric terms express the nature of Unsurpassed Tantra. ''Bhaga'' (ultimately) refers to the source of phenomena (chos ’byung, dharmodaya), or source of all awakened qualities, and also literally to the

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

of a female sexual consort (i.e. the queen, ''btsun mo'').Jamgön Kongtrül (2005), p. 417. Thus this statement refers to karmamudra, sexual union, which is a key element of the symbolism, thought and practice of Unsurpassed Yoga Tantras and which generates a great blissful consciousness (the "castle of great bliss") that is then directed to understanding ultimate reality. Furthermore, when the tantras speak of relying on one's mothers, sisters etc., this refers to different types of tantric consorts. Regarding the six parameters, this refers to "six levels of meaning in the content of the tantras" which express different ways of interpreting and understanding the tantras.

Tantras

Anuttarayoga tantras which became prominent in Tibet include: *

Cakrasaṃvara Tantra The ''Cakrasaṃvara Tantra'' (, ''khorlo demchok,'' The "Binding of the Wheels" Tantra) is an influential Buddhist Tantra. It is roughly dated to the late eight or early ninth century by David B. Gray (with a ''terminus ante quem'' in the late ...

* Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti (Reciting the names of

) * Sampuṭodbhavaḥ (Emergence from Samputa) * Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra * Guhyasamāja (Esoteric Community) * Vajramahābhairava Tantra (Great Vajra Terrifier Tantra) *

Hevajra Tantra Hevajra (Tibetan: kye'i rdo rje / kye rdo rje; Chinese: 喜金剛 Xǐ jīngāng / 呼金剛 Hū jīngāng;) is one of the main yidams (enlightened beings) in Tantric, or Vajrayana Buddhism. Hevajra's consort is Nairātmyā (Tibetan: bdag med ...

* Kṛṣnayamāri Tantra (Black Yamari) * Raktayamāri Tantra (Red Yamari) * Mahāmāyā Tantra *

Mahākāla Mahākāla is a deity common to Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism. In Buddhism, Mahākāla is regarded as the sacred '' Dharmapāla'' ("Protector of the Dharma"), while in Hinduism, Mahākāla is a fierce manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva and th ...

Tantra * Kālacakra Tantra * Ekajaṭa Tantra In Sarma, they are sometimes further classified into "Father Tantras" (Wyl. ''pha rgyud''), "Mother Tantras" (''ma rgyud'') and "Non-Dual Tantras" (''gnyis med kyi rgyud''). The ''mahāyoga-tantras'' of

Pala Empire The Pāla Empire (r. 750-1161 CE) was an imperial power during the post-classical period in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. It is named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers bore names ending with the suffi ...

India became known in Tibet as 'Father Tantras' (''pha rgyud''). According to the

view, following

Tsongkhapa Tsongkhapa ('','' meaning: "the man from Tsongkha" or "the Man from Onion Valley", c. 1357–1419) was an influential Tibetan Buddhist monk, philosopher and tantric yogi, whose activities led to the formation of the Gelug school of Tibetan Budd ...

's reasoning, Father Tantras emphasize the creation of a Buddha form through the cultivation of an illusory body, on the basis of practices with the energy system of the subtle body. Earlier

masters and

scholars had viewed Father Tantras as emphasising the practice of blissful awareness. Father Tantras have also been seen as emphasizing the use of anger (''pratigha'') as the path of practice, focusing on the ''emptiness'' aspect of

Buddha nature Buddha-nature refers to several related Mahayana Buddhist terms, including '' tathata'' ("suchness") but most notably ''tathāgatagarbha'' and ''buddhadhātu''. ''Tathāgatagarbha'' means "the womb" or "embryo" (''garbha'') of the "thus-gone ...

. The ''yoginī-tantras'' which became known in Tibet as 'Mother Tantras' (''ma rgyud'') emphasize the development of enlightened awareness (the "mind" of the illusory body) through the cultivation of the fundamental pure mind of all beings, known as 'brilliance' ( ''prabhāsvara'') (frequently translated, following the Tibetan, as '

clear light Clear Light was an American psychedelic rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. The group released one studio album, ''Clear Light''. It had moderate national success before the group disbanded. History In 1966, The Brain Tr ...

'). They are considered to emphasize the utilization of desire (''tṛṣṇā'') as the path of practice, focusing on the brilliant (''prabhāsvara'') aspect of Buddha nature. Among the Mother Tantras, the most prominent is the Cakrasaṃvara. The practice of

Vajrayogini Vajrayoginī ( sa, italic=yes, Vajrayoginī वज्रयोगिनी; , Dorjé Neljorma; mn, Огторгуйд Одогч, Нархажид, ) is a Tantric Buddhist female Buddha and a . The ''Vajrayogini'' cult dates back to the tenth a ...

evolved out of the Cakrasaṃvara and is now a ''de facto'' practice in its own right.''Guide to Dakini Land'': The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice of Buddha Vajrayogini, page 3,

Tharpa Publications Tharpa Publications (Sanskrit for "liberation" and pronounced "Tar-pa") is a New York-based "major international and multilingual publisher of Buddhist books" by the Buddhist author and scholar Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. These include basic Buddhist me ...

(2nd. ed., 1996) Other Mother Tantras are

and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa. Non-dual tantras utilize both anger and desire as an

antidote An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...

to delusion (avidyā), focusing on both the physical and mental, void and brilliant, aspects of enlightened mind. The example typically advanced for this category is the Kālacakra Tantra. The Sakya tradition also considers Hevajra to be a non-dual tantra but other traditions classify it as a yoginī-tantra.

Nyingma classification

The

school meanwhile, has six main tantra categories, which make up the last six of the main Nyingma " nine yana" schema. According to Jean-Luc Achard, "in the Nyingma tradition, there are several ways of classifying the teachings of the Buddha into nine, ten, and sometimes twelve Vehicles. Most of these classifications have not survived in practical usage, except for that into nine. In this case, the ninth is considered to be the Vehicle of Dzogchen."Achard, Jean-Luc.
The View of sPyi ti yoga*.
' CNRS, CRCAO, Paris The first three categories are essentially the same as the Sarma classification (Kriyā, Caryā or Ubhaya and Yoga) and are called "Outer Tantras".Jamgön Kongtrül (2005), pp. 307-308. The last three are the "Inner Tantras": Mahāyoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga. * Mahāyoga (''rnal ’byor chen po''), is a class of tantric texts and practices that emphasize the stage of generation and are sometimes also termed father tantras. ''The Net of Magical Manifestation'' (''Māyājāla'') collection contains the major Mahayoga works'', The Guhyagarbha Tantra'' is the most influential of these. *

Anuyoga Anuyoga (Skt. अनुयोग 'further yoga') is the designation of the second of the three Inner Tantras according to the Yana (Buddhism)#The nine yanas, ninefold division of practice used by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. As with the ...

(''rjes su rnal ’byor'') texts are associated with tantras that emphasize the stage of completion and are associated with mother tantras. They also teach a "principle of instantaneous perfection", which is not found in other tantras. An example of one of these texts is the ''All-Unifying Pure Presence'' (''Kun ’dus rig pa’i mdo''). * Atiyoga (Dzogchen). In Nyingma, Dzogchen ("Great Perfection") is seen as a non-gradual method which transcends the two stages of tantric yoga and focuses on direct access to the innate purity of things. Atiyoga is further divided into three main categories: Mind Series (semde), Space Series (longdé) and Instruction Series (menngakde). There are numerous tantras and texts associated with this vehicle, such as the '' Kunjed Gyalpo'' and the "Seventeen tantras of the esoteric instruction cycle" (''man ngag sde'i rgyud bcu bdun''). According to Longchenpa's ''Great Chariot:'' Longchenpa's ''Finding Comfort and Ease in the Nature of Mind'' states: Regarding the alternative schemas which are now rarely used in Nyingma, Achard writes:

Notes

References

*Mkhas-grub-rje (compiler); Lessing, R.D (senior translator) & Wayman, Alex (journeyman translator, annotations) (1968, 1993). 'Introduction to The Buddhist Tantric Systems' (). Tibetan transliterated in Wylie with English Translation. Second edition. Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass. *Guarisco, Elio (trans.); McLeod, Ingrid (trans., editor); Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, Kon-Sprul Blo-Gros-Mtha-Yas (compiler) (2005). ''The Treasury of Knowledge: Book Six, Part Four: Systems of Buddhist Tantra''. Ithaca, New York, USA: Snow Lion Publications. {{ISBN, 1-55939-210-X Buddhist tantras Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhist practices